Regarding Nina Shea's Aug. 27 op-ed, "Iraq's Endangered Minorities":

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq (KRG) strongly condemned the bombings last month of two Yazidi villages. It is important to note, however, that these bombings took place in an area of the country administered by the central government of Iraq, not by the KRG.

Furthermore, the Kurdish leadership in Baghdad has long been a champion of the rights of non-Muslim minorities in Iraq. That is why that leadership ensured the protection of those rights in Iraq's permanent constitution.

However, as a result of religious persecution in many parts of Iraq, Christians have fled their homes and have sought safety in Iraq's Kurdistan region. Iraq's Christians deserve a secure home, which is why Kurds have opened their towns and cities to ensure their protection.

Moreover, the KRG, a pluralist government in which Christians head key ministries, does not oppose the creation of a "Nineveh province," as Ms. Shea claimed.

The KRG has a deep moral commitment to preventing a "cleansing campaign" against any Iraqis. Before Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kurds were victims of ethnic cleansing, a crime of genocide carried out by Saddam Hussein's regime with the awareness of the rest of the world.

QUBAD TALABANI

KRG Representative to the United States, Washington