UK supports Sinjar Agreement

The UK’s Ambassador to Baghdad Stephen Hickey announced on Wednesday the UK’s support for the agreement of the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region, regarding the status of the Sinjar district in the Nineveh governorate, north of the country.

This came during Hickey’s meeting in Erbil with Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Masrour Barzani, according to an official statement.

The UK ambassador explained: “Britain supports the agreement to normalise the situation in Sinjar as a step to stabilise and reconstruct the region, in preparation for the return of the displaced population.”

During the meeting, the two parties discussed: “The importance of stabilising the situation in Iraq, and resolving outstanding problems between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the federal government in accordance with the constitution.”

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On Friday, Ahmad Mulla Talal, spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, announced on Twitter: “Mustafa Al-Kadhimi concluded a historic agreement that strengthens the authority of the federal government in Sinjar in accordance with the constitution, on the administrative and security levels.”

Talal added that the agreement “will eliminate the dominance of foreign groups,” with reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The PKK established a foothold in the Nineveh governorate, especially in Sinjar (west of Nineveh), when Daesh invaded the region in the summer of 2014, and established the so-called Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS).

The PKK fighters are still deployed in the region, despite repeated calls from the local authorities and the Kurdistan Region for the factions to leave the area.