Building support for the new Iraq
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March 10, 2006Unification in Iraqi Kurdistan
Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells has given the following answer to a parliamentary question on political developments in Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdish Region Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) political progress and (b) the impact of unification in the two Kurdish administrations since the war in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Dr. Howells: The Kurdish people have a proud tradition of political participation. Following the removal of the former regime, the two Kurdish administrations agreed to form one unified Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). This will be a challenging task—merging the two governments involves downsizing from 27 to 16 Ministries and reunifying some 400,000 civil servants from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and more than 500,000 civil servants from the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP). This decision is testament to the Kurds commitment to democratic rule. Nechirvan Barzani, from the KDP, has been named Prime Minister of the KRG and the position of Deputy Prime Minister will be filled by a member from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The KRG continues to play a crucial role in promoting the formation of a government of national unity, and has advocated a strong central government. |