INTERVIEWS (61)
INTERVIEWS
After the victories of the army in Salaheddin and the liberation of Tikrit, Al-Ebadi’s government decided to cross out people forces in release operation of Al-Anbar give their role to fresh forces. Thus ISIS could occupy this town, what caused Al-Ebadi called for people help once more.
Iran press, in the thick of Iraq struggles, held a meeting to decode ideological background of Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and to map the movements of this extremist cell. Masood Asadollahi the experts and knowledgeable in Arab world affairs, Hojatollah Judaki the researcher and expert in Middle East and Islam world affairs and Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG of Iraq in Tehran to accept Iran’s invitation, proceeded with the matter of ISIS.
Nazem Dabbagh the representative of KRG of Iraq in Iran in talk with foreign policy journalist of Iran Students News Agency mentioning the selection of Haiydar Al-Abadi as the new PM of Iraq stated: the selection of Mr. Al-Abadi was a an important and positive step which was taken to form the new government of Iraq.
The representative of Kurdistan regional Government (KRG) of Iraq in Tehran in talk with Mehr News Agency considered the establishment of a pervasive and participatory government as the only way of avoiding Iraq being separated. About current security condition in Iraq followed by the occupation of a part of the country by ISIS, Mehr News Agency conducted an interview with Mr. Dabbagh whose main lines as followed:
By MOHAMMED HUSSEIN of Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. Published Friday, March 1st, 2019 SULAIMANIYA - The Trump administration's decision to re-impose sanctions on Iran has forced the Kurdistan region - like the rest of Iraq - into a difficult balancing act. The U.S. government has provided the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) with essential military and financial support; yet as a neighboring country, Iran has built long-term economic, security, and political ties that cannot be quickly or easily altered. One case in point came on Feb. 14, when the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) - under U.S. pressure - issued an order banning all exports of crude and fuel to Iran. A week later, the MNR issued a follow-up directive that clarified the earlier order was only meant to stop illicit smuggling; licensed refiners and permit holders could once again send trucks through KRG crossing points into Iran. Nazm Dabakh is the KRG's representative in Iran. (As an autonomous region, the KRG does not have a formal diplomatic presence in Tehran, but Dabakh essentially functions as an official emissary.) He spoke with Iraq Oil Report by phone about the state of Iran-KRG relations, the see-sawing orders from the MNR, and the challenges of diplomacy with Iran in the era of renewed U.S. sanctions.
Mohammed Hussein: How do you see trade relations between the Iraqi Kurdistan region and Iran?
Nazm Dabakh: I think the current trade relations between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran are fragile, weak, and unstable. Trade activities need guarantees, security, and normal exchange of money. Currently, none of these conditions exist.
MH: The volume of trade in both directions seems to be increasing. Why do you say the relations aren't stable?
ND: Traders on both sides have a hard time exchanging money to U.S. dollars. They are suffering with very volatile money exchange rates. They also have issues transferring money. All these factors made their market unstable. However, trade and economic relations between Kurdistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran are still ongoing. We have always tried to get the Kurdistan region to organize its relations with Iran within the framework of the Iraqi federal government.
MH: Do you mean the Kurdistan region can’t have any special relations or commercial exchange with Iran, apart of what Baghdad has?
ND: Yes, Kurdistan’s relations have always been treated as part of the relations between Iraq and Iran. We are totally committed to Iraq’s foreign relation policy. It also complies with the agreements between Erbil and Baghdad. It is part of the bigger agreements Erbil and Baghdad have reached to put border crossings back under the control of thefederal government.
MH: Sometimes the KRG's decisions are not stable regarding trade relations with Iran. Just this month, Kurdistan halted all oil exports to Iran, and then a week later issued another clarifying that all the refineries and companies that have proper permits are exempt from the export ban.
ND: I do not see it as instability in Kurdistan’s trade policy. In the first place, when the order of the export ban was issued, I said it was a temporary decision, and would not last for a long time. If Iraq does not stop its oil exports to Iran, why would we stop it? [Editor's note: The federal Oil Ministry says it stopped all export trucking to Iran before U.S. sanctions snapped back into effect in November 2018.]
MH: If Erbil organizes its relations based on Iraq’s foreign trade relations with Iran - and if Iraq has no such ban, as you say - why would Erbil ban the oil exports in the first place?
ND: The Kurdistan Regional Government has its own reason to ban the oil exports. It basically wanted to prevent oil smuggling.
If you look at the second order, it clearly allows [exports from] all the refineries and companies that have work permits in Iraq and Kurdistan. Therefore, I can say that the export ban was as an effort to prevent oil smuggling.
MH: Do you think the second order, to exempt permitted refineries and companies from the export ban, was issued because of diplomatic contact between Kurdistan and Iran?
ND: No. I think it was purely based on Kurdistan’s interests. Why would you ban oil exports to Iran while the same exports are ongoing from all other places to Iran? Why should Kurdistan alone undermine its interests and trade relations? Meanwhile, preventing oil smuggling is also in favor of Kurdistan. So, I can say the both orders were issued based on Kurdistan’s interests, not anything else.
MH: You said that one reason behind the MNR's Feb. 14 order to ban exports was an effort to prevent smuggling. Are Iranian officials also concerned about smuggling? If so, what actions are being taken or proposed within Iran to combat this?
ND: I can talk only about the Kurdistan government's position, which is clearly against smuggling. The order to ban oil exports was aimed at preventing the trade of any smuggled oil.
https://www.iraqoilreport.com/news/qa-nazm-dabakh-krg-representative-to-iran-37587/
TEHRAN – Describing the "Greater Kurdistan" idea as impossible, the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) representative in Tehran emphasizes that this idea is like a far-fetched dream.
"The map of "Greater Kurdistan" may be the desire of some Kurdish parties, but putting it into practice and unification of all Kurds is impossible and is more like a dream because the geography of Kurdistan is divided into four regional countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria,” Nazim Dabbagh tells the Tehran Times.
On Wednesday, the KRG had revealed samples of a proposed postage stamp to be printed on the occasion of the Pope's visit earlier this month. The stamp was said to have depicted a map that included provinces in Iran, Turkey, Syria and Iraq.
The stamp in question raised eyebrows in the region, causing tensions between the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government and a number of regional countries.
The stamp was published to commemorate the recent four-day papal visit to Iraq that included a foray into Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, on the third day.
Following is the text of the interview with Nazim Dabbagh:
Q: What is the Kurdistan Regional Government's official position (KRG) regarding the controversial stamps issued on the occasion of Pope Francis's historic visit to Iraq?
A: Regarding the photos of the stamps that were circulated recently, the KRG spokesman and a number of other Kurdish officials explained that these stamps don't reflect the official stance of the KRG, not to mention that they are not applicable project.
Indeed, the stamp design was proposed by a number of Christian artists to the KRG Ministry of Communications; however, it did not meet endorsement by the KRG.
KRG spokesman Jotyar Adel told reporters that Iraq's Kurdish region adheres to the Iraqi constitution and geographical unity. Therefore, this is an arbitrary act by some who have no connection with the Kurdish officials and is not approved by the KRG, especially given the geographical and political conditions of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Q: What do you think of the main reasons and consequences of such an action?
A: We saw the consequences and reactions, both from the Turkish government and its parties as well as Iran.
The Turkish government condemned this action and the spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry expressed Tehran's position objecting to the Iraqi government.
Both countries (Iran and Turkey) expressed objection to the Iraqi government over the stamp, and these objections are reminiscent of what happened when the KRG held a referendum on seceding from Iraq.
The Turkish government and parties denounced this move, and spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, explained Tehran's stance regarding the controversial stamps.
On the one hand, I think that in the current situation, we should be more careful and just pursue the rights and aspirations of the Kurdish people within the framework of the Iraqi constitution.
On the one hand, we must admit that there is no chance to alleviate the problems without the approval and support of neighboring countries and cooperation with the Iraqi government.
On the other hand, the Iraqi government must abide by the constitution to satisfy the demands of Kurds, then the Kurdish people feel that they are partners in the Iraqi state.
Q: The alleged map of "Greater Kurdistan" includes parts of Iran, Turkey, and Syria. What will be the repercussions of such an idea on the KRG's ties with its neighbors, especially as this idea is facing serious opposition from the central Iraqi government?
A: The map of "Greater Kurdistan" may be the desire of some Kurdish parties, but putting it into practice and unification of all Kurds is impossible and is more like a dream because the geography of Kurdistan is divided into four regional countries: Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. Each of these countries has its own distinct characteristics.
Today, we face delicate circumstances where we need to solve our problems and ensure the Kurds' rights and security within the framework of the constitution of the country in which they live. The Kurds are the partner of the Iraqi state and brothers of their Shia, Sunni and Arab fellows.
Q: Which sides would benefit from conflicts between the Kurdistan region and the regional states, especially the central Iraqi government?
A: Those who seek to destabilize the region are the most beneficiary side of these tensions.
By magnifying the problems or tension between the Kurds with Iran and Turkey and even with Iraq's central government, these parties want to fish in troubled water.
Understanding the current situation, the Kurdish leaders and people must not allow enemies of security and stability in the region to take advantage of the differences and cause turmoil and concern about the Kurds. The Kurds are distributed in four countries of the region, so these countries' security and stability.
We should avoid any interference in the regional countries' internal affairs, as the territorial integrity and prosperity of these countries are important to the KRG.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/459086/Greater-Kurdistan-an-impossible-dream-KRG-representative
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