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The KRG's man in D.C. on Sunday's Iraqi
elections
8.3.2010
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March
8, 2010
WASHINGTON, —
With the Iraqi parliamentary elections set for
Sunday, various Iraqi political groups are preparing
for a reorganization of the national politics due to
unprecedented openness and increased expected
participation. This is especially true for the
ruling parties in the Kurdistan Regional Government,
which could see their national representation
reduced proportionally due to expanded Sunni
participation and the first fully fledged campaign
by the Gorran (Change) party, which swept onto the
scene after big gains in Kurdistan's 2009 regional
polls.
The Cable sat down with Qubad Talabani, the
Kurdistan Regional Government KRG's representative
in Washington and the son of Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani, to get his take on the elections, the
implications for Kurdish interests, and the future
of U.S. troops in Iraq's disputed northern
provinces. "It's important to know that these
elections are far more important for Iraq than those
from 2005," he said. "The government that's formed
after these elections will have to not only manage a
transitioning United States from Iraq, but will also
have to deal with the many outstanding issues in
Iraq."
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Qubad Talabani, the Kurdistan Regional Government's
representative in Washington. He is the second son
of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. |
The Cable: How do you see the
formation of the Iraqi government following the
elections?
Qubad Talabani:
There will be a widespread call for a swift
government formation process. We understand and
respect the need for a swift government formation
process, but we mustn't sacrifice the quality of the
government in consideration of the time it takes to
form that government. The world will be watching and
what they'll likely see is going to be another
complicated,www.ekurd.netdrawn
out process. Stakes are very high, competition is
fierce, and because of those factors, the government
formation process may not look as smooth as many in
the United States and around the world will like it
to look. So we have to mitigate the expectations.
Q: How has the
change of the election format from choosing only
lists to voting for individual candidates and lists
affected the campaign and Kurdish prospects?
Talabani: The
effect is that people who will go to the parliament
will be held more accountable because these people
will have been directly voted for by the
constituents. Hopefully the performance of these
people will be better. It may not affect the numbers
per se, but it will create a more accountable
process.... You have to put people onto the slates
that are popular, confident, and who you think can
do the job to serve the people.
Q: What would be
considered a success in terms Kurdish seats in the
new parliament after the election?
Talabani: We
have 55 seats right now in this current parliament
but the national seat allocation has been increased
from 275 to 325. Anything higher than 60 seats will
be a good result for the Kurds, even if that's
proportionally less. We have to be realistic; we do
understand that there's a broader participation in
these elections and that the three disputed
territories is where the hottest competition will
take place.
Q: How will the
new participation of the Gorran Kurdish movement
impact the result?
Talabani: You
have three main Kurdish slates running in these
elections: the Kurdistan alliance which is made up
primarily of the PUK and the KDP, the Change
movement party [Gorran], and the Islamic Union of
Kurdistan's slate. There will certainly be
competition for the Kurdish votes in the three
northern provinces and the three disputed provinces.
But I'm confident that once we've put the internal
competition aside and people take their seats at the
national level, when issues of relevance and
importance to Kurdistan come to the table, the
majority of the Kurdish blocks in the parliament
will unify and vote for Kurdish interests.
Q: How will the
overall stakeholders fare on Sunday?
Talabani: The
outcome is really unknown, because of the number of
slates participating, because of how close the race
is nationally and regionally. Right now it would be
premature to make any predictions.
Q: How do you
view the news that Gen. Raymond Odierno has put in a
request for American combat troops to remain in
northern Iraq longer than planned and perhaps after
the 2011 withdrawal date enshrined in the Status of
Forces Agreement?
Talabani: The
general has a good sense of what's required on the
ground. There is a clear need right now for
continued U.S. presence, particularly in the
disputed territories.... We're open to a continued
U.S. military presence as long as they're required.
If U.S. forces are required beyond the time than
what the SOFA states,www.ekurd.netthat
must come about through a renegotiation of an
extension of the guidelines set by the current SOFA.
The situation on the ground will determine whether
an extension is needed. We as Kurds are not opposed
to an extension but that will have to be decided at
the federal level.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
thecable.foreignpolicy com
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