Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe

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The Kurdish Globe No. 325, Saturday, October 15, 2011 10 Kirkuk reopens its Martyrs Bridge 7 PKK returnees sentenced to up to Kirkuk Now 10 years in jail Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Kareem and other local officials visit Martyrs Bridge in the city. Kirkuk Governor Najme maddin Kareem visie ited Martyrs Bridge--the second-most important bridge of the city—on Octe tober 13 where he was acce companied by the district governor and Azadi police chief. He announced that aute thorities would not allow vendors to return to the bridge. He talked with vendors who were irrite tated with the decision to close the bridge to them. “Instead of here, we have dedicated other places for you,” said the governor. Martyrs Bridge is locate ed in Majidiya Street near the Kirkuk Citadel. Vende dors have sold their items on the bridge for years, but the head of the district of Kirkuk decided to open the bridge for cars and reme move the vendor sellers. Kareem said everybody should obey the law. “We should take the public inte terest into account, not just our personal interests.” Muhamad Hasan, whose has been working on the bridge for years, said, “They sent us to a place where no bargain is posse sible. I am poor with a family of 12. I only have 25.000 Iraqi dinars, and I also have to pay house rent every month.” Hasan warned that they will protest against the decision and work toward having a piece of land regie istered for them, not just a place given to them for a fee. Kirkuk Now Seven returnees who were among a group of 34 Kurdistan Workers Party members who laid down weapons in 2009 in a show of support for a peaceful solution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey have been sentenced to up to 10 years in jail by a court in Diyarbakir city, in southeast Turkey, Turkish media reported Tuesday. They have been charged of being members of and disseminating propaganda for the PKK, which Turke key lists as a "terrorist orge ganization." The PKK members surre rendered to the Turkish forces in 2009 when the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan launched his initiative known as the Kurdish Opening in an attempt to address the Kurdish issue in the country, which has been denied for decades. PKK leadership then dece cided to send a group of fighters referred to as the "Peace Group" to surrende der to the Turkish forces to show support for Erdoge gn's initiative and a peacefe ful solution of the Kurdish issue. The court in Diyarbakir, however, denied the seven any pardon, saying the PKK members had surre rendered to the Turkish forces on command of the jailed PK leader Abdullah Ocalan and therefore canne not benefit from Article 221 of the Turkish Penal Code called the “active repentance” law, Turkey's English-language “Zame man” reported. Under the article, "terrorie ist organization" members who surrender will not be punished as long as they have not been involved in any armed clashes with sece curity forces or any other "terrorist attacks" against Turkey. The sentence included 10 years, 10 months for each of Mustafa Ayhan, Hüseyie in İpek and Nurettin Turge gut, who are currently unde der arrest. The court also sentenced Haci Surgun, Kamil Ökten, Melekşah Soydan and Fatma İzer to seven years, one month in jail. The court rejected to the defendants being defe fended in the Kurdish language, saying the lange guage was not understood by the court. One of the defendants, Ayhan, said in Turkish to “Zaman” after he was denied to speak in Kurdish, “We left the camp and our guns and returned to Turkey of our own will. All of these efforts are for achieving peace.” AKnews تعلن شركة أسياسيل لألتصاالت المحدودة المسؤولية فرع أربيل عن وجود مزايدة علنية لبيع المواد المستهلكة المبينه تفاصيلها ادناه في مخازن الشركة الواقعة في منطقة طرده رش وذلك في تمام الساعة العاشرة من صباح يوم االربعاء المصادف 26\10\2011 , فعلى الراغبين باالشتراك بالمزايدة مراجعة مقر الشركة الواقع في شارع اراس قرب مديرية التربية العامة لدفع التأمينات التي تخص المشاركة ويتحمل من ترسو عليه المزايدة اجور نشر االعالن و المصاريف االخرى على ان ترفع المواد خالل ثالثة ايام من تاريخ المصادقة.‏ المواد : اوالً‏ - بطاريات متنوعة . ثانياً‏ - اثاث مكتبي متنوع . ثالثاً‏ - اجهزة تبريد متنوعة . رابعاً‏ - اطارات سيارة متنوعة.‏ Mixed reactions of clergy who "found Satan" The clergy who claimed he found Satan, a powerful personification of evil and a mystic opponent of God and mankind in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, rece ceived mixed reactions by Islamic scientists and law experts. Abdullah Mala Saeed, head of the Kurdistan Isle lamic Scientists Union, said it had always been the union's opinion that clerge gies should not touch such provocative issues. Saeed called the clergy "sedite tious". Legal expert Abde dul-Baset Farhadi called on the Attorney General to prosecute the clergy since he "created an abnormal situation in the commune nity.” "Addressing any topic that may offend the feelie ings of certain people, for instance calling the name of Satan and claiming that one has seen him, is regule lated in penal law," Farhe hadi said. Meanwhile, the Kurdish Ministry of Religious Affe fairs and Endowment said that it would not take mease sures against anyone if a speech is not considered to be blasphemous or a threat to national security. "Everyone, including the clergy, is free to express what he or she believes in," Barzan Saleh, spokesme man for the ministry, said. Clergy Ali Mahmoud Hassan, better known as Mala Ali Kalak, said durie ing an interview with the Kurdish weekly "Rudaw" that he found the place where Satan lives. Acce cording to Hassan, he was visited by a woman from Mosul who claimed that she had been enchanted by a jinni. Hassan said he expelled the jinni from her body and converted him to Islam. The jinni, who allege edly introduced himself as "Victor John Oliver," told the clergy about his childhe hood, Hassan said. As a child, Victor John Oliver said, he was brought to Satan by his mother when he was ill. Satan allegedly prayed for the jinni, who then recovered. Satan lives in the Bermude da Triangle, said he was God, has a crown on his head and wears a red robe like Superman wrapped around his shoulders, the jinni allegedly said, acce cording to Hassan. Also, Hassan said, Satan is only 160 cm tall. Aknews
The Kurdish Globe No. 325, Saturday, October 15, 2011 11 The Kurdish strategy for Iraq: divide and exploit Ranj Alaaldin For The Guardian Keep Baghdad weak and sustain political divisions – that is the Kurdish strate egy for Iraq, underpinned by an astute game of mane nipulation and patience. Arab Iraq remains divide ed and the Baghdad coalite tion government is dysfe functional. Disputes over territory, natural resources and power-sharing, ince cluding the implementate tion of key legislation, and ongoing security problems stand in the way of endurie ing stability and progress. The stable Kurdistan rege gion, however, is moving ahead, despite being at the centre of these disputes. It garnered enough votes during the March 2010 parliamentary elections to position itself as a kingme maker, since top vote-winne ners Ayad Allawi and the prime minister Nouri al- Maliki struggled to form a coalition independent of the Kurds. After nine months withoe out leadership and amid continuing terror attacks, Arab Iraq finally got a government – but only because the Kurdistan president, Massoud Barze zani – having kept everyoe one guessing as to which individual the Kurds were going to back – brokered an agreement that paved the way for a coalition of Iraq's major political blocs. Yet, that agreement never came to fruition; Alle lawi and Maliki failed to come to agreement over the distribution of power. Through the allocation of ministries, however, just about enough was done to appease various segments of Iraq's political specte trum, including key Sunne ni-Arab politicians who contested the elections alongside Allawi but, as a result of their new-found status and prestige, refuse to heed any calls to withde draw and go into opposite tion. Arab Iraq was thus given a fragile and dysfunctional government, and the Kurds facilitated this, ensuring that a government of nate tional unity was actually a government of unlikely bedfellows driven by suspe picion. The politics is still divided along sectarian lines: hostility exists bete tween the Shia Dawa parte ty of Maliki and powerful politicians belonging to the Sunni-Arab dominated Iraqiyah bloc, who remain wary of his grip on power and suspicious of his and other Shia blocs' links with Iran. That works for the Kurds. It keeps Baghdad weak and unable to move forward. It allows them to exploit tensions to further their own ambitions. For example, when Baghdad recently moved to revise an earlier version of an oil and gas law to the detre riment of the Kurds, the Kurdistan regional gove ernment recalled Kurdish officials in Baghdad and, at the same time, invited Maliki's foe, Allawi, to Erbe bil for emergency talks. That response was aimed at exerting pressure on Maliki and his governme ment, and the Kurds may be winning: the revised law is now unlikely to be approved and the Baghde dad oil and gas licensing round, scheduled for Januae ary 2012, has been postpe poned. Similarly, while Photograph: Mohammed Ameen/Reuters Iraq's prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. By facilitating a dysfunctional coalition driven by suspicion in Baghdad, Kurdistan has been able to further its own ambitions. Baghdad may be adamant that the Kurds will never get oil-rich Kirkuk, the isse sue, unresolved, provides the Kurds with a powerful bargaining chip that allows them to push for other obje jectives in the meantime. This includes objectives related to their own ene ergy sector. Kurdistan is establishing itself as an industry champion, hostie ing the world's oil and gas players at a forthcoming oil and gas conference in Erbil. For the event organie isers, CWC, this is a first; their previous conferences focused on Iraq as a whole – not any more, though. That is because the rege gion is attracting major players, evidenced none other by former BP chief Tony Hayward's $2.1bn deal for oil assets in the region. Around 40 foreign companies from 17 diffe ferent countries are comme mitted to investing some $10bn in the energy secte tor. But does Kurdistan need Iraq? Iraq has control over pipelines that alle low for oil to be exported more efficiently. Exportie ing oil via tanker trucks, although inefficient, is still feasible, but at some point a pipeline will be needed if Kurdistan is to become a viable exporter able to manage its huge reserves. So far, though, Kurdish energy ambitions have not been impeded by Baghdad's control of the pipelines and its messy politics. Baghdad also provides additional revenues, which allow for better base sic services, infrastructure, education and a better equipped military – for the Kurds. In addition to their own resources and reve enues – which Baghdad is unable to audit and benefit from – the KRG gets 17% of the annual Iraqi budget, worth, at the very least, alme most $10bn a year. Ultimately, it is about keeping any enemies in the making close; that is, have a foot in Baghdad, be aware of behind-thescenes developments and have constant access to the political elite, providie ing an opportunity to prome mote regression. Of course, the Kurds do not have to be part of Iraq and could declare independe dence tomorrow. There is little that Turkey and other neighbours like Iran could do, given their billions of dollars worth of trade with Kurdistan, domestic problems and the general volatility in the region, as well as the impossibility of invading and occupying Kurdistan's cities. However, the Kurds will not declare independence because they have a good thing going for them. It makes little sense to sacre rifice this when any unile lateral declaration of indepe pendence would put them «in the wrong», perhaps land-lock them and justify counter-responses from Baghdad and regional neighbours. Instead, they want to declare independence as part of a sustainable and regional framework, and so long as this framework gives them Kirkuk. In the meantime, the Kurds will continue to operate in the interests of the Kurds and Kurdistan, and that means exploiting Baghdad for all it has got – a price Iraq and Iraqis have to pay to keep the the country intact. Iran urges Saudi Arabia to avoid U.S. 'trap' Iran on Thursday urged Saudi Arabia 'not to fall into the trap' of believie ing U.S. claims it was behind an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washingte ton, which it said served only the United States and Israel. 'I am asking Saudi Arabia not to fall into the trap, because any disturbance in relations between countries in the (Middle East) rege gion will only benefit the United States and the Zionist regime,' said Ali Ahani, Iran's deputy fore eign minister in charge of Europe and America affairs, according to the IRNA news agency. Ahani was quoted as saying that 'we hope that Saudi Arabia will unde derstand the aims of this plot' which he said was mounted by the United States. Iran's foreign ministry had already communice cated that message on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia through the Saude di ambassador to Tehran, according to an emailed ministry statement sent to media on Thursday. Iran 'categorically reje jects the accusations and views them as untrue,' Amir Abdolahian, a depue uty foreign minister in charge of Arab and Afre rican affairs, told Saudi Ambassador Mohamme med bin Abbas Alkilabi, according to the stateme ment. Abdolahian said the alle leged plot was 'a poorly crafted scenario' prepe pared by the United States and Israel and that 'even Western countries say it's a fabrication.' He urged the Saudi ambe bassador to Tehran to tell the Saudi government 'to be vigilant over this plot,' and criticized offe ficial Saudi condemnate tion of the alleged acts as 'hasty and baseless.' Saudi Arabia on Wednesday called the alleged plot 'sinful and abhorrent' but stopped short of naming Iran as the culprit. It said it was looking into unspecified 'decisive steps' in rese sponse. AFP
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Erbil protests Tammo's assassination - Kurdish Globe

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