Military and humanitarian aid on KRG delegation's agenda in US talks
Fuad Hussein, Chief of Staff to President Masoud Barzani, and Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations are in Washington to update the administration, Congress, experts, commentators and diplomats on developments in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
They held meetings on Monday with Senators Carl Levin and Mike Lee of the Senate Armed Services Committee to give updates on the fight against ISIS and military needs of the peshmerga. Senator Levin, the committee Chairman, told the delegation, 'You have many good friends on Capitol Hill, including myself.'
Dr Hussein said, 'The peshmerga is the only coherent, reliable force in the region that is willing and able to take on ISIS. With heavy weapons, equipment, and training we can be the force that will degrade and ultimately destroy these terrorists.'
The United States has provided some military equipment to the KRG, although heavy equipment, armoured vehicles, and heavy assault weapons are yet to be delivered. US President Barack Obama recently asked Congress to authorise $5.6billion to combat ISIS in Iraq, of which $1.6billion is to be allocated for training and arming peshmerga and Iraqi Security Forces.
Minister Mustafa said, 'The international community, including the US, must play a role in eliminating the threat of ISIS in the region and in the world.'
The delegation also met with US administration and UN officials at the Department of State to discuss the response to the humanitarian crisis in the region. Minister Mustafa told Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, 'Winter in the Kurdistan Region brings rain, snow, and freezing temperatures. Many of those taking refuge in our region are not prepared for this, and without international assistance, this winter will be catastrophic.'
Dr Hussein and Minister Mustafa met Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Gerald Feierstein at the Department of State to discuss the KRG’s negotiations with Baghdad. Dr Hussein requested that the US urge the Iraqi government to abide by the Constitution and disburse the KRG’s share of the federal budget, adding, 'If Baghdad were to treat us as Iraqi citizens, with all of the benefits of that citizenship, we would be happy to be part of Iraq.'
The Kurdistan Region currently hosts over 1.6 million refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Many are taking shelter in construction sites, public spaces, and schools, and have no heating systems and little warm clothing. The KRG is currently working with international partners to construct 26 camps and transit areas to provide emergency housing for the displaced.
