Shahrestani: There’s no consensus by the Kurds on what Mr. Barzani is saying. Many are [in favor of] Iraqi unity, despite the fact that they might be critical of the government, but they believe that separation will mean many problems for the Kurds. Therefore, I don’t think Mr. Barzani is reflecting the real view of the Kurds; besides, I think that such statements can’t be taken seriously given the fact such threats are unachievable due to regional and international circumstances.
To our knowledge only Israel is backing this attempt, and we all know how Israel thinks. Israel wants to see more divisions within the region; they want sectarian and ethnic states so that they end up being the biggest and strongest. Every country including Turkey, the United States and [those of] the European Union, they all are against this notion.
Al-Monitor: What if the Kurds insisted on keeping control of the oil-rich Kirkuk province, what is Baghdad going to do?
Shahrestani: There are changes on the ground, not only in Kirkuk but in Mosul and Salahuddin. Things should be restored, the federal governments have to bring back all the lost areas including Kirkuk. There are constitutional and legal steps that should be taken. We said it clearly and conveyed the message to whom it may concern: Unilateral steps can’t be accepted.
Al-Monitor: Sources in Baghdad say that Kerry while in Baghdad asked whether your government is capable of securing the oil fields and oil exports. Is that true?
Shahrestani: I didn’t meet him, nor did I hear this from him, but for sure the United States has concerns when it comes to the security of the oil fields and oil exports because of the importance of Iraqi oil to the international market.
But there’s no need for concern, we always try to put our guests and those who ask at ease by saying that most of the Iraqi oil exports are from the south; the same goes for production, and this wasn’t affected by the latest crisis. We raised the quantity of exports and production. In the past, we used to export from Jihan port in Turkey, but not anymore.
Comments are closed.