ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s president met with the United States top diplomat in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Erbil Tuesday morning. President Nechirvan Barzani received the Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Ambassador James Jeffrey to discuss the situation in Syria, as well as the fight against ISIS remnants, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s presidency office. “In the meeting...the latest development in Syria was discussed, as well as the tasks of the US-led coalition in the fight against ISIS, and how to confront the threats of terrorism in Iraq and Syria,” the statement reads. “The two sides also discussed the ongoing peace talks between different Kurdish parties in Syria to resolve the outstanding issues between them,” Jeffrey informed Barzani that Washington was keen to continue providing support and assistance to the Peshmerga forces and Iraqi forces in their fight against ISIS, added the statement. “Jeffrey also revealed that United States is glad that talks among the Kurdish parties have resumed to solve the issues among them, and praised the role of President Nechirvan Barzani and the Kurdistan Region for their efforts to solve the issues in northern Syria among different Kurdish parties,” the statement reads. Barzani stressed the importance of the continuation of the US-led coalition support to the Kurdistan region and Iraq “to ensure the total defeat of ISIS in the region,” the statement added. This comes after the US State department announced in an official statement on Monday that Jeffrey arrived in Erbil on Sunday evening and will meet senior leaders in the Kurdistan Region. “In all of his meetings, Ambassador Jeffrey will emphasize our continued support to the Iraqi Security Forces, including Peshmerga, in the fight against ISIS and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to a strong, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq,” the statement released Monday added. Initiated in 2014 and resumed in late 2019, talks between the ruling the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) and the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS) seek to mend thorny relations between the two groups, who have been at odds for several years. Ties between the ENKS and the TEV-DEM have been frayed for years, with the former accusing the latter of being unwilling to share power. Mediated by Masoud Barzani, then-president of the Kurdistan Region, power-sharing talks began between the ENKS and the TEV-DEM in 2014. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced a new round of unity talks in late October 2019.
