Kurds sent a
delegation to the Bay Area to court business investors
July 27,-- Chaos continues across much of Iraq excluding the
north where the Kurds appear to be taking their future into their
own hands. The Kurdistan region covers roughly the northern third of
Iraq. Today the Kurds sent a delegation to the Bay Area to court
business investors.
Forget the usual pictures of Iraq, the ambushes, the roadside bombs,
the killing in Kurdistan (northern Iraq). In the Kurdish region not
one coalition soldier has been killed. The Kurds have their own
regional government up and running, and they are out looking to sell
U.S. investors on what they call the other Iraq.
The Iraqi Kurdistan delegation is being led by Bayan Sami Abdul
Rahman. She's the daughter of the region's former deputy prime
minister who was killed along with his oldest son in a 2004 suicide
bombing.
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Development Corp: "It's very
difficult for my family. I know that that kind of a loss changes
everything."
Abdul Rahman spoke this afternoon to parents of U.S. soldiers killed
in Iraq, and those parents wanted to talk about their children.
John Holley, San Diego: "Just to let you know that we loved him
terribly and he was our only child."
Each side thanked the other for coming to pay their respects. The
noon time meeting was set up by a Sacramento P.R. firm that is
producing a series of commercials promoting business in northern
Iraq.
The company producing these commercials is Russo Marsh and Rogers a
media firm with strong ties to the Republican Party. The gold star
families that were invited are all supporters of the war.
But Abdul Rahman says her group isn't receiving any U.S. government
support.
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman: "All of the money for this campaign is from
our budget, our own budget, the Kurdistan regional government."
So far, she says the response to the investment promotion has been
very positive.
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman: "The overwhelming response that I've
received is that this is a message that Americans don't hear often
enough that there is the other side of Iraq."
Except for defense contractors, U.S. companies are not jumping on
board.
The Kurdistan region of Iraq has the authority to negotiate its own
deals with foreign companies, including companies interested in oil
exploration. The Kurds estimate they have 45 billion barrels, maybe
a fourth of the country's oil supply. National security and foreign
policy expert Michael Nacht says the U.S. has a real interest in
seeing the Kurds succeed.
Michael Nacht, U.C. Berkeley: "We could then have credibility in
telling the Shias and the Sunnis -- look here's what we're able to
do working with your Kurdish colleagues in the north. We could do
the same with you if you'll stop killing each other and stop blowing
up hotels bridges and shopping centers and everything else which is
going on obviously on a daily basis there."
Now the flip side is if the Kurds are so successful that they want
to separate from the rest of Iraq, that could cause lots of
problems. Turkey is already fighting with armed Kurdish insurgents.
They will not allow an independent Kurdistan to exist next door.
abc go.com Top |
® 