Senior US Congressman expresses support for Kurdish self-determination

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Representative Eliot L. Engel, the top Democrat Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs emphasized the Kurdish people's right to self-determination following Monday's referendum on independence in the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Region held a referendum on Monday where people cast their vote whether to remain part of Iraq or secede as a newly-established country.

“For decades, the Kurdish people have endured campaign after campaign of atrocities, so it’s no wonder that they seek self-determination to protect themselves in the future,” Engel stated who also oversees the State Department.

The top Kurdish officials have repeatedly said that partnership with Iraq has failed, that the “sectarian government” in Baghdad has violated 55 articles of the Iraqi constitution, and that the people of the Kurdistan Region are being treated as second-class citizens.

“The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has played an important role in hosting nearly two million refugees from Iraq and Syria. Kurdish participation in the Global Coalition against ISIL [Islamic State (IS)] has been critical to weakening the group and will be vital to our shared goal of ISIL’s final defeat.  Now, with ISIL’s demise in sight, the Kurdish people face additional threats from Shia militias seeking to exacerbate sectarian and ethnic tensions,” Engel added.

“I firmly believe in the Kurdish right to self-determination,” he noted.

The Congressman also called on the Kurdistan Region’s leadership to use the result of the referendum to resolve the disputes with the federal government of Iraq.

“With so many urgent issues at hand, including ISIL’s final defeat, the return of displaced people, a recovering economy, and political complications in the KRG, I urge Kurdish leaders to use the mandate created by this referendum to address these important issues,” Engel stated.

Congressman’s support comes at a time that the Washington DC has expressed its opposition to the vote, claiming the move would affect the priority of the fight against IS, which the Kurdish leadership has repeatedly rebuffed, assuring the referendum would have no impact on the battle against the jihadist group.

“Now that the Kurdish independence referendum has concluded, I urge all parties in the region to find a way forward that will build a strong home for the Kurdish people.  The Constitution of Iraq recognizes the administrative role of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the Central Government in Baghdad must continue to honor its commitments to the Kurdish people and the KRG,” Engel concluded.

Editing by G.H. Renaud