US, Russia call for talks with Kurds

Tillerson's visit to Baghdad follows a referendum last month

BAGHDAD - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Monday that Washington was keen on dialogue between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Kurdish region to solve recent tensions.

Tillerson made his remarks in his discussion with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi over the friction between Baghdad and the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.

In a statement, Tillerson said the United States supported Iraq's unity and stressed the importance of adhering to the Constitution.

Abadi said what Baghdad did in Kirkuk was redeployment and imposition of state power, which are legal and constitutional procedures.

"We do not want to fight a battle with any (Iraqi) components, all of them are our sons, and when we entered Kirkuk we sent a clear message that the Kurdish citizens are Iraqis and we deal with them like other components," Abadi said.

The statement said the two sides also discussed "enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields and the war against terrorism".

Abadi stressed that the fight against terrorism "is still a priority for us and we will continue to liberate the remaining areas of the country and secure the borders".

Earlier in the evening, Tillerson arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit to meet with Iraqi leaders following last month's independence referendum held by the Kurdistan regional government.

Hundreds of US troops are in Iraq, serving as trainers and advisers, in an attempt to help the country win the battle against IS extremists.

The US-led international coalition has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.

Tensions in Iraq have been escalating since the Sept 25 referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan in which more than 90 percent of Kurds supported secession.

Iraq, as well as the US, Turkey, Iran and Syria, refused to acknowledge the result.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday also called on the Iraqi government and the Kurds to settle all issues through dialogue, after meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari.

"They (the talks) confirmed Russia's position in favor of settling all issues between the Government of Iraq and the leadership of the Kurdish autonomy through constructive, mutually respectful dialogue on the basis of unity and territorial integrity of Iraq," Lavrov said.

He said the Iraqi government does not reject Kurds, prohibit their culture or destroy their monuments, and it is ripe for finding a way of coexistence of the two sides in a unified Iraq.

"We have not seen a war so far, hopefully, there will be no war between the Iraqi government troops and the Kurds," he said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 10/25/2017 page12)