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Kurdistan PM attends launch of
Kurdish-American Caucus
26.5.2008
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May 26, 2008
WASHINGTON D.C., — Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzani capped a series of detailed and
constructive meetings with President George W. Bush,
Vice President Dick Cheney, US officials and members
of Congress by participating in the launch of the
Congressional Kurdish-American Caucus.
“America and the Kurds share many common interests
in Iraq and the region, so there was much to
discuss,” said Prime Minister Barzani about his
meetings in the White House. “There is an awareness
and appreciation in Washington both of our
accomplishments in the Kurdistan Region and the role
that the Kurds are playing in Iraq. Our relationship
with the United States has never been better.”
During his US visit, the Prime Minister also
attended the launch of the Kurdish-American
Congressional Caucus, a meeting with the |
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US Chamber of Commerce
and held meetings with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice; Secretary of Defense Robert Gates;
Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, Senior
Advisor on Iraq David Satterfield; National Security
Advisor Stephen Hadley; Sens. Joseph Biden, Joseph
Lieberman, Sam Brownback, Carl Levin, Mitch
McConnell and Chuck Hagel; and Congressmen Howard
Berman, Steny Hoyer and Roy Blunt. He also met
members of the Kurdish community.
Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Kurdistan
Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign
Relations, said the depth of the meetings showed how
determined the US and the Kurdistan Region are to
move forward together. “We had excellent, detailed
and productive meetings on political, economic and
investment issues. They were both substantive and
very friendly,” Mr Bakir said.
Bi-partisan
Kurdish-American Caucus
Congressmen Lincoln Davis (D-TN.) and Joe Wilson
(R-SC) took the occasion of the Prime Minister’s
visit to launch the Kurdish-American Congressional
Caucus. Congressman Davis said, “I was honoured that
the Prime Minister visited the Capitol, and that he
would take time out of his schedule to help
inaugurate the Kurdish-American Caucus. I hope that
this will stand as a symbol of continued friendship
and cooperation between the United States and Iraq’s
Kurdish people in our effort to bring peace and
stability to a federated Iraq.”
Congressman Davis praised the role of Iraq’s Kurds
in supporting the transition to a democratic Iraq,
and recognised Kurdistan’s soldiers for fighting and
dying alongside US troops to bring freedom to Iraq.
At least two dozen members of the House of
Representatives were among the guests who met the
Prime Minister during a launch reception.
“We Kurds often like to say we have no friends but
the mountains but today in Washington it is clear we
have many, many friends,” Prime Minister Barzani
said. “We have come a long way, but we all know we
still have a long way to go. With our good friends
and strong supporters, together we can continue on
our path to democracy, a model economy and a place
where all, no matter their religion, can call home.”
Mr Barzani visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington, DC, expressing solidarity with those who
died by lighting a candle in remembrance of their
suffering. Mr Barzani said, “My people, the Kurds of
Iraq, understand what is like to be on the receiving
end of a systematic, state-sponsored genocidal
campaign. Saddam Hussein and his regime were
inheritors of the evil of Nazi Germany, an evil
which exists today, seeking opportunities to set
back the progress of human dignity. Kurds faced
torture and murder in Iraq under Saddam Hussein only
because we were Kurds. We know that brutality has no
limits. And we also know that the gift of freedom
and democracy is to be treasured and never taken for
granted.”
US Chamber of Commerce eyes
investment opportunities
During a meeting with businessmen and women
sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce, the Prime
Minister discussed a forthcoming US Commerce
Department trade mission to the Kurdistan Region and
reviewed the progress made in creating new
opportunities for those seeking to invest. He gave
the increasing investments from Turkey, Lebanon and
the UAE as examples of growing international
interest in the varied opportunities within
Kurdistan.
Mr Barzani began his trip in Washington,
Pennsylvania, where he received an honorary
doctorate in public service from Washington &
Jefferson College for his efforts to help the new
Iraq move toward the shared goals of democracy,
peace and prosperity, human rights and personal
freedoms. He received a standing ovation for his
remarks during the school’s commencement ceremony.
“We are building a bright future for ourselves and
our children by devoting our attention to education,
civil society, economic development and the rights
of minorities and children,” he told the graduates.
“We will build a society worthy of the effort you
have made for our freedom – your sacrifices will not
be in vain.”
The Prime Minister said that outreach and education
efforts would continue from the KRG, especially
through its Washington office headed by Mr Qubad
Talabani.
Mr Talabani said the trip further strengthened ties
between the allies and underscored the continued
democratic development in the Kurdistan Region. “The
reception the Prime Minister received, across the US
government and the US business community, and the
messages of support we heard from our friends in
Washington, show a sincere appreciation for the
leadership of the Kurdistan Region”, he said.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
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