Brussels, 10/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - Invited to speak before the European Parliament foreign affairs committee by the committee's Italian deputy chairman, Fiorello Provera (Lega Nord), the president of Iraqi Kurdistan evoked, on Tuesday 10 November in Brussels, the elections in January and the evolution of Kurdistan within Iraq. Massoud Barzani called on MEPs to support his government's efforts to set up an administration and educational system that is as close as possible to European standards. He also called on European businesses to invest in his region.
During a press conference, Mr Barzani described his government's relations with Turkey as “very good” and stressed the fact that his government encourages the Turkish authorities to persevere along the road to a peaceful and democratic settlement on the Kurdish issue. His government, he said, is in favour of an equitable distribution of gas and oil revenue which belongs to the Iraqi people as a whole. He nonetheless estimated that “current 17% of national proceeds from the sale of Iraqi oil should go back directly to the Iraqi Kurdistan region and not be paid via the federal authorities”.
While stating his support for the constitution, he was critical that $8 million had been used by the federal government to improve production which ultimately fell. The region of Kurdistan currently produces around 100,000 barrels per day and it is estimated that production could rise to 1 million barrels per day by 2011, he said. During the discussion with MEPs, he said he wanted Iraqi gas to supply Nabucco. When asked about the future of Kirkuk, he pointed out that a roadmap provided for a census followed by a referendum that would allow the people of the region to choose where they wanted to belong, and he hoped that this would “defuse the time bomb”. Recent terrorist attacks have shown that “active terrorism has not been halted in Iraq,” he regretted, stating that the Kurds should not have to assume responsibility for the separation of Iraq if this is a solution supported by Shiites and Sunnis. “We didn't ask for Iraq to be divided,” he said.
In a press release issued after the meeting, Provera said that the Kurdish autonomy was “an example for the rest of Iraq”, not only because it was the safest region of the country, but also because the rights of minorities were respected. (O.J./transl.jl/rt)