President Barzani Concludes Visit to World Economic Forum in Davos Davos, Switzerland (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today concluded his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. During his participation at the Forum, the President took part in two high-level discussion sessions; one on the events unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa, and one on the conflict in Syria, and their implications for the region in general. During his three-day stay in Davos, the President also held meetings with the prime ministers of Holland and Georgia, and the foreign ministers of France, Turkey and Sweden. These discussions focused on enhancing bilateral relations and included consultations on the political and security challenges facing Iraq, Syria and the wider region.
Masoud Barzani, Kurdistan Region President
In all his meetings , President Barzani drew attention to the plight of the more than 250,000 Syrian refugees who have sought refuge in Kurdistan, and underlined the importance of more international assistance for these refugees. On the conflict in Syria, he also reiterated that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria, and that only a political settlement can lead to a resolution. In the meeting between the President and the French Foreign Minister “ President Barzani Laurent Fabius, both emphasized continued close cooperation and hope that drew attention to the these bilateral ties will become increasingly enhanced. Foreign Minister plight of the more than Laurent Fabius said he is very pleased with his country’s bilateral relations 250,000 Syrian refuwith the Kurdistan Region. The President said the KRG is equally pleased gees who have sought with this relationship and is keen to further develop ties with France. He also refuge in Kurdistan, extended an invitation for the Foreign Minister to visit Erbil.
and underlined the im-
The meeting between the President and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Da- portance of more intervutoglu focused on bilateral ties and the dialogue currently underway be- national assistance for tween Erbil and Baghdad to reach a settlement on the issues of oil and gas these refugees.” exports through Turkey. They both expressed their hope and optimism that Erbil and Baghdad can soon reach a resolution, one that is also in the interest of Iraq as whole. On the sidelines of the Forum, President Barzani also met the President of Exxon Mobil Corporation, Rex Tilerson, and Chevron’s Vice President for Business Development, Jay Pryor. Chevron’s Vice President thanked the KRG for its close cooperation with the company and briefed the President about the activities and the progress of their work in Kurdistan. 1
Kurdistan Region President Addresses EU Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Brussels, Belgium (KRP.org) Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today addressed a special meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the European Union’s Parliament in Brussels. In an event attended by a large number of MEPs, in his address the President talked about the latest political and security developments in Iraq, in Kurdistan and in the wider region. Full text of the address delivered by the President: First, I would like to thank the EU Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee for inviting us here today. There is no doubt that the EU has an extremely important role to play and there is considerable potential for cooperation in many areas between the EU and Federal Iraqi Government as well as the KRG, particularly in economic and trade interest. As you are aware there is an agreement between the EU and the Iraqi Federal government, We hope the KRG will have a role to play within the framework of this agreement, to bring closer together the EU and our country, and the EU parliament and the Kurdistan Region. I would like to here today to just briefly you of the tragic situation of the people of Kurdistan. They have suffered because of a number of hostile campaigns aimed at them in Iraq. We have been victims of chemical weapons and the infamous Anfal campaign in which 182,000 people disappeared, of which we have only been able to recover the remains of about 4,000 of them from mass graves across the southern Iraqi deserts. The search continues for the remaining victims. In the chemical attack on Halabja, in the space of just a few minutes, 5,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, were gassed to death. Ladies and gentlemen, We in the Kurdistan Region have adopted the policy of tolerance and “In the aftermath of the peaceful co-existence and the accepting of each other. In the aftermath 1991 March uprising in of the 1991 March uprising in Iraqi Kurdistan, we did not set out seek Iraqi Kurdistan, we did revenge against the people who oppressed us. Again, after the fall of not set out seek revenge the regime in 2003, we did not take resort to revenge against anyone. against the people who We opened a new chapter with our own people and with others, and this greatly helped us focus our efforts on rebuilding our country and oppressed us. Again, aflessen the pains and suffering of our people. As a result of this policy, ter the fall of the regime the Kurdistan Region enjoys a high degree of security and stability. This in 2003, we did not take has also helped many international companies from different countries resort to revenge against to come to invest in Kurdistan. As a simple example, before 2003, per anyone.” capita income in Kurdistan was less than 500 US dollars; now it is more than 5000 US dollars. We are at the beginning of the road in building democratic institutions, and we need your help and expertise to build these institutions. We would like you to show solidarity with the rights of the people of Kurdistan. We also call on you to expend all your efforts to recognize the genocide against our people. We also would like you to work with the relevant parties to establish an EU representation office in the Kurdistan Region, which would help enhancing economic ties between Kurdistan and the EU countries. We would also like to urge you to support the political process in Iraq on the basis of the Iraqi Constitution and democracy and federalism, and in the fight against terrorism. Unfortunately, terrorism has become a dangerous phenomenon targeting all the peoples of the world. We ourselves have suffered a great deal from terrorism, but we are steadfast in our fight against it, as there is no other way in dealing with terrorism. We have adopted the policy of tolerance and religious freedom. Women in Kurdistan play their role in building our society and institutions. 2
We now host 250,000 Syrian refugees, mostly Kurds, but there are Arabs and Christina among them too. We are also hosting 200,000 Iraqi Arabs from center and south of the country, who fled to Kurdistan from threat of terrorism and in search of security. There are now 10,000 Christian families who have also fled from other parts of Iraq. In addition to this, some 15,000 people from the Anbar province have fled to Kurdistan. We are proud of the fact that Kurdistan has become a haven for so many people. However, I must point out that the assistance from the international community for these refugees has not been in par with the assistance provided to refugees in other countries in the region. As a factor of stability, we in the Kurdistan Region will continue with our policy and do all we can with other Iraqi groups to resolve our problems and to build the institutions of the state. We reiterate our commitment to the Iraqi Constitution. Once again, I would like to ask you for your support and assistance. Thank you very much.
The guardian: Kurdistan aims to be a regional healthcare hub Kurdistan’s patients lucky enough to afford healthcare were previously forced to travel abroad to seek medical attention. Now, the region boasts the best healthcare in Iraq with Erbil fast becoming the country’s medical capital. Writer: Jonathan Andrews September 19th, 2013 “When I graduated in 1997 from the Erbil College of Medicine there were no CT scans, no MRIs, no drugs and no hospitals,” recalls Dr. Rekawt H. Rashid Karim, KRG minister of health. “Now every year there is improvement.”Patients across Iraq are taking notice and travelling to Kurdistan to seek out the best medical service within the country. Numbers have risen so much that when the border with Iraq was temporarily closed patient numbers at a privately run Kurdistan hospital dropped 60 percent. “We now do heart surgery in the three governorates – Sulaimaniya, Duhok and Erbil – neurosurgical operations and renal transplants,” adds Dr. Karim. “In 1997 this was unthinkable.” This year alone three new government-funded hospitals will be completed in Erbil, with a further ten to be built across Kurdistan. Agreements are also to be finalised on a bone marrow centre, heart centre and paediatric centre. With only 4.8 percent of the KRG budget directed to health, covering only 40 percent of its needs, most of Kurdistan’s healthcare improvements have been attributed to foreign investment. Until now US$195 million has been invested in 17 healthcare projects with interest coming from large companies like GE Healthcare, foreign aid provider USAID, and technical assistance from the UK’s National Health Service and other medical bodies. “We are a tax-free country where the government is providing support and raising awareness about its developed healthcare system,” says Darbaz Kosrat Rasool, chairman of one of Iraq’s leading private hospitals, PAR. “We aim to meet the expectations of our people by providing the finest levels of healthcare similar to our neighbours, yet at cheaper prices.” The investment law has also assisted the KRG in making use of its vast expatriate network, successfully enticing health specialists to return to start their own private clinics, hospitals and pharmaceutical plants. “We are trying to encourage expat doctors that have experience in western healthcare to come and work in the Kurdistan region,” adds Rasool. “We have a lot of physicians who are Iraqi.” Despite vast improvements, challenges still exist in controlling pharmaceutical drug standards, ensuring similar quality levels between public and privately-run hospitals, and in modernising medical staff-patient relations to international standards. To overcome these, the government has worked with security forces and other agencies to control the quality of drugs that enter Kurdistan. Over 650 tonnes of expired and low-quality drugs have so far been removed, with every drug now entering Kurdistan tested by the UK company, Food and Drug Analytical Services Ltd. Two local pharmaceutical companies, Pioneer and Awamedica, have also stepped into the market by manufacturing high quality generic drug products, helping push out cheap counterfeit drugs. Similarly a new universal health insurance law, moving through parliament, aims to create a more balanced health financing strategy for both the public and private systems. According to the health minister, Dr. Karim, once passed by parliament the new law could be up and running within six months. “We are now planning the modification of the private healthcare sector, and are coordinating to give priority to those private hospitals that offer special services such as bone scans and radiotherapy,” adds Dr. Karim. “From 2003 until 2013 there has been much improvement but our 3 dream and our vision is to expand on that.”
Ban Ki-moon discusses Syria with Kurdish leaders in first visit to Kurdistan
Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - (KRG.org) – Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, visited the Kurdistan Region this week to discuss the Syrian crisis with Kurdish leaders and to visit Kawrgosik refugee champ near Erbil. During the visit, which is the first by a sitting UN Secretary General to the region, Mr Ban met with President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani. He was accompanied by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, the Special Representative Secretary-General for Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, and a number of other senior UN officials. Mr Ban commended the Kurdistan Regional Government for its humanitarian work and spoke of how moved he was by the suffering of the Syrian refugees that he met. The delegation was received on arrival by Prime Minister Barzani along with several other ministers and senior officials from the KRG. The Prime Minister welcomed the UN Secretary General and assured him of the Kurdistan Region’s continued support for the United Nations and its various agencies working in the region. During the meeting between President Barzani and the UN Secretary General, a number of critical issues were discussed, including the Syrian refugees in Kurdistan, the conflict in Syria, the preparations for the Geneva II Conference and the latest developments in relations between Erbil and Baghdad. Mr Ban praised the security, stability and development that the Kurdistan Region enjoys and thanked the KRG and the people of Kurdistan for hosting the Syrian refugees. He added that the UN plans to increase its humanitarian assistance to those refugees. President Barzani welcomed the UN Secretary-General and said that the Kurdistan Region had opened its door to the refugees from the start of the conflict. He added that providing refuge to them was both a humanitarian and national obligation for the people. Due to large numbers of refugees, the Kurdistan Region is unable to adequately assist the refugees, said the President. He asked the UN and the international community to help the KRG meet its duty to help the refugees. President Barzani expressed his hope that the Geneva II Conference leads to a positive outcome and that the refugees could return to their homes and the suffering of the Syrian people could end soon. Turning to Iraq, the President reiterated that Iraq is governed by a constitution which defines both the relationship between the Region and Baghdad, and the rights and responsibilities of each side. “We are committed to this constitution which is a prerequisite for Iraq to remain united. We ask all sides to be committed to this constitution, and it is our policy to use dialogue to resolve our problems based on the constitution,” said the President. 4
President Barzani reaffirmed the KRG’s full support and cooperation with the UN and its agencies based in Kurdistan. The meeting was also attend by Deputy Prime Minister Imad Ahmed, Interior Minister Karim Sinjari, the Chief of Staff to the President, Fuad Hussein, the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, Planning Minister Ali Sindi, the KRG Spokesperson Safin Dizayee, and the Head of the Department of Coordination and Follow-Up, Minister Qubad Talabani. Mr Ban visited the Kawrgosk refugee camp in Erbil, accompanied by Minister Sinjari, where he said that he was particularly saddened to see so many young children, women and vulnerable people suffering in a 'man-made tragedy'. ‘I am here to send our strong solidarity and support to all the refugees who came from Syria, on behalf of the United Nations and the international community. We are also here to listen to the concerns and aspirations of all the refugees here,' Mr Ban said, recalling the people with whom he met in the camp. 'Families shared their struggles to survive, find their loved ones and cope with the sadness of those who have been lost.' The UN Secretary-General and Minister Sinjari were received at the Kawrgosik camp by the Governor of Erbil, Nawzad Hadi. Mr Ban commended the KRG for 'its commitment to humanitarian principles in establishing refugee camps, transit sites and a humanitarian corridor to north-east Syria'.
President of the Kurdistan Region Meets German FM Steinmeier in Berlin Berlin, Germany (KRP.org) – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, met the German Foreign Minister, Frank -Walter Steinmeier in Berlin . Foreign Minister Steinmeier welcomed President Barzani to Germany and spoke about his visit to Erbil back in 2008, highlighting his desire to visit Kurdistan again soon. He added that he was aware of the rapid developments happening in Kurdistan and reiterated Germany’s commitment to working closely with Kurdistan to further strengthen bilateral relations. For his part, President Barzani expressed his pleasure at the opportunity of once again meeting Foreign Minister Steinmeier and expressed his hope that the Foreign Minister would indeed visit Kurdistan again soon to witness first-hand the developments in the region. He added that the Kurdistan Region views its ties with Germany with great importance President Barzani, briefed Minister Steinmeier on the current situation in Kurdistan, the recent security developments in the Anbar province, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections in April, the issue of oil exports via Turkey and the impact of the Syrian crisis on Kurdistan and on Iraq. On the political challenges facing Iraq and especially the security crisis in the Anbar province, the President said, “It is important that a comprehensive solution is found for the problems facing Iraq, and the real solution is for Iraq to be committed to a federal system, which is a basic principle in Iraq’s constitution.”
“It is equally important
“It is equally important that all sides work together in the fight against terrorism, espethat all sides work tocially at a time when they have increasingly grown in strength and now constitute a real gether in the fight threat to the whole region.” He highlighted the roots of the security problems in Anbar and against terrorism, espesome of the other Iraqi provinces and said that this has become a source of instability to all Iraq. cially at a time when they The President stressed the importance that all political groups in Iraq remain committed to have increasingly grown in strength and now conholding the parliamentary elections on time, scheduled in late April this year. On the KRG policy of exporting oil via Turkey, the President reiterated that ties between Kurdistan and Turkey are based on mutual interests, and that these ties would also serve the interest of Iraq in general. In addition he highlighted the legality of the Kurdistan Region's hydrocarbon policies which are in adherence with Iraq’s constitution.
stitute a real threat to the whole region.”
Finally both sides discussed the latest regarding the formation of a new government in Kurdistan with President Brazani emphasizing that the priorities for Kurdistan are to maintain its security and to continue developing the Region and its economic infrastructure to improve the standards of living for all the people of the region. The meeting was also attended by the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein, the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa and the KRG Representative to Germany, Dilshad Barzani. 5
Premier Barzani: Kurdistan Favors Resolving All Issues With Baghdad On the issue of Kurdistan’s share of the Iraqi annual budget, Barzani said: “We want this issue solved in a way that Baghdad wouldn’t threaten to cut our budget every day. We cannot accept this kind of language.” ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In a meeting with Kurdish MPs and ministers in Erbil and Baghdad on Monday, Kurdistan Region Prime Minster Nechirvan Barzani said that his government will do all it can to resolve disagreements with the central government over the natural resources and budget. “The Kurdistan Region favors solving all the issues with Baghdad,” said Barzani. “America and other countries, too, would like to see us and Baghdad solve our disputes. ” Barzani said that the Kurds have from the very beginning appreciated the delicate nature of energy issues with Baghdad and that when writing the Iraqi constitution and now, they have taken into account the need to avoid complications. “Today in the Kurdistan Region we can produce and export oil and we have the pipelines to send oil to Turkey ready,” said Barzani. “But so far we haven’t sold a single barrel of “They (Baghdad) say oil. We want to reach an agreement with Baghdad on this issue.” The Kurdish prime minister said that the presence of so many foreign oil ‘give your oil to companies in the autonomous region is testimony to the fact that the Kurds SOMO, we will sell it have and are practicing their constitutional right. “Otherwise they (the com- and then give you the panies) wouldn’t sign such deals with the Kurdistan Region,” he main- revenue as part of your budget from tained. Barzani said that the most important issue at the moment is a consensus Baghdad.’ We don’t among Iraqis on all national issues that have two major pillars: political and see more than that as economic. The prime minister maintained that all disagreements between the rights of KurdiErbil and Baghdad revolve around a single point: The role of Iraq’s State stan.” However, said Barzani, our answer to Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO). “They (Baghdad) say ‘give your oil to SOMO, we will sell it and then give them is: you the revenue as part of your budget from Baghdad.’ We don’t see more “Transparency in oil than that as the rights of Kurdistan.” However, said Barzani, our answer to exports and the parthem is: “Transparency in oil exports and the participation of SOMO with ticipation of SOMO us as a partner. ” Barzani added that Erbil wants to know how much oil Iraq sells and that his government has invited Baghdad to monitor the Kurdish oil sales. “There is such propaganda that we are selling our oil cheap,” said Barzani to the Kurdish MPs and ministers. “But there is no truth to that. We only want to sell our tender according to international standards and we are willing to let SOMO be in the entire process. ” On the issue of Kurdistan’s share of the Iraqi annual budget, Barzani said: “We want this issue solved in a way that Baghdad wouldn’t threaten to cut our budget every day. We cannot accept this kind of language.” Barzani also defended his government’s energy agreement with Turkey, which has been continuously rejected by Baghdad. “After two years of extensive talks, the Kurdish government has signed a solid agreement with Turkey and tens of lawyers have been involved in drafting that agreement,” he said. “We also have a pipeline connection with Turkey, but we haven’t yet sold a barrel of oil on the world market,” he added.
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British Government pledges support for Anfal Day to acknowledge the suffering of Iraq’s Kurds London, UK (KRG.org) – The British Government will mark Anfal Day with the people of Kurdistan next year as a way of doing more to acknowledge the suffering that Iraq’s Kurds experienced under Saddam Hussein’s genocide campaign, a British minister has said. Foreign and Commonwealth Minister for Middle East, Hugh Robertson MP, said in a letter to the Kurdistan Regional Government UK Representation, ‘These were clearly appalling crimes which should be condemned in the strongest terms.’ Mr Robertson, as the minister responsible for the region, was replying on behalf of the Prime Minister who had received 182 letters from the Kurdish community earlier this year, each representing 1,000 people who are estimated to have been killed in the Anfal genocide campaign in 1988. The letters called on Prime Minister David Cameron’s government to follow in the steps of the British parliament which unanimously recognised the Kurdish genocide at a debate in the House of Commons on February 28. So far, the British government has declined to do so, saying that it is matter for an international judicial body to decide whether an act is genocide. However, Mr Robertson, his predecessor Alistair Burt and the Shadow Middle East Minister, Ian Lucas, have accepted that terrible atrocities were committed against the Kurds and have sought a way of acknowledging those crimes. Mr Robertson said, ‘I think it is important to do more to acknowledge the suffering that Iraq’s Kurds experienced, though, and would therefore like to offer the Government’s support for – and representation at – the Kurdistan Regional government’s Anfal Memorial Day next year.’ The letter, addressed to the KRG HighRepresentative to the UK, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, follows a similar letter sent by Mr Burt when he was minister. Ms Abdul Rahman responded, ‘Gestures matter and this gesture by Britain to be formally represented in the Anfal Day commemorations next year is greatly “Foreign and Commonappreciated. It does not, however, answer the strong call set out in the letters wealth Minister for Midthat were delivered to Downing Street this year, calling for the formal recognidle East, Hugh Roberttion of the crimes as acts of genocide. son MP, said in a letter ‘The letters also didn’t just mention Anfal but also the chemical bombardment to the Kurdistan Reof Halabja, the disappearance of 8,000 Barzanis and the killing of Faylee gional Government UK Kurds. We will therefore continue the discussions with the British government Representation, ‘These and continue to campaign for full recognition. In the meantime, we look forwere clearly appalling ward to the British government’s involvement in the Anfal Day events next crimes which should be year which we hope will help raise awareness of the suffering of the victims condemned in the and their families.’ strongest terms’.” The 182 letters were signed by eye-witnesses, survivors, supporters and friends of Kurdistan living in the UK, during the Anfal Day rally at Trafalgar Square on 14 April 2013 – the official day of Anfal commemoration in Kurdistan. Each letter symbolised a thousand people killed in the Anfal campaign orchestrated by Saddam Hussein’s regime between 1987 and 1988. It was delivered to No10 Downing Street by a delegation of genocide survivors, their children, British parliamentarians and the KRG UK Representation. The Trafalgar Square rally was one of many this year to mark the 25th anniversary of Kurdish genocide held in Kurdistan, United Kingdom, United States, and many other countries around the world. The Kurdish genocide recognition and awareness-raising campaign was launched in the UK two years ago as a reminder of the horrific crimes that the Kurdish people were subjected to and to which the international community at the time shut its eyes. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children lost their lives, thousands of villages were destroyed, and survivors were left with devastated communities and livelihoods. 7
Jason McCartney MP: the journey from genocide to prosperity Former serviceman Jason McCartney MP served in Kurdistan. He will discuss the transformation of the region in a Westminster Hall debate this week Twenty years ago I was an RAF officer helping police the no-fly zone over the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. We toured villages in this spectacularly beautiful place to let people know that our jets were friends not foes. The Kurds suffered abysmally at the hands of Saddam Hussein who carried out genocide against them, most notoriously at Halabja in 1988. The murder there of 5,000 men, women and children in an instant remains the worst single incident of the use of chemical weapons against civilians. Saddam Hussein also destroyed their agricultural base and razed thousands of villages before rounding people up in concentration camps. About 200,000 people were killed overall. When Saddam was defeated in Kuwait in 1991, the Kurds rose up and were set to be eliminated. A million people fled to the mountains - long said to be their only friends - and the sight of people freezing to death prompted John Major to secure a nofly zone. It saved them and enabled them to rebuild their economy and society into what is now seen as a dynamic, prosperous, pluralistic, democratic part of a federal Iraq. Britain has a mixed historical record in Kurdistan but when I recently returned to Kurdistan, I was left in no doubt about the deep affection and respect for the British. Kurds look west. English is the second language. Two universities operate in English. Most of the Kurds on their overseas postgraduate programme choose the UK. The Kurdistan of two decades ago lived hand to mouth. Today's Kurdistan is becom- “Britain has a mixed hising a wealthy and cosmopolitan society with an active civil society but still in transi- torical record in Kurdistan tion from genocide, dictatorship and its own civil war. but when I recently reIt has many very bright leaders and public servants. But the practice of politics and administration is fairly new and demands new skills. They seek to hoover up experi- turned to Kurdistan, I was ence and expertise from bodies such as the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. left in no doubt about the Their deepening detente with Turkey, based on hard-headed self-interest - the export deep affection and respect of Kurdistan's newly explored and vast reserves of oil and gas - has overcome decfor the British. Kurds look ades of hostility and armed actions. It is a major gain for Turkey, with a potentially west. English is the secpositive impact on resolving the conflict with Turkish Kurds, and also for European ond language. Two univerand British energy security. sities operate in English. The Kurds want British trade and investment because they value the quality of our goods and services. But we have been too slow to respond. Most of the Kurds on their
overseas postgraduate
Myself and MPs from both sides, who have seen the Kurdish success story for themprogramme choose the selves, will tell the Commons that we shouldn't be so shy. Small and large compaUK.” nies, universities and health bodies should get stuck in. The Government can encourage direct flights. We need a British trade envoy. Our leaders should visit Kurdistan. Theirs should come here. We need to be bolder in recognising who our friends are. All this is a far cry from the poverty and despair I saw on the border with Turkey twenty years ago. Tomorrow I will tell the Commons more about this remarkable journey from genocide to prosperity and urge much increased co-operation with the Kurds for our sakes and theirs. The Iraqi Kurds are back from the brink and breaking better. Let's not neglect their very welcome renaissance.
Robert Halfon MP: Terrorism, Syria and the Genocide – Kurdistan’s challenges will be her salvation Robert Halfon recently visited Kurdistan in Northern Iraq with the All-Party Kurdistan Group. In this article he describes the three challenges facing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). When people ask me if the Iraq war was worth it, I usually answer with just one word: ‘Kurdistan’. Without the intervention of Prime Ministers John Major and later Tony Blair, it is likely that there would be no Kurdish nation now in Northern Iraq. From the 1960s to the 1980s, Ba’athists and chiefly Saddam Hussein waged genocide against the Kurds – the most lethal part of which is known as ‘The Anfal’. The genocide culminated in 1988 with Saddam’s aerial bombardment of mustard gas in Halabja, killing over 5,000 people in hours. By 1992, and more formally in 2005, the horrors of The Anfal led to the establishment of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region – part of Iraq, and subject to the country’s Constitution, but with serious autonomy. What emerged from the ashes of murder and bloodshed has been all the more remarkable. The KRG has set in train a progressive Muslim nation, democratic and subject to the rule of law. For Kurdistan, freedom is not just about elections, but
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a place where women have equality, where all religions are respected, where property rights are manifest, and where a free press is unshackled. It is early days but the trend is positive. Across the KRG, business is flourishing and keen on British and foreign investment. Privatisation continues apace and huge property complexes are being built. The KRG has significant oil and gas reserves, used for the benefit of the country, not salted away in corruption. And yet, three significant challenges face the KRG – some of which threaten its survival as an autonomous region within Iraq: Terrorism; the Situation in Syria; the recognition of the Genocide. It is worth dealing with each in turn: 1. Terrorism. Since its founding, the KRG has faced significant threats from terrorism, some from Iran and some from Al Qaeda but there have actually been very few attacks thanks to tight security. Outside every major building there are guards checking for suicide bombers. Armed check-points are on all major roads. Last September, there were two linked suicide bomb attacks in Erbil: one on the Interior Ministry and the other on the next door Security Directorate. Seven security guards died, with more injured. The atrocity was linked to Al Qaeda who is thought to control vast swathes of Mosul, an Iraqi Province next to the KRG where a strong Salafist movement has been established. On visiting the Interior Ministry a few months after the attacks, one Minister suggested that if action was not taken, Mosul could become a second Afghanistan in one year. This would have significant implications not just for Kurdistan but the whole of Iraq. The KRG said at the time: “The attacks come when Kurdistan has achieved another democratic milestone by holding its fourth free and fair parliamentary elections, the results of which were announced one day before the terrorist attacks. The attacks demonstrate that there are those who stand against our democratic journey.” 2. Syria. It is thought that terrorism across Iraq is being aided and abetted by terrorists passing through Syria. But, in addition to the exploitation of the Syrian crisis by extreme Islamists (funded in part from Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Sudan), there is a new threat to the existence of Syrian Kurds, who represent nine percent – around 1.9 million – of the total population. As well as Turkey and Iran, the KRG also borders Syria, inevitably leading to refugee movement to the safer Kurdish side of the border. I visited the Domiz camp, just 40 miles from Syria, where there were seventy-five-thousand refugees, including fifteen-thousand children. Despite the misery of exile, this place showed something of the Kurdish can-do entrepreneurial spirit, with small tented shops, even hairdressers, sprouting amidst the corrugated shacks that the refugees were living in. In terms of humanitarianism and security, the Syrian Conflict’s ripple effect on Kur- “Across the KRG, business distan is plain to see. However, what is less clear is what happens in terms of geopolitics. With 250,000 Syrian Kurds now in the KRG, what happens if Syria breaks is flourishing and keen on British and foreign investup post-Assad? Does the Kurdistan Region extend into Syria, with the risk of a domino effect on the millions of Kurds who live in Iran and Turkey? ment. Privatisation contin3. The Genocide. Inexplicably, the genocide against the Kurds – described above – ues apace and huge prophas not been recognised internationally, causing a deep sense of grievance amongst erty complexes are being the Kurds. Major perpetrators of the chemical gas attacks have not been brought to built. The KRG has signifijustice, and some are thought to live freely in Europe. Many of the companies – cant oil and gas reserves, from the West – who sold Saddam the materials used to make chemical weapons, have not yet faced the criminal courts. In Iraq, the Ba’athist Arab hatred of the used for the benefit of the Kurds is strong in some areas, even though the Iraqi Parliament has recognised the country, not salted away in genocide in 2008. corruption.” Despite the Netherlands courts and the House of Commons recognising the genocide in 2013, it remains incumbent on Western Governments to push through a relevant resolution in the United Nations. Recognition would mean those responsible for war crimes could appear before the international court and compensation/reparation would be given to the KRG. The Kurds are a nation that does not live in the past, but learns from the past. Recognition would help heal wounds from many years. I said at the beginning that Western intervention in Iraq saved a nation from being exterminated. But that is not enough. The free world has a real chance here of a new prosperous, democratic and forward-looking Muslim nation forging ahead – from the end of the Ba’athist rule of Iraq. Kurdistan has the potential to act as a beacon for the rest of Iraq, be a force for good in the Middle East, and spread these values across the region. Muscular enlightenment means more than deposing dictatorships and stopping mass murder. It means helping to embed the conditions for those evils never to return. Robert Halfon is a member of the 1922 Committee Executive and MP for Harlow. 9
The guardian: Nechirvan Barzani - The development PM Writer: Oliver Moss September 19th, 2013
Over the past decade the KRG’s prime minister has become a skilled strategist, taking a diplomatic approach to politics and overseeing much of the Kurdistan region’s remarkable growth While the word Nechirvan in Kurdish means ‘the hunter’, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s prime minister has forged a name for himself over the past decade as a promoter of development and peaceful co-existence. Meeting him in his residence on the northern outskirts of Erbil he is both imposing and relaxed, informal and jovial but also a man of obvious determination and intelligence. He glides between Kurdish and near-perfect English as he passionately explains how the shifting sands of geopolitics have given his government an increasingly important role in regional affairs, and how education reform is the key to the Kurdistan region’s future success. Born in 1966 in the Barzan region of Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani from a young age experienced the hardships of the region and was forced into exile in Iran at the age of eight. After being elected to the central committee of the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) in 1989, he continued to rise through the ranks of the party and today is serving his second term as prime minister of the KRG in its current guise. His first term as prime minister of a united KRG from 2006-2009 was charHe glides between Kurdacterised by the enormous transformation of the region to the extent that ish and near-perfect Engmany of his supporters named his government the ‘development cabinet’. lish as he passionately “Before 2005, Erbil was like a village; today it is a city with bright prospects,” reflects the prime minister. “What we started was a step towards the explains how the shifting future and I think that was our biggest achievement.” sands of geopolitics have While the rest of Iraq floundered amidst sectarian violence, endemic corruption and bureaucracy, Nechirvan Barzani set about putting the Kurdistan region on a different path. He focussed on creating international alliances, maintaining security, attracting foreign investors and reinvesting in the region’s human resources and institutions. Although he recognises that the Kurdish region’s nascent democracy still has many challenges ahead, the prime minister seems imbued with a sense of responsibility to all Kurds to not let the region’s natural wealth and opportunity for economic development pass them by.
given his government an increasingly important role in regional affairs, and how education reform is the key to the Kurdistan region’s future success.
In 2007, he pushed the Kurdistan oil and gas law through parliament which obliges oil companies to put money
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towards capacity building in schools, hospitals, universities and the development of the local workforce. “We want to use our natural resources for the wellbeing of our own people,” he says. So, having overseen much of the transformation of Iraqi Kurdistan from a forgotten backwater to a booming investment mecca, where does Nechirvan Barzani want to take the region in the future? Is independence on the cards? He smiles when asked the question. “We are a different nation with a different language and a different culture. If you ask any Kurd if they want an independent Kurdistan, everyone will say yes – including me,” he explains. “But our priority at the moment is not to declare independence for Kurdistan. Our priority is to improve our education and health system and to establish our institutions. Then we will look to the future.” The Guardian newspaper published the supplement on Kurdistan on September 19th, 2013. To read the full report, please visit: http://www.theguardian.com/the-report/kurdistan
How do leaders see the Kurdistan region? “We laud the contribution of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to Iraq’s development and encourage President Barzani to take constructive action on issues that divide Iraq.”
After a number of years of Kurdish selfgovernance we are able to assert that we are a factor of stability in this region.” Nechirvan Barzani Prime Minister of the KRG
Barack Obama US President
“The Kurdistan region is now characterised by engagement with the outside world, growing prosperity and increasing confidence.” William Hague UK Foreign Secretary
Joe Biden US Vice-President
“Our relations are very good. Annually, we have US$4 billion worth of trade between us.”
Ali AkbarSalehi
“The transformation and the economic development of this region since 2003 (…) has been a truly remarkable transformation and a success story.”
“In 2011, Turkey did more than $7 billion worth of business in Iraq, and more than half of that with the northern provinces… There is a strong economic relationship between Turkey and this region.” Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turkish Prime Minister
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