UK welcomes Sinjar agreement

Shafaq News / British ambassador visited today Wednesday the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) where he welcomes the Sinjar agreement between Erbil and Baghdad.

"We are pleased with the agreement and coordination between the two governments، as the agreement will allow the return of the displaced and the expulsion of the illegal forces from Sinjar،" The British ambassador to Iraq، Stephen Hickey said according to a statement issued by the KRG.

“We stand beside Iraq, and support it in its efforts to overcome all challenges, protect Iraq's security, stability and sovereignty.” He added.

The Iraqi government Friday announced that Baghdad had reached a “historic deal” with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over the governance and security of Sinjar, according to Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s spokesperson.

The deal “ends the authority of intruding groups and paves the way for the reconstruction of the city and the full return of its people in coordination with the Kurdistan Regional Government,” he added.

Sinjar falls within an area disputed between the central government in Baghdad and the KRG, based in Erbil, according to Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) welcomed the deal later Friday, saying it marked a first step in the right direction and expressed hope that it would pave the way for a better future.

The Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the agreement would bring about “a new chapter for Sinjar, one in which the interests of the people of Sinjar come first.”

She also said that it would “help displaced people to return to their homes, accelerate reconstruction and improve public service delivery.

“Against all odds and in their darkest hour، the people of Sinjar remained determined to build a better future. May that future begin today,” Hennis-Plasschaert said.