|
Iraqi Kurds say they want their
politicians to stop brokering a national unity government should civil
conflict persist.
By Frman Abdulrahman in Sulaimaniyah (ICR No. 166, 2-Mar-06)
Many Iraqi Kurds believe Kurdish territories should secede from Iraq if
sectarian violence continues to escalate.
As Kurdish leaders in Baghdad, led by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani,
urged national unity and brokered political talks between Sunni and Shia
leaders, Kurds in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah said their leaders
should stop negotiating and go it alone if the situation does not calm in
Baghdad.
Iraq's Kurdish territories, widely considered the safest area in Iraq
following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, have remained largely
immune to the sectarian violence that wreaked havoc in Baghdad and other
southern and central provinces, particularly in the last week.
For many in Iraqi Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of Iraq since 1991,
the violence raging elsewhere serves to reinforce their strong desire for
independence.
"Sectarian sentiments are stronger than nationalist [ones] in Iraq, so the
Kurds need to split [from Iraq] if a sectarian war explodes," said Azad
Rostam, a 23-year-old university student, reflecting a commonly held view.
As Baghdad shut down for a three-day curfew, life remained pretty much the
same in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraqi news stations carried virtually non-stop coverage and analysis of
the crisis, but the main Kurdish station, Kurdsat, focused on issues that
affect the Kurds, such as the bird flu outbreak in Sulaimaniyah that has
panicked citizens here.
Kurdish leaders are currently trying to negotiate a national unity
government in Baghdad, but the Kurdistan Regional Government president
Masood Barzani has warned that if a civil war broke out, the Kurds would
declare independence.
But one Kurdish Iraqi analyst, Behman Tahir, suggested that this was not a
serious threat, rather "a pressure card" aimed at drawing together Iraqi
political factions that are now battling over the new cabinet.
Although Tahir did admit that if civil war engulfed the country, it would
provide the Kurds with a rare opportunity to "liberate other parts of
Kurdistan that are still under Iraqi government, such as Kirkuk".
Kirkuk is one of several predominantly Kurdish cities outside of Iraqi
Kurdistan that were ethnically cleansed under Saddam Hussein's regime.
Many Kurds carry a deep mistrust of Arabs because of the campaigns, and
are particularly frustrated with central government’s failure to address
their grievances over Kirkuk.
Leaders of the two ruling parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, refused numerous requests
for interviews for this story.
Commenting on how Iraqi Kurdistan should respond to the escalating
violence, Muhsin Bayyz, deputy minister for Peshmarga (Kurdish forces),
said that the trend was worrying and that efforts would be made to prevent
the insurgency spilling across into the region.
"We don't want this conflict to ignite in Iraq, and we'll do our best to
maintain the stability of our region," he said.
Bayyz said the Kurdish authorities were prepared to welcome families from
other parts of Iraq who were trying to escape the troubles, as they did
when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
While many Kurds believe the violence could hasten their independence,
there are some who caution against such a move because of the strong
economic ties that have emerged between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad.
Halkawt Ramazan, a 34-year-old businessman, traded goods between Baghdad
and Sulaimaniyah until last week when violence broke out.
"The start of a sectarian war in Iraq would not work in favour of the
Kurds," he said. "We might lose all of the political and economic
achievements we have gained in the last few years."
Frman Abdulrahman is an IWPR trainee journalist in Sulaimanyah.
Source: Institute for War & Peace Reporting
|