VIDEO: Barzani expects 'a big change' in US foreign policy under Trump
DAVOS, Switzerland (Kurdistan24) - The new American administration is expected to provide more support to the Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the battle against the Islamic State (IS), President Barzani said during a World Economic Forum (WEF) panel on Friday.
The four panelists of the "Syria and Iraq: Ending the Conflict" were President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, Chief Executive Officer of Crescent Petroleum Majid Jafar, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey Mehmet Simsek, and the Foreign Minister of Jordan Ayman al-Safadi.
MOSUL OPERATION
Barzani stated that Peshmerga forces were in the forefront when Mosul operation started on October 17, 2016, and then Iraqi forces began to advance after the Peshmerga forces broke the Islamic State (IS) defense line.
He mentioned that the original plan was to reach an agreement on governing post-IS Mosul to prevent problems arising after the liberation, but then the plan changed, and the military operation was prioritized without reaching a consensus on how to govern the area in the post-liberation phase.
Barzani stated that Nineveh Province in northern Iraq is different from other parts of Iraq as it consists of various religious and ethnic groups. According to him, they should be part of the governing system in the area after Mosul gets cleared from the extremist group.
President Barzani noted that any plan for governing Nineveh should guarantee the rights of all the components in the area as well as prevent future atrocities.
Regarding referendum in the area whether Kurds want to be under the administration of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) or the federal government of Iraq, Barzani said that a referendum would take place in future.
NEW US ADMINISTRATION
Speaking about the new US administration and its policy toward Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, he said that based on the contacts that have taken place and what he has heard, Washington would continue to support Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the fight against the IS.
"This is what we expect, that the new administration would provide more support to combat terrorism compared to the previous one, but we have to wait because the inauguration hasn't taken place yet."
Additionally, Barzani stated that Rex Tillerson, the former head of Exxon Mobil and President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of State is the person who knows well what is going on in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
He expects a significant change in the US foreign policy under the Secretary Tillerson.
SYRIA
Questioned by the moderator about the future of Syria, President Barzani noted that he would support whatever Syrians agree and decide on.
“There are 300,000 Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region,” said Barzani, hoping peace will establish in Syria so that refugees can return home.
He also noted that sectarian conflict is a reality in Syria and Iraq, and the complex situation has to be considered in order to address the conflict.
Over 3,000 world leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, actors, celebrities, and journalists gathered in Davos, eastern Switzerland, to take part in the WEF’s 47th meeting and discuss threats and opportunities encountering the world.
Editing by Ava Homa
