Qubad Talabani in Orlando Reports on Democracy and Economic Progress in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Qubad Talabani, the son of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Representative to the United States from the Kurdistan Regional Government, is on a two day trip to Orlando, Florida during which he will address the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations and meet with students and faculty at the University of Central Florida. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is a key U.S. strategic ally in a region sharing borders with Iran, Syria and Turkey.

The highlights of Mr. Talabani's address to the Orlando Area Committee on Foreign Relations Thursday evening will include a progress report on the Kurdistan Region.

-- The Kurdistan Region is leading the way in democratic and economicdevelopment for all of Iraq, continuing to attract financialinvestments from around the world.

-- Leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government are playing a pivotalrole in the negotiations to form a new Iraqi National Government.

-- There is religious freedom for all who live in the Kurdistan region,the place where Christians and those fleeing religious persecutionelsewhere in Iraq come to find sanctuary

-- The Kurdistan Region is the strongest friend and ally of the UnitedStates in "our part of Eurasia," working together actively onachieving shared diplomatic, military and intelligence goals.

-- In the Kurdistan regional election, thirty percent of the seats werewon by women, "a new benchmark for democracy in the region."