KRG Foreign Relations Minister highlights progress and challenges to members of US Congress
The minister met with over a dozen members of the House of Representatives including House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce, and member of the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee Ted Deutch. He also met with Mike Rogers, the Chairman of the Intelligence Committee.
In the Senate, the minister met with Senators Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as John McCain and Ron Johnson, also on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Saxby Chambliss, who is a member of the Intelligence Committee.
On matters relating to the federal government in Iraq, Minister Mustafa discussed the recent developments with regards to oil, the budget and the security situation in the country. He reiterated Kurdistan’s commitment to the Iraqi constitution and to a continued dialogue between Baghdad and Erbil. He spoke about the importance of holding the upcoming Iraqi elections on time and in a fair and transparent way. 'Kurdistan is a safe and secure region in Iraq and the wider Middle East. It is a tolerant and modern region and the people of Kurdistan have enjoyed political and social progress and the empowerment of women as well,' he told senators.
Minister Mustafa also discussed the removal of the Tier III designation of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.He said, 'The Tier III designation removal of the ruling parties, one headed by the president of Iraq and the other headed by the president of Kurdistan Region of Iraq is an issue of great importance to the Kurds, which requires a speedy resolution.' All the members the minister met, from both the Republican and Democratic parties, expressed their full support for the removal of the KDP and PUK from Tier III.
The minister also highlighted a resolution introduced by Representatives Marsha Blackburn and Chris Van Hollen in November calling on the US government to formally recognisethe campaign of genocide against the Kurdish people in Iraq. That resolution, HRES422, presently has 15 co-sponsors.
On Capitol Hill, Minister Mustafa also participated in an event to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the chemical attack on Halabja. Halabja was the town bombed with chemical weapons during Saddam Hussein’s Anfal ampaign against the Kurds. The event was attended by several congressional members, the ambassador of Iraq to the United States,Lukman Faily, retired general Jim Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Brett McGurk, former US ambassadors to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad and James Jeffrey, as well as members of the business community, representatives of the media, and members of the Kurdish community.
