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Kurdish leader: We are no longer able to help Iraq

August 2, 2014 at 2:25 pm

The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, renewed his demands to exercise the right to self-determination, affirming that Kurdistan is “no longer able to do anything for Iraq and will not wait for an unknown fate.”

In a statement issued by the presidency of Kurdistan, on the side-lines of his visit to the sites of the Peshmerga forces in Jalawla, Saadia and Ckramaan, Barzani hailed the Peshmerga forces for their sacrifices and service to the people; stressing that Kurdistan’s survival was dependent on their presence.

He added that the Peshmerga’s situation will improve and that it will be provided with advanced weapons and technology. He stressed, “We must be ready.”

The Kurdistani president pointed to statements by a number of officials in Baghdad who oppose the deployment of Peshmerga in these areas: “What would be the fate of these areas if the Peshmerga were not there? Who would be controlling them now?” he asked.

Barzani pointed out that, following the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s regime, his region “made concerted efforts to build a democratic Iraq and to preserve its territorial integrity.” Now, however, he says: “We are no longer capable of doing anything. We offered everything we could for the sake of Iraq, but we should not keep waiting for an unknown fate.”

He added that Kurdistan is currently pursuing two goals: “assisting the political process in Iraq, and working towards attaining the right to self-determination.”