Shafaq News/ The former White House special envoy for Iraq and Afghanistan in the George W. Bush administration, Zalmay Khalilzad, urged the new Iraqi government to prevent Iran from interfering in the country's affairs.

Speaking at the Middle East Peace and Security (MEPS) Forum held at the American University of Kurdistan (AUK) in Duhok of Iraqi Kurdistan, Khalilzad stressed that "Iraq is an essential country for the United States... a new government has been formed, and different political parties are now involved, so the question directly: can the prime minister (Muhammad Shia'a Al-Sudani) implement the ministerial program and the political agreement that resulted from new government formation?"

The Afghan-American diplomat and foreign policy expert explained that implementing the constitution in Iraq is crucial, and "there must be a will to preserve Iraq's sovereignty, and this is the responsibility of Al-Sudani's government."

Khalilzad also urged the federal government to "prevent Iran from interfering in Iraq's affairs."

Concerning the Kurdistan Region, he stressed that "America has a partnership with Kurdistan as part of federal Iraq, and we have cooperation in confronting terrorism."

"There are rights for the Kurdistan Region that are recognized in the Iraqi constitution, including the oil and gas file…the Iraqis should deal with this file in a good manner."