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Kurdistan Barzani offer to suspend independence drive, seek talks with Baghdad “Video”

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Gagrulenet illustration

Statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government

As Iraq and Kurdistan are faced with grave and dangerous circumstances, we are all obliged to act responsibly in order to prevent further violence and clashes between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces.

Attacks and confrontations between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces that started on October 16, 2017, especially today’s clashes, have caused damage to both sides and could lead to continuous bloodshed, inflicting pain and social unrest among different components of Iraqi society.

Certainly, continued fighting does not lead any side to victory, but it will drive the country towards disarray and chaos, affecting all aspects of life.
Therefore, in order to fulfill our responsibilities and obligations towards the people of Kurdistan and Iraq, we propose the following to the Iraqi Government and the Iraqi and world public opinion:

1. An immediate ceasefire and halt to all military operations in the Kurdistan Region.
2. Freeze the results of the referendum conducted in Iraqi Kurdistan.
3. Start an open dialogue between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iraqi Federal Government on the basis of the Constitution.

Kurdistan prepared for unconditional talks with Iraq

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By Daniel Uria

Oct. 22 (UPI) — Kurdistan’s two major political parties have announced they are prepared to enter unconditional talks with Iraq to discuss the nation’s constitution.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party stated they will abandon the region’s quest for independence from Iraq, but are willing to open a dialogue with the nation’s government.

“We hereby declare to all parties that we are prepared to have unconditional dialogue on the basis of the constitution, away from imposing the policy of de facto, attacks or military arrogance,” the statement read. “Iraq needs to come to the discussion table on the basis of recognizing the rights of Kurdistan nation. To this end, the government of Kurdistan will represent Kurdistan’s nation.”

The two major parties met with 30 other parties in the Kurdistan Region after nearly 170,000 people have been displaced from the Kirkuk region by Iraqi forces following a referendum for Kurdistan’s independence.

A total of 93 percent of voters chose to leave Iraq, but Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called it an illegal vote and the United States said it “does not recognize” the referendum.

“We have always been wanting to have dialogue, but the Iraqi side has chosen a military logic,” Kurdistan’s government said.

Nawzad Hadi, the governor of the Kurdistan Region’s capital in Erbil, said the region expected more support and involvement from the United States in response to the military action as a result of their alliance to fight against the Islamic state.

“We expected real support from the U.S. for their loyal ally. Weapons used, with the support of the Peshmerga Forces, to defeat IS should not now be directed toward the people of the Kurdistan Region,” he said.

Saad al-Hadithi, an Iraqi government spokesman, presented a number of conditions for negotiations with Kurdistan on Saturday.

“Holding any talks with Baghdad will surely be on the basis of conditions, namely the integrity of Iraq, the constitution, handing over border ports, airports, the country’s wealth, Peshmerga forces, Kurdish security establishments, enforcing the law in disputed areas and preventing any move which might be taken by the Kurdistan Region contrary to the constitution,” he said.

PUK spokesman Saadi Pira said the conditions were “unacceptable” and that talks would not move forward with any conditions attached.

“We want the people of Kurdistan to be assured that we will defend in earnest the mandate that is given to the Kurdish leadership to reach the eventual objectives of the people of Kurdistan,” he said.

Source: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/10/22/Kurdistan-prepared-for-unconditional-talks-with-Iraq/6761508690619/

Saudi, UAE secretly worked for Kurdistan secession: Report

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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman (L) talks to president of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG) Masoud Barzani in Riyadh, Dec. 1, 2015.

Like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have supported the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s push for secession in an attempt to “clip the wings” of Turkey, Iran and Iraq, a report says.

In an article published on Saturday, David Hearst, the editor in chief of the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal, drew a parallel between Tel Aviv’s stance on the Kurdish vote and that of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.

The controversial Kurdish referendum took place on September 25, sparking strong objection from Baghdad and Iraq’s neighbors, particularly Iran and Turkey.

Only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly voiced support for what he called the “legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state of its own.”

Major General Yair Golan, former Israeli army deputy chief, also defended the Kurdish secession as well as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is outlawed in Turkey.

“From my personal point of view the PKK is not a terrorist organization, that’s how I see it,” Golan said.

Al Saud and Tel Aviv see eye to eye

According to the report, while Saudi Arabia officially called for the cancellation of the plebiscite, behind the scene it supported the Kurds’ plans to split the Arab country and question the territorial integrity of its neighboring states.

The Saudi Royal Court reportedly dispatched a series of emissaries to encourage Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani to go on with his secession project.

Former Saudi military general, Anwar Eshki, was among those figures who explicitly said that working for the creation of a greater Kurdistan would “reduce Iranian, Turkish and Iraqi ambitions.”

“This will carve away one third of the territory of each country in favor of Kurdistan,” he reportedly said.

Eshki further told Russia’ Sputnik news agency that he believes “the Kurds have the right to have a state of their own” and claimed that Iraq had “gone far in marginalizing the Kurds.”

In July 2016, the ex-Saudi general paid a visit to Israel and met with a senior Israeli foreign ministry official and a number of Israeli parliament members.

Israeli daily Haaretz at the time described the visit as “a highly unusual one,” as Eshki could not have traveled to Israel without approval from the Saudi government.

UAE adds voice  

A “reliable source” told the MEE that Barzani’s son, Masrour, who heads the Kurdistan Region Security Council, made a secret visit to Abu Dhabi just a month before the September referendum.

UAE academics operating under the license of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued statements of support for the Kurdish vote.

Emirati professor Abdullah Abd al-Khaliq published a map depicting what he called the future state of Kurdistan and called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to penalize the Iraqi Kurdistan because of its “democratic” referendum.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi official told The New Arab media outlet that Erbil had signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Ibtesam al-Ketbi, chairwoman of the Emirates Policy Center, to help organize the Kurdish vote.

The New Arab quoted another Iraqi official as saying that UAE Consul in Kurdistan Rashid Al-Mansouri had visited a polling station in Erbil. The UAE, however, denied the report.

Source: http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/10/22/539473/Iraq-Kurdistan-Saudi-Arabia-UAE-Iran

Michael Rubin: What is American policy toward Kurdistan?

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The poster of Massoud Barzani, whose term as President of Kurdistan region ended on August 20, 2015, but refused to step down and remains unofficially in office, in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, September 2017. Photo: AP

By Michael Rubin

The Kirkuk crisis seems largely over. With the exception of a pocket here or there, Iraq has regained areas lost or abandoned in 2014, while the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) retains control of those regions which the Iraqi constitution assigns it. Stripping away the propaganda, polemics, and disinformation of the past week, what happened is clear:

Masoud Barzani overstepped. He might have compromised, but he spurred all offers in his own nationalist frenzy and efforts to distract from the political and economic malaise which his dictatorship had wrought. He forced a confrontation, and he lost. It’s that simple. Had he compromised, Kurds would still retain daily control over disputed areas in Diyala, Nineveh, and Kirkuk. The decision and responsibility for it was Barzani and Barzani’s alone. There was no 1975-style betrayal, for the United States was very transparent in what would happen.

So what happens next with regard to US policy toward the Kurds?

US policy must be cognizant of the complexity of the region. While it’s easy to be sympathetic to the Kurdish narrative, there should be some soul-searching for those who took part in KRG propaganda tours and only now are surprised by what Kurds and regional minorities say when freed from the watchful eyes of Kurdish militias and intelligence.

Barzani is an illegitimate leader. Under Kurdish law, his term in office expired more than two years ago. The State Department and Presidential Envoy Brett McGurk erred by continuing to engage him. They may have thought it was easier to engage a dictator than deal with a more complex Kurdish political landscape, but they were wrong. By law, Yusuf M. Sadiq, the speaker of parliament, should be recognized by Washington as Iraqi Kurdistan’s interim president until elections can be organized. Those elections should be organized by a commission independent in more than just its name and observed professionally by credible groups like the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Carter Center, or the National Democratic Institute, among others.

Prior to the September 25 referendum, the KRG and its proxies in Washington and London invited former officials, think tankers and academics to “observe” the referendum and promised that all expenses would be covered by the KRG. Most smartly demurred and stayed home. They were right. I saw some of the invitations and the proposed schedule: They included just about two hours of observation at hand-picked voting centers but were heavy on meetings with KDP bigwigs and entertainment. That sort of nonsense delegitimizes neutral observation; it is frankly what dictatorships do, not democracies.

When new elections occur, it is time for Kurdish leaders to address an issue they have ignored for 25 years: Do the properties in which top leaders live belong to the individuals, parties, or government? Let us hope that it is the latter. What this means is that if Barzani steps down, he should vacate his palace and his mountaintop complex in Sar-e Rash. Let him purchase a house in Erbil but, if he doesn’t want to mix with ordinary Kurds, then let him return to his village or go abroad. His father once fled to Moscow but Barzani may prefer Turkey or Dubai. Frankly, it is long past time the KRG abandoned its mountaintop complex, once a popular resort until confiscated first by Saddam Hussein and, after 1991, the Barzani family.

The hands of America — or, more accurately, Americans — are not entirely clean. In the weeks before the referendum, Kurds with whom I spoke suggested that despite all the official statements coming from Washington, they had been assured by other Americans that the United States would accept the referendum. Who were these Americans who gave the Kurds such false assurances? It’s time for the Kurds to say. Did they misinterpret outspoken congressmen? Or did they listen too much to former US officials who had leveraged their former positions into business opportunities in the region? It does a huge disservice to American statecraft in Iraq and elsewhere when former ambassadors effectively use their title to bolster their local importance long after their terms have expired.

It is also time for the United States to be transparent with regard to the Syrian Kurds. In early 2014, long before US government officials would deal with Syrian Kurds, I visited the homeland they had carved out for themselves against the backdrop of fighting Islamist radicals in Syria. It was impressive. Little did I know that was only the start. The People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces were, hands-down, the most capable and effective local fighting force against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. They should be rewarded. It’s time for a real debate about de-listing the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which, frankly, has long seemed more an insurgency than a terror group. Turkey — to whom the State Department has for too long deferred — has no basis for complaint given President Erdogan’s own outreach to the group in years past as well as Turkey’s open embrace of Hamas.

Simply put, the United States should guarantee Syrian Kurdistan (or Rojava as Kurds call it) be considered a federal region within Syria. Syrian Kurds should not be betrayed. Preventing betrayal means not only deterring potential Turkish aggression, but also engaging with Rojava’s leaders so that they shed the personality cults that so undercut their Iraqi Kurdish cousins.

The Kurds in both Rojava and Iraqi Kurdistan are capable of democracy. Democracy, however, is about accountability, not backroom deals to divide the region along preordained lines hashed out by party bosses. It means accountability to the rule-of-law regardless of family name. No one should be able to murder a journalist with impunity nor should they be able to leverage their political offices to augment family fortunes. Indeed, against the backdrop of so much financial hardship, it is well past time Kurds demanded the return of stolen assets. The true peshmerga who fought on the frontlines (rather than those who claimed to be peshmerga but traded oil with the Islamic State) deserve no less.

The article first published at American Enterprise Institute.

IS THE CIA ABOUT TO DUMP A KEY KURDISH ALLY? THE SPOOKS ARE SPOOKED

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Masrour Barzani, chancellor of the Kurdistan Regional Security Council, speaks at a press conference on the front line in the northern Iraqi city of Dohuk in the northwestern Kurdish province of Dohuk on December 18, 2014.
SAFIN HAMED/AFP/GETTY

BY ,

This article first appeared on the American Enterprise Institute site.

There’s a moral quandary at the core of Western human intelligence practices.

Should intelligence agencies dirty their hands by working with and perhaps even paying human rights abusers and those engaged in illicit activities?

Many human rights activists and progressives would say absolutely not, but the issue isn’t so cut-and-dry. While in an ideal world the CIA would not work with those with blood on their hands, often it is these very same people whom it is necessary to compromise to gain insight into decision-making and activities.

In one prominent example, the CIA partnered with a terrorist who had killed Americans in order to attain information which helped France capture Carlos the Jackal, one of the most notorious terrorists of the pre-9/11-era.

The important thing for intelligence operators is not to lose sight of the forest for the trees.

Manuel Noriega, for example, was a US intelligence asset as his military career developed and even when he became Panama’s dictator. But, as he grew increasingly erratic, the CIA cut him loose. Ultimately, he became a target rather than a partner.

The same is true of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, an Afghan warlord and Mujahedin commander with whom the CIA worked briefly during Afghanistan’s fight against the Soviets — before concerns about his megalomania, sociopathic cruelty, and the blowback from these characteristics became too much even for Langley.

In Pakistan, too, the CIA has developed a love-hate, but increasingly hate-hate, relationship with its former contacts in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence.

Now, it seems, the US intelligence community is beginning to have buyer’s remorse with regard to some of its key partners in Iraqi Kurdistan. The United States has long worked with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masud Barzani, who, alongside rival Jalal Talabani, controlled Iraqi Kurdistan.

Both men were nepotistic, and each appointed their sons to key administrative and security positions: Barzani placed his oldest son Masrour in charge of the security services and later installed him as chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, and Talabani placed his older son Bafil (Pavel) in charge of his party’s intelligence service.

Jalal Talabani, however, eventually forced his son into a London exile out of concern about his increasingly erratic and violent behavior. (Talabani nephew Lahur, however, continues to run a local anti-terrorism force).

Barzani, however, is far more a tribal leader and has been reticent to hold his children accountable for their actions. He has raised them to believe they are superior. He schooled them in their own private school where they learned, socialized, and interacted primarily with family members. Masrour Barzani’s erratic behavior is no secret.

Continue Reading on: http://www.newsweek.com/cia-about-dump-key-kurdish-ally-spooks-are-spooked-643406

Kurdistan representative in Sweden due to the development in Kurdistan  hometown of Kirkuk.

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Kurdistan representative in Sweden due to the development in Kurdistan  hometown of Kirkuk.

he write in his twitter account Today I informed that I will resign as representative in Sweden due to the development in Kurdistan and my hometown of Kirkuk.

https://twitter.com/ShorshKadir/status/920687410714902529

Kurdistan willing to hold talks with Iraqi officials over existing row: KRG

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Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has expressed willingness to hold negotiations with the Iraqi government regarding their dispute over the restrictions that Baghdad has imposed on the semi-autonomous region.

In a statement issued overnight, the KRG said it is willing to discuss its dispute with Baghdad over Kurdish airports, border posts and banks, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Iraqi website NRT also reported Thursday that the road connecting the Kurdistan region with Nineveh Province has been blocked by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

“The two main roads connecting Erbil and Dohuk to Mosul were cut off on Thursday with sand embankments as a precautionary measure after we detected an increase in deployments and movements of Iraqi forces near the front line with the Peshmerga,” AFP quoted a Kurdish official as saying.

However, another Kurdish official said later in the day that the barriers were removed.

“The closure was prompted by fears of a possible attack by Iraqi forces on the disputed areas,” held by Kurdish forces but outside the autonomous Kurdish region, the official added.

The move came after Kurdish authorities said late on Wednesday they feared Iraqi government forces and allied paramilitary units were preparing to launch an assault on the region.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government spokesman has rejected speculations about Iraq’s alleged plans to invade the Kurdistan region, saying Baghdad will only fight Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has reaffirmed the country’s determination to protect its Kurdish population against any threats amid the ongoing tensions.

Tensions have been running high between Iraq’s Kurds and central authorities in the wake of last month’s Kurdish independence referendum.

Much of the international community has been vocally critical of the referendum. Kurdish officials claim that over 90 percent of the voters in the semi-autonomous region have said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.

In response to the non-binding Kurdish independence referendum on September 25, the Iraqi government has cut Kurdistan’s direct air links with the outside world, partially isolating the northern region.

Baghdad has also called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council has issued arrest warrants for the elections and referendum commission chairman of Kurdistan region and his two aides over the controversial referendum.

The Iraqi government has also decided to impose control over mobile phone operators in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and to relocate their headquarters to Baghdad as part of punitive measures against the KRG

 

During an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, claimed Israel initiated the Kurdistan referendum.

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Commenting on the results of last month’s independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan during an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, an advisor to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, pointed the finger at Israel, which he claimed initiated the referendum.

He said that the idea of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence was floated by Israel, which “wants to achieve the disintegration of a number of states through their fragmentation on a national basis.”

“This plan stipulates that part of the territories in the Middle East should go to maroons and druses, while other territories should be taken by Jews. One of the first steps in implementing this plan was a referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan,” Hossein Sheikholislam said.

As for President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani, he is most likely supported by Israel, according to Sheikholislam.

“Israel is doing its best to exacerbate tensions in the region and now that the fight against Daesh is coming to a close, Tel Aviv he wants to play a national card to create new conflicts and destabilization,” he pointed out.

Sheikholislam said that all of the countries in the region should unite in order to prevent this scenario.

He described Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum as an illegal event which is out of line with Iran’s constitution and international law.

Sheikholislam reiterated that the referendum was endorsed by Israel and fully meets its geopolitical interests in the region. He also warned of far-reaching consequences for the referendum.

“This pertains to all neighboring countries and taking into account what happened, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey should join their efforts to prevent ethnic separatism and attempts to split the Middle East,” he concluded.

Late last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country has no links to the referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence but sympathizes with the Kurds’ independence drive.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Israel was the only country that supported and recognized the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, adding that the Israeli intelligence services had allegedly helped the organizers of the referendum.

The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan was held on September 25.

According to the official results of Kurdistan’s Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, 92.7 percent of the voters cast their ballots in support of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence from Baghdad.

The vote has been harshly criticized not only by Iraq itself, but also by a number of other countries, including Iran and the United States.

Source: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201710021057860943-iraqi-kurdistan-independence-referendum-israel/

 

Iraq allows foreigners to leave Kurdistan via Baghdad

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BAGHDAD,— Iraq on Monday authorised foreigners stranded in Iraqi Kurdistan after an international flight ban to leave the country via Baghdad despite not having a federal visa.

Foreigners who had entered the northern autonomous region on regional visas not recognised by Baghdad could previously not travel to other parts of Iraq.

“Any person can leave the country via Baghdad without paying a fine or for an exit visa,” Interior Minister Qassem al-Araji told journalists.

Baghdad ordered the suspension of international flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan from Friday in retaliation for the Kurds voting for independence earlier last week.

A top ministry official said he would facilitate journalist visas, which usually take at least a month to process.

Iraqi Kurds gave a resounding 92.7-percent “yes” vote for independence in last Monday’s non-binding referendum, which has also sent regional tensions soaring.

Baghdad Plans to Take Control of Iraqi Kurdistan’s Border Posts, Erbi Refuses

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Iraqi Defense Ministry stated that it plans to take control of Iraqi Kurdistan’s border posts ‘in coordination’ with Iran and Turkey, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.

Earlier in the day, Baghdad said that three military convoys would be sent to Iraqi Kurdistan in order to establish control over the border crossings located in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraqi Kurdistan refused to place any border crossing from Erbil to Baghdad to the Iraqi federal government.

The Iraqi demand to transfer the control over the border crossings from Erbilto Baghdad followed the Monday independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. On Wednesday, the Iraqi authorities also ordered to stop all international flights through the airports of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

On Monday, Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as a number of areas officially controlled by the Iraqi authorities, held the referendum on the independence from Baghdad. According to the Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, 92.7 percent of voters supported the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan had been widely criticized not only by Iraq itself, but also by Iran, the United States and the United Nations.