WASHINGTON - Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday that the federal government is responsible for defending the Kurdistan Region’s airspace and responding to cross-border attacks, alongside the Peshmerga forces.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion attended by Rudaw and other American and regional media correspondents, Hussein addressed security concerns following the withdrawal of US air defense batteries from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
"It is the responsibility of Iraqi government… to protect Kurdistan," Hussein told Rudaw. "That will be within the responsibility of Iraqi government as well as, of course, the Peshmerga forces will protect Iraqi Kurdistan. When there will be an attack on any part of Iraq, it is the responsibility of Iraqi government to forbid that and to stand against that."
Hussein said the constitutional status of the Peshmerga means Baghdad also has responsibilities toward the Kurdish forces, including equipping them.
"Peshmerga has been recognized by the constitution, so it is part of the general Iraqi forces, and there is good coordination between the Peshmerga forces and Iraqi forces, especially with the military," the minister said. "The cooperation between Peshmerga forces and Iraqi military forces will be there, and that means Baghdad will be also responsible for many things, including equipping Peshmerga forces."
He said Iraqi and Peshmerga forces were coordinating to prevent security gaps in disputed areas where remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) remain active.
"Two weeks ago, there was an attack of ISIS in that area, and we must work together not to let any security vacuum in that area... so that vacuum can be used by ISIS terrorist groups."
Armed groups
Hussein also addressed the Iraqi government’s push to bring all weapons under state control, saying Baghdad has set a deadline of June next year for armed groups to disarm and integrate into the country's security forces.
"The government has got a plan, and the plan is clear that it will be a process from now until June next year, and during this process, these groups they will lay down their arms, and the target of the plan that they will integrate into other forces," Hussein said.
"The deadline is there, and we hope once again... that we will reach an agreement, and this problem will be solved."
Hussein said the government is dealing with seven armed groups and that several have already accepted the initiative or are in discussions with Baghdad.
"The plan already starts today. Awfiya Allah, they announce it that they are going to support the policy of the prime minister, and I have understood from the prime minister another group, Sayyid Shuhada, is going to announce once again either tonight or tomorrow, also supporting the plan of the government," Hussein said.
"Three of them already they announced it and they supported the plan of the government, and some of them they started already laying down or giving their arms to the armed forces, but the other four that were waiting until now, but now two of them are going to give statements and supporting the plan of the government. The other one, we have got negotiation with them, and then we will see the fourth."
The foreign minister stressed that decisions on war and peace belong to the federal government and warned that armed groups would not be permitted to independently launch attacks on other countries.
"The decision of going to war or keeping peace, according to the Iraqi constitution, has to do with the government. So, not a single group will be allowed to take the decisions in their hands and attack other countries. It's not allowed."
US sanctions and Iran flights
Turning to US sanctions and bilateral economic ties, Hussein said his visit to Washington includes meetings with officials at the Treasury and State departments, the Pentagon and the National Security Council.
Among the issues he plans to raise is the impact of US sanctions on air travel between Iraq and neighboring Iran.
"I am going to discuss this matter, this subject with the American, it became a very sensitive issue, to be honest,” he said.
Hussein said Washington should take into account the millions of religious pilgrims who travel between the two countries each year, particularly to the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in Iraq and Mashhad in Iran.
"Most of the visitors from Iran to Iraq are coming to the holy places, especially to Karbala and Najaf, and this is well known. We receive annually about five million pilgrims from Iran. That's valid also for Iraqis going to the holy places in Mashhad, and we are talking about three million Iraqis going there," he said.
"This is one of the most sensitive issue for us because it has to do with religious, it has to do to do with holy places... I am planning to discuss this matter today and tomorrow with the officials here, so that we can find a way. Otherwise, this will create huge problem, because at the end it has to do with religion, is not politics."
Commercial flights between Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, and Iran were suspended last week as Iraqi airports moved to comply with tightened US sanctions targeting Tehran's aviation sector.
Coalition withdrawal
Hussein also said that following the end of the US-led coalition's military mission in Iraq, Baghdad would shift toward bilateral security arrangements with individual countries.
The US military formally concluded its withdrawal from Iraq on Wednesday, ending its 12-year Operation Inherent Resolve mission against ISIS from within the country.
Asked by Rudaw why Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attended a meeting with US President Donald Trump in New York accompanied only by his translator, and whether the issue of Iraqi armed groups was discussed, Hussein did not directly address the questions.
"We had different kinds of meetings. We had our official meeting with the Secretary of State in New York, and then we had roundtable meeting between the leaders of the Gulf Country plus President Erdogan and President Trump, and we were there. And there was another meeting between the Prime Minister and President Trump. Of course, we are aware of all these meetings," Hussein said.
He added that Trump's broader meeting with regional leaders "was not about Iraq; it was about the region. It was about American policy towards the region."
