Barzani, UK Envoy Reject Demographic Change in Syrian Kurdistan

Prominent Kurdish leader and the president of ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, received on Wednesday a UK diplomatic delegation led by country’s ambassador to Iraq Jon Wilks to discuss the latest developments in Syria and Iraq.

During the discussions, Barzani and Wilks agreed that no attempts to change the demography of the Syrian Kurdish territories could be accepted.

In this regards, they shared views about an international initiative to shelter the Syrian Kurds inside Syrian territories in safer regions, where the international community and aid organizations could deliver humanitarian assistance.

Barzani and Wilks also exchanged views on the threat of Islamic State (IS) resurgence under the current skirmish in northern Syria.

Discussing the protests in Iraq and their call for better services and jobs, Barzani noted that the demands are legitimate but the current government should not be held responsible for the inefficiency of the previous cabinets of the Iraqi government.

 

He noted that those responsible for the current deficiencies are now exploiting the protests to harm PM Adil Abdul Mahdi’s cabinet, which is not acceptable, according to the readout of the meeting.