Kurdish Leaders Denounce Former PM's New
Political Front
June 5, 2007
The two major Kurdish leaders in Iraq (Southern
Kurdistan), Jalal Talabani –- also the president of the country -- and Massoud
Barzani –- president of the Kurdistan Region -- held a joint press conference to
criticize the latest political alliances of Iyad 'Allawi and the (Sunni) Islamic
Party.
A new political front was recently announced, joining Iyad 'Allawi’s
parliamentary list with the Islamic Party, the “Iraqi National Dialogue” front
and the Kurdistan Islamic Party, which opposes the two main parties of the
Kurdish coalition.
Al-Jazeera and al-Hayat reported that Talabani and Barzani released a statement
accusing the new coalition of being designed by “foreign intelligence services.”
The statement expressed dismay that the Islamic Party and 'Allawi’s list decided
to ally themselves with “notorious traitors of the Kurdish people, orphans of
the butcher Saddam, and chauvinistic elements who are opposed to the rights and
aspirations of the Iraqi people with its two main nationalities, Arab and
Kurdish.”
The two leaders also said that the coalition exists only “to oppose al-Maliki’s
government,” and aims at executing a “coup” against the “political process in
Iraq,” adding that the new front “opposes the democratic march of the Iraqi
people and seeks to undermine its constitutional achievements.”
Al-Hayat said that the statement elicited sharp responses from the groups
mentioned by the two Kurdish leaders. A spokesman of 'Allawi’s coalition said
that Talabani and Barzani’s words “is mere provocation and reflects a wish to
monopolize power.”
A leader in the Islamic Party commented that the statement should not have borne
the name of the President of Iraq (Talabani) “who represents a political
symbol.”
Kurdish leaders charge that some of 'Allawi’s Kurdish allies have a history of
collaboration with Saddam Husain, and that some of the Arab members of the new
alliance hold anti-Kurdish “racist” beliefs.
But aside from the war of words, the latest political tensions between 'Allawi
and the Kurdish bloc carry serious political implications. 'Allawi has been
trying for months to create and expand an alliance that could challenge, and
eventually replace, al-Maliki’s government. Gaining the support of the powerful
Kurdish bloc was one of 'Allawi’s main objectives from the outset, and numerous
talks were held between representatives of 'Allawi’s “'Iraqyia” list and
officials from the major Kurdish parties. The large number of Kurdish deputies
means that Talabani and Barzani's bloc could sway the balance if al-Maliki’s
cabinet is submitted to a parliamentary confidence vote.
The fact that 'Allawi has decided to ally himself with the enemies of the
mainstream Kurdish parties signifies that the ex-prime minister and his allies
have despaired of making a pact with the Kurdish bloc, and are now trying to
field a front made up of independent deputies, smaller parties and, possibly,
Shi'a parties who are disgruntled by the Maliki government and the two ruling
Shi'a factions: The Da'wa party and al-Hakeem’s SIIC, in addition to 'Allawi’s
list and the Sunni Tawafuq bloc.
Yesterday’s political cross-fire also indicated that the Kurdish leaders, who
have consistently expressed their support for Maliki and his cabinet, have opted
to remain loyal to their Shi'a ally and to oppose radical changes to the current
ruling establishment.
Several days ago, Iraqi papers reported that Maliki visited Kurdistan, held a
joint press conference with Barzani and announced his support for the Kurdish
position on the issue of Kirkuk, asking for the application of the 140th
constitutional article, which Kurds believe will lead to Kirkuk being officially
annexed to Kurdistan. Maliki also supported the Kurdish parties against the
latest threats by Turkey, affirming that the government opposes any Turkish
incursions into Kurdistan. Was Maliki’s performance in Kurdistan meant to
reciprocate for the Kurdish support of his cabinet?
