Masrour Barzani addresses Baghdad negotiations, ISIS, militias, Iran, and COVID-19

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani addressed multiple key issues for his administration on Tuesday, including making the argument that Iraq still requires the presence of the US-led Coalition to defeat ISIS due to the continuing and serious threat posed by the extremist group.

The leader made the comments during a comprehensive interview with the Al Jazeera satellite channel, pointing out first the active role that the autonomous region has been taking in the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue initiated in June 2020.

The representatives of both Baghdad and Erbil participating in the talks, he said, "believe that still, the threat of terrorism in Iraq is serious, so the need for coalition forces to assist and help the Iraqis to fight terrorism is still needed."

Barzani stressed that any arrangement between the United States, the Iraqi federal government, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) must be a "general agreement," that must be agreed upon by all three sides.

"Kurdistan is not going to have a different policy from what has been negotiated and agreed to," he explained.

"We still believe that ISIS is still a major threat, not only to the Kurdistan Region but to Iraq, the rest of the Middle East, and the whole world," stressing that, "as an ideology, it is still very active," including recruitment in both Iraq and Syria.

"Even now, ISIS is collecting $150 million per year, has many members, and this threat needs to be contained," Barzani continued, adding that “without the coalition forces at this moment, I don’t think the security forces of the region are ready to face all these challenges at once.”

When asked about the general security situation, the Prime Minister explained that the Kurdistan Region "has become an oasis of stability where many people who flee from violence and other reasons seek shelter because of the security here." 

"Kurdistan, relatively speaking, is very safe, but that doesn’t mean we are not threatened, not challenged by terrorist organizations," Barzani said, pointing out to the recent arrest of a cell belonging to ISIS and was planning to launch bombings.

"This is a reminder that we should never undermine the threat of terrorism."

The Prime Minister in response to a question about the recent rocket attack inside Erbil, he answered, "There is no doubt that this was a terrorist attack," and pointed out, "We are working very closely with our partners to identify who they are and for the Iraqi Prime Minister to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

In response to a question about Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), he said that the federal government is negotiating with Washington about the status of American forces, the international coalition, and the diplomatic presence, but these forces, troublingly, operate with impunity and outside the scope of government institutions or military chain of command.

He stressed, that their actions, "should not be taken as representing the view of Iraqis, but rather this is the view of some of the groups who are trying to push the Americans out by intimidation and attacking them, which I don’t think is going to work."

Still, he warned, their continued presence will lead to the deterioration of the situation and will not help the Iraqi people, and needs to be addressed properly by the federal government.

"But," he added, "we cannot generalize and accuse the entire institution, and there are groups that are outlaws and are not part of legal institutions of the Iraqi government and do not listen to the federal government and instead challenge the authorities. These people need to be brought under the control of the state."

Barzani warned that such attacks aim to drive a wedge between Erbil, Baghdad, and the international community, remarking, "Whoever is behind these attacks is not serving the interest of the Iraqi people nor the Iraqi government and that needs to be addressed properly by the federal government and we as the KRG are ready to be of any assistance and can work closely with the federal government to minimize those threats and challenges."

On the relationship with Iran, the prime minister said that the Kurdistan Region wants a normal relationship with its eastern neighbor, pointing to common borders as well as security and economic interests, expressing his hope that relations will be strengthened on the basis of mutual respect and "non-interference in each other's affairs."

Regarding the KRG's relationship with Baghdad, he noted that it had improved after the general budget was passed, although nothing practical had yet happened on the ground. He then said he was waiting for the federal government to fulfill its obligations and “expect the (Iraqi) prime minister and the federal government to start paying the budget share to the Kurdistan Region."

"Since 2020, a total of 10 months of the KRG’s budget has not been paid by the federal government," adding, "We are waiting for the implementation of the budget, and it is up to the Iraqi government, and there are no legal challenges that prevent this."

On the issue of territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil, in which ISIS takes advantage of a security vacuum in these areas, Barzani suggested that Baghdad close these gaps by deploying joint security forces to prevent the infiltration of terrorists and to strengthen security in those areas.

In light of the deal between the two governments on Sinjar (Shingal), one such disputed territory, the leader described the Sinjar Agreement as "a good and essential step for resolving other outstanding issues" and expressed his regret that it had not yet been implemented due to the presence of local forces that challenges the authority of the federal government as well as the presence of PMF militias and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is fighting a decades-long conflict with Turkey.

He said the conflict was a "Turkish problem and not an Iraqi problem," indicating that it was “exported to the Kurdistan Region especially during the time when we were busy fighting ISIS.”

He explained that the PKK took advantage of this and expanded its influence in those areas, causing residents to flee. "About 800 villages," he said, remain without services, and "with the recent developments in the confrontation between the PKK and Turkey, this has forced more civilians to leave their villages."

The prime minister called on the PKK to leave the Kurdistan Region and respect its authority, demanding also that Turkey appreciate the situation on the ground and withdraw its forces as well.

Relations between Erbil and Ankara remain strong, he added, explaining that what the Kurdistan Region wants is to bolster their commercial and economic ties.

Barzani also expressed his regret over a deadly inferno that broke out overnight Sunday at a coronavirus-dedicated hospital in Baghdad and said that the doors of Kurdistan Region hospitals are open to assist and treat the injured.

After being asked questions related to the pandemic in the region, he replied that "infections are within reasonable limits so far," and spoke of constant KRG contact with the World Health Organization and the Federal Ministry of Health as part of efforts to combat the epidemic.

The key area of improvement, he said, was that "the arrival of vaccines is slow and in small quantities."

"We need additional vaccinations to help improve the situation," Prime Minister Barzani concluded. "We expect we will receive additional doses and we also expect the Iraqi government to pay more attention to the health sector in order to help the Kurdistan Regional Government through this."

Editing by John J. Catherine