From the Heart of Kurdistan Region - Kurdish Globe

From the Heart of Kurdistan RegionThe only English paper in Iraq - No: 370 Tue. October 02, 2012Record high cancer cases in GarmiyanAround1000cases ofcancerhavebeenregisteredGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidP 8A radiologist is examining X-Ray image of a patient with breast cancer at the Media Diagnostics Center in Erbil, September 9, 2009.National P 3President Barzani'sspeech in TurkeyNationalP 4PM laid the cornerstone ofDuhok International AirportNationalP 6Money rains in KurdistanNationalBusiness andEntertainment GuideP 11

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 2The Kurdish Globe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 3Globe EditorialAzad AminKurdistan Region’s twopowerful political parties,the Kurdistan DemocraticParty (KDP) and the PatrioticUnion of Kurdistan (PUK),five years ago signed a strategicagreement supposedlyto face daunting challengesthat awaited Kurdistan. Collaborationof KDP and PUKduring the 2003 US-Iraq warwas one of the pillars of theKurdish achievement and thepolitical stability and economicboom that the regionenjoyed.The strategic agreement thatwas signed between the twoand the collaboration betweenthem was necessary at thatparticular period and servedits aim. Due to radical politicalalterations in the regionand in Kurdistan the strategicagreement has to be reconsidered.The PUK has alreadyraised its voice by demandingthe reevaluation of two provisionsin this agreement. Arecent statement released bythe PUK read: “The strategicagreement is still fundamentaland is the achievement ofbilateral relations between thePUK and KDP. It still preservesits fateful importance,but it also needs reevaluation.Whenever a reevaluation isneeded, we should discussit with our ally (KDP) in apeaceful manner.” The KDPon the other hand expressedthat it is ready to revise all theprovisions of the agreement ifdeemed necessary.Social, political and culturaldevelopments and changesthat have occurred in Kurdishsociety and larger politicaland radical changes that haveengulfed the Middle Eastand Kurdistan region’s immediateneighbors, enforcesthe Kurdish political partiesto redesign themselves andtheir organizational structureas well as organizational culture.Outdated Cold-War eraStrategic AgreementWeekly paper printed in ErbilFirst published in 2005www.kurdishglobe.netinfo.kurdishglobe@gmail.comAddress:Erbil, Bakhtiyari Quarter-To what end?EXECUTIVE EDITORJawad QadirEDITORAzad Aminazad.kurdishglobe@gmail.comSenior U.K. EditorBashdar Pusho Ismaeelbashdar@hotmail.comGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidPatriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK leader Jalal Talabani and his KurdistanDemocratic Party counterpart Massoud Barzani shake hands as theyexchange the signed strategic agreement between the two parties, in theKDP's stronghold, Peermam, north of Erbil, December 1, 2004.political mentalities and organizationalstructures are notcompatible with today’s moredemanding and modernityseekingyoung generations.Political organizations haveno option but to radicallytransform themselves in orderto meet the conditions oftoday’s realities. Along withthis transformation, previousagreements whether strategicor not have to be re-contemplated.Strategic agreements canonly be realizable if there arecommon strategic objectivesand perspectives, withoutwhich there will be no reasonto enter into such agreements.Arguably both parties in questionhave common objectivesand perspectives for the shortterm period but they sharplydiffer in the long term period.Lack of long term objectivesbetween the two becamemore obvious in the time ofregional level distress. In itslast congress KDP clearlydeclared its objectives as selfdeterminationof the Kurdishnation. In various interviewsand occasions KDP presidentMassoud Barzani clearlydefended the rights of theKurdish nation for statehoodand independence. He repeatedlyinserted that should Iraqmove towards authoritarianismthe Kurds would have nooption but to seek their ownpath, in other words separationfrom Iraq.In opposition to KDP’s policyPUK does not, or so farhave not, expressed Kurdishindependence or self-determinationin such a clear manner.Contrary Jalal Talabani, General-Secretaryof PUK in numeroustimes and occasionsstated that Kurdish independenceis an impossible dreamand that it is not an option.If we consider these twoopposing views regardingthe Kurdish self-determination(Independence) duringthe Cold War era then suchperspectives would have certainlybeen treated as meretheoretical discussions. Howeversuch contradictory perspectivesin today’s politicalconditions will have seriousimpacts and consequencesboth for the nation’s interestsas well as for the future of politicalparties in Kurdistan.The geopolitics of the MiddleEast is going to be altered.The political map of the regionthat mainly establishedaccording to the imperial interestsfollowing First WorldWar is no longer sustainable.In such gigantic changes theKurds have golden opportunitiesto obtain their statehoodand independence.Any strategic agreementsbetween the Kurdish politicalparties can only survive and beuseful should they have commonobjectives towards thisend. Because KDP and PUKhave differing objectives andapproaches towards the issueof Kurdish independence, thestrategic agreement betweenthem cannot be realizable inthe long term and should betreated as pragmatic ratherthan strategic. It is pragmaticbecause it only serves dailyManaging EditorAiyob Mawloodi+964 750 4776905aiyob.kurdishglobe@gmail.comARTS EDITORDiyaco Qayoumy+964 750 4036252diyaco.kurdishglobe@gmail.cominterests of the two parties forpower struggle in Kurdistan.The cracks have already startedalong with the radicalizationof the power struggle atregional level where in whichthe Kurdish nation is part of itand is/will be effected.In addition it should be contemplatedthat the Kurdishpolitical groups should ratherseek a united position forcommon strategic objectivesin Kurdistan constitution ratherthan bilateral or trilateralagreements. Kurdistan constitutionwithout delay has to bebrought to the parliament andto the public referendum. It isthis constitution that should beguiding principles to governpolitical system and the relationbetween various Kurdishpolitical organizations.The strategic agreement andcollaboration between PUKand KDP was necessary atsuch particular period and itserved for the Kurdish nationalinterests. It is now time thatthe Kurdish political organizationselevate themselvestowards the radical conditionsof today and make Kurdistanparliament and constitutionas the ultimate and primarysources to work toward thebetterment of Kurdish nation.STAFF WRITERSZakaria Muhammed+964 750 475 3897zakaria.kurdishglobe@gmail.comSazan M. Mandalawisazan.kurdishglobe@gmail.comSalih Waladbagi+964 750 4912996salihas2006@gmail.comNechirvan Barzani inan interview with theTurkish Star daily:Negotiationwith Ocalan animportant stepKurdistan Region’s Prime Minister NechirvanBarzani welcomed his Turkish counterpart’sstatements about resuming talks with AbdullahOcalan and the PKK.Answering a question addressed by theTurkish Star newspaper, PM Barzani said hisgovernment are aware of the talks and negotiationsbetween the Turkish governmentand the opposition Kurdistan Workers’ PartyPKK.“We have always supported dialogue towardspeaceful solution and stopping bloodshedin Turkey,” PM Barzani told Star Daily.“We also support the recent statements byPrime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan abouthis willingness to resume talks with AbdullahOcalan [the detained head of the PKK].”Barzani also added that both Kurds andTurks are waiting for steps towards peace.“Tolerance should be created between thetwo nations rather than bloodshed.”Barzani reiterated that Erdogan’s statementsare positive in this direction.PKK’s ceasefire, stopping any attacks bothby the PKK guerillas and the Turkish Army,stopping police attacks on civil society activists,improving Ocalan’s life, resuming talkswith him, stopping BDP’s political campaignsagainst Erdogan and his party AKP, aswell as resolving the issue of the thousands ofdetainees on the case of the KCK, are accordingto PM Barzani, the essential steps towardspeace.Asked what role Erbil would have in newtalks, Kurdish Prime Minister told the Stardaily that they are ready for any assistanceand for playing any role in this respect.“We think the issue is a political issue ratherthan a security or military one, hence theonly solution is a political solution,” arguedPM Barzani. “The current attacks by PKK orthe attacks by the Turkish Army both insideits own borders and over Kurdistan Region’sskies, would not have any benefit for settlingthe issues but rather harm the current developmentsachieved by the Turkish state duringthe past few years as a result of talks withOcalan and PKK.”PM Barzani added that both Kurdish andTurkish nations are deeply interrelated andwant to leave in peace. If the new constitutionof Turkey is drafted on the basis of recognitionof each other’s rights, the issue wouldradically solve.AdvertisementFor information and prices of ad spots, please contactGlobe’s Advertisement section: Rizgar Yahyainfo@glitter-iraq.comCell: +964 750 4055888SubscriptionThe Kurdish Globe can be delivered to your office orhome address, whether in Kurdistan or abroad.To subscribe: Please contact the Globe DistributionSection: Rauf Aspindarairauf.kurdishglobe@gmail.com+964 750 4497976You can also subscribe by logging onto:kurdishglobe.net/subscriptionPresident Barzani's address at the conference ofTurkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)30/09/2012Dear Receb Tayib Erdogan,Prime Minister andleader of the AK Party,Dear delegates of the4th conference of the AKParty,Dear Guests,New reform strategy tobe announced soonOur new plan identifiesand addresses the shortcomingsof the past 20 years:Azad Mala AfandiThe second phase of the reform plan ofKurdistan Region’s President will be announcedin the near future, and the President’sadvisor Azad Mala Afandi statesthat it covers allmost all the sectors andthe shortcomings of the past 20 years.“We are currently busy with preparingthe plan,” Afandi told the Kurdish Globe.“It will cover all the administrative, political,health, educational, higher education,agriculture, trade, and other sectors.”Afandi said the committee that is draftingthe plan has 15 members who havePresident Barzani's completes a speech at the Conference of Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party in Ankara, September 30, 2012.I thank you for invitingus to participate in thisconference and we wishyou a successful conferenceand we all await itsimportant decisions.Since the AK party cameto power, Turkey has increasinglybeen makinggreat strides forward andtoday Turkey enjoys newfoundsignificance at bothinternational and regionallevels. But we all recognizethat our region hasproblems. We also knowthat there is no problemthat cannot be resolvedprovided there is a will todo so.For us it’s very unfortunateto see a Turk or aKurd or any other peopleshed blood. We the peoplesof this region mustextend the hand of friendshipto one another insteadof killing each other.The policy of your partyand of your leader is theright policy to addressthese problems. Here Iwant to very much thankMr. Erdogan for his courageboth when, during avisit to Diyarbekir, he saidthat the Kurdish problemmust be addressed, andwhen he visited us in Erbillast year and said thatthe days of denying theexistence of the Kurdishpeople is over.I see it as incumbent onall Kurds to reciprocatethis by supporting hispolicy and for all Kurdishparties to distance themselvesfrom use of violence,because we believeviolence will not leadanywhere.The strength of anycountry or political entitydoes not lie in howmuch military power itenjoys; the strength liesin how well it serves itspeople and in the policesthat are followed. Thestrength of the AK partyand of Mr. Erdogan lies inthe open policy that theyare following both whenaddressing internal problemsand when addressingexternal challenges.We are ready to provideall kinds of support forMr. Erdogan’s policy toend violence and we hopethat this problem can beresolved as soon as possible.Dialogue, understanding,and peacefulmeans are the ways toaddress all outstandingdepended on a number of experts.“The previous committee has been nowexpanded,” said Afandi. “In addition toexperts, the Divan of Kurdistan Presidencyand all the ministries will be partakingin the reform campaign and in the futurewe will coordinate with the parliament aswell.”President’s advisor said the reform planwill be adding up to the initial plan andwould be mainly aimed at establishing theIntegrity Board, Judicial Power, PublicProsecutor s well as activating the PublicAudit Divan.Afandi told the Globe that the plan willbe announced soon after the Presidentcomes back from his European tour andprocessing feedbacks about the project,which is near completion.political issues.Turkey is an importantcountry both internationallyand regionally. Wewould like to see strongand friendly relations betweenIraq and Turkey,and within the frameworkof these relations we arevery happy to see suchpositive relations betweenthe Kurdistan Region andTurkey. Annual trade betweenIraq and Turkeystands at 12 billion dollars,80% of which is withthe Kurdistan Region.The Middle East regionhas been witnessing greatKurdish girl is top student inan American state universityShangar Meman, a Kurdish young girlgraduates from the Portland State Universitywith the top grade.In a speech addressed to the teachersand students of the university, Memansaid she wants to study a Masters inPolitical Science and go back to hercountry and serve the Kurdistan Region.In the graduation ceremony organizedby the University, the Universityofficials announced Meman, who is aProfilechanges. We fully supportpeoples of the regionfighting for their rightsand freedom. We supportthe Syrian people in theirstruggle for freedom andliberation. It’s very tragicto see the large numbersof people being killedin Syria. We hope thisbloodshed ends and theSyrian people determinetheir future as soon aspossible. We highly appreciateTurkey’s policyto open its doors to Syrianrefugees and it reminds usof 1988 and 1991 whenTurkish people embracedour people facing tragedyand fleeing chemicalweapons and the Anfalcampaign. Here, I want tothank the Turkish peoplefor their hospitality andkindness they extendedto our people in that time.Today, 29,000 Syrianrefugees have come to usfor refuge. Our doors areopen to them and we willwelcome them.Finally, I would like toonce again thank you foryour invitation and wishsuccess for your conferenceKurdish girl from Iraq, as the top studentamong her fellow graduates in theUniversity.Meman was given the podium todeliver a speech on this occasion, inwhich she explained the miseries ofher life and how her family arrived inthe United States.“Kurdistan is my second home andmy heart is always there,” Meman toldher teachers and fellow students.ShangarMeman is a 27-year old girl from KurdistanRegion, who has immigrated to the United Statesalong with her family in 1996.PRESS PHOTO

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 4 TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 5PM laid the cornerstone ofDuhok International AirportThe KRG Prime Minister Nerchirvan Barzani pays a visit to Duhok andpresents strategic projects to the provinceOn the first day ofhis visit, The PrimeMinister NechirvanBarzani, with thepresence of manymembers of localbusiness anddiplomaticcommunities, KRGministers and otherofficials, laid thecornerstone ofDuhok InternationalAirport on 24th ofSeptember 2012.The Prime Minister announcedthat Duhok willbe another bridge betweenKurdistan Regionand the outside world,and described the projectas a ‘strategic’ and importantgate. “Airports for aclosed region like Kurdistanare alternatives forseaports” said NechirvanBarzani at the groundbreakingceremony ofDuhok International Airport.He said that the airportwill not only serve Duhokand Kurdistan Regionpeople, but will serveNinawa and probablyborder areas in Syria andTurkey as well. Barzanirevealed that this projectis the stage number oneof a series of strategicprojects in Duhok andpromised that the cornerstoneof a strategic oilrefinery project will belaid in the province in thenear future.Duhok InternationalAirport, which had beendecided on in the FifthCabinet, will be the thirdairport in the KurdistanRegion to which travelerswill have direct accessto the province after it’scompletion in 2015. Theother two airports are inErbil and Slemani, whichalready provide directflights to more than 25destinations in Europe,Asia, and the MiddleEast.Academics and businessmenin Duhok regardthis project a crucial factorin booming tradingand tourism sectors inDuhok and the Region.“The airport will be ashortcut to tourists as wellas the investors who seekinvestment in the area.”said Ubaidallah Dawood,the General Director ofTourism in Duhok province,adding that peoplewill have an easier wayto travel around the worldthrough the airport.The airport buildingfacilities have been designedby the LebaneseDar Al-Handasa Engineeringand ADPI ofFrance. The Turkish Makyolis the constructioncompany which is supervisedby a team fromSouth Korea’s IncheonInternational Airport onbehalf of the KRG.The KRG has allocatedUS 400$ million on a 21square kilometer land inthe west of Duhok city.It’s planned to be completedin two and a halfyears.KRG will renovateLalish TempleOn the same day, thePrime Minister visitedLalish Temple in Shekhandistrict and promisedthat the KRG will renovateLalish Temple, thesacred place of KurdishEzidies minority. “TheKRG sees serving Lalishas a duty.” said NechirvanBarzani in his meetingwith Mir TahseenBag, the Mir of Ezidies,and Spiritual Council ofEzidies, reiterating thattheir demands will certainlybe met.Mir Tehseen Bag, mir ofEzidies showed his andall Ezidies’ appreciationsto the Prime Minister forpaying this visit the Lalishand making this decisionregarding the renovationof Lalish Temple.The KRG will allocateUS $28 million in twophases for renovating thetemple. In the first stageKurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani delivers a speech on the occasion of inaugurating a residentialproject for martyrs' families in Duhok, September 25, 2012.$17m will be allocatedand the renovation processwill be carried by aspecialist company andsupervised by a consultativecommittee. In thesecond stage the KRGwill allocate US $11 millionto begin installingthe basic services in thetemple.Lalish Temple is fewkilometers north of Shekhandistrict, 60 Km northof Mosul. It is the mostsacred place to KurdishEzidies in Kurdistan regionand Iraq. Hundredsof them all around KurdistanRegion and Iraqvisit it during their pilgrimageseason in April.And now it’s consideredas one of the importantreligious sights in TheKurdistan Region towhich even non Ezidieshave regular visits.Important decisionsin ZakhoOn the second day,Nechirvan Barzani paid avisit to Zakho district andheld a meeting with thedistrict officials and inspectedsome underwayprojects. He reiteratedthat giving more authorityto districts and subdistricts paves the wayto present better servicesGLOBE PHOTOand projects.The Prime Minister visitedBarzan InternationalStadium project, 50% ofwhich is completed sofar. The stadium will beable to host internationalmatches after its completionand will obtain theinternational certificatefor this purpose. BarzanStadium is designed accordingto developed andinternational standardsand is now being constructedby some specialistcompanies and willhave seating capacity of22,000.Regarding the renovationprocess of DalalBridge and Zakho citadel,Nechirvan Barzanireiterated that any renovationprocess of the historicalsights should beunder the supervision ofUNISCO. During a visitto Zakho University, ThePrime Minister showedthe KRG’s readiness toprovide the new universitywith the equipmentsthey need and decided toallocate a sum of moneyfor improving the universitycampus.Ground watershould not be usedany moreIn the last stage of hisvisit to Duhok province,The Prime MinisterNechirvan Barzani visitedBardarash district andheld a meeting with officialsand the people ofdistrict, and decided onseveral strategic projectsin the area.Nechirvan Barzani reiteratedin the meeting thatagricultural lands andplains must not be usedfor residential buildings,but the enlarging processof the town should gotowards the hills in theeastern of Bardarash district.Barzani promisedthe people that the governmentwill present betterservices to the area.“This area is an old areaand was one of the oldestsub districts in Iraq”he said.In another part of hisword, The Prime Ministersaid that ground watershould never be used anymore in the area. “Othersources of water shouldbe found” he said.Bardarash district islocated between the tworivers of Xazir in thewest, and Upper Zap inthe east, but is still usingground water for drinkingand agriculture purposes.The Kurdish GlobeShvan GoranDuhokGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidMarkets serve asoutward moneytransfer machinesDuring the past decadeKurdistan Region haswitnessed a dramatic economicand social development.Significant increasein the personal incomeand in the trade volume inthe region has led to theincrease of consumption,which is mainly feed byimports.Hogir Mohammed, ayoung local man, wasleaving a supermarketinside Erbil with a largebasket of everyday itemshe just purchased. Checkingthe basket, everythingother than one domesticsoft drink bottle was imported.“I always prefer domesticproducts, but I have noother choice when I can’tfind them,” said Mohammed.In another part of thecity, people were buyinglarger amounts of stuff atanother mall that had putall its products on a bigsale. It was, however, notto close down due to badmarket situation, but ratherto renovate the buildingand add couple morefloors to it.Despite all its shortcomings,Kurdistan Region’sshare in the Iraqi annualbudget has increased tradeactivities in the regionduring the past few years.This has made Kurdistanan important business centerin the whole region.Supermarkets and shoppingmalls play as a balancingmechanism fortaking out all the moneythat pours into this smallregion.In 2003, the number ofsupermarkets would notexceed two or three, not tomention the fact that theidea of shopping malls,hypermarkets and marketchains was not introducedat all.However, nowadays inaddition to the numerousmalls and hypermarkets,there are much larger numberof smaller markets inevery neighborhood of thecity and on all the streets,almost all of which sellimported goods.This shows the route ofall the oil revenues thatcome to Kurdistan. Ratherthan going into developingthe infrastructure andthe economy it goes intothe pockets of the othercountries, and especiallythe neighboring countries,thus making little good tothe region itself.Turkey and Iran jointlyhave a trade volume ofmore than USD 10 billionwith Kurdistan Region,which is almost the sameas the region’s annual budgetshare from Baghdad.Swara Aziz, directorgeneral of planning andfollow-up at the Tradeand Industry Ministry ofKurdistan Regional Government(KRG), says theregion’s economic policyhas been successful ineconomic developmentand market activity buthas failed to keep the balancebetween non-oil exportsand imports in foreigntrade.According to Aziz thefactor behind this inequalityis the inequality betweenthe technology andknowhow used in the foreigncountries compared towhat is used in Kurdistan.This, according to him,makes local industry noncompetitive.Hence importingready-made goodswould have less headacheand cost, something whichmakes domestic productionmore difficult.In 2010 Kurdistan hadimported a value of USD11 billion while, the nonoilexport volume was onlyUSD 90 million. HenceKurds depend 99.2% onimports.Buyers walking through one of the largest hypermarkets in Kurdistan, Erbil, December 6, 2009.New consultancy clinicsto open in ErbilAs per a decision of theKurdistan Regional Governmentnew subsidizedconsultancy health clinicswill be establishedin all the region’s provinces.These clinics will providemedical consultationsand medical checksat a 50% discount comparedto normal marketprices.As part of this project,5 clinics are to be establishedin Erbil.Dr. Rebin Barzinjee,Director of city centerclinics at Erbil’s HealthDirectorate says the newclinics will have variousCity’s police directorateto install 5,000 camerasin the public places in anear futureAbdulkhalaq Tallat,Director of Erbil ProvincePolice announcedthat in cooperation witha French company, theyhave finalized all thespcialized physicianswho will be available 4hours per day for consultations.“We are planning tohave 24 hour emergencyservice,” said Barzinjee.A visit ticket will costIQD 3,000 (approximatelyUSD 2.5). The physicianmay ask for some labtests for patients, 50% ofthe costs of which will besubsidized.It is also argued that theprices are already lowerthan the average marketprices, and hence patientspay even less than 50%.Barzinjee also said thatthe clinics will also doPatients queuing in front of a health center in Erbil.preparation works relatedto the project are completedand they are readyto install the cameras inthe near future.Tallat said that 5000cameras will be installedin all the public placesand marketplaces in orderto protect the lives ofsmall operations. However,large operations arereferred to large hospitals,where the governmentcovers 80% of thecosts.“We are planning tohave similar clinics in thedistricts and sub districtsas well.”Although the governmentwas mainly promotingthe private sectorin developing health services,it is now returningfocus on improvingpublic health services aswell. This is thought topromote competition betweenthe public and privatesector.Erbil to be controlled with security camsThe first group of studentscommenced theircourses on SundaySeptember 23, 2012 inthe Judicial Institute inErbil in the presenceof Kurdistan RegionalGovernment’s (KRG)Minister of JusticeSherwan Haidari, representingPrime MinisterNechirvan Barzani.The group consistedpeople.“The purpose or thecameras is for investigationsand assisting infinding proofs in crimecases,” Tallat told theGlobe. “Additionally, itwould help reduce crimerate.”Judicial Institute started its first termof 42 students, 12% ofwhom are females.Minister Haidari announcedthat the instituteis a strategicinstitution and is complementaryto the otherjudicial institutions.“The Institute wouldbe responsible for preparinga new generationof judges and membersof the public prosecutors,”Minister Haidarisaid. “No one or partyhas been allowed to interferein the admissionand testing processes.”The government hasallocated a plot of landand USD 27 million forthe construction of theinstitute’s building.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin Hamid

The Kurdish Globe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 6The Kurdish Globe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 7Sheikhalla, a market full of violationsHe drops his head intohis hands and peers outfrom behind his fingers.It isn’t a half-witgesture, perhaps he istrying to mock whenasked how much hemakes per month. Heclears his throat as ifbraced for a toughcompetition andstates “Everybody inKurdistan has amagic wandfor money!”I, pivot my shoulders to thewooden chair in a café, where allpeople seem to have fun, shrugand ask what does “magic wand”mean here? He slurs the lastwords a little, like a speaker justgetting started, “It means thateverybody everywhere in Kurdistanmakes money easily -morethan enough.”He is sodden with hope. GhafourSoran, a taxi driver fromErbil, the capital of Kurdistan,is not in a propertied class but amiddle class who makes $2000USD per month. He is married toa housewife who has no incomeat all. Together they raise threechildren. He owns a half-finishedhouse and tries his best to completehis house by the end of nextyear. He saves $1200 USD permonth.“I live like a king,” he stateswith a barking laugh and complainsa bit about the lack of basicservices in his neighborhoodsuch as the streets are not paved,there are water and sewage shortagesas well as an absence ofpublic parks, libraries, schoolsand hospitals.Throughout my interviews, Ihear different people in differentfields saying, the Kurdishboom is unprecedented. Inflationis rife. Average families make$2500-3500 a month. No cars,no goods, no fruit, no furniture isever stuck in the markets. Peoplebuy them day in , day out. Yougo to a furniture store, all Kurdistanis there to buy furniture. Youvisit the downtown; all peopleare there shopping and moneyflies out of the hands of everyone. You go to the car shows,people are busy bargaining andbuying 2013 models and brandnew cars.Ako Khalid, an economist livingin Kurdistan with a doublecitizenship: Kurdish and German,states that Kurdistan is really“the land of money” and theMoney rains in Kurdistan“The land of money and kingish Life”boom is at its peak.Though the price of real estateis more expensive than in Istanbul,Paris and even California,people still buy villas, lands androws of houses! One 200 metersquare house- two floors is worthone million USD in an undevelopeddistrict called Kalar in thesouth east of Kurdistan. One meterof land in Erbil hits five thousandUSD. These prices werenothing more than a dream somefive years ago in Kurdistan. AsKhalid says everything is up forgrabs in Kurdistan you just needto “put your trust in the rightpeople” and you can wake up thenext day as a millionaire.Kurdistan has become also theland of big companies competingfor the consumers who don’tknow what it is like to taste localfruit, vegetables and other diets. For them almost everything isimported from Turkey and Iranand some European and Gulfcountries. Pepsi and Coca Cola,Mercedes and Ford are goodexamples. And Chinese, Europeanand American oil firms beateach other very hard to sign oilcontracts with the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment (KRG) andrush to get started. The funniestpart, and possibly the worst, isthat Macdonald hasn’t showedup yet in this big market wherethousands of families have dinneroutside. As Khalid says whenone sees the restaurants full allthe time, even during brunchtimes it is easy to think that nobodyeats at home in Kurdistan.“And that’s a big sign that peoplehave money in this part of theworld.”But Khalid thinks that thisboom is not robust in Kurdistanand “it might plunge soon” becausethere is control over nothing.He terms the situation like“it’s a wild free market”.Both Soran’s sons and a daughter,go to school and this needsmoney, of course. He can manageall this only by the incomehe gets from his taxi. However,there are people who are taxidrivers and at the same time areworking in public sectors too.Many policemen are taxi driversafter they finish their shift oncall. You can find many teachers,civil servants, health staff, educationpersonnel and even headmasterswho own a taxi and workat their leisure. Everyone canbe a taxi driver for there are noregulations, restrictions and ruleswhatsoever to prevent someonefrom being a taxi driver and havinga taxi. Khalid claims that thisis one of the conundrums of thewhole boom because even villagersleave their villages and becometaxi drivers in Kurdistan.Soran says he will save money for the bad days after he finishes his house.A traffic policeman, on conditionof anonymity, says that30 per cent of traffic staff havetaxis and work as taxi drivers aftertheir formal work hours. Theleast monthly salary of a trafficpoliceman is $1200 USD. Hesays that he earns twice morethan his salary per month.The Public are not only taxidrivers. They own shops, minimarkets,buses, houses to rentand one can go down the unfinishedlist.Walid Khidir is a primaryschool teacher, at the same timehe owns a mini-market in a busyneighborhood in Duhok. Heearns more than $4,000 USDper month. He also says that helives like a king. As a matter offact, through my interviews Ihear many people referring tothat “Kingish Life” they have inKurdistan. I eagerly ask Khalidto explain what is a “KingishLife” and how does it look liketo live like that. He wiggles andtakes several seconds to reorganizehis thoughts in another caféwhere people seem happy in theirKingish outfits. The Kingish lifemeans to have best of best: bestcar, best house, best indoor, bestjob, at least one trip per year tooutside Kurdistan, another housefor renting, whatever you wantyou can buy with what you earnmonthly.The Kings in Kurdistan stillcomplain about basic serviceslike water, bad roads, sewageshortages and others. Khidirbuys water from the water tanks.“I buy 500 liters of water everyother day.” Soran used to buywater but recently the local governmenttackled the lack of waterand now he has water from thenational pipelines.“You can manage all problemsif you have a good income,” heproudly states.Others think that the smallestand simplest move would makehundreds of US dollars. KarimHussein, another economist andteacher of economy in a highschool in Suleimaniya, states thatthe reason behind the fact of havinggood incomes is that peoplehave more than one job. “Whateveryou do, how you move andwhat job you have can collect formore than three thousands permonth. And that’s for a middleclass family; for others it is evenmore than that.”Both economists Khalid andHussein agree that the political,economic, social and businesstumble in Iraq is a big reasonwhy Kurdistan’s boom gets biggerand bigger every day.“It’s like blowing a balloon.One day it will burst and manywill badly fell down,” adds Husseinwith a serious look.Soran concludes by sayingthat after his house is built completely,he will start saving somemoney for the days after the balloonblows.Goran SabahGhafourErbillohangoran@yahoo.comGLOBE PHOTO/Goran SabahGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidWalking through theSheikhalla Market, themost crowded marketin Downtown Erbil, onewould imagine that thereare no laws or regulationsin this area.Sewage water is beingmixed with garbage collectedon the street rightin front of a butcher shop.This produces an intolerableodor and hundreds ofinsects are attacking themeat in the shop as wellas the fruit and vegetablesin the grocery shop nextdoor.In this market, wherepeople shop mainly forfoodstuff and home necessities,and where allthe foodstuff wholesalersare located, one cannotwalk easily, having to passthrough narrow openingsbetween cars, carriages,stuff showcased on thepassageway and garbage.Most of the shop ownershave occupied the passagewayswith their productsand the streets withtheir cars. According toKarzan Mohammed Amin,a shop owner, the shopowners are competing onoccupying the largest partof the passageways withtheir wares.Not only are the passagewaysblocked, but also thestreet as well. Two rows ofcars park on the right handside of the street and oneon the left, this is in additionto numerous carriageswhich are selling stuffon the street. The crowdreaches its peak late in theGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidA man walks past a pile of garbage in Sheikhalla, downtown Erbil.afternoon.Virtually everything issold in this market rangingfrom foodstuff, veggies,fruits, kitchenware,cleaning products, cloths,electrical fixtures, homeappliances, pipes, bicycles,motorcycles and manyother things. Even most ofthe city’s money exchangeand money transfer officesare located in the heart ofSheikhalla.If monitoring committeesof the health and municipalityministries passby this street, they would,based on their regulationsand procedures, closedown all the shops due tonumerous violations andtrespasses.A street vendor who wasselling fruits on a carriageexpressed his gratitude towardsgovernment for allowingeveryone to do hisbusiness and earn somemoney. But a shop owner,on the other hand, seemedto be exhausted from allthese violations and crowdand said “violation alsohas a limit, but here it haspassed all limits.”One can rarely find agarbage container or evena plastic bag in any shopsand everybody throws offhis/her garbage on thestreet, creating mountainsof garbage by end of theday, while just metersfrom this different kinds ofuncovered food are sold.Another street vendorwas selling dairy productson the street in the sun andargued that no governmentofficial has informed himthat dairy products shouldbe stored in a specific temperaturerather than in thesun and in the dust.Rahman Hashim, a middle-agedman who was inSheikhalla to buy somefoodstuff, told the Globethat lack of governmentcontrol is the major factor“because if governmentdoes not control andmonitor such issues, sucha chaos would easily becreated.”Although the marketmonitoring teams visit themarkets to ensure that allthe regulations are followedand many placesare closed down and finedfor violations on a dailybasis, it would seem thatthis regulatory body doesnot exist in Sheikhalla.Erbil Governorate to relocateThe new building 30% built; the old place to be converted to a parkA supervising engineer at the site of Erbil Governorate's new building, Erbil, October 1, 2012.The new building of Erbilgovernorate, which is nowunder construction, is locatedon the 60 meter ringroad of Erbil, couple ofhundred meters from theParliament and the MinisterialCouncil buildings.The project is built ona 32,000 square meter ofland and the budget of theproject is IQD 36 billion(approximately US$ 30million.)A Turkish constructioncompany is implementingthe project and it hasalready completed 30% ofthe project.The supervising engineerof the project saysthe building has 5 floorsand consists of 200 roomsProfileSheikhalla Marketis one of the oldestand most crowdedmarkets in Erbil,located a coupleof hundred meterssoutheast of the citadelby the NishtimanModern ShoppingComplex.Due to the fact thatprices in Sheikhallaare relatively lowerthan the averagemarket prices, still alot of people resortto this place to buytheir daily needs.The crowd runsfrom dawn to dusk.Hersih Hussien, DeputyMayor of Erbil and headof the infractions’ committeeadmitted that thereare a lot of violations takingplace in a regular basisin Sheikhalla and they areaware of that.“We are planning to reorganizethe whole marketfrom zero,” Husseintold the Globe. “Thereare a large number of lowincome people who earntheir livings in this marketand we don’t want to hurtthem till we find a betteralternative and we relocatethe whole market to a newplace where everyone cando his business while allregulations are followed.”and a number of conferenceand meeting halls aswell as a cafeteria.Nizar Omar, Director ofErbil’s Parks, says afterthe old building is evacuated,it will be destroyedand the place will beturned into a park.The current building islocated in the center ofthe city right next to theErbil Citadel. The place isno longer very convenientfor governorate due to theheavy traffic and lack ofsufficient parking area forthe thousands of peoplevisiting the governorateon a daily basis.

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 8 TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 9Medicinestorageclosed inRaniyaSome 57 new healthcenters to openin KurdistanMedicine storage of Raniya town near Sulaimaniyah,Kurdistan’s second biggest city,has been shut down.A committee from Ministry of Health wentto Raniya to investigate the health conditionof the storage. Following the investigationthe committee decided to close it.A source from the committee who spokeanonymously said that the committee foundthat sanitary conditions of the medicine storagewas very bad, adding that it had manytechnical shortages such as lack of air conditioningdevices and the ground of the storagewas not ceramic as well as several otherinsanitary conditions.“There were many expired medicines insidethe storage. Because of this point wehave decided to close Raniya’s storage,” thesource said.In addition, the committee checked the cafeteriaof Raniya’s hospital too. The committeefound many bad-quality meats and foodsinside the cafeteria.“The committee has decided to shut downthe cafeteria for three days as well as theowner should pay an amount of money as apenalty in order not to repeat it,” the sourcesaid.The medicine storage is located insideRaniya’s General Hospital. There are almost9 hospital and health centers in Raniya. Allthe medical supplies of the health center andhospitals are provided by the storage.New health centersA contract between Kurdistan’s ministriesof Planning and Health and representativesof American Agency for International Developmenthas been signed in Erbil, capital ofKurdistan Region.“A contract which is worth 18 million dollarshas been signed between the KRG’sministries of health and planning and AmericanAgency for International Development,”said a senior advisor to minster of health.The advisor remarked that according tothe contract 57 new health centers should bebuilt in three years across Kurdistan Region.“This project is to improve and expand publicservice in health sector,” said the advisor,adding that the project worth 18 million dollars.Of which 9 million dollars will be providedby the KRG and the rest will be givenby the American international organization.It is worth mentioning that American Agencyfor International Development is a globalorganization. It has around 80 to 90 branchesacross the world. It is funded by AmericanCongress directly.By Salih WaladbagiFigures from Garmiyan Directorateof Health show thataround 1000 cases of differentkinds of cancer in Garmiyanand Khanaqin have been registeredin the past three years.According to the figuresmany of the cases so far registeredare breast, stomach,prostate and blood cancer.Those cases which are recordedin Garmiyan hospitalsso far are inhabitants ofKalar, Khanaqin and severalother towns. After registrationprocess, all the patients havebeen sent to Hiwa hospital inSulaimaniyah province in orderto take treatment.Azmar Mohammed, formerhead of chronic diseases inthe directorate, announcedthat most of the registeredcases are classified underbreast cancer category.Concerning reasons behindbreast cancer, Dr. PaymanAhmed who is a sonar expertsays that diagnosing reasonswhy someone gets infectedwith breast cancer is notknown yet.She furthermore said thatsometimes those women whoare getting older and do notget married or those who donot breast feed their childrenare endangered to get the disease.“Breast cancer is mostlyamong young women ratherthan older ones,” she said.Recording thousands of casesof cancer in Garmiyan is avery shaking number if it willRecord high cancer casesin GarmiyanAround 1000 cases of cancer have been recordedbe compared with number ofinhabitants which is estimatedaround 300, 000.People are frustrated and saythat urgent research is neededin order to come up with findinga way to prevent this numberincreasing.Mohammed confirmed thatthe factors should be recognizedas soon as possible inorder to save lives of thousandsmore.Dr Adnan Tofiq said thatstatistics of cancer are veryrapidly increasing in the Regionand have hit a new recordhigh.Indeed, most of those whoare infected with cancer inGarmiyan are poor people.Besides, they should endurethe expected pain of the cancerwhile they have to takeeconomic condition of thefamily into consideration too.Tofiq said that there is acommittee in the directorateto give a hand to the patientsfinancially, adding that the directorategives each of them$1000 only once.Poor and low-income familieswho have one-cancercaseidentified at their homeusually visit governmentalinstitutions and ask for financialcooperation to treat theirdiseases.“Many people visit us on adaily basis and ask for financialhelp while it is not ourduty to give people money,”said Khabat Rashid, Garmiyan’sdirector of HumanRights.He remarked that there areseveral charity organizationsand institutions which havesome special programs to helppoor people.However, many medical expertsthink there is no a medicalresearch center to conducta survey and figure out howmany people have cancer andwhat are the main reasons behindcancer-cases.Fund for chronic diseasesIt is supposed that the KRGmake a financial assistancefund for chronic diseasessuch as cancer and long-termdiseases with the intention oftreating them inside Kurdistanor abroad.A member of Kurdistan parliamentsaid that two yearsago a group of MPs proposeda draft to Kurdistan ParliamentPresidency in order toallot a financial assistancefund to long-term diseasesand cancer.Legal committee of Kurdistanparliament met withadvisers and directors ofthe Ministry of Health withthe intention of discussing amechanism to fund long-termdiseases last week.“If parliament can finishForest Law this week thenMPs will talk about chronicassistance-funddraft. Duringthe discussions MPs have totalk about amount of the moneywhich is supposed to beindicated and the KRG has toallocate it later,” said the MPwho wanted to speak anonymously.According to the draft, acouncil will be formed so asto manage the financial assistancefund’s affairs.The draft consists of 15 divisionsand there is a divisionread that Ministry of Health isthe main party which will allocatemoney to treat the patientsin or out of Kurdistan.Based upon the draft, financialsources of the financialassistance fundinclude 9 divisions.“The KRG has to allocatefive percent of interests gainfrom customs. The ministryalso should allot some amountof money from its annual budgetto the financial assistancefund too,” read the draft.“Five percent of interestfrom importing goods likecigarette, alcohol, automobileand machines and 50 percentof fines from prohibitingsmoking in public placeswhich comes to annual budgetof the KRG,” read the draft.However the draft read that50 percent of fines gained byenvironment law and 50 percentof fines from health-carelaw should be allocated forthe financial assistance fund.Besides, 50 percent of penaltiesgained from punishingthose traders who bring in expiredfoods also has to be allocatedfor chronic diseases.A radiologist is examining X-Ray image of a patient with breast cancer at the Media Diagnostics Center in Erbil, September 9, 2009.By Salih WaladbagiGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidKRG and USAID embarkon joint $18 million dollarhealth initiativeThe Kurdistan RegionalGovernment signed amemorandum of understandingwith USAID lastTuesday aimed at improvingprimary health carethroughout the KurdistanRegion.The memorandum ofunderstanding with theUnited States Agency forInternational Development(USAID) representsan $18 million dollar initiativewhich will includethe construction of 57new health centers acrossthe Kurdistan Region.The cost of the initiativewill be split between bothUSAID and the KurdistanRegional Government(KRG).The agreement highlightsthe dedication ofboth sides to strengthenKurdistan's health careDuhok streets to be renovatedNine underpasses to be constructed in the cityDriving inside the streetsin Duhok, one would realizethat the condition ofthe streets and traffic arevery poor.Azad Taha, Director ofMedia at the Duhok TrafficPolice Directorate,claims that the city needsat least 12 underpasses anda number of highways.Mohammed Shafiq, adriver from Duhok saysthey have a lot of complaintsabout the streetsand traffic system.A view of a Duhok city center street.system by improving thedelivery of primary healthservices and ensuring theavailability of high-qualitycare throughout theRegion.The USAID PrimaryHealth Care Project inIraq works in partnershipwith the Iraqi Ministry ofHealth to strengthen thedelivery of primary healthservices in all of Iraq’s18 provinces. The projecthas $74.8 million US dollarsfunding and has beenin operation since March2011.The main goals of theproject are to help themedical community tofurther develop formalguidelines and records,improve standards of careand clinical service, andfoster community partnershipsand participation.“The streets are notmade for this heave trafficand without underpassesand overpasses this issuecannot be solved,” saidShafiq. “Unfortunatelythe streets get worse andworse every day.”Taha explained to theKurdish Globe that majorityof the streets in the cityare very narrow and thenumber and capacity ofthe parking lots in downtownare too low. Hencepeople park their cars onThe MOU was signedby the KRG Minister ofPlanning, Dr Ali Sindi,the KRG Minister ofHealth, Dr Rekawt HamaRasheed, and the USAIDMission Director, MrThomas Staal.Prior to the signing of thememorandum, the delegationfrom USAID alongwith a representative of theUS Consul General visitedPrime Minister NechirvanBarzani to brief him ontheir efforts and discussthe project. The PrimeMinister welcomed theinitiative and confirmedthe KRG’s interest in thisand other co-sharing objectives,especially in areassuch as this which areamong the government’stop priorities.the streets and ineviatablyworsen the traffic situation.Shawkat Mohammed,head of Duhok’s Municipality,on the other handsays, due to the fact thatthe streets in Duhok arenot in line with the expansionof the city, theyhave planned to build 9underpasses on the majorstreets, 5 of which have alreadybeen tendered and 4of them are to be tenderedin the near future.PRESS PHOTOCutting trees is prohibitedand livestock not allowedinto forestsA young boy is transporting newly cut trees home on the back of his donkey in a village nearZakho, near the Turkish-Kurdish borders.As Kurdistan RegionalGovernment has submitteda draft law forprotecting natural forestsin the region, theopposition parliamentmembers argue that thislaw is not necessary forthe country.The draft is aiming atprotecting the naturalforests in Kurdistan,renovating and developingthem.Zhiyan Omar, memberof the Kurdistan Parliamentand member of theagriculture and irrigationat the parliament,says that they have receivedthe draft from thegovernment and that themajority of the parliamentmembers supportthe idea of changingthe draft into a “ForestLaw.”MP Omar thinks thatKurdistan needs a lotof forests for protectingthe environment, cleaningthe air as well as industry.It has been also suggestedthat in additionto the relevant governmentinstitutions thepresidency should alsoparticipate in punishingthe violators for a higherenforceability.Parliament MemberHawraz Sheikh Ahmed,who is a member of thehealth committee onthe Islamic Union Blocargues that the draft isexactly the same as theLaw number 3 of 2009of the Iraqi Parliament,and hence it is not necessaryfor Kurdistan tohave such a law and totake the time of the parliamentwith this unnecessarything.MP Omar, on the otherhand, argues that thisopinion is merely forthe purpose of opposingthe majority, otherwisethe other parts of Iraqdo not have forests.While most of the articlesof the draft lawhave been discussed insidethe parliament hall,the opposition blocsargue that the responsibilityof enforcing thelaw should be assignedto the parliament ratherthan the Presidency, asstated in the draft.MP Omar, however,told the Globe that Parliamentis not an executivebody and cannotenforce the law as thePresidency can.The draft also prohibitshunting any kinds ofanimals and also statesthat animal farmersshould not use forestsfor feeding their livestock,especially goats.PeshawaTofiq, a memberof the parliament onthe opposition GorranBloc told the KurdishGlobe that in Kurdistanwhere there are a lot ofplanted trees and forests,there should be alaw to protect them.“If the law is enforcedas it is, it would definitelyhave an impact onprotecting the forests inthe region,” argued MPTofiq.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin Hamid

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 10 The Kurdish Globe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 11Kurdistan’s Head of InformationTechnology rejects all thecorruption allegations directedat him. Prime Minister has issuedan order, asking him toreturn to his office.Botan Mahmud Othman,Head of Information Technology,in a public statement announcedthat he rejects chargesalleging he is involved in acorruption case. He also addedthat he already sent his resignationletter to Prime MinisterNechirvan Barzani, asking toresign officially.“The office offered all thenecessary official documentsto an investigative committeeformed by the general attorney.The documents answer allthe investigative questions. Ipublished the same documentspreviously to public opinion.The committee investigatedabout financial affairs duringthe date I was in charge of theoffice. Fortunately and happilyresult of the investigation waspositive for me and the office,”the statement read.Othman remarked that he isasking the KRG to form anothercommittee which should beindependent including expertsor member of different fractionsof Kurdistan Parliamentto investigate the case again.“I am ready to accept the resultof the new committee,” hesaid.According to an official orderA Kurdish filmmaker is goingto produce a Kurdish film inwhich both popular and wellknownsoccer players of theworld Messi and CR7 (ChristianoRonaldo) will participatein the film.Sulaimaniyah Governorate’sPress Department inan announcement read thatthe city’s governor, BehroozMohammed, led a meetingwith Director General of Culture,Director of Art Film andHalkawt Mustafa, the filmdirector. It was the secondmeeting supervised by thegovernor.“They talked about howto find out a mechanism toproduce an international filmKurdistan’s Head of ITrejects allegationsBotan Othman returns as head of KRG IT officeGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidBotan Mahmoud, head of KRG IT Department speaks to reporters.numbered 10282 which wasissued by the KRG’s Councilof Ministers and signed byNechirvan Ahmed, Directorof Council, on September 18,2012, Head of InformationTechnology was dismissedand Suleiman Haso Mirkhanappointed as new head. Suleimanwas assigned for a shorttermperiod until the investigationsended.In addition, Othman in hisstatement read that the committeedid not believe his officialdocuments and theyalways asked about why theprojects were so "sluggish"over the past three years, addinghe told the committee thatbudget of his office was zeroover three years ago.“But the committee insistedon their questions and was notsatisfied with my answers.”However, Nechirvan Barzani,the PM, asked Othman toreturn to his office, describinghim as "genuine" to his job.Sami Argushi, media directorof the Prime Minister, saidthat the PM did not issue anyorders to remove Mr Othmanfrom his office.“PM believes that Othman isa genuine and honest personand encourages him to continueon his work as head of theoffice,” said Argushi.In a report published on aKurdish independent newspaper,Kurdistan’s Head of InformationTechnology office wasaccused of involvement in analleged corruption case. Followingthe report the generalattorney started an investigationinto the case.Messi and CR7 in a Kurdish filmIntroducing Kurdish tradition through a filmBy Salih Waladbagiin which the director tries toshow Kurdish culture. Thefilm will be screened in theworld’s cinemas later,” theannouncement read.According to Mohammed,the project is going to be implementedby three internationalcompanies from Norway,Spain and Britain.“We use standard deviceswhich are used in Hollywood.Both well-known andmagic soccer players of theworld, Messi and ChristianoRonaldo, will participate inthe film. The story of the filmis about two dwarfs who wantto gift two Kurdish traditionalshoes, Klash, to the best playersof the world,” said the director.It is supposed that the filmneeds around 4 million dollars.According to the latestinformation which is revealedby Mohammed some 83 staffsof the film will come to Erbil,capital of Kurdistan Region,in the coming month.Mohammed remarked thatKurdistan Regional Governmenthas to pay, at least, aquarter of the expenditure ofthe film in order to identitythe film as a Kurdish film internationally.He added thatthe staff expects that it willmake more money after itwill go on screen.Regarding mechanism offinancial support for the project,the governor said he willtry to encourage either governmentor private sector togive support to the project inorder to facilitate the showingof Kurdish tradition throughoutthe film.Klash is a kind of shoethat is produced with yarnin Hawraman area borderedwith Iran.“An outstanding differencebetween Klash andother shoes is that each pairof Klash can be wearing byboth right and left foot,” saida Klash seller.By Salih WaladbagiSome 1400companiesinvested inKurdistanNajatBapir, DirectorGeneral of Investment inKurdistan, said that 20percent of investment inKurdistan is carried outby foreign companies.Of which %6.7 had beencarried out by UnitedArab Emirate companies.Bapir said that 1400companies have investedaround 22 billion dollarsin the three provinces ofIraqi Kurdistan Region.Kurdish womanin NASAA Kurdish woman who isliving in England becomesmember of the Americanspace agency NASA.Zainab Kurban, who hasworked with the CanadianSpace Agency in the past.is a Kurdish woman fromTurkey. She went to Britainwith her family whenshe was 9 years old.She studied in LondonUniversity and her MAthesis was about how toreserve Hydrogen energy.She did her project in cooperationwith OxfordUniversity.Around 6000foreignersrecordedin 16 daysSalar Abdullah, Directorof Residency of Sulaimaniyah,second biggest cityof Kurdistan, announcedthat over the past 16 daysaround 6000 foreignersvisited their office.He added that some ofthem were deported totheir countries becausethey were reported sickand some others were sentto the directorate of healthprotection in order to lookafter them.He remarked that foreignerswho come toKurdistan and intend tostay more than 15 daysshould visit the directorateto register their name.In case they do not visitthe directorate they willbe fined 50,000 IQD permonth.Business and Entertainment GuideAn editorial company, thathas over 10 years of experienceproducing specializedguides and has so farproduced over 38 guidesworldwide, is currentlycompiling information andknowledge on the KurdistanRegion in order to makea business and entertainmentguide.The concept of the editorialcompany, eBiz Guides, isto integrate all necessary informationconcerning businessand investment opportunities,as well as informthe reader of top-qualitytourism and entertainmentthroughout the country.Thus making eBizGuides,the perfect companion forevery businessman andtourist alike, who is seekinga wide spectrum of opportunitieswithin Kurdistan.Not only does it provide relevantand up-to-date informationon the country, themain economic sectors andits main players, but it alsoserves as a practical tool forgetting to know, living, andenjoying the country."We will be preparing thisfirst edition of eBiz GuideKurdistan over the next fewweeks and will be analysingmany of the potential opportunitiesand competitiveadvantages that Kurdistanpresents. We will do this byconducting interviews withmany of the top personalitiesof both the public andprivate sectors in order toshowcase the visions andaspirations of both politicaland business leaders of thecountry, "said Emma Goldsmith,Guide DirectorGoldsmith thinks now isa crucial moment for Kurdistanas the country has recentlyexperienced recordWith all of the legal dramabetween Apple and Samsung,people are comparingthe Galaxy S3 andIPhone 4 against eachother in every imaginablefield. And with thesetwo handsets dominatingthe competition, it is nosurprise that buyers wantcredible evidence to indicatewhich device theyshould purchase.Consumers, more sothan developers, wanthands on practical testsdone for these devices, tohelp them decide whichhandset may be betterabout Kurdistan underwayBusiness and Entertainment Guide Team Anna Hirtenstein, Emma Goldsmith and Simrina Pangli pose or a photo with a selection oftheir eBiz Guides at the Khanzad Hotel, Erbil, September 30, 2012.growth rates and has anexpected minimum 10-12%growth rate for the comingyear. "This, along with themany incentives and legalguarantees offered by theKurdistan Regional Governmentto foreign investorsseeking opportunities withinthe country are likely togenerate significant resultsin developing and positioningit as an excellent locationfor doing business,"Although both The NewYork Times and NationalGeographic named Kurdistanamong their top-ratedplaces to visit last year dueto the country’s rich historicaland archeological sites,the region does howeversuited for their lifestyle.People in Kurdistan aren'tsure one hundred percentwhich handset is better tobuy since there are somespecifications in Galaxythat are not available forthe iPhone and vice versa.Since Apple Company isthe producer of iPhone, allthe spare parts are expensiveand hard to get. Theparts of IPhone generallyare stronger and hard tobreak. But people shouldexpect to pay a lot to replacea cover for IPhonefor example."I like IPhone, as theface several challenges dueto the ongoing instabilityand the negative perceptionthat has long been portrayedon the international arena.This guide is thought to behelpful for dissipating fearsand anxieties of those whodon't trust to come to Kurdistaneither for business ortourism purposes."On one hand, we presentthe reality of Kurdistan,covering its economicdiversity, the particularitiesof each sector, and providinginformation on theleading companies of thecountries. On the otherhand, The company wants,through the guide, to showthe region's unique tourismparts are strong and its designis very proper to carryand make phone calls. ButI have to be very carefulnot to drop it. I paid $50 toreplace a cover one time,"said Gailan Sirwan, a 21-year old boy resident ofErbil.According to Sardar Hamad,a salesman at NazoCompany for Cell phonetrades in Erbil, Galaxybuyers have increased dramaticallysince six monthsago."The spare parts of Samsungproducts includingGalaxy Phones are easyGalaxy phone wins Kurdish buyers’ satisfactionto get and are very cheapcompared to iphone. Onecan get a Galaxy phonecover for only five bucks,so people are not worriedif their Galaxy coverby any means is broken."Said HamadDespite strong competitionsbetween iphone andGalaxy, Hamad said thatthe buyers of Galaxy havebeen boosting and newgenerations have realizedwhat they can do withiPhone, can be done withGalaxy too.GLOBE PHOTOand entertainment potential,highlighting the mostauthentic and significantdestinations," said SimrinaPangli,market and Clientassociate at the eBizGuidesAccording to Pangli, thecompany's mission focuseson creating a favourableclimate to get investors,institutions and businesses,to commit to the region'sdevelopment. Its mottois clear: "All you need toknow for Business and Entertainment".Each eBiz Guide is carefullyproduced by a team ofprofessionals who get firsthand information from themarket they are investigating.Their sources are CEOsand presidents of the maincompanies of the country orregion as well as the ministers,prime ministers andpresident."Local journalists, Chambersof Commerce, Foundations,Embassies, OpinionLeaders and professionalassociations are othersources we use to prove ourcommitment with quality.Our commitment is to analyzewhat we see. Throughin-depth face-to-face interviews,we get the most updated,credible, and directinformation about the regionwe want to promote,"noted director Goldsmith.The guide's content consistsof three parts: Introduction,Business, andEntertainment. In the Introductionpart, the region'sprofile and general informationare shed light on. In theBusiness section, necessaryinformation is providedabout the top 100 companies,Business resources,investment and legal framework,Economy, Finance,Energy, Industry and Trade,Real Estate and Construction,Information CommunityTechnology, TourismIndustry, Transportation andPublic Services, Agricultureand Company index.The Entertainment parttells the readers about Cityinformation, regional information,Where to go, Whereto stay, what to see and do,and Top recommended itineraries."We may be able to publishthe Guide about Kurdistanin late March 2013. TheGuide can be translated into other languages in orderto meet the communicationneeds of the largest numberof people," divulged GoldsmithThe Guide also can be uploadedto devices such as:iFone and iPAd since it hasbeen found out that 50%of the readings are donethrough mobile applications."When the investors andtourists visit Kurdistan theguide will help them knowthe places and where to go.What the legal system isfor those who want to dobusiness or to make investment."said Goldsmith.The Kurdish globeZakariya MuhammedA man uses his Galaxy 3 cell phone in front a phone shop in Erbil.GLOBE PHOTO/Zakariya Muhammed

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 12TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 13With their time to shine, SyrianKurds must seize the momentBy Bashdar Pusho IsmaeelBattle of Words betweenAKP and BDP: One fact, TwoIncompatible PerceptionsMany observers often describethe Syrian Kurds assitting on the fence in theSyrian conflict, waiting on aclear outcome before choosingsides. It may be true thatKurds have not necessarilytaken a more natural anti-Assad position but this ismore to do with the politicalclimate and strategic ploysthan any adoration of theregime.If Sunni’s feel that theyhave got a raw deal underthe current dictatorshipthen how must the largelyrepressed and disenfranchisedKurds feel?This makes it all the moreironic that Kurds continueto remain divided and areslow in taking measures thatnecessitate decisiveness tocapitalise on the historicalopportunities on the table.It also says much abouthow the Kurds view the predominantlySunni Arab nationalistFree Syrian Army(FSA) or Syrian NationalCouncil (SNC) when manypresidewith the mentalityof“better the devil you know”due to their lack of convictionfor a new Syria.Then there is the Turkishconnection. Clearly, a lot ofSyrian Kurds look at boththe SNC and Turkey withsuspicion. The PKK has afirm fan base amongst SyrianKurds and coupled withTurkey’s track record withtheir own restive Kurdishpopulation, they remainsceptical that the autonomyor rights they demandwould be enshrined in anew Syria.Coming off the fenceSometimes if you sit onthe fence for too long waitingto make your move, thefence may break forcingyou to unwillingly land onone side.The Kurds have beenwidely acknowledged asthe wild card in the struggleagainst Assad and a forcewith considerable numbersand sway that can tip thescale of revolution.However, the Kurds havebeen too disparate, at timestoo slow, spending muchtime quarrelling amongstone another and lackingclear leadership.There are only 2 millionor so Kurds in Syria, yetdozens of political parties.The Erbil agreement in Julythat brought the DemocraticUnion Party (PYD) and theKurdish National Councilof Syria (KNCS) togetherunder the stewardship ofKurdistan President MassaudBarzani was morethan a welcome step, butit remains brittle, inconsistent,unbalanced in itsimplementation and lackinga real nationalistfeel.A cloud still remains onthe PYD and with its powerfulsupport base and responsibilityas the only realarmed group, it must workon enhancing the Kurdishcause in Syria and becominga real nationalisticon.However, it still remainsshrouded under the shadowof the PKK and has hardlytaking the bulls by the hornsagainst Assad.It must not be forgotten,that the Kurdish populationin Syria is far by the smallestamongst the four majorparts of Kurdistan. Nationalismnever really had firmroots in terms of a definitivemovement, Kurdish inhibitedareas are much moregeographically spread-out,and more importantly theKurds do not have internationalor regional supportfor their own autonomousentity let alone from SunniArabs.The Kurdish struggle inSyria must for now be disconnectedfrom Kurdishstruggles elsewhere. Kurdishgroups and the PYD inparticular should deviateaway from too much focuson Turkey or the PKKstruggle that resides there.This is a historical momentfor Syrian Kurds and all energiesmust be channelledto overcome constraints andwithin nationalist goals andnot narrow minded partypolitics.Ousting or workingwith the regime?The Kurds made headlineswhen they took historic controlof some Kurdish townsand districts in July, shortlyafter the Erbil Agreement.However, it was hardly awhirlwind revolution withan all guns blazing legacybuta largely peaceful transition.No doubt a deal was madebetween the Assad governmentand the Kurdishforces for relinquishmentof these areas. At the time,there was much talk of theKurds seizing Qamishli andother Kurdish towns butmonths later Syrian Kurdistanremains relatively quietand subdued.Assad has much to gain byworking and seceding territoryto the Kurds and thenew Kurdish administrationis as much to do with a newA Kurdish child in a pro-unity march in Syrian Kurdistan.Kurdish drive as smart manipulationby Assad.By ceding control of borderterritories to the Kurds,Damascus seeks to servera double blow to Ankara.Firstly, it creates a bufferagainst any future Turkishincursion with Kurdishfighters well positionedand secondly it creates afertilecross-border groundfor the PKK to swing thependulum in their favouragainst Turkey.Assad further continues tocreate cracks in the SNC bysplitting Kurdish sentimentand at the same the withdrawalwas calculated bythe need for Assad forcesto focus energieson thebattle against Syrian rebelsin the key economic hub ofAleppo.Finally, as a last measureand bare minimum fall backposition for Assad, an Alawiteregion or even statewould be established, withthe proviso of a Kurdishregion aiding division andestablishment of future regions.Now is the time,not the futureA lot of Kurds seem intentto save their firepowerand energy for what theydeem the real battle – onceAssad is overthrown and anew scramble for power inSyrian ensues akin to Iraq.Kurds seem convinced thatonce the FSA finish pointingtheir guns at Assad, theywill simply reposition thebarrel at the Kurds instead.While some of thesefears and concerns havesubstance, after all Sunniopposition groups well beforethe Arab Spring began,hardly supported the Kurdishcause or united withKurdish opposition groupsand remained loyal to Arabunity and nationalism thanany promotion of the Kurdishstruggle.The time for Kurds to actis now. Waiting for a clearoutcome in the battle leadsto an uncertain conclusion.If the rebels advance andbeat Assad, then the Kurdswill be backed in to an uncomfortablecorner and dilutedbargaining positionand if Assad manages tostay in power, then how canthe Kurds trust a dynastythat has seen them suffermercilesslywith thousandsnot even worthy of a citizenshipstatus.The Kurds in Syria mustunite and set aside there differencesfor the sake of theKurdish people, Kurdishnationalism and the decadesof pain and tears enduredunder dictatorial rule. Theinsistence on promotingparty based political agendawill see all Kurds fail.The Kurds do not need toPhoto PYD-Facebooktake sides with the SNC orAssad; the real side theyshould choose are the Kurdsthemselves.Now is the time to chargeinto Qamishli and oustAssad forces, followed byall Kurdish towns and citiesin Syria.The Kurdish forces, boththose loyal to the PYD andthose consisting of largelyKurdishdefectorsfrom theSyrian army under a unitedfront and can easily assumecontrol of Kurdish populationin Syrian. Assad canhardly contain one battlefront in Syria, let alonetwo.The passive Kurdishstance in AleppoMuch of the Syrian revolutionhas congregatedaround Aleppo over the pastseveral weeks. Aleppo ishome to a significant Kurdishpopulation but they haveremained largely idle. Thereare contrasting reports of anew battle field opening inthe predominantly Kurdishneighbourhood of SheikMaksoud, with some reportsclaiming that PKK affiliatedmilitiaswith leveragein the district had supportedregime forces while othersstating they had stayed outof the battle.Whilst, Kurds look at theFSA with suspicion, theKurdish support is a wildcardthat could easily tipthe war in favour of therebels. The Kurds must usethis opportunity to drive ahard bargain with the SNCand FSA in return for directsupport in ousting Assad.A continuation of passiveKurdish stance or worseresistance against Syrianrebels in Aleppo gives anundeserving hand to Assad.Syria is ablaze and willdramatically alter not onlythe political map of Syriaitself but also the whole region.Tip-toeingwithpeacefulmotions, insistence onnarrow minded party interestor sitting on the fence isakin to political suicide forthe Kurds. Having sufferedbrutallyfor decades andwaited patiently to rewritethe wrongs of history, theKurds dare not waste thishistorical opportunity.The reality of theKurdish nationand its politiciansis evaluated as acontradiction by theTurkish nation andits political ratio. Itstands out as one ofthe major barriersto a peacefulsolution to theKurdish issue.Once again heavy clasheshave intensified between theKurdistan Workers' Party(PKK) and Turkish militaryforces. Wide-ranging operationshave increased acrossthe mountainous terrain ofnorth Kurdistan, especiallyin Hakkari's Semdinli andSirnak's Beytussebap districtsas well as in rural regionsof Diyarbakir.While the fierce clashesbetween Turkish militaryforces and PKK in KurdistanMountains severely continue,it also reflects on thepolitical arena between theruling Justice and DevelopmentParty's (AKP) andthe pro-Kurdish Peace andDemocracy Party (BDP)as a political struggle and abattle of words.Lately, Turkish PrimeMinister Recep Tayyip Erdoganaddressed severalspeeches in which he harshlycriticized the BDP. Heindicated that Turkish judiciaryshould come into playand initiate a case againstsome BDP MPs for openlyshowing their sympathieswith guerillas of the PKKin Semdinli district, a provinceof Hakkari. His maingoal was to lift the parliamentaryimmunity of theseMPs, including Aysel Tuglukand Gultan Kisanak."If BDP lawmakers wantto work within the TurkishParliament, they must actwithin the framework of theConstitution and the law.Otherwise, we've alreadytold the judiciary what isBy Mehmed Sabri AkgönülPRESS PHOTOBDP and AKP representatives fighting inside the General Assembly of the Turksih Parliament in Ankara.necessary. We [the AKP]will also do what is necessaryin Parliament," Erdogansaid.Erdogan's attitudes wereevaluated by Kurdish politicalcadres as the first steptowards to dissolve of theBDP. BDP MPs respondedcritics of their meeting withPKK guerillas by sayingthey would leave the negotiationtable set for thedrafting of Turkish newconstitution. Besides, BDPvowed that if the parliamentaryimmunity of MPsis lifted it would 'return tothe people' [Sine-i Millet].In the political discourse inKurdish politics, returningto the people refers leavingTurkish Parliament andquesting the support andstrength of the Kurdishpeople.Commenting on theBDP's responses, Erdogansaid if the BDP MPs arelooking for a more comfortableplace, they can go toQandil, the mountain rangewhere most of the PKKguerillas and PKK leadersare settled. "BDP MPs aresaying they will 'return tothe people'. Do they thinkthey have any place amongthe people? They can only'return to the PKK'," headded.Also, Erdogan slammedBDP co-chair SelahattinDemirtas and described himas "co-chair of an extensionof the divisive terrorist organization"by adding thatthe BDP MPs are on a parwith PKK guerillas ("terrorists")."If Demirtas wasnot barefaced, he would goto Qandil Mountain. He isnot a representative of thisnation; how could he hastaken oath in the Parliament"Demirtas criticized PMErdogan for telling the BDPto choose between TurkishParliament and the QandilMountains. He emphasizedthe BDP is a party thatmade its choice and theyhave chosen to participatein democratic politics bysaying that "its place is inParliament, and not Qandil.There are not two choices;there is single choice aheadof us."Discussions related to 'returnto the people' are notnew in Kurdish politics.In 2009, after being closeddown of the DemocraticSociety Party (DTP) bythe Turkish ConstitutionalCourt, the representatives ofDTP had declared that theywould 'return to the people'.In those days, Kurdishnation was expectingthat DTP would not returnto the Turkish Parliamentfrom which they had beenexpelled. However, DTPfell short of this expectationand turned back to theTurkish Parliament.Actually, Erdogan's wordsagainst BDP imply, on theone hand, a reality of Kurdishnation and its politicalentities; and show, on theother hand, a contradictionaccording to Turkish nationand its political entities.BDP shares the same politicallines, goals and principleswith PKK. There isno need to be a strategicanalyst in order to realizethis association and anyoneconcerned about Kurdishpolitics may see this reality.Additionally, BDP's electoratesconsist of PKK proponentsor followers. It is acommonly known fact thata Kurdish family memberis a deputy in the Turkishparliament while the otherfamily member fights as aguerilla in Kurdistan Mountains.Furthermore, some ofthe BDP officials and mayors'children or close relativescould be a PKK guerilla.Therefore, 'return tothe people' [Sine-i Millet]is going to be still a 'returnto the PKK' [Sine-i PKK]just the because of the factthat directly or indirectlyBDP electorates have concreterelations with PKK.Attempting to insult BDPwith the phrase of 'return tothe PKK', indeed, TurkishPM draws the attention tothe truest point of Kurdishpolitics.Either Turkish politicalcadres or Turkish popularmedia has made calls toBDP for keeping itself fromPKK persistently. Theyfound the direct or indirectrelation between the BDPand the PKK contradictory.Prominent figures of Turkishpolitics have urged BDPmany times to call PKK asa "terrorist organization."According to them, the factof Kurdish question and theexistence of PKK are nodoubt isolated from eachother and the existence ofPKK could under no circumstancesbe associatedwith Kurdish question. Forthis reason, they do nothesitate to consider the embraceof PKK guerillas withBDP deputies in Semdinlias an abnormal case or evena contradiction.It can easily be stated thatthe main obstacle in the wayof solving Kurdish questionis that: the same fact hasbeen perceived and evaluateddifferently by Kurdishnation and its political entitiesand Turkish nation andits political cadres. In otherwords, Kurdish questioncorresponds to a normalcase or a political realitybefore Kurdish nation andits political entities while itaccounts for a crime whichis to be punished or a politicalcontradiction in theeyes of Turkish nation andits political representatives.If the reality of Kurdish nationcoincides with the contradictionof Turkish nation,is it really possible for thesetwo political entities to liveunder the same politicalroof? In the case Kurdishpolitical and intellectualcadres make a good analysisand create the right answerto this question, Kurdishnation will take the firststep on the path of being asovereign-political agent inits own territory.

TheKurdishGlobe No. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 14The Kurdish GlobeNo. 370, Tuesday, October 02, 2012 15M emoirsSports newsErbil FC reaches AFCKaka elated with returnto national sideSazan M. MandalawiHow will it beto an ambitiouswoman withtoo manydreams?It has been a while, a verylong while. But here is a birdwith stronger wings flyingabove the clouds to a destinationcalled home. How great Ifeel as I am in the sky knowingin a matter of hours I willland in Erbil InternationalAirport. While typing onthe plane even the words onthe laptop screen seem to bedancing with happiness. Thejoy is not just in the idea ofthe return, but in the fact thatthis is a one way ticket journeyback home, which meansit is time to settle.The return is a secret; myfamily is not expecting mehome until another two weeks.I try to imagine my mother'sreaction as I enter our familyhome; I can already smell hertight hug. My mother does nothave a clue when she returnsfrom work this afternoon herHome Sweet Homedaughter will sit at the dinnertable tonight; my fatherhas no idea that his little birdwill also be among his otherbirds today as he waters hisplants in the garden. The littlebrother has no clue Big Sisteris back; the best friend has noidea she will get a surprise ather door tomorrow morning.And I smile as I remember itis my good friend Narin whoI will see first in Erbil; Homesweet home indeed.For those who followed theMemoirs column previously,you will remember that I leftKurdistan as part of the KRG'sHuman Capacity BuildingProgram for students to pursuepost graduate studiesabroad. As I departed I wroteof my emotions and thoughts,now exactly 363 days later Iwrite of my return.As I am returning home it isnot just of my happiness thatI am thinking, but the joy ofmany young Kurds who havejust submitted their final researchpapers and are flyinghome having completed theirMA degrees.I am thinking of the motherof my former colleague wholives in Ranya, who suffered alot in her life as she raised herchildren. I wonder if wordscan reflect her happiness asshe sees her son walking inthe front door knowing he hasmade a dream come true. Hersacrifices have paid off.I am thinking of the Kurdishman who not long agofought on mountain tops andfaced death for the sake ofthis nation. How will he feeland what will run through hismind as he sees his daughterreturn home having made herdream come true, a dream heprobably never dreamed of.If one of my friends readthis she would say that I am"talking to the birds again"and she would be right. Whoknows what the reality is like;how will it feel to be a petit,young female in a career paththat is dominated by males?How will it be to an ambitiouswoman with too many dreamsin a developing society? Howdifficult will it be to pursuethe dream job I often thinkabout in an environment thatdoes not always believe inthe capacity of young people?Many 'how' and 'what' questionsremain at the back of mymind, but only the Memoirsahead will show what it meansto be a 21st Century Kurdishgirl living in Kurdistan.Erbil’s graveyards not environmental-friendlyA number of Arab laborerswere digging anew grave and the childrenwere playing withthe mud unaware of thefact it would be used tocover the dead body oftheir grandmother. Shahida35, on the otherhand, was supervisingthe workers and bringingwater for them.Sheikh Ahmed Cemetery,the largest cemeteryin Erbil where a largenumber of Erbil residentshave family members’resting.People visit the cemeteryon Mondays andThursdays, in additionto the days before thereligious eids and anniversariesof their familymembers’ death.The cemetery is verysmall compared to thenumber of graves in itand is designed in a waythat very narrow space isleft between the graves,this means that peoplesometimes have to walkover the graves.Shahida was buryingher mother’s corpse whohad died four years ago.“She was buried in anothercemetery,” Shahidasaid sadly as she had rememberedthe day shelost her mother. “Hergrave was destroyed severaltimes by the familiesof the other gravesaround, and I had to moveher to this cemetery.”In addition to lackof sufficient place forburying people andeven walkways, SheikhAhmed Cemetery lacksbasic services such aschairs or even water forirrigating the trees andplants.Avin Qadir Hassan,director of Erbil’s thirdmunicipality, says that inthe old cemeteries peoplehave buried the corpsesin a disorganized wayand have not left a lot ofoptions for the municipalitiesto provide services.Couple hundred metersfrom Sheikh AhmedCemetery, there is another,more modern onecalled Sheikh Ahmed IICemetery, which is morerecently built and is betterdesigned and moreorganized.In the second SheikhAhmed Cemetery peoplecan buy spaces to buryThis photo depicts a gate of the Sheikh Ahmed Cemetery, Erbil, October 1, 2012.their family members,and enough space is leftfor walkways, plantinggreenery and other basicservices.Hassan told the Globethat they have allocatedIQD 1 billion to provideservices to the cemetery,as well as an amount tobe spent for the old cemetery.Additionally, Erbil Municipalityhas allocatedanother plot of land nearKasnazan, a town eastof Erbil, for a cemeterywhere people can burytheir family members’corpses free of chargebut in an organized way.A place like a cemeteryis not a place wherepeople can be happy,but if the same place ismixed with trees, natureand greenery, it wouldhelp ease the graves ofthe people in addition tohelping to keep the environmentclean.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidIraqi champions Erbil wereable to secure a place atthe AFC Cup semi-finalsfor the second consecutiveyear after tying withKelantan 1-1 in the secondleg match of the quarterfinalson September 25. BecauseErbil won the first legmatch at home 5-1 with thesame team, the even resultin the away game helped itto secure a 6-2 aggregatetriumph against the Malaysianside.The second leg matchwas played at the SultanMohammad IV Stadium inattendance of 10,000 spectators.Although Kelantanplayed in front of its excitedfans, Erbil took the leadthrough Ugandan forwardSula Matovu in the 37thminute.In the second half thehosts put a lot of pressureon the guests, but Erbildefenders stayed firm andwere able to defuse all theattempts. Keeper Jalal Hassanplayed a significant rolein keeping his goal net unshakentill the last minuteof the match.The 90 minutes finished,but the hosts didn'tstop attacking. The homeside’s pressure was finallyrewarded when Lebanesestriker Muhammad Ghaddarconverted a penalty instoppage time but it wasa mere consolation for thehome fans as their team’smaiden AFC Cup campaigncame to an end.Although the equalizerdid help Kelantan to securea place at the semifinals,Ghaddar's celebration overscoring seemed to mean alot to him.In the semi-finals, Erbilwill face Thailand’s Chonburiwho secured a placeat the semifinals also afterdefeating Syria’s Al Shurta4-2 on September 26.For the fans that remainedbehind, there was someconsolation right at the endof the game. The equalizerensured that Kelantan endedtheir inaugural AFC Cupcampaign with an unbeatenhome record.Erbil coach Nizar Mahrousfelt that his decisionto rest four of his key playersfor the second leg oftheir AFC Cup quarter-finalagainst Kelantan was fullyjustified as the Iraqi championsplayed out a 1-1 drawto reach the semi-finals forthe second year in a row.Cup semifinalsErbil's forward Luay Salah is challenged by Malaysian Kelantan player during their AFC Cup quarterfinalmatch.Having trounced the MalaysianSuper League champions5-1 in the first leg inIraq last week, Mahrousopted to rest goalkeeperSarhang Muhsin, midfielderAmmar Abdulhussein andforwards Luay Salah andNabil Sabah for the returngame in Kelantan.“I am happy with theresult,” said Mahrous. “Ithought that the game wasvery entertaining and weplayed very well. I amalso pleased with the performanceof the playersbecause we decided to restfour of our key playersfrom the first leg but theteam still did well and wewere a bit unfortunate notto win the game right at theend,"Mahrous thinks that Kelantanalso played well andthey showed a very differentgame from the one thatthey played at Franso Hariristadium in Erbil.“It was certainly not aneasy game for us to play inKota Bharu especially withthe wet conditions on thepitch that resulted from theheavy rain in the eveningbefore game. But I thoughtthat we did well and we deservedto go through.” HenotedMeanwhile Kelantancoach Bojan Hodak attributedhis side's exit inthe Cup to the big loss hisplayers faced in the first legmatch."We were not able to goup to the next step, but weshowed a high performancelevel in the match. The fansreally enjoyed watchingevery minute of the game,"said Hodak.“We missed chances inboth halves but when webrought on Mohamad Gaddar,that changed the tempoand we began to create betteropportunities. It lookedlike it would not be our dayto score but we kept tryingand finally we got a penaltyand scored a goal right atthe end,"The AFC Cup campaignis over for Kelantan butHodak and his players stillhave games to play beforethe season ends.Erbil’s AFC Cup adventureended last year in thesemifinals after they lost ahome match 2-0 to Kuwaitand tied the return 3-3, aresult which was not goodenough to take them to theAFC final.Zakaria MuhammedErbilzakaria.kurdishglobe@gmail.comGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidReal Madrid forward Kaka has admittedthat he was surprised to be handed acall-up to the Brazil squad after a disappointingstart to the season at a domesticlevel.Kaka has not featured for Brazil in twoyears, but his return is a timely one withless than two years to go until the WorldCup in his home country."I admit it was a surprise this call. Ifollowed the disclosure of the list forTV, mainly because I'd been told thatmy name might be one of those listed.When the list was published, I was extremelyhappy. It was like my first callup."he said.Lionel Messi wins ‘Onze d’Or’Barcelona star Lionel Messi has wonthe Onze d'Or for the third consecutiveyear, according to AS.com.The Argentine international wasawarded the trophy by French footballmagazine 'OnzeMondial'. The magazinecollects readers' votes to choose a winnerof their annual prestigious award,and for the third time in as many years,Lionel Messi came out on top.The 25-year-old won 47.45% of thevote, while Cristiano Ronaldo finishedsecond with 27.95%. The Madrid andBarca duo dominated the voting, andAtletico Madrid striker RadamelFalcaofinished third with 6.1%.Lewis Hamilton signswith MercedesLewis Hamilton is moving to Mercedes,replacing seven-time FormulaOne champion Michael Schumacher ina major shakeup that also saw SergioPerez sign with McLaren.The deal, which had been rumored forweeks, was confirmed by Mercedes onFriday shortly after McLaren announcedits signing of Perez."It is now time for me to take on afresh challenge and I am very excited tobegin a new chapter," Hamilton said.Abidal could returnin NovemberBarcelona star Xavi indicated that theFrance international could return to theside by the end of the autumn."He's amazing. An example," he toldSport, "Not only is he a great professional,he is in the gym every day,morning and evening. I'm not going tosay it will for sure be in November, butit's true that it will be between Novemberand December." Xavi said.

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