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02-10-2011, 04:51 AM
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Renewed Arab-Kurd Conflict Over Kirkuk (http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3456.html)
09/02/2011 13:16:00
By NAMO ABDULLA (http://www.rudaw.net/english/author/namoabdulla/)
http://www.rudaw.net/english/thumbnail.php?file=kirkuk_354664566.jpg&size=article_medium
A worker at an oil field in Kirkuk, a disputed city which Kurds see as part of their historical homeland.------ Photo/Getty
ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan: A senior Kurdish negotiator involved in discussions with Baghdad is raising profound doubts over Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki’s recently avowed commitment to constitutionally resolve the problem of Iraq’s disputed regions, indicating renewed distrust between the Kurds and the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad over one of the most contentious issues between the Kurds and Arabs.
In the first such declaration since the formation of the new government late last year, Nermin Osman, deputy head of a governmental committee designed to help implement the Iraqi Constitution’s Article 140 – which sets forth a formula to end an ethnic issue complicated by the disputed areas’ giant oil reserves and multi-ethnic make-up – said the Shiites, including Maliki, were not supportive of the Kurdish demand to implement the article.
“Maliki will never implement the article within two years,” said Ms. Osman, referring to a pledge recently made by Maliki to implement Article 140 as part of his official agreement to conditions made by the Kurds, which were set forth in a 19-point paper.
In return, the Kurds backed him to form a government.
“Even if work was done toward its implementation, it would not be implemented even in four years’ time,” she said. “Mark my words on this.”
The most important of the disputed regions is Kirkuk, the issue of whose incorporation into Kurdistan was a major election platform for the various Kurdish parties in last March’s parliamentary elections.
The province’s population, however, is diversified by three main ethnic groups, namely Kurds, Arabs and Turcomans. While the Kurds have aggressively pushed for its incorporation into the Kurdish region, the two other ethnic groups have remained bitterly opposed, preferring to have the province under the jurisdiction of the Arab-dominated Baghdad government.
Just like his father, revolutionary leader Mustafa Barzani, in the 1970s, Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani has now described oil-rich Kirkuk both as a “redline” and an “historical part” of the Kurdish region.
Emboldened by his electoral victories in Kurdistan, Barzani earlier called for the Kurdish “right to self-determination” during his Kurdistan Democratic Party’s 13th convention in December 2010, which was attended by top Iraqi Arab nationalist leaders, including Maliki and his political rival, Iyad Allawi.
Although Barzani did not clarify if his comment meant an independent Kurdistan, the creation of statehood will be easier if the Kurds have control over Kirkuk due to its titanic oil reserves that will be able to provide Kurdistan with a stronger economic base.
But, Ms. Osman says almost nobody, including Iraq’s neighboring countries, such as Turkey, is in favor of the “return” of this “detached territory” to Kurdistan.
“The Shiites don’t support the implementation of the article,” said Ms. Osman, who has been Barzani’s top negotiator concerning Article 140 issues for the last few years.
“There is now only a single te party supporting the implementation of the article, but even they cannot declare their position, due to fear of Turkey and Iran.”
“In fact, Turkey is playing a clear role in inhibiting the implementation of Article 140,” she said, adding that Turkey had its own Iraqi pawns for implementing “Ankara’s agenda,” which she said included the hindrance of the resolution of the disputed regions as desired by Kurds.
Ironically, Ms. Osman’s condemnation of alleged Turkish interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs comes at a time when Turkey is at the height of its political and economic relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), whose officials say more than 60 percent of Kurdistan’s imports come from Turkey.
However, the KRG’s attempts to incorporate Kirkuk have not been entirely hindered.
As much as 972 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately US$825 million) have been spent on the compensation and return of the Kurdish families who were forced to flee Kirkuk by Saddam Hussein’s former government as part of his notorious Arabization process of the Kurdish areas, said Ms. Osman.
“Eighty percent of the Arabization problem has been solved,” she added.
But, she said there were still as many as 3,300 Arab families, who had been brought into Kirkuk by Hussein to replace Kurdish and Turcoman families, living in the province and “occupying” Kurdish and Turcoman lands.
The Arab families have built on these lands and they need to be compensated, said Ms. Osman, complaining that the Iraqi government was reluctant to grant enough budget to facilitate Article 140’s implementation.
“For this, we need nearly 15 billion Iraqi dinars,” she said.
Rudaw correspondents contributed reporting from Kirkuk and Duhok.
Renewed Arab-Kurd Conflict Over Kirkuk (http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/3456.html)
09/02/2011 13:16:00
By NAMO ABDULLA (http://www.rudaw.net/english/author/namoabdulla/)
http://www.rudaw.net/english/thumbnail.php?file=kirkuk_354664566.jpg&size=article_medium
A worker at an oil field in Kirkuk, a disputed city which Kurds see as part of their historical homeland.------ Photo/Getty
ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan: A senior Kurdish negotiator involved in discussions with Baghdad is raising profound doubts over Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki’s recently avowed commitment to constitutionally resolve the problem of Iraq’s disputed regions, indicating renewed distrust between the Kurds and the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad over one of the most contentious issues between the Kurds and Arabs.
In the first such declaration since the formation of the new government late last year, Nermin Osman, deputy head of a governmental committee designed to help implement the Iraqi Constitution’s Article 140 – which sets forth a formula to end an ethnic issue complicated by the disputed areas’ giant oil reserves and multi-ethnic make-up – said the Shiites, including Maliki, were not supportive of the Kurdish demand to implement the article.
“Maliki will never implement the article within two years,” said Ms. Osman, referring to a pledge recently made by Maliki to implement Article 140 as part of his official agreement to conditions made by the Kurds, which were set forth in a 19-point paper.
In return, the Kurds backed him to form a government.
“Even if work was done toward its implementation, it would not be implemented even in four years’ time,” she said. “Mark my words on this.”
The most important of the disputed regions is Kirkuk, the issue of whose incorporation into Kurdistan was a major election platform for the various Kurdish parties in last March’s parliamentary elections.
The province’s population, however, is diversified by three main ethnic groups, namely Kurds, Arabs and Turcomans. While the Kurds have aggressively pushed for its incorporation into the Kurdish region, the two other ethnic groups have remained bitterly opposed, preferring to have the province under the jurisdiction of the Arab-dominated Baghdad government.
Just like his father, revolutionary leader Mustafa Barzani, in the 1970s, Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani has now described oil-rich Kirkuk both as a “redline” and an “historical part” of the Kurdish region.
Emboldened by his electoral victories in Kurdistan, Barzani earlier called for the Kurdish “right to self-determination” during his Kurdistan Democratic Party’s 13th convention in December 2010, which was attended by top Iraqi Arab nationalist leaders, including Maliki and his political rival, Iyad Allawi.
Although Barzani did not clarify if his comment meant an independent Kurdistan, the creation of statehood will be easier if the Kurds have control over Kirkuk due to its titanic oil reserves that will be able to provide Kurdistan with a stronger economic base.
But, Ms. Osman says almost nobody, including Iraq’s neighboring countries, such as Turkey, is in favor of the “return” of this “detached territory” to Kurdistan.
“The Shiites don’t support the implementation of the article,” said Ms. Osman, who has been Barzani’s top negotiator concerning Article 140 issues for the last few years.
“There is now only a single te party supporting the implementation of the article, but even they cannot declare their position, due to fear of Turkey and Iran.”
“In fact, Turkey is playing a clear role in inhibiting the implementation of Article 140,” she said, adding that Turkey had its own Iraqi pawns for implementing “Ankara’s agenda,” which she said included the hindrance of the resolution of the disputed regions as desired by Kurds.
Ironically, Ms. Osman’s condemnation of alleged Turkish interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs comes at a time when Turkey is at the height of its political and economic relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), whose officials say more than 60 percent of Kurdistan’s imports come from Turkey.
However, the KRG’s attempts to incorporate Kirkuk have not been entirely hindered.
As much as 972 billion Iraqi dinars (approximately US$825 million) have been spent on the compensation and return of the Kurdish families who were forced to flee Kirkuk by Saddam Hussein’s former government as part of his notorious Arabization process of the Kurdish areas, said Ms. Osman.
“Eighty percent of the Arabization problem has been solved,” she added.
But, she said there were still as many as 3,300 Arab families, who had been brought into Kirkuk by Hussein to replace Kurdish and Turcoman families, living in the province and “occupying” Kurdish and Turcoman lands.
The Arab families have built on these lands and they need to be compensated, said Ms. Osman, complaining that the Iraqi government was reluctant to grant enough budget to facilitate Article 140’s implementation.
“For this, we need nearly 15 billion Iraqi dinars,” she said.
Rudaw correspondents contributed reporting from Kirkuk and Duhok.