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Iraq's Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani
in Teheran
23.10.2008
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October 23, 2008
TEHRAN, Iran,— President of Iraq’s Kurdistan
region and his accompanied high-ranking delegation
arrived Wednesday in Tehran in an official visit for
three days. They were received by the Iranian
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mutaki,www.ekurd.net
Iraqi ambassador in Iran
Mohammed Majid and Iranian officials.
The visit came in response to an official invitation
from the Iranian government.
Jalili: Stability, economic blossoming are
Iraqis' right
Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)
Saeed Jalili in a meeting with Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani said
establishment of stability and economic blossoming
is the right of Iraqi oppressed nation.
In the meeting on Wednesday, Jalili, by referring to
the historical and cultural deep roots between the
two countries, said developing relations between the
Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq in all fields is
necessary and vital for both of them.
Jalili called presence of occupiers in Iraq as a
main factor for insecurity there and by referring to
the extortion of a number of powers said, "Wisdom of
leaders and active participation of Iraqis in such a
sensitive and historical period of time guarantees
independence,www.ekurd.net
honor and future
progress for the country."
He also evaluated expansion of cooperation between
Iran and Iraq as a ground for stability in the
region and prosperity for both nations.
President of Kurdish Regional Government Massoud
Barzani by presenting a report on situation in the
region, appreciated IRI's help for Iraqi people in
different periods of history, either before or after
downfall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
Barzani: We will never
allow any action against Iran from Iraq
President Massoud Barzani in a meeting with Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran on Wednesday
said, "We will never allow any action to take place
against Iran from Iraq territory."
According to the report of Foreign Ministry Media
Department, Barzani, by referring to the good
relations between the two countries and Iran's role
in Iraqis' campaign against Saddam regime, said Iran
has always been with Iraqi people. |
Masoud Barzani (L), the president of Iraq's
autonomous Kurdistan region, and Iran's Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki attend a news conference
in Tehran October 22, 2008
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, (L), welcomes
President of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region in
northern Iraq, Massoud Barzani, for their meeting in
Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC)
Saeed Jalili (R) in a meeting with Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani |
Concerning arrest of
employees in Iran's general consulate in the city of
Erbil, the Iraqi Kurdistan's capital.,
in January of 2007
by the US forces, Barzani said, "We condemn the
action and we opposed it harshly and never stop
efforts to release them."
In another part of his remarks, Barzani underlined
that Kurds leaders want a unified Iraq.
Mottaki, by referring to the religious, historical
commonalities and good potentials between the two
countries, called for developing ties in all fields.
Establishment of high commission for joint
cooperation between the two countries under the
joint presidency of Iraqi prime minister and Iran's
first vice-president and holding several meetings
and taking important economic,www.ekurd.net
social and security
decisions is an indication of serious intention in
expansion of relations.
Signing several Memoranda of Understanding in
different sections of transportation, roads, trade,
energy, information technology and sanitation
affairs in all districts of Iraq including Kurdistan
and creating a new passing border post for trade
exchange are among potentials of the two countries,
Mottaki said.
He declared the trade exchange volume 3 billion
dollars and added the two countries have the
capacity to increase the level.
Barzani meets Ahmadinejad
and Rafsanjani
Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani met Ali
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the Chairman of the
Assembly of Experts of the Expediency Council of
Iran at the office of the strategic researchers in
Tehran.
During the meeting, they discussed the situation in
Iraq in general and especially in Kurdistan region,
President Barzani said “The security situations in
Kurdistan region are good, stable and differs too
much from other parts of Iraq, yet that does not
mean the lack of problems and challenges.”
For his part, Rafsanjani asked about the health
condition of President Jalal Talabani and wished him
a good health and expressed his hope that security
and stability to prevail in Kurdistan region and
Iraq.
Later on, the delegation visited the Republic Palace
and was received by Mahmud Ahmadinejad, the
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. They
discussed the Ways of enhancing the bilateral ties
between Kurdistan region and the Islamic Republic.
Barzani: Security pacts
with U.S. does not violate Iraq’s sovereignty
Barzani said the proposed U.S-Iraq security pact
does not violate his country’s sovereignty,
conceding it is not a “typical” one.
“The proposed Iraq-U.S. security deal does not
violate Iraq’s sovereignty, although it is not a
typical one,” Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
quoted Massoud Barazani during a press conference
with Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucheher Mottaki as
saying.
“The Kurdistan region’s stance on the pact is
clear,” he said, stressing “there is nothing better
than the current version calling for the withdrawal
of foreign troops from cities by mid 2009, and from
all of Iraq by 2011.”
U.S. President George W. Bush and Maliki agreed last
November to sign the SOFA (Status of Forces
Agreement) in Iraq by the end of July, but it has
been delayed.
The proposed pact will decide the future presence of
American forces in Iraq after the December 31 expiry
of the UN mandate,www.ekurd.net
which currently acts as
the legal basis for their presence in the country.
The Iranian top diplomat highlighted the Iraq-U.S.
security pact must be “negotiated inside Iraqi
circles of the parliament, government and the
national council for security.”
The pact, reached after months of negotiations,
governs the presence of U.S. troops after their UN
mandate expires Dec. 31. Copies of the draft, which
became available, last week, sparked an intensely
public debate among top politicians.
The pact must be ratified by the 275-seat
Parliament, which is riven by the narrow partisan
interests, sectarian and ethnic divisions that have
defined Iraqi politics since the 2003 ouster of
Saddam Hussein regime.
The Kurdistani delegation to Iran included a number
of Kurdish politicians and senior officials.
The accompanying delegation includes
representatives of the Kurdistan region political
parties namely: Fadhil Mirani, representative of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Arsalan Bayiz,
representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK),
Salaheddin Mohamed Bahadin, representative and
general secretary of the Kurdistan Islamic
Union(KIU),www.ekurd.net
Kadir Aziz,
representative and secretary general of the
Kurdistan Toilers Party (KTP), and Fouad Husain,
head of Kurdistan region presidency office.
Human rights violation in
Iranian Kurdistan
In a report released in July 2008, the human rights
organisation, Amnesty International
expressed concern
about the increased repression of Kurdish Iranians,
particularly human rights defenders.
The report cited examples of religious and cultural
discrimination against the estimated 12 million
Kurds who live in Iran.
“We urge the Iranian authorities to take concrete
measures to end any discrimination and associated
human rights violations that Kurds, indeed all
minorities in Iran, face,” Amnesty said in its
report.
“Kurds and all other members of minority communities
in Iran, men, women and children, are entitled to
enjoy their full range of human rights.”
Since
2004 the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) took up arms for self-rule in the
country's mainly Kurdistan province northwestern of
Iran (Iranian Kurdistan, Eastern Kurdistan). Half the members of PJAK
are women.
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