Washington, US (KRG.org) - Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani yesterday in Washington spoke at the Brookings Institution, a leading foreign affairs think tank, on Iraq's forthcoming national elections.

Listen to the audio of President Barzani's speech:

On March 7, Iraqis will elect a new national parliament. This critical election could serve as a major step forward on Iraq's difficult path toward stability and democracy. However, if Iraqis view the election as biased or corrupt, the country could slip back into sectarian fighting or even civil war. Among the election’s key issues is the relationship between Baghdad and the regional government in Kurdistan.

As leader of the Kurdistan Region, President Barzani stands at the centre of many of Iraq’s most critical political struggles and is one of the key arbiters of Iraqi politics. President Barzani discussed the upcoming elections as well as the current state of Iraq, the relationship between the central government and Iraqi Kurdistan, and the future US role in helping Iraq build a better, more stable and just country.

The discussion was moderated by Mr Kenneth Pollack, Director of the Saban Centre for Middle East policy. He is an expert on national security, military affairs and the Persian Gulf. He was Director for Persian Gulf affairs at the National Security Council. He also spent seven years in the CIA as a Persian Gulf military analyst. See also the transcript of President Barzani's talk