‘Time for peace now,’ says Deputy PM of Iraq's Kurdish region amid regional escalation

Deploying Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups from Iraq was never part of the US battle plan in Iran, Kurdistan Region Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani has told The National, as he suggested the time was right for a peace process between the factions and Tehran modelled on an armistice in Turkey.

Reports emerged at the peak of the Iran war of possible US-backed efforts to involve the opposition groups, exiled in Iraqi Kurdistan, in a campaign against Tehran. US President Donald Trump had also spoken publicly about weapons supplied to Kurdish groups.

But Mr Mr Talabani said: “There was never a plan by the United States to send Iranian opposition groups into Iran. That was made very clear to us very early on in this conflict. And we made it very clear to the Iranians as well that there was never a plan for the US to do this.”

In May, Mr Trump said he was “disappointed” with the Kurds, without elaborating. “We sent them some guns with ammunition, and they were supposed to be delivered but they kept it,” he said.

In an interview in Abu Dhabi this week, Mr Talabani said he did not know what weapons Mr Trump was referring to. “The mysterious weapons that President Trump was talking about, I have no idea what these weapons were, where they were, who they were given to,” he said.

“I know they were not given to me. I know they were not given to us. I think whoever gave the weapons knows who they gave the weapons to.”

Kurdish officials had sought to avoid being drawn into conflict between the US and Iran. There were concerns the reports would provoke further Iranian strikes on Iraqi Kurdistan.

Mr Talabani said the Kurdistan Region had communicated that to both Tehran and Washington, while also warning the opposition groups against involvement. “We made it very clear to the Iranian opposition groups that they should not be using the Kurdistan Region as any launch pad against Iranian territory. And thankfully, they didn’t.”

Iran's ambassador to Baghdad last week said Baghdad had agreed to either expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan region or hand them over to Tehran. The groups denied they had received any notice of such a decision.

Mr Talabani did not answer whether a plan was in place but said diplomatic efforts offered a way forward, citing the peace process between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) as a possible model for addressing tensions between Tehran and the groups.

“I believe that as we're looking to build peace, whether it's between the US and Iran, whether it's between Iran and the Gulf, as we seek to build peace, there's also an opportunity here to create a lasting peace between the authorities in Iran and the Iranian opposition groups,” he said.

Mr Talabani said the Kurdistan Regional Government had supported the Turkey-PKK peace process, providing encouragement and logistical assistance, but stressed that the process had to be led by the parties themselves.

He said Kurdish officials had also encouraged the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led force in north-east Syria, to pursue political engagement with Damascus rather than rely on a military solution. “There's no military solution to the Kurdish problem in Syria,” he said.

He drew a parallel with Iraqi Kurds' experience after 2003, arguing that constitutional rights and federalism had been secured through engagement with the central government in Baghdad.

“We got our federalism, our rights in the constitution, not by staying in Kurdistan, but by going to Baghdad,” he said.

Mr Talabani said both the Turkish and Syrian processes were progressing, although he acknowledged that they would take time. “These are complicated processes, these are complicated challenges that it's quite normal for these to take time, and every process is going to have its spoiler,” he said.

“And we just advise all sides not get distracted by the noise, stay true to the cause, and bring peace.” He added: “We've had too much conflict, we've had too much chaos. It's time for peace now.”

According to KRG figures, Iran has launched more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks on the Kurdistan Region since February 28. Attacks targeting opposition groups have continued despite an end to the war.

Iraq’s disarmament push

Mr Talabani also criticised attacks launched from Iraq against neighbouring countries during the Iran war and called for Iran-backed armed groups to be brought under state control.

“We were appalled by the attacks emanating from Iraq against Iraq's neighbours, and in particular, the UAE,” he said. “Iraq should not be harming its neighbours.”

Mr Talabani said Iraq's new government was putting pressure on armed groups to disband and he was confident commitments by some of the larger groups would encourage others to follow. “The process to disarm has begun,” he said.

He said Kurdish leaders needed to be involved in political decision-making in Baghdad to influence the country's security policy and prevent further attacks.

“We cannot have armies within an army within an army that is attacking our allies in the Gulf,” he said.

Mr Talabani said the Kurdistan Region had also been working to expand its economic relationship with the UAE, including through partnerships supporting start-ups and technology businesses in Sulaymaniyah.

He described the UAE as a source of expertise in infrastructure, clean energy and innovation, and said that Kurdish agriculture and produce could offer investment opportunities.

Show caption: Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister, Kurdistan Regional Go…

Kurdish government deadlock

This month marks two years since the Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections. It has still not formed a government due to a lack of understanding between its ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Mr Talabani is a member of the PUK, and his brother Bafel Talabani is the party’s leader.

“It is embarrassing. I know we've probably disappointed a lot of our friends around the world who would have liked to have had us have a government much sooner,” he said of the delay.

“It's not nice being a lame duck deputy prime minister for two years,” he said. He hopes the next government will be “better than all the governments before”, he added.

Mr Talabani stated it was important to be present in Baghdad because "that's where decisions are made."

"We've got a lot of Kurdish issues, a lot of issues relevant and specific to the Kurdistan region, some within our area of responsibility that we can deal with in Kurdistan. But the big issues are in Baghdad. We need to be there," he added.

The presence of Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups in the Kurdistan Region is one of several security challenges facing the area, alongside concerns over border security and narcotics trafficking - issues that also affect Iraq more broadly.

"We're working with friendly governments around the world to tackle some of these organised crime elements," he said. "We'll find that the people smuggling the drugs are probably the same people that are smuggling the people, which are the same people that are laundering money."

The Kurdistan Region has also emerged as a hub for people-smuggling networks, with investigations by The National tracing gangs operating from the town of Ranya, under PUK control, to criminal operations across Europe. The KRG has been working with the UK and France to crackdown on smuggling gangs.