Salahadin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (krp,org)- President Masoud Barzani received cardinal Fernando Feloni, the special envoy of His Holiness, Pope Francis. During the meeting President Barzani warmly welcomed the message of brotherhood and coexistence from His Holiness, Pope Francis and added that the position of the Kurdistan Region has always been clear, and that is, "we will all either live together with dignity." President Barzani also spoke of the extreme cruelty of the terrorists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS, adding that the Kurdistan Region will continue to fight this phenomenon until it ceases to exist.

President Barzani and Cardinal Feloni spoke of the number of IDPs in the Kurdistan Region which has now reached well over one million persons. Cardinal Feloni expressed the gratitude of His Holiness, Pope Francis, through a letter to President Barzani regarding the kindness displayed in handling the IDP crisis.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region – Iraq 

August 14, 2014

The European Union.

Kurdistan Region has been an outstanding model of stability, democracy and peaceful coexistence in Iraq during the last decade. Kurdistan has been a safe haven for all Iraqi components such as, Arabs, Turkomen, Christians, and others. Since 2006, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi internally displaced people have taken shelter in Kurdistan fleeing violence and bloodshed in the other parts of Iraq. 

Currently, this safe haven is under a serious danger by the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). Last week, the ISIS militants launched a wide spread attack against the Kurdistan Region territories, especially in Sinjar, which is dominantly inhabited by Yazidis and areas to the east and north part of the city of Mosul, which have been the homeland of Christians for thousands of years. The recent ISIS aggression on the Kurdistan Region resulted in the killing of hundreds of people and displacement of around one million people. 

Despite facing serious humanitarian and security challenges, the Iraqi government has only played a very limited role in supporting the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and alleviating the suffering of the refugees and IDPs. Thus, the KRG is under huge humanitarian and security pressure. The KRG is doing whatever it can to provide humanitarian relief for the refugees and IDPs and at the same time the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are fighting ISIS militants on behalf of the world. While we appreciate the support we have received from our friends and allies, we call upon international community to provide further humanitarian and military assistance. 

The Kurdistan Region Government respectfully requests the members of the European Union to urgently come forward and offer humanitarian aids to the IDPs who have taken refuge in the Kurdistan region. It is worth mentioning that the displaced people are suffering severely due to the lack of shelter, food and other basic needs. Urgent aids are needed to save lives of thousands of people. We also call upon the members of the EU to provide the peshmarga forces with necessary arms to deter ISIS offences and protect civilians and displaced people. The Kurdish forces are in an asymmetrical warfare against an organized and well-armed terrorist group. With no doubt, rapid equipment of Peshmarga forces with heavy and sophisticated weapons will change the equation in the battlefield in favor of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces. 

We hope that the members of the European Union will urgently and positively respond to our request. 

Sincerely, 

Fuad Hussein 
Chief of Staff
Kurdistan Region Presidency

On 13th August 2014, Dr. Yusif Muhammad Sadiq, the president of Kurdistan parliament, received Clouya Ross, the deputy head of Germany parliament. In the meeting Dr. Yusif explained the late events of the region, the life condition of the refugees in Kurdistan after IS attacks, and the situation of Peshmarga forces in the fronts.

 Regarding the refugees, he said, “The refugees live in a very difficult situation. Since the Kurdish Regional government has not received its own share from Iraq budget in 2014, we cannot provide sufficient aid for the refugees. This is why we require urgent help from international community and humanitarian organizations”. Dr Yusif added, “What happened to Yezizis was another Holocaust; hundreds of thousands of innocent people died of lack of food and water”.

About Peshmarga forces Kurdistan parliament president clarified,” they can defend Kurdistan, but in the past Iraqi government did not support us to strengthen our military capacities. We really thank US and European countries for their prompt and significant cooperation with Peshmarga forces”.

On her part, the deputy head of Germany parliament said,” Germany is confident to support Kurdistan in fighting terrorists”. She also expressed her concern about the situation of Christian and Yezidis refugees in Shangal and Musil”.

About the relationship between KRG and Iraqi government, she said,” We are worried about the financial crisis in Kurdistan, and we hope that the Iraqi government sends back Kurdistan budget as soon as possible”.

On 12/08/2014, Dr. Yusif Mohammed Sadiq president of Kurdistan Parliament, Received Mr. Aram Sheikh Mohammed, the Vice-President of the Iraqi Representatives Council as  the head of a delegation and  Kurdish parliamentary blocs from Iraqi Representatives Council, who visited the Kurdistan Parliament to discuss joint cooperation between the two sides, also Fakhr Qdeer Arif, secretary of the Kurdistan Parliament ,and heads of parliamentary blocs in the regional parliament,  were attended the meeting to discuss the current political situation in Iraq and the recent developments in the political process.

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – The Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshyar Zebari, and the Kurdistan Region President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein, today held a press conference to discuss recent security developments.

Foreign Minister Zebari stated that the most important development has been the decision by the United States to protect human lives – a critical decision for Kurdistan, Iraq, and the entire region. He said that the air strikes are intended to degrade the terrorists’ capabilities and achieve strategic gains, and have been very effective. He added that there is an American military team on the ground in Erbil in order to ensure tactical coordination with the Peshmerga forces. He noted that since the air strikes began, the environment has completely changed, and that Peshmerga are holding their ground and will be moving on the offensive.

Dr Fuad Hussein said that the terrorists are waging a war against humanity, and are not aligned with any religion. He mentioned that the Kurds used to say that they had no friends but the mountains, but this does not ring true anymore. Dr Hussein applauded the American decision to provide air strikes and humanitarian assistance, French support, and the efforts of the Pope to draw attention to the crisis. He discussed the plight of the Christian and Yezidi minorities as well, adding that the Kurdistan Region is proud of its culture of coexistence.

Both officials explained that America’s assistance is deeply appreciated. Foreign Minister Zebari lauded the unanimous United Nations Security Council call for urgent international action after France requested an emergency meeting. He said, “We are fighting on behalf of the whole world.” He urged the international community to not underestimate the terrorist group, whose tactics far exceed other terrorist organisations.

Foreign Minister Zebari noted that hundreds of thousands of Iraq’s displaced people, from every sect and ethnicity in Iraq, have taken refuge in Kurdistan. He also said that although the Peshmerga were previously denied weapons from Baghdad because of political issues, it is now clear that the Peshmerga and the Iraqi Security Forces are fighting together against a common enemy.

(courtesy Reuters / Rodi Said)

The Telegraph

by Aram Shakaram

Mothers cradle crying babies, children look forlornly across the sweltering room to the world outside, knowing too well that this isn’t a summer holiday, while their parents try desperately to work out their next move.

Most here are seeking whatever help they can get, having fled the fighting further west as it was upon them, fortunate to escape with their lives – let alone any supplies or possessions.

But these are the lucky ones. They fled towns like Qaraqosh – the scene of bloody violence, now under the control of armed groups – in cars, driving to the Kurdish capital.

Outside the city boundaries there are still hundreds and hundreds of people waiting along the road, many of whom travelled by foot, desperately hoping to be let in.

Every abandoned building or unused shelter I see seems to be housing people who have fled the fighting.

Some are waiting to get into Erbil, others are in transit to other parts of the country.

Next to an abandoned building on the main road into town, a pregnant mother about to give birth sits nervously with her husband, who feels decidedly helpless. The mother tells us she could feel her baby’s heartbeat getting weaker and weaker.

Nearby, a father who had a stroke, has diabetes and high blood pressure says all reasons for optimism are gone.

The tension is palpable and the devastation everywhere.

I’m an Iraqi national who has been working with Save the Children here for 17 years. I was displaced too back in 1988 after fleeing and surviving a chemical attack on my town, Halabja. But in all my time I could never have imagined a crisis like this – so many people fleeing so suddenly, such terror in people’s eyes.

I fear for my nation’s future, and for communities like the Yazidis, many of whom have only just been freed from Mount Sinjar after their ethnic stronghold of Sinjar fell. Now some of them are fleeing into Syria.

Dozens of children died on that mountain from dehydration, a most horrible and preventable way to go.

Just days ago a teary eyed Yazidi politician told parliament how her people were being slaughtered, and that their ancient minority religion, which derives from Zoroastrianism, was “being wiped off the face of the earth”. Women were being enslaved as “war booty”, she said.

Religious and ethnic minorities like the Yazidis are the latest victims in this rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis in Iraq, which has seen more than 1.2 million people – more than half of them children – displaced in just over two months. That’s a rate of about 20,000 per day.

This is on top of the 230,000 Syrians who have fled to Iraq because of the war across the border.

And it’s all happening in the middle of summer, when Iraqi children should be playing in the streets, kicking footballs and hanging out with their friends. Families should be holidaying in towns like picturesque Shaqlawa, known for its cool summer climate, lush gardens and hot springs.

Instead, Shaqlawa is among a number of host communities for people fleeing the violence. Families who once holidayed there are back again, this time seeking refuge and relying on aid agencies like Save the Children.

The children’s agency has already reached more than 100,000 displaced Iraqis this year, including 14,000 in the past week alone. Our workers have handed out water, sleeping kits and hygiene items like soap and toothbrushes.

But the level of needs is growing rapidly, pushing the crisis to breaking point.

The sheer speed at which events unfolded was impossible to predict, meaning that many agencies are already running low or have run out of pre-positioned aid stocks.

Several camps scattered along the border of Kurdistan are also poorly resourced. Some have become the front line of fighting and have emptied as a result, while others have only just gained access to clean, running water, basic health services and security.

These are problems that can only be fixed with more funding and resources, and now is the time to respond.

Not only are the displaced battling to survive each day, they don’t know how long they can stay wherever they are, if they will need to flee again or if their lives will ever return to normal.

When and how this ends, nobody knows. What we do know is that humanitarian aid is desperately needed to keep people alive.

The road ahead is long and the international community needs to step up now to save Iraq before it falls beyond repair.

Aram Shakaram is Save the Children’s Director of Program Development and Quality in Iraq

(courtesy AFP)

Financial Times

Peshmerga forces are fighting for the world and must be armed now, writes Bayan Rahman

Sinjar, a Kurdish border area that has seen more prosperous times as a trading and farming hub famed for its figs, olives and Syrian-influenced cuisine, is suddenly on the world map as a genocide unfolds before our eyes.

As a Kurd whose family comes from Sinjar, I find it wrenching to see the suffering of our people as yet another genocide is committed against us. We had thought the dark days were behind us as we rebuilt the 4,000 villages, and the physical and social infrastructure, that were destroyed by Saddam Hussein.

Kurdistan has a tradition of peaceful coexistence, with Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Turkmen, Kurds and Arabs all living side by side. The first school my Muslim mother attended in Sinjar was run by Christian nuns. Religious festivals, she told me, were always celebrated by neighbours of different faiths, too...

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On 8/42014 Dr. Yusif Muhammad Sadiq, Kurdistan parliament president, received a delegation of Japan parliament. The delegation expressed their pleasure for visiting Kurdistan, and they hoped to have stronger relationship with the Kurdistan region in general and Kurdistan parliament in particular.