U.S. businessmen meet Kurdish officials

ERBIL, Iraq, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A delegation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce embarked on a five-day tour of Iraqi Kurdistan to explore investment opportunities in the region.

Falah Mustafa Bakir, the head of the foreign relations office of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, welcomed U.S. business officials to the Kurdish region to explore trade relations, the KRG said in a statement.

"The Kurdistan region is open for business," said Bakir. "We in the Kurdistan region and throughout Iraq are looking ahead as we rebuild our economy and infrastructure."

Marc Wall, the U.S. envoy for economic transition in Iraq, addressed the delegation, saying Iraq needs strong private sector investments and a sustainable economy to work toward national reconstruction.

Qubad Talabani, the KRG representative in the United States, told the conference that American interest in the region was a sign of the strong partnership between both parties.

"This is another indicator of the increasing level of cooperation between the U.S. government, the U.S. private sector and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq," he said.