MP Stephen Metcalfe rose on the floor of the House of Commons to ask questions regarding the political situation in Iraq.
Stephen Metcalfe Conservative, South Basildon and East Thurrock
What recent discussions he has had with his (a) Iraqi and (b) other international counterparts on the political situation in Iraq.
Tobias Ellwood The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
I met the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Dr Ibrahim al-Jaafari, last week here in London at the Iraq-UK bilateral forum. The Foreign Secretary and I met other
Stephen Metcalfe Conservative, South Basildon and East Thurrock
As my hon. Friend will know, the Kurdistan regional government has, for a long time, been short-changed—if not cut off completely—by the Government in Baghdad. Although there are some promising signs, Iraqi federalism needs to be genuine, with reliable revenue sharing. Will my hon. Friend convey that to his Iraqi counterparts and remind them of the contribution that the Kurds and the peshmerga are making in pushing back the advances of Daesh?
Tobias Ellwood The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the incredible work and bravery of the peshmerga. They are one of the toughest fighting forces in Iraq, and it is important that they are working with the newly trained Iraqi forces in the liberation of the city of Mosul, which has now begun. He is also right to raise concerns about the relationship between Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq.
We have long maintained that it is important, and in our interests, to see a united Iraq, but recognising the federated models. It is in the constitution and, to that end, I was pleased that the bilateral forum that we had last week also included Falah Mustafa, the spokesman on foreign affairs for Kurdistan.
