Kurdish MP: take independence dialogue to Washington

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A Kurdish MP in the Iraqi Parliament said that the Iraqi government will support the declaration of a Kurdish state.

In an interview with Kurdistan24, Kurdish MP Abdulbari Zebari said that an independent Kurdistan is the right of every single Kurd, as well as political parties in the Kurdistan Region or other parts of Kurdistan.

Zebari discussed Iraq’s reaction to an independent Kurdish state. “The position of Iraq is clear about independent Kurdistan; at this level Iraq will not be pleased with it [independent Kurdistan] and will stand against it,” he revealed.

“I believe the regional countries like Iran and Turkey will stand against it, but this is dependent on the decision of the people of Kurdistan and political parties [within],” Zebari said.

“There is a need to convey our message on independence to the international community especially the US because, alongside the European Union countries, they can play a major role on the matter,” he said.

Zebari, who was part of an official visit to Washington as a member of the Foreign Relations committee in parliament, said, “If the Kurdistan Region brings its dialogue [on independence] to Washington and the Congress, I think the perspective of the US government can be changed in their favor.”

Iraq is facing a huge economic crisis just like the Kurdistan Region. “The Iraqi government did not show any sign of discontent over the independent oil sale by the Kurdistan Region,” he added.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) claims that Baghdad has refused to respect the national budget share of Kurdistan over the last two years. The Region’s budget, identified as 17 percent in the Iraqi Constitution, was cut off twice since the beginning of 2014—once by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and again by current Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in 2015.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany