[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19642]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF IRAQI KURDISH ELECTION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 28, 2009

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, on Saturday, July 25th 
Iraqi Kurds went to the polls to elect a new Parliament. The election 
was a success garnering nearly 80 percent participation from eligible 
voters. This was an important benchmark for the people of Iraq's 
Kurdistan Region as they continue to build a democracy both in their 
own region and Iraq as a whole.
  Congratulations to the people of the Kurdish Region for their courage 
and determination to promote democracy within a federated Iraq.
  I commend and congratulate Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani 
on his reelection. President Barzani's leadership will be vital as the 
local Kurdish population works with their fellow countrymen in Baghdad 
to resolve certain outstanding issues including oil production and 
revenue-sharing as well as territory disputes.
  Moving forward, I know that the people of Iraqi Kurdistan will work 
together with the United States to bring peace and prosperity to that 
region and to the nation of Iraq.

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