KRG - Sliced off areas (disputed areas)

[Kulka]

04/06/2011 15:44

Erbil, June 4 (AKnews)- Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani said today that Kurds will not be interested in separation from Iraq as long as their rights, as laid out in the Iraqi constitution, are provided for.

“As long as Iraq is committed to the current constitution, we will not consider separating from Iraq and founding an independent state,”

- who gives him the right to speak like that? did he ask Kurds first what they want? seem s like soon i will need iraqi visa to go to KURDISTAN.

three days ago i spent 4 hours fighting with arabs, who claim that Kurdistan is a part of iraq - and seems like i waste my time, coz that man, who consider himself as a leader of kurdistan is giving our country to arabs as a gift.
disgusting

[Kulka]

I hope these are just superficial statements. The Arabs will take advantage of Barzani's peaceful mentality.

peaceful mentality? - selfish, money lover mentality.

i apologize to all my brothers here who support Barzani, i still love you - but when i see something like that i just cant hold myself. and i dont think any of you want to be "part of iraq" and still have iraqi citizenship in your ID as in fact you are KURDS - which means nation of KURDISTAN.

[Azamat]

I'm quite confused about Barzani's general image among the Kurds. I've seen equally as much Kurds who support him as those who oppose him. I'm not sure about myself, but I find his stance towards Arabs to be softening. He's becoming less nationalistic, which is not a good thing. And these shootings towards the protestors(which killed a 12-year old boy) haven't been positive either.

[New Corduene]

I hope these are just superficial statements. The Arabs will take advantage of Barzani's peaceful mentality.

I wouldn't really call it peaceful!

[New Corduene]

- who gives him the right to speak like that? did he ask Kurds first what they want? seem s like soon i will need iraqi visa to go to KURDISTAN.

three days ago i spent 4 hours fighting with arabs, who claim that Kurdistan is a part of iraq - and seems like i waste my time, coz that man, who consider himself as a leader of kurdistan is giving our country to arabs as a gift.
disgusting

Kulka, kool down!

Believe it or not, I completely agree with him!

Now now, don't be mad, hear me out.

What might happen in the future could be the key. Take a scenario in which the U.S army leave Iraq. Iraq will become destabilized again (more or less), there will be a power struggle amongst all Arab factions (Which still is the case), Sunni against Shias, religious against secular, Muslims against Christians. In other words, the Arabs will start eating each other mercilessly. This will rejuvenate the old deeply-rooted tribalism in the Arab community, and it becomes a game of each for his own, hence deepening the differences in the already fractured community.
In fact, it is the case right now! In Tikrit, a Sunni stronghold, several groups have already demanded autonomy for the province. The same happened in Anbar as some tribal chiefs refused allegiances to the government and demanded an establishment of an autonomous region. The Shias in the south have long demanded that. There is a similar call by the Assyrians as well in Nineva. Of course the Kurds have such federation and are aiming at independence.

Then we come to Kirkuk which is a very complicated issue, one that can't be solved easily simply because there are too many players trying to get the bestest results for themselves and their factions only.
Arabs want the status quo to remain and for Kirkuk to be under the central government, Turkmen want it to be a separate state (Hence controlled by Turkey!), Kurds want it to be a part of Kurdistan. All regional and international powers are meddling in it as well to reap the most benefits out of it.

What Barzani said was that they want to remain as a part of Iraq (Which unfortunately is the case now) as long as the constitution remains as it is. Meaning Art.140 has to be implemented, which will not happen! Arabs become more powerful again, they will try to decrease the Kurdish influence. They might use force against the Kurds, while at the same time they are busy taking down each other as explained earlier. The rift will widen more and more amongst all the ethno-religious groups, hence effectively dividing the country, Which is good news for Kurds!

Such division will serve the Kurds' purpose beautifully without them being accused of separatism, in fact Kurds will be looked at as the connecting factory as they tried to reconcile between Maliki and Allawi and now they are moving towards independence only because of the constitution which has been effectively dismantled in the country! In which Kurds will not be blamed for anything anywhere in the world. That is why I believe that Kurds must be patient and play-along, until the time comes, hoping the time comes!
This scenario may seem a bit far-fetched for now! But on the ground, it is more likely than anything. Let's just hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

[New Corduene]

I hope these are just superficial statements. The Arabs will take advantage of Barzani's peaceful mentality.

From Aswat Al-Iraq

http://en.aswataliraq.info/Default1.aspx?page=article_page&id=142944&l=1

Barzani warns from deterioration of conditions in event of non-implementation of Article 140 of Iraqi Constitution

The President of North Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, has warned on Saturday from possibility of what he described as “explosion” at any moment, in the event of non-implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, pointing out to the existence of the concept of participation in power, according to an interview he gave to the Middle East newspaper.

“The implementation of Article 140 has been delayed for a long time, and its implementation must be achieved, if everybody wants to see a stable Iraq, and if the historic fraternal relationship to continue among the Arabs, the Kurds and the Turkomen, and for the benefit of building a natural relationship between the (Kurdistan) Region and Baghdad,” Barzani stressed, “warning that non-settlement of the said problem means that the situation would face ‘explosion’ at any moment.”

“The issue of Kirkuk, being a Kurdistan issue, is settled historically and geographically, but we accepted Article 140, pending the settlement of this issue according to the Iraqi Constitution,” Barzani said, adding that “this does not mean that Kirkuk shall become a Kurdish city, but we shall make it a symbol for national, religious and sectarian coexistence, to become a city for all Iraqis, though there is no possibility for compromise about Kirkuk, being a Kurdistan city.”

The Arab Political Council in northern Iraq’s oil-rich city of Kirkuk, had announced last Thursday its rejection of any calls for the “division” of Iraq, especially according to Article 140, that it considered as “having been ended according to the Constitution.”

The Council had issued its statement in the background of a statement by Kurdistan Parliament’s Speaker, Kamal Kirkuki, who told Aswat al-Iraq news agency as having warned that non-implementation of Article 140, “would push the citizens of the city and the people of Kurdistan in the areas of conflict, to wage sit-in demonstrations, the same way as it happened in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, to force the other side to carry out a popular referendum to decide the future of the Province, or to decide it by themselves, without leaning to violence.”

“Kurdistan Region, as a whole, is part of Iraq and so is Kirkuk that shall remain to be an Iraqi city, but with a Kurdistan identity, the same as Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniya,” Barzani said, adding that “if Article 140 died, this means that the Constitution has died, and if the Constitution has died, it means that the unity of Iraq has died.”

Article 140 is one of the most outstanding suspended issues between the Baghdad Federal government and the Kurdistan Region’s government, impacts of which had created a broad dialogue over the past few years.

Answering a question whether the Kurds wished to isolate from Iraq, Barzani told the newspaper that “all platforms for a (Kurdish) State are available,” but he said: “so long as Iraq continues to commit itself by the current Constitution, we shall do nothing for splitting and establishing an independent state, because commitment to the Constitution serves the interest of Iraq, as well as the interest of Kurdistan Region, especially under the current circumstances.”

Agreed, Mr. President.

[Kulka]

my beloved brother - you are very optimistic about barzani intentions. as i dont know sorani good enough - i dont know which expression exactly he used when he talked about it. but for hima s the president of the country, of Kurdistan - the statement - "Kurdistan a part of iraq' is shame. If his way of thinking would be the same as your way of thinking - he should use different expression. coz afterwards arabs may use it and insist that president of Kurdistan claim that Kurds want to be a prat of iraq - which is rubbish lie.
if his intentions are honest - he should talk about feredralism, not "part of". if Kurds are supposed to have the same rights as arab - why iraq not became a part of Kurdistan? being a part in that ciontext implicates submission, not equality.


and i would like to add that as long as Kurds are NATION, not just an ethnic group or national miniroty - they cant be accused of separatism. i know a little bit about that subject coz i am graduated from sociology and my master essey was on that subject (in connection with national, race, ethnic stereotypes and discrimination - unfortunately that time, long time ago i didnt know i am kurdish, otherwise my essey would look completly different)

[Kulka]

and answer me honestly - would any of you like to be called "iraqi"? which for most of western - european, american, whatever people means nothing more than "arabs"?
if yes, so lets agree to call bakuri Kurds - "mountain turks" - why not ?
the same - dont blame kermashani people for they call themselves persians.


نه‌ عه‌ره‌بم، نه‌ ئێرانم، نه‌ تورکێکی شاخستانم

نه‌ک هه‌ر من خۆم، مێژووش ده‌ڵێ

که‌ کوردم و کوردستانم

[alan131210]

05/06/2011 19:49

Kirkuk, June 5 (AKnews) - Kirkuk governor Najmaddin Karim said on Sunday that US forces will stay in Kirkuk beyond the December 2011 deadline for their withdrawal set in a security agreement signed between Iraq and Washington in 2008.Najmadin Karim

Currently, there are some 47,000 remaining US troops in Iraq, about a quarter of the number that were stationed here following the 2003 invasion.

”We have told the US officials that until article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is implemented, the US forces must stay in the disputed areas,” said Mr. Karim, “…and the US officials have given us guarantees that their forces will remain.”

Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution outlines a three-stage process to resolving the disputes over areas contested by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government in Baghdad.

The process involves a period of normalization – whereby the security environment is stabilized – followed by the restoration of the original demographic balance (which was altered by the former Iraqi regime, often at the expense of indigenous Kurds), and culminating with a referendum, which will enable local people to decide the constitutional status of these areas.

Article 140 is mainly evoked in the case of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which remains the main source of tension between the Kurdistan capital, Erbil, and Baghdad.

Mr. Karmi said that “terrorist” groups such as al-Qaeda, Ansar al-Sunnah and Naqshbandi pose a real threat to Kirkuk which is why the US forces need to stay in the province.

The majority of ethnic groups in Kirkuk also agree that the US forces should stay in the disputed areas to prevent ethnic tensions from developing into conflicts.

”We do not mind the US force withdrawal from Iraq,” Kasrmi continued, “…but when the Kirkuk issue has been resolved, along with the consolidation of Kirkuk’s security services”.

Elsewhere in Iraq however, opposition to the continued US presence in the country is widespread.

Iraq’s anti-American Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr has repeatedly threatened to step up “resistance” and mobilize his militia, the Mahdi Army, if the US troops fail to withdraw on schedule.

At the end of last month, an unarmed Mahdi army, numbering thousands of uniformed militia, marched through the streets of Sadr City in Baghdad in a show of force, protesting the prolonged “occupation” of the US forces.

Sadr’s political movement, the Sadrist Current, is one of the key components of the coalition that put the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in power.


Reported by Diyar Samad

Ry/Ka/AKnews

[alan131210]

09/06/2011 21:17

Kirkuk, June 9 (AKnews) – A group, called “Kirkuk’s Future” was founded today to lobby for the implementation of article 140 in the Iraqi Constitution.

Article 140 makes provisions for the payment of reparations to Kurds forced from their homes under Saddam Hussein, a comprehensive census of ethnic groups and a referendum to decide if disputed areas should fall under the control of Kurdistan Regional Government.

The implementation was supposed to be completed by 2007, but political wranglings have brought it to a dead-lock, with the payment of some Kurdish families the only action taken.

“We will impartially and honestly point out the deficiencies in the execution of article 140”, said Latif Fatih Faraj, a member of the group.

He claimed that 100 people have demanded membership so far.

The 15 founding members formed five committees (legal, economic, media, Kurdish education and normalization) and sent letters with a number of demands to the Iraqi President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, and the representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Faraj did not say what the demands are.

The struggle for control of Kirkuk province is one of high stakes. 40 per cent of Iraq’s oil reserves lie within 60km of the capital city.

By Diyar Samad

Lh/Cu/AKnews

[alan131210]

Photo Archive...Nwenar Fatih



In some districts of Kirkuk, agricultural lands which once were taken by Manhal Revolutionary Council (MRC), were returned to their owners.

Inas al-Wandi, Kirkuk: Mahdi Mubarak, head of the Agriculture Directorate said 5% of the lands distributed by Manhal Revolutionary Council to ethnic Arabs were given back to their owners. Ali Hussein, a 50-year-old farmer who had his fields taken by a decision from the MRC, said, “I have my lands back, which were my father’s and grandfather’s land. We could have 1000 acres returned back to us.”

Hadi Abdulqadir is an ethnic Turkmon living in Altun Kopri and had his land taken by the former regime but was yet to be returned said, “migrated Arabs don’t want to return.” Some confrontations were happening while trying to return lands to their owners.

The Agriculture Directorate has disapproved 5676 bonds on lands in Leilan, Yaiji and Altun Kopri.

Short URL: http://kirkuknow.com/english/?p=2755

[Zert]

Is there anymore news regarding the implementation of Article 140?
I haven't heard anything about it lately, except the sending of 200 megawatts to Kirkuk.

[alan131210]

yeah i saw like a lot of arabs receiving their cheques and saying they want to return home . it was in kurdsat

[alan131210]

01/07/2011 11:51

Erbil, July 1 (AKnews)- Under an order from Iraqi Council of Ministers, a minister will replace the current head of committee for article 140.

dr.mohammed ihsanThe committee is tasked to implement the constitutional article 140 which is to resolve the dispute over the ownership of some areas between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan region governments.

The order was issued Thursday, Mohammed Ihsan, Kurdistan representative to the committee, told AKnews. Hadi Farhan Abdullah Ameri, current minister of transportation and communications, will take over the post from Raed Fahmi.

Ihsan added there are other changes in the administration of the committee which will be announced later. He also said from now on the committee will be under the auspices of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers not the presidency of the Council.

Ameri, a deputy from Amar al-Hakim’s National Alliance in Diyala province, was also assigned as the head for the Iraqi Hajj Board.

By Mohammed Abdul-Rahman

[alan131210]

Maliki marks census as implementation of article 140




Iraqi PM insists that census is a basic principle of political dialogues to implement article 140 and normalize disputed areas’ situation.

Nuri al-Maliki, Iraqi PM, insisted that his government is working on Kirkuk census, “To form a real state on the basis of scientific principles, we need a census.” He also marked census as the base of political dialogues regarding article 140 of Iraqi constitution which is about normalizing the situation of Kirkuk and disputed areas between KRG and Iraqi central government.

Maliki said, “To success in our political dialogues, we should first consider Iraqi interest not political factions and sects, and I urge factions to compromise of their high demands.”

Maliki’s speech came on the Population Day in the world on July 11, “Government is trying to find a way to make a consensus about a census in disputed areas based on scientific methods, since without census, we can’t form a real state.”

Iraqi census has been postponed many times because of political issues between political factions of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmons. They were disagree on how to manage a census in disputed areas.

The first census was to be held in 2007, as it was written in article 140, as to decide the fate of Kirkuk at the end of the same year.

Source: al-Hayat

Short URL: http://kirkuknow.com/english/?p=3507