(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) 'We are pleased with this level of assurances given to Kurdistan,' says Kurdish leader.
The U.S. has assured Kurdish representatives that it will ensure Iraq's central government provide arms to Kurdish peshmerga forces, Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani said Friday.
On the last day of his Washington visit, Barzani spoke during a panel hosted by the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations think tank.
Barzani said that according to a 2007 arrangement, peshmerga forces of the Kurdish region which were part of the Iraqi defense system, were supposed to a share of arms but the Iraqi government under Nouri al-Maliki failed to live up to the commitment.
"Since then we did not receive neither a bullet nor one piece of weapon," he said, adding that the arms in the hands of Kurdish forces are all outdated.
Barzani said he discussed the issue with the Obama administration and he was assured that the Iraqi government would not repeat its mistakes.
"We were given assurances that they will be following up on that. Before that we were not given such official assurances," Barzani said. "We are pleased with this level of assurances given to Kurdistan."
The Kurdish leader also said he is going back home with "full confidence and great hope."
A House committee last week supported a request by President Barack Obama for $715 million in security assistance to Iraqi forces fighting Daesh, with the condition that 25 percent of the funds to be given directly to Kurdish and Sunni forces involved in the fight.
During a meeting with reporters, Barzani said he had not backtracked on his demand for a direct supply of arms to peshmerga forces and he would not be a part of the political discussion in the U.S., according to The Associated Press.
He also welcomed the help and cooperation of Turkey against Daesh as well as encouraged the peaceful solution to the decades-long Kurdish issue in Turkey.
Hundreds of peshmerga forces passed through Turkey on their way to Kobani to fight Daesh militants in northern Syria. At the same time Turkey trained 1,500 peshmerga forces within anti-Daesh coalition efforts.
"Of course without American and Turkish cooperation this would not be possible to happen," he said. "We enjoy good relations with Turkey now."
The Kurdish leader also reiterated that the semi-autonomous region will take up a referendum vote on self determination.
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