ULAIMANI (ESTA) — President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Bafel Talabani met U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara A. Leaf with her companion delegation on Wednesday in Erbil.
Leaf who leads a senior U.S. delegation from the Department of State after flying from Baghdad, she received by the President of the PUK at the party headquarters.
The U.S. delegation included Ambassador Alina L.Romanwski and Consul General in Erbil, Irvin Hicks Jr, with President Talabani, they exchanged views during the meeting on the issues facing the Kurdistan Region.
“From the very beginning our efforts were aimed to unify the Kurdish house and the unity of the Kurdish forces in Baghdad,” Talabani said, adding “One Kurdish discourse in the capital is the factor for protection, achieving the legal constitutional rights and strengthening the Kurdistan Region entity.”
Talking about Iraq’s situation, Talabani told the delegation that “the constitution is the basis for our working,” and he firmly believes in harmony and coexistence, saying “We want to cooperate for building a brighter future.”
The President of the PUK also discussed Erbil-Baghdad oil and gas dispute, explicitly telling the A/S leaf and the delegation that “Disobeying the constitution and laws with the political conflicts are the cause for failure to reach an agreement.”
Another topic of the meeting was focused on combating corruption and succeeding in the reform process in the Kurdistan Region, Talabani reiterated that he is fully against “laziness” and “corruption”.
“It’s our duty the secure a decent life for our people for that reason we will not allow anyone to breach public right,” He said.
