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The Kurdistan Problem
Topic Started: Oct 26 2014, 07:08 AM (442 Views)
Jplumbo
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Fuad Masum
President of Iraq

Greetings, Delegates.

I feel that we need to discuss with great urgency the threat to the international coalition also known as Kurdistan. Their provocative actions seem to know no bounds lately. However no matter how far they seem to go out of their way to create further problems for the middle east as a whole it seems the international community is happy to allow them to get away with whatever they want.

Need I remind you that is it not, nor shall it be, a recognised state. It is a mere organisation which thanks to the international community is better armed and funded than many countries armies are. This has emboldened them to create a large number of problems for the region. I remind the US that the level of support that Kurdistan is currently gaining is likely to alienate you further from an already volatile region, including your NATO ally Turkey. Kurdistan to date has received far more support than the legitimate government in Iraq and this is far from acceptable. It seems that we are all determined to see Iraq split despite this coalition created to keep it together.

We call on the international community to finally come together and condemn what the Kurds are trying to achieve and profit from the conflict. I appreciate the Kurdish efforts against ISIS but they seek to break Iraq further.

These issues need to be urgently addressed before they spiral further out of control.
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Patria O Muerte

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani

Mr. Masum, i would caution you from further words, as if we are part of the same nation, what is controversial about letting people decide for themselves whether or not they would prefer to reside in our region, of which all Iraqi's are citizens of?

What is far from acceptable is your government's inability to do much of anything, particularly in the case of refugees. Why do you feel that an overwhelming majority of Iraqi's would rather feel safer in the colder north than with the South? People vote with feet sir, and rather than decrying our unrelenting progress towards ending this crisis, your government condemns action resolving it.

Tell me, who is really benefitting from a prolonged war against IS?
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Capo
P.M. Nawaz Sharif
Mohammad Iftikharm, Pakistani Ambassador to Iraq

The reason that Kurdistan has likely received more aid than the Iraqi state is because Kurdistan has actually demonstrated an ability to effectively combat the Islamic State and utilize military and financial aid towards the achievement of the geopolitical goals of the anti-IS coalition, namely, the defeat of IS. Need I remind you that nearly fifty-five million dollars in Pakistani defense spending are being wasted while 8. Squadron in Tallil await permission to fly sorties over Iraq in support of coalition forces. Frankly, the Iraqi government has not proven to be a trustworthy coalition partner in this effort.
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Legion
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President Masum, the Kurdish Peshmerga has been a force that has been instrumental in the fight against ISIL, and has provided millions of Iraqis, whether they be Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, or Shiites with some feeling of security as much of the nation continues to face the terroristic threat that ISIL poses. They bravely drove ISIL militants out of much of Northern Iraq, and because of the brave men and women of the Peshmerga, and the Armed Forces that comprise the anti-ISIL Coalition, ISIL continues to lose more ground everyday. The Peshmerga's role in this fight cannot be understated and their security obligations that they continue to face are large and only growing, despite pressures regarding equipment and funding. This means that the Peshmerga continues to require the assistance of the international community in order to fight a threat that is better equipped than they are, due to ISIL's looting of Iraqi armories during their advance into Iraq last year.

Yes, President Masum, the Kurdish Regional Government is merely an organization, but this organization has done far more than the Iraqi State in recent months in turning the tide of the battle against ISIL. The role that they continue to play in the region requires large amounts of assistance, and with all due respect, if the Iraqi National Army can step up to the plate and begin playing a leading role in the fight against ISIL, perhaps military assistance will be more evenly distributed between the Iraqi State and the KRG. The Australian Government, in fact, finds it rather insulting that you, President Masum, a man who has witnessed the pain and suffering that ISIL has brought on the Iraqi people, your countrymen, have called the KRG an entity that creates problems for the region. Does the Iraqi Government consider the Peshmerga, brave men and women who risk life, limb, and liberty to protect Iraq and fight ISIL, more of a threat than the militant butchers at Baghdad's doorstep?

Posted Image The Honourable Julie Isabel Bishop,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia
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Rezim
His Majesty King Carol I
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John Russell Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
Ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada



With all due respect President Masum, calling the Kurdish Regional Government a threat to the Middle East is not only hasty, but also damaging to the very coalition you accuse the KRG of undermining. You condemn this group and the Peshmerga, yet they have proven themselves to be capable of securing their objectives in combat against ISIS, something that until recently alluded the Iraqi Army. The Kurds in Northern Iraq have proven capable and have the respect of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel on the ground in Northern Iraq. And while the Kurdish Regional Government has acted in ways that is problematic and troublesome for the coalition, it has been a proper partner in combating the threat of ISIS to not only Iraq, but the entire Middle East. We do not support some of the actions, including the seizure of oil fields, by the KRG, and have expressed as much to the KRG in private conversations. Prime Minister Harper mentioned this in discussions when KRG President Barzani was in Ottawa earlier this year. They are not a perfect partner in the coalition, but they have proven themselves capable in combat, and that is something that is significant in this fight against the threat of ISIS.

You also express concern about governments offering support to the KRG and not Iraq - allow me to explain something, sir. With all due respect, Iraq and its army was rebuilt and retrained by coalition forces from 2003-2011. It has modern equipment, and frankly, should had been capable of holding its own. This, coupled with the fact that the Iraqi government has previously rebuffed offers of assistance from some nations - such as Canada - contributes to why it appears that there is more support for the government in Erbil than the government in Baghdad. We previously offered assistance to the Iraqi government in the form of equipment donations and transfers, something the Iraqi government never pursued with our government. It is only now, nearly a year after the offer of assistance, that the Iraqi government is calling upon us to assist.

Finally, while we do not agree with the approach the KRG has taken to deal with the refugee crisis in Northern Iraq, namely by openly calling upon the international community to help them set up residences for refugees instead of doing it themselves, it is a step taken that the Iraqi government has not. The KRG has attempted reconciliation both with the government in Baghdad and with the displaced populations. The government in Baghdad however, took a long time to retake the city of Fallujah, and furthermore has done little to assist its people directly. If people choose to remain in Northern Iraq, under jurisdiction of the KRG - who are we to demand them to leave somewhere they may feel safe and secure, only for them to return to danger zones where they could face persecution, by ISIS or any other militias existing in Iraq.

Do not get confused by the words I use Mr. President - Canada supports the territorial integrity of Iraq as long as all parties see eye to eye. That said, the Republic of Iraq is in desperate need of cooperation between its factions, not name calling or destructive rhetoric. We should be united in fighting the barbarous individuals who seek to destroy Iraq in its entirety, not fighting each other.
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Bobithy
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Great Leader of the Korean People
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Sergey Lavrov
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Russian Federation



With due respect to the regional official of the Kurdish Regional Government the Russian Federation would like to point out the ridiculous hypocrisies of the statements so far provided by Mister Talabani. On one hand you have publicly declared your intention to become independent. And now, when it benefits you, you claim that Kurdistan and Iraq our one country. So which one is it? If Kurdistan intends to remain part of Iraq, we expect them to act as an integral part of the country, not as they have been. The KRG has conducted a rash of provocative actions which have damaged the integrity of the coalition against ISIS, actions which could be seen as dangerous to regional security if regional security was not already threatened dramatically by ISIS.

We also must point out to those stating that Kurdistan has proven the only effective force in Iraq. That may be the case, but not for lack of effort on the Iraqi side. However, what is a blatant fact is that this "coalition", which is seeming to become an alliance of Kurdish supporters is not looking at the big picture. In fact, now it seems that, in the worlds of Minister Baird, this coalition does not support the territorial integrity of Iraq. You, Minister Baird, stated that Canada would support the territorial integrity of Iraq only if "all parties see eye to eye. " That is clearly not the case. Baghdad does not see eye to eye with the KRG. And so it seems you have just publicly stated support for the dissolving of a country that Canada, alongside others, worked for many years to create and stabilize. The Russian Federation, along with others, on the other hand stands firmly beside Baghdad in protecting the territorial integrity of Iraq as a country.

Now the fact that many countries, misguided by their hope for a quick outcome to an existing problem, have forgotten that by supplying the Peshmerga paramilitary organization with significant numbers of weapons and advisers sets the stage for a bloody civil war between Kurdistan and Iraq. Have you learned nothing from the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein? Im sure the Kurds have, and have every intention of being just as brutal if not more should a civil war occur. Russia is frankly disgusted by the manner in which the international community has handled this situation.
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Patria O Muerte

Deputy Prime Minister Talabani

Mr. Lavrov, we consider ourselves part of Iraq for the time being, out of respect to the idea that our referendum is set yes, and we are heavily interested in independence yes, but we will continue to respect the fact that we are part of Iraq, and recognized as such. Our internal disputes may at times conflict with the constitution, as the Maliki government flagrantly violated for years, and the lack of attention or caring by the new unity parliament has shown, we too were forced to violate the constitution numerous times, but only as last, desperate measures to ensure that our government and more importantly, our ability to protect ourselves and the millions of innocent citizens remain safe against Daesh.

As for your highly incendiary comment Mr. Lavrov describing any Kurd with the likes of Saddam Hussein, is as intolerable as calling any Israeli or Jewish individual comparable to Hitler. Believe me sir, you have not known true persecution as the Kurdish people knew it under the tyranny of Hussein. As we had stated months earlier, we would never raise arms against our neighbours inside this nation, divided though we may be by passions of ideas and values at times, peace and humanity are our greatest goals here, with tolerance above all.

We should remind the Russian Federation it is not the Soviet Union anymore, and indeed the world has grown weary of it's own provocations. You of all peoples should understand and relate to our own striving ambitious for self-determination. Though unlike Moscow, we will not take our freedoms from others by the sword, but through the righteousness of the ballot, and respect of law.
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Rezim
His Majesty King Carol I
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John Russell Baird
Minister of Foreign Affairs for Canada
Ministre des Affaires étrangères du Canada



Apparently Foreign Minister Lavrov either cannot understand what his translator said, or needs a better prescription for his glasses for the transcript of what I stated. Canada supports Iraqi sovereignty, but we believe that Iraq needs to recognize that the KRG in Erbil should be a partner, not an adversary - especially in the coalition fight against the Islamic State. We urge the governments in Erbil and Baghdad to come together, and perhaps a reform of the entire government is necessary, but yes, we can only be supportive of a state if it desires cooperation with all parties. Once one side refuses to cooperate, the entire process breaks down. Iraq is a democracy, and democracies cannot work if there is no level of cooperation. I understand this is difficult for a Russian government official to recognize, considering it outlaws any legitimate opposition to itself.

It isn't as if the Russian Federation is at all favourable towards states being kept together - considering its blatant annexation of Crimea and regions in Georgia. The real world is not a game of Risk, Mr. Lavrov, it is about time your government recognize that.

I see Mr. Lavrov is still suffering from foot-in-mouth disease, comparing the Kurdish people and the KRG to Saddam Hussein - a criminal who killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds. I am disgusted to see the Russian government would ever stoop to the level of comparing a persecuted people to the person that persecuted them in the first place!
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Bobithy
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Great Leader of the Korean People
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Sergey Lavrov
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Russian Federation



If you wish to attempt to gain independent, Mister Talabani, you are free to do so. But you wont receive UN recognition unless Baghdad decides it wants to recognize you. And with respect: my comments regarding Saddam Hussein show the suffering of your people. Everyone has a breaking point, and the Kurds reached theirs. And should there be another civil war in Iraq, then all I said was that the war would be bloody and long and destroy any hope for Iraq, including Kurdistan, to be a true nation. And that a civil war would be started by your government with arms supplied from those who spent years and billions of dollars rebuilding Iraq. Something that Russia, nor any other true, respectable nation, would want to see happen.

Your right, we are not the Soviet Union any longer, and we are democratic and free. But I dont see what that has to do with this conversation.
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Bobithy
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Great Leader of the Korean People
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Sergey Lavrov
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Russian Federation



I find it laughable that Canada has decided to insult me personally in an open discussion, when Russia has shown only respect even for those it disagrees with. Is that what NATO politics is turning into? That is truly a shame. And no, Mister Baird, I speak English well. I know what you said. If you wanted to say something else then you should have said what you meant, instead of trying to back peddle.
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