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Iraqi Kurdistan Government Deputy Prime
Minister urges continued US presence and Turkish
investment
24.11.2007
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November 24, 2007
Washington DC, USA,-- Mr Omer Fattah, Deputy
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government
said that a long-term US military presence and
increased Turkish investment in the Kurdistan Region
in Iraq are key ingredients to maintain the region’s
stability, economic growth and improved relations
between neighbours.
“Turkish companies are the main investors in our
Region and we have many social and cultural ties
with Turkey. We are against the use of our region
for attacks against Turkey,” Mr Fattah told an
audience on Monday at the US Institute for Peace. He
said Turkish companies have already invested $5
billion in the Kurdistan Region and he expressed
gratitude for the past humanitarian and political
support Turkey extended to the Kurds in Iraq. |
Omer Fattah, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan
Regional Government in 'northern Iraq' |
At the same time, the KRG Deputy Prime Minister was
clear that only diplomacy, not Turkish cross-border
operations into Kurdistan – could address armed
attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). He
said, “Military intervention in Iraq by any of its
neighbours will not solve any problems; it will
exacerbate them.” He added, “To destabilise this
secure region will have profound consequences on the
stability of Iraq. It will also be problematic for
Turkey, because the instability will be on Turkey’s
border.” www.ekurd.net
Mr Fattah said that after decades of repression and
violence, Kurds and all Iraqis are building the
institutions of democracy and freedom, while
learning how to be responsible leaders. “We want the
idea of Iraq to work and we want to be part of it,
provided that the new Iraq protects us and our way
of life,” he said.
Mr Fattah expressed deep gratitude for the
sacrifices made by the US in liberating Kurdistan
and Iraq from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. He invited
the US to have a long-term presence in the Kurdistan
Region to enhance regional security and help
preserve Kurdistan as a model for Iraq.
To cement the new democracy’s foundation, Mr Fattah
said that all Iraqis must commit themselves to the
federalism enshrined in the Iraq constitution. “This
vision of a federal Iraq, a vision drawn from the
experience of nations such as Switzerland, the UK,
the UAE and even the US, is the best means for us to
protect ourselves against oppression and control
from the centre,” he said. “But it is a vision that
is not always easy to achieve, and we accept and
understand that our federal system must and will
evolve over time.”
One way Kurds are contributing is working to develop
a robust and modern petroleum development and
management policy, and a transparent revenue sharing
formula by creating a national oil and gas law, he
said. Kurdistan has already passed an oil and gas
law for the Kurdistan Region and has begun
contracting to develop the oil and gas
infrastructure. This will bring much needed
development and ultimately assist Baghdad, since 83%
of the proceeds from the sale of oil extracted from
Kurdistan will go to the national treasury, Mr
Fattah said. He said, “They will make a profit if
they come,” inviting oil companies to invest. www.ekurd.net
“Who else can today secure the investment of
hundreds of millions of dollars for Iraq as we have
done, and why is that considered a bad thing,”
Fattah said. “The role of Kurds in the new Iraq is
manifold, anchored on the more than 15 years of
peace and democratisation that we have been
developing in our Region since 1992. Like many new
democracies, there were challenges from within and
from beyond our borders; but we prevailed, and the
lessons we learned make us strong today.”
For more information contact Tom Squitieri, Director
for Public Affairs at the KRG Representation in the
US, tom.squitieri(at)krg.org
krg org
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