Germany ties Iraq aid to peaceful resolution of conflict with Kurds

BERLIN – Germany wants to continue support for Iraq and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government, but that aid depends on peaceful efforts to solve the conflict between the two sides, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday.

The German government has provided more than 1 billion euro in humanitarian, development and stabilization aid to Iraq since 2014, making it one of the biggest international donors.

"Our support is for Iraq as a unified state," Gabriel told reporters after meeting with KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzan in Berlin. "We want to continue that, but the precondition is that Iraq solves its internal conflicts peacefully and democratically, and that we find a way out of the tense situation we are in now."

Barzani underscored his region's determination to work with the central government in Baghdad, and called on Germany to play a bigger role in mediating the conflict.