MESOP TODAYS HEADLINE : PROMINENT US REPUBLICANS PRO KURDISTAN

Republicans Place Kurdish Independence in Presidential Election Spotlight / Noori Talabani: “Kurdistan must secure its international position”

18 Mar 2015 – MESOP – Republican candidates in the US are pushing the case for Kurdish independence in their 2016 presidential nomination campaigns. Kurdish political observers believe that Kurds should steer clear of supporting either the Republicans or Democrats.

The US presidential election will take place in November 2016, and a number of Republican Senators have already launched their campaigns. Kurdish analysts have criticised talk of support for independence as publicity-seeking that can have no positive effect for the people of the Kurdistan Region. Republican candidate Senator Rand Paul supports the idea of Kurdish independence and says that the US must arm Kurdistan directly. “I think they would fight like hell if we promised them a country,” Paul said. Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Lindsey Graham have previously supported Kurdistan and emphasised that the US and EU must directly supply arms to Kurdistan. International political observer Noori Talabani told BasNews, “Kurdistan must seize this opportunity and be united and well prepared; we need to secure our international position.”