Alwaght- Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani met with US President Barack Obama, US Vice President Joe Biden, and other high rank US officials during his visit to Washington.
It seems that the issue of establishing an "independent Kurdish state" is no longer just a media material being brought up by Arbil from time to time, but this time it was discussed openly by Barzani with Obama and other high rank officials in Washington.
Barzani's Media advisor, Kifah Mahmoud, said that the recent KRG's president visit to Washigton is the most important because it comes in the midst of a fierce war between the Kurdish Territory and the terrorist organizations that have spread in Syria, Iraq and become a threat to security and world peace. He also added that Kurdish people and leaders stood firmly in their combat with terrorism and could defeat the Takfiri organizations such as ISIS. He also added that Kurdistan region has hosted more than 1.5 million displaced persons from Iraq and refugees from Syria, despite economic challenges.
Observers believe that the visit of Barzani is not only related to the war with ISIS nor the separation of the Kurds, but that he will also try to get US support in his quest to renew for a third time in the presidency of the Kurdish region.
It is said that he will ask for US support to cut off the road in front of attempts by other political opponents seeking the secession of the province of Sulaimaniyah and the formation of a new province under the National Union, led by his historical rival, Jalal Talabani.
Meanwhile the White House said Tuesday that it still backs a “unified” Iraq even with the president of the Kurdish Region was set to ask for U.S. support for his government during his current visit to Washington.
“It continues to be the view of the United States that a unified Iraq that’s governed in an inclusive way is clearly in the best interest of Iraq’s diverse population,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
Obama reaffirmed Washington’s support for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish people and also “reaffirmed the United States’ enduring commitment under the Strategic Framework Agreement to a united, federal, and democratic Iraq, as defined in the Iraqi constitution,” according to the readout.
Then President Barzani acknowledged President Obama and Vice President Biden for the significant military support that the United States has provided to Kurdish Peshmerga in coordination with the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Security Forces, including the military action taken to protect Erbil and other parts of Iraqi Kurdistan following the fall of Mosul.
Both sides agreed on the importance of strengthening relations between Baghdad and Erbil and underscored their continued shared commitment to provide support to the millions of civilians displaced by the violence in the region.
The success of peshmerga forces of the Kurdish region against ISIS militants since last June, when the terror group grabbed large swaths of territory in Iraq, has fueled a desire for independence by the autonomous region.
Barzani's week-long visit to Washington has been discussed in the media as a diplomatic trip to convince the U.S. to directly provide arms to the Kurds rather than going through the Iraqi central government.
But the White House released a readout of the leaders' meeting saying the fight against ISIS was the main topic of discussion.
He also urged U.S. companies to do business in the region while thanking those already doing business there.
