Kurds to discuss self-determination at White House meetings

WASHINGTON DC—The question of Kurdish self-determination and the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) will dominate talks between the Kurdish delegation led by President Masoud Barzani and American officials in Washington, said the Kurdish President’s Chief of Staff, Fuad Hussein.

“The question of self-determination is a just right of the Kurds and how Kurdistan’s self-determination is to be handled will certainly be discussed,” Hussein said. “Kurds have their own vision for the area, but we will see how the Americans view it, too.”

Hussein who added that Barzani will meet with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, said that for Erbil the war against ISIS is a priority because, “as long as ISIS remains, there will be threats on Kurdistan and the region,”

Hussein said that the war against ISIS and the active role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces against this radical group would also be the highlight of Tuesday’s meetings in the White House.

Brett H. McGurk, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy to the Global anti-ISIS Coalition and other senior State Department officials received President Barzani and his delegation that includes Peshmerga Minister Mustafa Sayid Qadir, Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa and National Security Advisor Masour Barzani.