Source: Kurdistan Regional GovernmentKRG Representative Qubad Talabani Thanks U.S. Military, Recognizes Steep Cost of War for America
In an address to the World Affairs Council in Denver, Qubad Talabani, the U.S. Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government, praised the strong strategic relationship between the United States government and the KRG, and called for continued U.S. involvement in the Kurdistan Region.
"This month, we will see the largest departure of U.S. forces since the liberation. How the U.S. leaves and remains in Iraq is crucial to the stability of the nation and the region. We hope that as the U.S. leaves militarily, it will increase its diplomatic effort. We are thrilled, for example, that the U.S. plans to open a diplomatic consulate in Erbil, following the lead of other nations." Mr. Talabani said. "An increased U.S. diplomatic engagement in Kurdistan will cement the gains we have all made working together."
Mr. Talabani, traveled from Washington, D.C. to Colorado this week for meetings with the World Affairs Council, U.S. military leaders and Governor Bill Ritter. He also met with members of the Armed Services to personally express gratitude to them and their families for the determined battle and the sacrifices made by the American people that brought freedom and democracy to the Kurdish Region.
Mr. Talabani attended the annual conference of the Blue Star Mothers of America, a nonpolitical organization of mothers with children currently or previously in the military, and also spent time at Fort Carson with members of the Fourth Infantry Division, who are now preparing for their fourth deployment to Iraq. Talabani stressed the actions of the U.S. military will never be forgotten, and that the Kurdistan Region—where no Americans were killed in combat—is continuing the process of democracy for which the United States fought.
Speaking to the Blue Star Mothers, Talabani said, "I know what the steep cost has been to Americans, in your sons and daughters, husbands and sisters, to your national treasure and to the sharp politics it has created within this great nation. As a Kurd, however, I am thankful for what the U.S. did – it was our liberation and that of all Iraq."
In his address to the Denver World Affairs Council, Talabani reported on the progress the Kurdistan Region has made with of the help of the United States. Since the intervention of the U.S. in the 1991 Gulf War, and then the liberation of Iraq in 2003, the Kurdistan Region has remained safe and secure with increasing economic prosperity and a fast growing democratic process. As the United States redeploys troops, Talabani underscored the continued need for U.S. engagement in the strategically important Kurdish Region to ensure stability.
