Erbil, Kurdistan (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani yesterday met Ambassador Robert Stephen Beecroft, United States Ambassador to Iraq, to discuss the current situation in Iraq.

The discussions focused on the situation and the latest developments in Iraq, particularly the control of the city of Mosul, the governorate of Salahaddin, and a number of other areas in central Iraq by the terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). They also discussed potential future developments.

The two sides stressed that the current problems are the consequences of the manner in which the political process was managed in Iraq. Therefore, in order to address the situation, political solutions should be a primary focus, as military operations and armed responses cannot solve the problem alone.

Prime Minister Barzani said that in order for calm and stability to return to Iraq, a peaceful political climate should be established – an environment in which all Iraqi components feel that they are true partners in governing the country's political process. No component should find itself excluded.

At the end of the meeting, the two sides stressed the need for cooperation and coordination among all components and parties of Iraq and the need to work together to find appropriate solutions. The political process could be re-launched and accelerated on the basis of the results of the recent general election in Iraq, and serious steps need to be taken to determine the origin of the problems and how to address them.