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Qubad Talabani for U.S. military bases in
Iraqi Kurdistan
22.6.2007 |
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Kurdistan Government's representative to the United
States Qubad Talabani is for U.S. military bases in
Kurdistan
June 22, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), June 22, --
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's son Qubad Talabani
said having U.S. forces in Iraq would "spare the
Kurdish people any forms of injustice," stressing
that setting up a U.S. base in Iraq's Kurdistan
region "is in favor of both the United States
Kurdistan."
"We have to explain to our American friends that
their interests with the Kurds are not just
political. They are also economic and military,"
Qubad Talabani, the representative of the Iraqi
Kurdistan Region's government in the United States,
said in a press conference in Erbil, capital of
Kurdistan, on Friday.
Several Kurdish officials had expressed readiness to
accept a U.S. military base in the autonomous Iraqi
Kurdistan region, in the northern part of the
country, which is nearly independent from the Iraqi
state since the end of the 2nd Gulf War in 1991.
On the reasons for the Kurds' fears about their
future in Iraq despite the presence of a
constitution and a government where the Kurds are
active, Talabani said "history has left its imprint
in our memories. We have to have fears about the
emergence of a dictator, whether in Iraq or in a
neighboring country." |
Qubad Talabani is representative of the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) to the United States. |
"Who would guarantee that the future government in
Iraq would be democratic. Our fears would not be
allayed in just one or two years. We have to make
sure that our people would not come under any other
forms of injustice," said Talabani Jr.
Talabani stressed "Iraq's need to build a system of
government on an institutional basis so as to make
sure the Iraqi people's rights are preserved and
democracy is maintained in this country."
The Iraqi leader's son revealed that the Kurds were
trying to form a "lobby" to practice pressures on
the U.S. policies in favor of the Kurdish issue.
"Our relations with the United States must be
strengthened, whether through the Kurdish community
or through setting up
a lobby to press U.S. policies to support the
Kurdish issues," he said.
Qubad Talabani expressed concern about "the U.S.
forces' armament of Iraqi clans, particularly the
Sunni clans."
"Many in Kurdistan are concerned about providing
Iraqi clans with arms. The Iraqi problem is
political, not military. There is also a trust
problem that can never be solved through armament,"
he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had last week
said he was concerned about U.S. forces' armament of
Iraqi clans in order to confront the al-Qaeda
Organization in a number of cities where the network
is active, namely in the provinces of al-Anbar and
Diala.
Maliki said the Iraqi government is worried that
these arms could end up "in terrorist groups'
hands."
Talabani, asked on the Turkish threats to attack
Iraq's Kurdistan Region to track down members of the
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey,
said "we are confident that Turkey would not attack
Kurdistan because Turkey is quite aware of its
economic interests in the region."
"Hundreds of Turkish companies have presence in the
Iraqi Kurdistan region and thousands of workers, who
participate in reconstruction projects there,
transfer huge sums of money to Turkey," he
explained.
VOI
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