Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
personal or otherwise, to provoke the disintegration of
Iraq only to end up as local player in a bigger Kurdish
state. Nor do a majority of Iraqi Kurds have an interest in
leaving Iraq now that it has, for the first time, a real
opportunity to build a state in which Kurds can enjoy full
autonomy plus a leading position in national power
structures.
The experience of the3 .5 million Iraqi Kurds who have
lived a life of full autonomy thanks to US-led protection
since 1991 is a mixed one. The area was divided into two
halves, one led by Barzani the other by Talabani, showing
that even limited unity was hard to achieve in a corner of
Iraq let alone throughout the vast region where the Kurds
live. The two mini-states respectively led by Barzani and
Talabani developed a complex pattern of shifting alliances
in which, at times, one allied itself with Saddam Hussein
against the other. The two mini-states even became
involved in numerous battles, includinga full-scale war.
Like pan-Arabism and its promise of unity, Kurdish
unification is easy to talk about but hard to implement
even on a small scale.
BARZANIINTERVIEWED
Barzani and Talabani should stop bluffing about "walking
away". Other Iraqis, meanwhile, should realize that a
shrunken Iraq, that is to say minus its Kurds, would be a
vulnerable mini-state in a dangerous neighborhood.
The preservation of Iraq's unity is in the interests of both
Kurds and Arabs. It is also in the best interest of regional
peace.
At the start of the21 st century, the Kurds cannot pursue
their legitimate aspirations through the prism of19 th
century romantic nationalism which has mothered so
many wars and tragedies all over the world.
The Kurds, wherever they live, must be able to speak their
languages, develop their culture, practice their religions
and generally run their own affairs as they deem fit. These
are inalienable human rights, and the newly-liberated Iraq
may be the only place, at least for the time being, where
the Kurds can exercise those rights.
In other words this is not the time for the Kurds to think of
leaving Iraq nor for other Iraqis to deny the legitimate
rights of their Kurdish brethren.
ON KURDISH STANCE
RFEIRL IRAQ REPORT
By Kathleen Ridolfo
25 June 2004
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) head Mas'ud Barzani
told AI-Jazeera television in an interview aired on 18 June
that the Kurdish parties welcomed UN Security Council
Resolution 1546, despite the resolution's failure to
recognize the Transitional Administration Law. The law
serves as Iraq's interim constitution and is the sole post-
Hussein document to expressly recognize Kurdish rights.
Barzani said that the UN resolution had two positive
points. "One point is its reference to the identity of Iraq. It
said Iraq will be a federal, democratic, and pluralist
country. The second point...is that Paragraph 3 of Article
7 said the permanent constitution must be adopted with a
consensus."
These points, Barzani said, helped ease the anxiety felt
among Kurds because they met the two most important
Kurdish needs outlined in the Transitional Administration
Law. U.S. officials also gave assurances about their
support for the Transitional Administration Law in
subsequent meetings with Barzani and Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) leader Jalal Talabani. Barzani warned,
however, that should the interim or future Iraqi
government attempt to repeal the law, the Kurds would
"certainly take a completely different stand."
Regarding Kurdish aspirations, Barzani told AI-Jazeera
that a Kurdish state remains the dream of all Kurds,
adding: "Wishes are something and reality is something
else. It is difficult to achieve this now, but I do not think it
will be impossible to achieve one day." The KDP chief also
reiterated earlier statements, saying that the Kurds
remain committed to the Iraqi state. "We consider the
- interim government our government and we are part of
this government, starting with the prime minister down to
all the brother ministers."
He did admit however, that the Kurds felt slighted over the
awarding of posts in the interim government named on 1
June, saying that one of the top two posts should have
gone to a Kurd. "The important question is: are the Kurds
partners in the central decision [-making apparatus] or
not? The answer is yes, the Kurds are now partners. This
is the basic issue and this is what concerns us more than
the position we occupy," Barzani contended.
On the question of Kirkuk, Barzani said, "This issue is
very important and must be solved as agreed," but did not
elaborate further. The issue appears to have been placed
on the back burner by all parties involved inrecent weeks,
but remains a hotly debated issue in the Iraqi media, with
Iraqi Arab media contending that Kurds are buying up
land in the city and forcing Arabs to leave the city. One
website operated by supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr
alleged on 21 June that Arabs were being forced into
refugee camps by Kurds in the city. The report further
claimed that Kurdish returnees to Kirkuk threatened the
Arab residents with death if they refused to leave.
Thousands of Kurds were forced out of Kirkuk by the
Hussein regime's Arabization program in the 1980s.
Meanwhile, Kurdistan Satellite Television reported on 22
June that Coalition Provisional Authority adviser Lianne
Saunders told Kurdish political and social figures in a
recent briefing that the United States supports the return
of displaced people to Kirkuk.
Saunders (eportedly also said that the U.S. Embassy
intends to open missions in Kirkuk, as weil as in Mosul.
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