1.   Kurdish leaders saw the visit as an important signal of support.

2.   The Kurdish leaders reportedly asked for an arms supply route to be opened through Turkey to assist the Kurdish insurrection in northern Iraq.

3.   There was a marked absence during early April of any co-ordinated international response to appeals by Kurdish leaders for international intervention on their behalf.

4.   In mid-November, however, Kurdish leaders were reported to be preparing for a fresh economic blockade and an imminent government attack on Kurdish strongholds.

5.   Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and two senior representatives of the Kurdish Democratic Party attended.

6.   As you might expect, Kurdish leaders point to chilling similarities to Kosovo and are all for the NATO attacks.

7.   Barzani and Talabani, the two main Kurdish factional leaders, have no real ideological differences.

8.   A key contact was Karim Sinjari, head of intelligence for Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.

9.   Briefings also contained evidence of executions of Kurdish leaders.

10.   Both Kurdish leaders were on the CIA payroll.