Published: 12-06-07
WASHINGTON D.C. – After spending three days in northern Iraq U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert (TX-01) is optimistic of the progress he has seen first hand. Gohmert traveled to the Kurdish capital of Erbil in northern Iraq with fellow Congressman Dana Rohrabacher of California. Because of the State Department’s concern for safety it warned the Representatives that if they persisted in staying overnight in the area it would not provide coordination or protection as it usually does for Congressional trips. However the Congressmen went ahead with the visit in order to see personally the conditions in Kurdistan. Gohmert issued the following statement after his recent return:
“It was inspiring to see the progress being made and the construction taking place in northern Iraq. Kurdistan is a beautiful area that should one day be a tourist destination for many around the world.
Though the State Department was not helpful Congressman Rohrabacher and I were able to glean information to which they may not have had access and have passed that on to appropriate officials including the White House. We are even hopeful that a peace may be achieved between the Iraqi Kurds and Turkey.
The Kurdish government makes clear that they do not condone or support the military actions in Turkey or Iraq by the Kurdistan Workers Party PKK terrorist group. We visited at length twice with the Speaker of the Parliament as well as the Kurdistan Prime Minister and a number of other members of the Kurdish Parliament. We also visited refugee camps and met in northern Iraq with Kurds from Iran and Syria who have been displaced by the radical governments in those countries.
This experience has given us a deeper appreciation for what our military has faced there and the noticeable improvements. It was nice to see our military feeling at ease about the area - apparently more so than the State Department.
Turkey itself is making significant private investments in Kurdistan and it actually has the best idea of the progress there. Though some have advocated for dividing Iraq into three regions one of the roadblocks to such an event is the threat of Turkey claiming Kurdistan for itself which would create a significant war of its own.”
Because of the tension and recent military antagonism between Kurdistan and Turkey Reps. Gohmert and Rohrabacher first spent two days in Turkey visiting with leaders there before heading to Kurdistan.
