Kurds want disputes with Baghdad settled before U.S. forces pullout

By Ako Muhammed

Iraqi Kurds are not worried about earlier pullout of the U.S. forces to cause conflicts between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government in Baghdad; but they desire settling internal key problems before the promised withdrawal, said a Kurdish political leader.

"I have come to speak to you about how the war in Iraq will end," President Barack Obama announced that the all combating troops, nearly 90.000 soldiers will be withdrawn by august 2010.

The U.S. President Obama’s statement on February 27 alerted Iraqis to depend on them selves in protecting their country. Iraqis reacted in warmly welcoming the decision while the Kurds reminded of ending internal problems before the withdrawal comes true.

“President Obama’s statement addresses the American discourse which is worried about their forces’ presence in Iraq,” explained Sadi Ahmed Pira, a Kurdish leader. According to him, Kurds realizes the new U.S. administration’s concerns for fulfilling electoral campaign promises of pulling out forces from Iraq and also that Washington now faces other challenges such as the world economic crises.

“The withdrawal comes within the framework of the Iraqi-American security agreement” which will take place gradually and will consider the Iraqi security situations, said Pria who is a high rank leader in the President Jalal Talabani’s party, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or the PUK.

In an interview with the Globe, Pira described the media reports which expressed of Kurdish leaders’ worry in reaction to the withdrawal decision as “rumors” and he explained that, “in case of any unexpected (negative) development in Iraq, the withdrawal schedule will be impacted as it is set in the agreement.”

Meanwhile, he didn’t hide that the Kurds want the disputes with the federal government in Baghdad to be ended within the few years of the American forces presence.

However, The PUK leader does not see the presence of the American forces in Iraq as a guarantee to lead in achieving Kurds’ demands, but he rather thinks that, “the Iraqi constitution and the long-term agreements between the Iraqi political parties are the guarantee for the future of Iraq as well as right policies taken by Kurds and other Iraqi sides.”

According to Kurdish officials, in stead of military presence, Washington’s political supports are more crucial for Iraq and Kurds at the current stage.

In an earlier reaction, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representative to Washington Qubad Talabani reportedly stated that “the American forces cannot leave a stable Iraq without solving the disputes.” He explained that despite the Iraqi security improvements, there are several essential political issues remained disputed about and require efforts by the United States, the Iraqi federal government, and the Kurdistan and the other Iraqi parties.

"I restate that the role of the United States should be to help resolve the problems in Iraq such as Article 140, the oil law, and the law on the distribution of its oil wealth," KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said during a press conference in Erbil in the last month.

Five committees formed between Baghdad and Erbil are working on settling main issues of financial problems and oil and gas law, Kurdistan forces duties and rights, disputable areas, and Iraq’s foreign policies.

On Iraqi level, several governmental and political officials welcomed president Obama’s statement for earlier withdrawal from Iraq.

“the government and the parliament welcome the early withdrawal of the American forces from Iraq and the Iraqi forces will be capable to fill the security gap after the American forces withdrawal from the country,” said Hassan al-Sanid, a Shiite member of the parliament’s committee of security and defense.

Currently there are nearly 142.000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. President Obama promised during his electoral campaign for pulling their troops within 16 months from taking in office. According to the Iraqi-American security agreement, the U.S. forces should pullout due to the end of 2011.

And even after the drawdown, a sizable U.S. force of 35,000 to 50,000 U.S. troops will stay in Iraq under a new mission of training, civilian protection and counterterrorism.

This report has already been published by the Kurdish Globe