§ Joan RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding means to assist Kurdish citizens in the event of a military attack on Iraq. [99697]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienNo decision has been taken to launch military action against Iraq. Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of the northern Iraq Kurdish administrations, as well as other Iraqi oppositionists, to discuss a wide range of issues. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan respectively, in December 2002.