Gulan: During Mr. Dawood Oglu’s visit to Iraq, Baghdad’s position has been very positive towards Erbil and has not made complaints, is Baghdad withdrawing the complaints?

Pollock: I think there are more efforts to compromise between Baghdad and Erbil, and the biggest sign of that, of course, is the temporary agreement on oil revenues and exports from Kurdistan. From what I saw yesterday, Baghdad has actually transferred half a billion dollars to the KRG as part of this new temporary arrangements. So, yes I think, there is definitely a new atmosphere and some practical improvements in relations between Baghdad and Erbil, and I think the Turks are pleased with that and so that the Kurds and the Arabs, so it is a win-win solution as they say it.

Gulan: How do you see Turkey is trying to reconsider its position and policy towards ISIS in the region?

Pollock: the main issue here really is what Turkey’s position is that military intervention in Syria, and I think that the Turkish government is not supporting ISIS and is trying to stop the flow of money and weapons to the fighters to the most extreme Jihadists. That is a positive development. That the issue is whether Turkey will go the next step and actually participate or help other countries participate with air field and logistical support and so on in the fighting in the border areas on the Turkish-Syrian border in Kobane and other places. Here Turkey, I think, is still demanding conditions for that, that they are no realistic… no fly-zone, and focus on getting rid of Bashar Al-Assad and his regime rather than on concentrating against ISIS as a top priority. So this I think unfortunately is an issue that still needs a lot of work.

Gulan: recently, a Kurdish delegation has paid a visit to Washington in the past few days and discussed the capabilities of the United States to supply Peshmerga forces with heavy and modern weaponry. What do you think of this?

Pollock: yes, I met with Dr. Fuad Hussien and Kak Falah Mustafa here, and I know that they had a lot of discussions about this, especially on the Hill in Congress, and there has been some good press coverage of it in the United States as well. My understanding so far is that this is another issue that is still under discussion, it has not been resolved. I personally think it is a good idea for the United States to supply the Peshmerga with more heavy weapons and advanced weapons, and I think that will happen but its moving slowly.

Gulan: Another part of their discussion was the atrocities that have been done against the Yazidis in Shangal. Do you think the United States is going to recognize this atrocity as genocide, and how is the United States going to compensate for them as it promised?

Pollock: I think there are a few different issues here. I would say my own view is that the label of genocide is not that important. I know it is a very emotional issue but what is more important is not the word but the actual practical help to the people who were rescued from Shangal, who is still trapped there. The United States continues to help a lot with humanitarian assistance for these people and for all refugees and displaced persons in Iraq and in Syria. And also to support militarily with air strikes the efforts by the Peshmerga and by the Iraqi forces to save the Yazidis and other people displaced by the ISIS. So that seems to me, I know that there are still people trapped and need more help and I hope they will get that help, but those practical steps I think are much more important than the choice of words that has been described for this tragedy. There is no doubt that this is a major humanitarian tragedy.

Gulan: two days ago, a car has exploded before Erbil governorate in which five killed and over twenty injured. This explosion, however, has a kind of influence on oil prices at the international level. In general, KRG and Baghdad have reached an agreement on oil exports. So how do you see the Kurdish oil policy and its impact on the Kurdish future?

Pollock: this is also an issue that is still under discussion but I am very encouraging the temporary agreement between Baghdad and Erbil allows for Kurdistan oil and gas exports by agreement with Baghdad and share the revenues. So I think there is a very bright future for Kurdistan energy exports and now the Turkey is cooperating very closely with the KRG, and I think the US government simply want this to develop but in agreement with Baghdad. My estimate today is realistic prospect. It wasn’t realistic prospect under Maliki government in Baghdad and under Shahristani as an energy minister in the federal government in Iraq but today with new people in power in Baghdad, this could be resolved by agreement rather than by confrontation.

Gulan: so this supposed to mean that you are very optimistic about the new cabinet of Iraqi government, Abadi’s policy, and the compromise between KRG and Baghdad.

Pollock: yes I think so. I think this is actually very hopeful and I know this is a complicated and difficult issue but the time has been much more positive in the last two weeks than they were a few months ago.

Gulan: As we have seen Peshmerga forces proved that they are capable of defeating ISIS as they made many victories over ISIS in Mosel Dam, Zummar, and elsewhere. So if Peshmerga forces have modern weapons, they can defeat ISIS on the ground. How will the west and the United States continue to support Peshmerga forces?

Pollock: I think the US will continue to support the Peshmerga forces and they are one of the most important allies against ISIS and we have a very clear and strong common interest in that. This is a very significant change in US policy that happened over the summer as a direct result of the sudden threat of ISIS to Kurdistan and to Iraq and Syria as a whole. So I would say that we have wanted to help train and supply an arm to these three divisions of the Peshmerga forces to be more capable and standard, and we want to do this as the US government in coordination with other Iraqi forces and the fact is that to the first time is the active cooperation and coordination between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi army and that I think a very positive move.

Gulan: could you please comment on officially transferring Peshmerga forces to Kobane?

Pollock: that was something mainly an issue between the KRG and the PYD in Syria and the Turkish government. They were able finally to reach a deal about that which it seems to me it really turned a tide in Kobane and is preventing the ISIS take control of that strategic city but this on the very small scale actually, we are only talking about a few hundred fighters from the Peshmerga in my understanding and I think it would be actually better in the long run if there will be a bigger agreement on bringing together forces of different Kurdish militias in the Iraqi Syrian and Turkish border area. So what we mean to do, it seems to me, in the future is to talk and act not just about Kobane but about the whole area all the way from Afrin to Qamishli and beyond in Syrian Turkish Iraqi and Kurdish border zone.

Gulan: I just would like to ask you if you have anything you would like to tell us about the Kurdish delegation in Washington and anything that you would like to comment about for our readers?

Pollock: I think the delegation is a very clear sign of much greater cooperation between the US government and the KRG government. One thing that is still a problem is that there is not a feeling of close cooperation yet between Baghdad and Erbil and that is something in my own view is probably no realistic for the Kurds to expect that they will be the only partner of the United States in Iraq. I think that the problem is we need for alliances between the US and the KRG yes, but also between the US and the KRG AND the Iraqi government. The need for that alliance is greater than ever because that is a point where I would personally like to see a better atmosphere, a better attitude on the part of all the parties.