Barzani: International community silent on Kirkuk ‘catastrophe’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Tuesday said no talks between Erbil and Baghdad have started, adding the international community failed to address the conflicts in Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu.
During a press conference in Erbil, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani noted that dialogue between Kurdistan and the Federal Government of Iraq has not started, despite repeated calls from the Region.
“So far, there have been no talks between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi government,” the Prime Minister stated. “There are no technical talks that could lead to more general and comprehensive ones.”
The relationship between the KRG and the Iraqi government has considerably deteriorated following Kurdistan’s Sep. 25 independence referendum.
The historic vote received sweeping support for secession from Iraq, but Baghdad refused to recognize the results and instead responded by imposing collective punitive measures against Kurdistan, including the use of military force in disputed areas.
The KRG has shown its flexibility, offering to freeze the results of the referendum, but Baghdad demands a full annulment.
Regarding the recent human rights abuses and violations committed by Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias following their takeover of Kirkuk and other disputed territories, Prime Minister Barzani said the international community “did not move.”
“The United Nations has not done its duty to address the events of Tuz Khurmatu and Kirkuk where over 100,000 people are displaced from those areas,” he said.
On Oct. 16, Iraqi forces and Hashd al-Shaabi militias seized control of Kirkuk and Tuz Khurmatu, forcing thousands of its Kurdish population to leave their homes and flee toward Kurdistan.
According to several international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, the properties of these families have been looted, burned, and destroyed.
The KRG Prime Minister called on Amnesty to “do its part” in what he labeled “a catastrophe.”
Editing by Sam A.