“To eradicate the roots of terror in Iraq and prevail over it we will have to first start rebuilding the destroyed areas,” Barzani said in a speech read at the forum by Interior Minister Karim Sinjari. “Terrorism thrives in neglected areas deprived of services. Reconstruction must start fast.”
Barzani cited Mosul as a place where the government could start building a true partnership with people.
“It saddens us all to see one of the most ancient cities in the world—Nineveh—destroyed like this,” said Barzani. “The government must support Mosul investors to lead the rebuilding initiative. People in all provinces should feel they are part of the administration of Iraq.”
The Kurdish prime minister said Iraq should respect its own constitution, which is based on federalism and the distribution of powers.
“Iraq defines itself as a federal democratic state and in such a state reconstruction, services, and participation would be for all, which would lead to stability and then prosperity,” read Barzani’s message at the forum, attended by Iraqi and Kurdish officials, academics, and diplomats.
Even finding a political solution is not easy because of “the lack of a true partnership and the prevalence of guns that have hampered economic progress, the flow of trade, and the delivery of people’s needs,” Barzani added.
The prime minister said the government must find a balance between ensuring security and fulfilling its other duties.
“We want for the people of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq a dignified life and prosperity,” Minister Sinjari read on behalf of the PM. “But a people will not have prosperity without political stability. In the meantime it is not easy to provide public services when people and the country live in a fragile state of security.”
KRG Interior Minister Karim Sinjari reads a statement on behalf of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani at the Erbil Forum, March 1, 2019. Photo: Rudaw
Barzani referred to conferences among Kurdish and Arab leaders prior to the 2003 US invasion where they had envisioned a new democratic Iraq, which, he said, they had failed to implement.
“We were envisioning an Iraq for all, but unfortunately that was not the case for all communities and building a modern state did not happen.” Barzani said. “Terrorist organizations exploited this reality and spread across the region.”
He suggested that the cause of Iraq’s ills lay within.
“A solution for this must be found through the Iraqi constitution,” he said. “When the Kurdistan Region says that 55 constitutional articles have not been implemented more than anything we want the sanctity of the constitution.”
“I must tell you frankly that the idea of federalism and the system haven’t found each other yet in Iraq.” Barzani addressed the forum. “That’s why the Kurdistan Region is treated as a province and not as a region. We hope that this approach is changed under the current government.”
Meanwhile Barzani described Iraq’s current Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi as “the right person for this phase” and called on all political parties “to understand the importance of working together for a better governance and stability.”
