The lobbying effort took place as the administration of President Barack
Obama has been examining relations with KRG. On Aug. 15, Assistant Secretary
Jeffrey Feltman met KRG President Masoud Barzani in Irbil in a
discussion on bilateral relations and the political stalemate in Baghdad.
Talabani and other Kurds have been touring the United States and
briefing members of Congress and the military on the situation in northern
Iraq. They were said to have urged the administration to retain a U.S.
military force in KRG after the pullout from the rest of Iraq in late 2011.
In an address to the World Affairs Council in Denver, Talabani said
Washington has formed what he termed strategic relations with the Kurdistan
government, Middle East Newsline reported. He said this must ensure continued U.S. involvement in the
Kurdistan region.
"We hope that as the U.S. leaves militarily, it will increase its
diplomatic effort," Talbani said. "We are thrilled, for example, that the
U.S. plans to open a diplomatic consulate in Irbil, following the lead of
other nations."
Officials said the Defense Department and U.S. Central Command were
drawing plans for American military deployment in KRG and other areas of
northern Iraq. They said one option was for the construction and maintenance
of at least two U.S. Air Force bases to help ensure regional stability.
The U.S. military has already been training KRG forces and commanders,
sometimes in conjunction with regular Iraqi troops. The military has also
held courses for KRG defense and security officials to procure weapons from
Washington.
KRG has argued that a U.S. military presence in the autonomous north
would not involve a high cost. Talabani said not one American has been
killed
in Kurdistan.
"I know what the steep cost has been to Americans, in your sons and
daughters, husbands and sisters, to your national treasure and to the sharp
politics it has created within this great nation," Talabani told the Blue
Star Mothers of America, whose children serve in Iraq. "As a Kurd, however,
I am thankful for what the U.S. did. It was our liberation and that of all
Iraq."
During his tour, Talabani stressed the need for a U.S. presence in KRG,
although he did not specify major troop deployment. He said this would
ensure both Kurdish and U.S. interests as well as regional stability.
"An increased U.S. diplomatic engagement in Kurdistan will cement the
gains we have all made working together," Talabani said.
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