Kurdish officials wrap up D.C. visit

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Kurdish representatives wrapped up a three-day visit with U.S. officials in Washington Wednesday to discuss security and cooperation between the two parties.

A delegation from the Kurdistan Regional Government, including the top foreign affairs official, Falah Mustafa Bakir, met with senior White House officials and members of Congress to discuss their support for a federal system in Iraq and broader security objectives.

Kurdish officials also pressed for a quick resolution to the long-term security agreement set to replace the expiring U.N. mandate for Iraq as well as implementing provincial elections there.

"The KRG is part of the solution, not the problem, in meeting these Iraqi benchmarks," said Qubad Talabani, the U.S. representative of the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq.

Bakir and Talabani also met with Democratic and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to discuss relations between Iraqi and U.S. lawmakers. Talabani said a Kurdish-American caucus established in June now boasts 18 congressional leaders.

"That we now have 18 members in such a short time is testimony to the recognition of our many common values and interests, and also to the deep friendship between the Kurds and the United States," he said.