US withdrawal not for parliament to decide, says Masoud Barzani

ERBIL – Wednesday, Kurdish Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani emphasized that the withdrawal of coalition forces from Iraq is a national issue that should be addressed by government institutions, not the parliament, through dialogue and agreements with allies, especially amid ongoing terrorist threats. Barzani also remarked, “Without America’s overthrow of the former regime, those currently in power would not have been able to govern Iraq.”

The former Kurdistan Region president met with the Acting US Ambassador to Iraq, David Berger, on Wednesday.

The meeting covered discussions on the latest developments in Iraq and the region, the risks of terrorism, and the relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Federal Republic of Iraq, including obstacles facing these relations.

Barzani highlighted the necessity for all parties to adhere to the constitution ratified by the Iraqi people, protect the status of the Kurdistan Region and its institutions, and avoid interference in the Region’s legislative process.

The constitution states that in case of discrepancies between the laws of the Kurdistan Region and those of the Iraqi parliament, the Region’s laws take precedence. Though the Federal Court of Iraq has been taking an increasingly interventionist stance toward the Kurdistan Region in recent months.

Barzani also addressed the importance of holding Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections.

Regarding the status of the remaining coalition forces in Iraq, President Barzani described it as a national issue, not confined to any single sect, and that it should be resolved by the Iraqi government through its ministries and official institutions, by reaching agreements and conclusions through dialogue with allies. He stressed that all Iraqi sects must recognize the ongoing threat of terrorism and the risk of its resurgence. Barzani informed the visiting delegation that all parties should support the dialogue and agreement process between the Iraqi government and its allies, asserting that this issue falls outside the legislature’s mandate.