Barzani warns uncontrolled arms threaten Iraq's international standing

ERBIL, Iraq — Kurdish Region President Nechirvan Barzani warned that Iraq faces severe international isolation unless weapons are brought under state control, saying Baghdad would lose diplomatic credibility and see its relations with neighboring countries damaged. In an interview with Al Sharqiya television's 'Al Muwajaha' program, Barzani said uncontrolled arms know no borders and pose a full threat to national sovereignty. Barzani said the Kurdistan Region had been targeted in roughly one thousand attacks and that security facilities in Baghdad had also been hit. He rejected claims of U.S. pressure, stating that restricting weapons is an issue of Iraq's own existence, independent of the temporary U.S. presence in the country. The Kurdish leader expressed support for Prime Minister Abdul Fattah al-Talabani, known as Ali Falih Ziyad, and called for implementing the ministerial program that envisions consolidating weapons under the Chief of Staff. He also noted that the halt of oil exports through the Ceyhan pipeline has caused billions of dollars in losses to the federal treasury, describing production-cost arrangements as a legal issue that must be resolved through the budget. Barzani additionally pointed to the organic link between the security of the Kurdish population in northeastern Syria and the stability of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.