US ambassador calls for lasting ceasefire in meeting with PM Barzani
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The US ambassador to Iraq has urged Kurdish and Iraqi forces to keep in place the existing ceasefire. Erbil says it is ready to talk, but accused the central government of opting instead to put more “pressure” on the Kurdistan Region.
Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his deputy Qubad Talabani received US Ambassador Douglas Silliman in Erbil on Thursday.
During their meeting, Ambassador Silliman expressed his “concerns” over deadly clashes in the disputed areas. He hoped that the two sides would make serious efforts to avoid tensions and begin talks. To achieve this, Silliman said the “continuation of ceasefire is necessary,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
PM Barzani told the American emissary that the Kurdistan Region has always wanted to avoid fighting and repeatedly called for talks, but their offers were rejected by Baghdad’s “increasing pressure against the Region.”
He said the Peshmerga are ready to defend themselves and their territory, but the Kurdistan Region is ready for dialogue “and finds the role of the international community necessary in this regard.”
The US readout of the meeting stated that Ambassador Silliman asked the KRG to work with the Iraqi government “to de-escalate military tension.”
The US is overseeing military talks between Iraqi and Kurdish forces regarding the deployment of federal troops to disputed areas and Kurdistan’s international borders. No agreement has yet been reached, but talks continued on Thursday in Mosul.
The American said that a strong KRG is crucial to a stable Iraq and he urged all parties to work together in the Kurdistan Regional parliament “as it works to resolve pending issues over the remainder of its term and prepare for elections in 2018,” according to a statement from the US consul in Erbil.
The parliament extended its current term for eight months after it postponed parliamentary and presidential elections that were scheduled for November 1.
The statement said the US continues to work with all parties to resolve outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq following deadly military confrontations between the two last month.
Photo by US Consulate General in Erbil.
The US State Department on Monday welcomed the resignation of Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and expressed its support to the “new leadership” headed by PM Barzani. Most of the duties of the presidency lie now with the prime ministry following a vote by the parliament that distributed former President Barzani’s powers among the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities.
Relations between Erbil and Baghdad have reached their lowest point after an Iraqi-led military operation drove Peshmerga forces out of oil-rich Kirkuk and many other disputed areas since October 16, resulting in the worst crisis between the two since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The Kurdistan Region has offered to freeze the outcome of its vote on independence in return for open dialogue with Baghdad in light of the Iraqi constitution, a move welcomed by Washington, but rejected by Baghdad who wants the vote cancelled.