Barzani with a message to Americans

[Farnan]

We Are Making Progress in Iraq
By NECHIRVAN BARZANI
May 20, 2008; Page A21

While the media offers mostly images of violence, and many Americans have grown weary of the war in Iraq, I bring hopeful news to Washington this week as I meet with the administration and members of Congress.

Since 2003, we have built the Kurdistan Region as a model for democracy and a gateway for development for all of Iraq. We are willing partners in this transition toward an Iraqi government that is representative of all its people. Through our peshmerga forces, we provide some of the most effective units against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. We Kurds are committed to a federal, democratic Iraq at peace within its borders and with its neighbors.

We are working with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi leadership in Baghdad on the difficult issues facing our country. Our relationship with Iraq's federal government has never been better. And progress is being made on an oil law, the status of disputed territories, the proper role for Iraq's neighbors to play, and on relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey.

First, the oil law. We will now start negotiations using a draft drawn up in February of 2007. We'll also establish a process to send the national oil law, the revenue sharing law, and the laws concerning the Iraqi National Oil Company and the Oil Ministry in Baghdad to parliament as one package – to be voted up or down.

New oil contracts will be approved based on agreed-upon guidelines. The oil exploration contracts the KRG has already signed won't present a problem, because they were negotiated based on the highest standards of transparency.

There is also progress in settling the status of Kirkuk and other disputed territories. Previous Iraqi regimes expelled Kurds, Turkmen and Christians from Kirkuk, and gerrymandered provincial borders to change its demography. Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution establishes a legal process to remedy this injustice. We are encouraged that the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary General is helping to develop a proposal regarding the implementation of Article 140.

As we resolve internal issues, we also understand the importance of a peaceful relationship with all our neighbors, based on mutual respect and noninterference in internal affairs.

To that end, we will continue reassuring our neighbors that a federal Iraq is not a threat. But we will also continue to encourage our neighbors to do what they can to stop terrorists from infiltrating Iraq.

We think it is imperative that Middle Eastern states send their diplomatic representatives to Iraq, and for these states to proactively prevent terrorists from slipping across their borders. Unprovoked and recurring bombardment of the Kurdistan Region by Turkey and Iran must stop.

There has also been a historic step forward in KRG-Turkish relations. On May 1, I represented my government in the first high-level, official bilateral meeting with Turkey. Held in Baghdad, the meeting was conducted in a cordial atmosphere, and both sides stressed similar views on a wide range of issues. We reiterated to our Turkish colleagues our commitment to good neighborly relations, which is underscored by the growing Turkish investment in the Kurdistan Region. Our talks also focused on the need for practical steps and continued dialogue on all outstanding issues, including the problem of the PKK.

We Kurds understand and share America's frustration with the pace of political progress in Iraq. We are doing all we can to create security, stability and prosperity. While progress has not come fast enough, Iraq remains a worthy cause.

As Americans debate the future of the U.S. role in Iraq, allow me to say that America's mission remains vital to the stability and security of our region. A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces could be calamitous. We welcome a U.S. presence in the Kurdistan Region as part of any redeployment of forces.

The Kurdish people of Iraq suffered under Saddam Hussein. And we fought and died alongside Americans to liberate our country. There is no ambiguity about the depth of gratitude that Kurds feel for America's sacrifices in Iraq. Americans who have been killed or wounded in Iraq are heroes to me and to all of Iraq's Kurds. We will never forget what you have done for us.

Mr. Barzani is prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1211...googlenews_wsj

Interesting perspective from an Iraqi.

[Joker85]

Doesn't matter, the usual suspects on the national political level will remain stuck in 2006 parroting the talking points from then. A "we shouldn't be in the middle of their civil war here", and a "there is no military solution to this" there and they can still talk themselves into defeat.

I do not underestimate their determination to lose.

[Fluttershy]

not much activity in this thread, not really suprising though considering its not somthing negative about the usa I mean if this was a story about a soldier kicking a dog im sure it would be 10 pages by now!

[Heinz Guderian]

not much activity in this thread, not really suprising though considering its not somthing negative about the usa I mean if this was a story about a soldier kicking a dog im sure it would be 10 pages by now!

Mr. Barzani is prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq. What is the leader who has gained most personally (financially and politically after Talabani) by US intervention gonna say? "Go yourself San Diego"? "Honkee Yanks Go Home?".

No. He's gonna say "you stay more, things are beautiful, you like carpets, i do special price". Also, Barzani is big with the PKK, a terrorist organisation recognised as such by the US and EU.

Also, he stole my girlfriend. In fact, Barzani is a ing :wub:. A rat, stool-pidgeon, collaborator, girl stealing douche bag.

That's gotta generate some debate.

[Primvs Sextvs Loverlord]

I wonder though the fate of the Kurds after the eventual US withdrawal. PKK is deeply rooted in the autonomous Kurdish north and Turkey is not too happy with that.

Of course, the real "winners" of the Iraq war, apart from Iran and the Shi'ite, are the Kurds. Their region is relatively peaceful and they just have to maintain a balance between reviving their nationalist inspiration and keeping Turkey happy.

It's unfortunate that even in this day and age, Muslims are divided between Kurdish and Arab.

[christof139]

I wonder though the fate of the Kurds after the eventual US withdrawal. PKK is deeply rooted in the autonomous Kurdish north and Turkey is not too happy with that.

Of course, the real "winners" of the Iraq war, apart from Iran and the Shi'ite, are the Kurds. Their region is relatively peaceful and they just have to maintain a balance between reviving their nationalist inspiration and keeping Turkey happy.

It's unfortunate that even in this day and age, Muslims are divided between Kurdish and Arab.

Muslims are and have been divided for centuries, and the Shia-Sunni split is just one example.

Christins and Jews are also divided, but we don't fight each other over religous beliefs anymore as some Muslims do.

Chris

[Farnan]

Actually Barzani is part of the KDP which has been at war with the PKK since the 1980s when the PKK invaded Iraqi Kurdistan.

[Heinz Guderian]

Actually Barzani is part of the KDP which has been at war with the PKK since the 1980s when the PKK invaded Iraqi Kurdistan.

Way to screw up the debate with "facts" sir.

But they were at war with the PUK (now allies in government)not PKK, Barzani wont designate the PKK as terrorists and is close with the PKK high command.

[Farnan]

Nope they were at war with the PKK. It was a three-way war:

Operation Steel gave the chance of Iraqi Kurds building their own control system, and prevent the PKK extending its infrastructure again. Drogheda negotiations were killed because of the regional effects on Syria and Iran. To derail this unification, just after the Drogheda Talks II September 12, 1995, PKK launched attacks (September 25, 1995) against the KDP. PKK was saying it can not be ignored. Another significant movement of Öcalan that year was described by his intention to form a "National United Front." National United Front summarized its political objective as a "total national democratic liberation war against the escalating total warfare." By establishing some type of government-in-exile or Kurdish federation, PKK was responding to a US-led coalition which was trying to unite Iraqi Kurds.

A second set of negotiations were performed during October 1996 which was called Ankara Peace Process; this led to nothing.

Some of the heaviest fighting of the entire KDP-PUK civil war ensued starting October 13, 1997. Hundreds were killed and thousands displaced. PUK used six GRAD missiles in Suleymaniye. The International community had to do something under these conditions. There were no negotiations to bring a truce. Same missiles were used against villages in Turkey. From Turkey's perspective PUK was trying to push PKK out of North Iraq and KDP was getting support from PKK which was supported by Syria, Iran and Saddam. Turkey intervened on the side of PUK and warned the Talaban not to cooperate with PKK.

In October 1997, A German guerrilla fighter (Eva Juhnke) from the armed wing was captured during a military operation by KDP forces in Nort Iraq.
In March 1997, North Iraq military activity costs $300 million

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...281993-1995.29

After the treaty was signed between the PUK and KDP, the Kurdish Parties in Iraq are trying to act as mediators between the PKK and the Turks.

[Heinz Guderian]

Well the wiki article has no references (many thankfully do) and it makes hard reading for an english speaker (i'm thinking it was edited by someone from the region). But even so, that one attack in 1995, followed by cooperation between the PKK and KDP from 1997 onwards. Even the 1995 attacks were supposed to make the KDP take the PKK seriously and include them in negotiations.

As for acting as a negotiator, Barzani wont talk to AQ, Ansar-Al Islam, the Fedeyeen, or the Isl. Emir. of Iraq, but he will talk to the PKK. All designated terrorist organisations. Then you can add hypocrite to Barzani's acollades.

[Admiral Piett]

I'd say this is just a political maneuver to try and garner some more support of the presence in Iraq.

[Farnan]

http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/51/155.html

MEDYA-TV ON PKK-KDP CONFLICT. As directed by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan, PKK forces are beginning to observe a ceasefire in Turkey and to withdraw into Iraq, MEDYA-TV reported on 25 August. In fact, the PKK is ahead of the 1 September deadline. But its Presidential Council warned that it might reverse course if it should not prove to be the case "the Turkish state should adopt the necessary stand so that the process develops in a favorable manner." In northern Iraq, the PKK has also ordered a ceasefire in its conflict against the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The PKK Presidential Council has also "called on the KDP to give the required response and on the Kurdistan forces to take a close interest in this development."

MEDYA-TV, generally considered to be a pro-PKK sender and heir to the closed MED-TV, carried a commentary by Tuncay Dogan on 28 August explaining the PKK position further. He claims that a positive response by the KDP to the PKK's announcement of the unilateral ceasefire would be an "important development for the Kurdish national movement"; the commentator adds that "agreeing to peace and dialogue will change the appearance of Kurdistan."

The PKK seems to have pinned its hopes on the amelioration of the embargo against Iraq, which has consequences on the smuggling of oil to Turkey through the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government, effectively run by the KDP). He points out that more oil will be pumped through the pipeline, which will reduce the amount of oil products smuggled through the Habur border. He maintains that the KRG receives roughly $300 million yearly from this smuggling, but a lifting of the embargo against Iraq will bring this source of income to an end. Dogan expresses the hope that, as a result of losing the income from the smuggling, the KDP will accept the "national line" (he means the PKK line). He contends that "the more the importance of the Kurdish problem grew in international politics, the more the national character of the problem is ignored in the south." Within northern Iraq, he continues "the local forces united when they chose to and did not when they did not choose to."

KDP forces, together with the Turkish army, have been fighting the PKK over the last years and have shown no inclination to reach an accommodation with them. The KDP's conflict with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over powersharing in the territory of the KRG is still sporadic and more verbal than physical. This is an effect wrought by the meetings in Washington over the last year between the PUK and KDP. There is relative stability in the KRG as a result, and when the elections for the KRG Parliament, promised for sometime this year, take place, democracy may be on the way.

At the moment, the region enjoys relative stability, broken only by the forays of the PKK into the region. At the conclusion of his commentary, Dogan writes that "promoting the method of relations and dialogue in the solution of all problems will lead to Kurdish peace and make it permanent. All Kurdish national forces must prove to the whole world that they have the power to protect and implement democracy." The problem has been that, despite the recent European diplomatic moves made by the PKK after the capture of Ocalan, they have still not gained credibility as a force for peace. (David Nissman)

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/li...33-030999.html

http://www.stratfor.com/turkey_pkk_c...urds_ambitions
This is why Berzani wants to keep negotiations with the PKK open.

[Heinz Guderian]

http://www.stratfor.com/turkey_pkk_c...urds_ambitions
This is why Berzani wants to keep negotiations with the PKK open.

That last one is for members only. That ceasefire was between the Turks and PKK? Surely it has expired since recent events? I'm not sure cos i cant access it.

I can understand why barzani would want to talk to the PKK, it just seems hypocritical for negotioting with terrorists from a purely sensationalist sound bite viewpoint.

But the ohter links you provided do prove the KDP and PKK have fought in the past. But its unclear about the current relationships. Do the Iraqi Kurds give refuge to the PKK?

This is Vexile's fault.

[Farnan]

Last time I checked, the KRG has blockaded the PKK to the mountains and prevents arms and supplies from reaching them as best as possible, but does not take offensive action. Partly due to a desire to negotiate, partly due to the fact the mountains heavily favor the defender.

[Heinz Guderian]

Last time I checked, the KRG has blockaded the PKK to the mountains and prevents arms and supplies from reaching them as best as possible, but does not take offensive action. Partly due to a desire to negotiate, partly due to the fact the mountains heavily favor the defender.

And partly due to the fact they all want the same thing: an indepedent Kurdistan. Come on man, the PKK has strong support from within Iraqi Kurdistan. This transfers to political support. The Kurd leadership is not going to push them. Barzani and the PKK: something smells fishy.

In reply to the question "How is your relations with the PKK?" asked by the correspondent of the German weekly "Die Zeit" (September 5, 2002) the KDP leader Mesut Barzani said, "We respect the PKK. We do not meddle with each other's affairs. We get on well with each other."

With the Turkish army massing on the border of northern Iraq, the hard-won gains of Iraq's Kurdish nationalists now face a serious threat. Massoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the president of Kurdistan since 2005, has adopted a provocative stance as an ally and supporter of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish guerrilla/terrorist movement that infiltrates southeast Turkey from bases in northern Iraq. Barzani, who once cooperated with Turkish forces in cross-border operations designed to eliminate PKK fighters in Iraq, now appears to have reversed his position, allegedly supplying the PKK with weapons, explosives and logistical support.

from
http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/n...icleid=2373553

this is op-ed, but he does back it with facts.

[Farnan]

Actually that is a different Barzani it is talking about...

The Barzani in the article is Nechirivan Barzani:
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles...tstate2183.htm

[Heinz Guderian]

Actually that is a different Barzani it is talking about...

The Barzani in the article is Nechirivan Barzani:
http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles...tstate2183.htm

Nechervan Idris Barzani


He is a grandson of KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) founder Mustafa Barzani and nephew of the current Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani.



. oops. kinda embarassed. i just called this guy a hypocritical, girlfriend stealing, rat collaborator. When i meant his uncle. I'm sure he's pretty different to his Uncle and Overlord of the Kurds.

I feel like one of those guys who calls an ethnic minority guy by the name of another ethnic minority guy (but the same ethnicity as the first guy) who works/hangs/studies in the same place.

[Farnan]

They seem different. Mossaud is an old-school Pershmenga that fought against Saddam since he was 16, so he is a bit of a pragmatist and a bit of the old generation. Nechirvan was the diplomat's son who studied at the University of Tehran and is more set on establishing a more peaceful future.

http://krg.org/articles/detail.asp?r...0000&anr=18707
http://krg.org/articles/detail.asp?r...0000&anr=18708

You can see they sorta have different backgrounds.