KRG envoy: coalition emphasized military, political solution in Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Members of the US-led coalition highlighted their presence in Iraq after the eradication of the Islamic State (IS), revealing the political and military solutions necessary to bring stability to the country, a KRG Representative to the US said on Friday.

On July 20, the Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq was held in Washington, DC bringing together Foreign and Defense Ministers of 24 members of the coalition against IS.

During the conference, over USD $2 billion was collected in financial aid for Iraq.

The following day, the counter-IS coalition meeting was held, where the Foreign and Defense Ministers focused on accelerating the demise of the insurgent group in Iraq and Syria.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the US, Bayan Sami Abdulrahman, attended both meetings as part of the delegation of Iraq led by Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

“[The] Washington meetings were about countering [IS] in both Syria and Iraq, but most of the focus was on Iraq, especially liberating the city of Mosul in the north,” Abdulrahman told Kurdistan24 in Washington.

In the meetings, she stated that many of the coalition members mentioned the important role of the Peshmerga forces in defeating the jihadists.

The coalition members also emphasized military solutions as well as political ones.

“They noted that there should be a political solution and agreement in Iraq post-[IS] in a way that all ethnic and religious groups in the country feel that they are part of the country and run governmental posts,” the KRG representative said.

Additionally, Abdulrahman noted that the coalition members discussed the defeat of IS in general, and expressed their contribution to eradicating the group in Iraq and Syria.

She added that the coalition wanted to remain in Iraq post-IS to contribute in re-constructing and bringing stability to the country.

“This is very important for us,” Abdulrahaman stated.

Commenting on the US foreign policy toward the Kurdistan Region after the US presidential election, Abdulrahman explained that she does not expect a significant change if Hillary Clinton wins.

“Some changes might take place after a while,” the KRG representative admitted.

Regarding the Republican candidate Donald Trump, she mentioned that his foreign policy is not clear enough. Mainly in the Middle East where she believes his views contradict.

“We as the representative of the KRG to the US attempt to have a good friendship with both Democrats and Republicans,” Abdulrahman concluded.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany
(Kurdistan24 team in Washington, DC contributed to this report)