France engaged in facilitating dialogue between Erbil, Baghdad: Consul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The French presidency is committed to helping the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the Federal Government of Iraq resolve outstanding issues through peaceful dialogue, according to Erbil’s top French diplomat.

“President Emmanuel Macron is very much committed to getting talks in Iraq between Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to resume,” French Consul General Dominique Mas said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Kurdistan 24, Mas said there had been multiple efforts by the French government to initiate a dialogue.

“There was a visit to Paris by Barzani and his deputy, Qubad Talabani,” he stated. “There have been multiple phone calls between the French presidency and the Prime Minister in Baghdad and the Prime Minister in Erbil.”

The French official noted all these efforts were being made to facilitate a dialogue on several subjects “to help rebuild trust between both sides and for problems to be resolved.”

“We are not here to propose solutions, we are here to help both parties find their own solutions, and we will support the solutions that are agreed upon [by Erbil and Baghdad],” he explained.

Mas outlined that the priorities remained the reopening of the Kurdistan Region’s airports, the issue of salaries that need to be paid to KRG employees, and the management of borders and oil resources.

“All of these issues are important to us,” he told Kurdistan 24.

In the long term, Mas hinted that Iraq would come to crossroads as there would still be the “question of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan and its place within Iraq.”

“It will take time, but all our efforts are available.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany