Text News

Commenting on the latest atrocities against the Kurds by the Arab terrorists in Kirkuk and Mosul, Barzani and Talabani warned that they will not stay silent while those crimes are unfolding daily

• Deployment of Kurdish Troops In Mosul Alarms Arabs

Now, with Mosul threatening to turn to chaos after most of the city's 4,000 police deserted, the Kurds are again proving staunch allies. "They're well-organised, fierce and get the job done," said Captain Robert Lackey, a company commander with the U.S. Stryker Brigade, which is responsible for northern Iraq. More

• News Snapshot

Talabani, Barzani and have revealed that they have reached an agreement with Iraqi political parties to postpone elections in Kirkuk which was planned to be held next January until the issue of Kurdish settlement resolved.

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Turkish FM Gul criticized Talabani and Barzani for their demand that local elections in Kirkuk be postponed until the issue of Kurdish settlement resolved. "They are not the ones who will decide. They might have some demands as Iraqi citizens; however, they cannot decide when elections will take place. There is a council in Iraq and it will decide on it. That the election is held on a designated date is crucial."

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Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan told US Vice President Cheney that the operation against terrorists in Falluja has caused outrage in Turkey and the Muslim world, reported Turkish Daily News yesterday.

Nov 21, 2004

• Election Setback

• Militants Try to Stir Arab-Kurd Violence

• Sunni Arabs Kill Two Kurds In Mosul

• The EU, Turkey and the Kurds - European Parliament Conference

Nov 19, 2004

• In Mosul, Kurdish Peshmarga Helps Keep Order

• In Mosul, Mortar Attacks Continue

Nov 18, 2004

• US And Kurds Attack insurgents In Mosul

American warplanes flew over Arab parts of the city, and some units of the American Task Force Olympia ventured out of their base on patrol. An insurgent unit crossed over to the mainly Kurdish west of Mosul and attacked offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Three of the four attackers were killed, and the fourth was wounded. More

• New Labour Tells Kurds To Return To Torture Or Death

Nov 16, 2004

• Kurdish Interpreter killed in Fallujah

• Kurdish Gov't Blocks Roads to Korean Base Town of Arbil

• Hear NPR's Philip Reeves

Nov 15, 2004

• Kurds' Separatist Ambitions Pose Challenge To Iraq Unity

• Kurds in Iran Cheer Iraqi Neighbors' Efforts for Greater Voice

• 300 Kurdish Families Leave Falluja, Rumadi

Nov 14, 2004

• Peshmerga Prevents Arab Terrorists From Crossing Into Eastern Side Of Mosul

"The Peshmergas captured five and killed eight," Mr Piri said. "The five captured did not carry identity cards, so we do not know yet whether they are Iraqi." The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Saleh, said the rebels were trying "to destabilise Mosul" and "to prevent elections" scheduled for January. More

Nov 13, 2004

• Turkish Generals calls for massive operation into Kurdish region

• U.S. Forces Launch Attacks On Militants In Mosul

• Insurgents Attack Fiercely in North, Storming Police Stations in Mosul

• Dutch Police Raid Kurdish Training Camp, Arrest 38

• Ashcroft's Departure May Help Jailed Kurd

Nov 12, 2004

• Kirkuk Governor Survived Car Bombing

Nov 11, 2004

• Turkey Warns US to Stop Operation in Fallujah

• Political Parties Stir Unrest In Kirkuk

• Barzani Trip To Taiwan Postponed

Nov 10, 2004

• Religious Appeals Have Turned Against The Kurds

• South Korean Bank Inaugurated In Irbil

• The Chairman of KDS Party Congratulates Bush

Nov 8, 2004

• Dutch Court Forbids Extradition Of Kurdish Leader To Turkey

Nov 7, 2004

• Minority Phobia Haunts Turkey

• Along border, Kurds Say, Iran Gives Boost To Uprising

Nov 6, 2004

• Kurdish identity key to Turkey’s EU entry: Roth

• Analysis: Is Mosul The Next Al-Fallujah?

Nov 5, 2004

• Kurds Walk Political Tightrope

• Swedish Delegation: Still Much To Do For Human Rights

• Turkey And EU Speak 'Different Languages' On Minorities, Says Minister

Nov 4, 2004

• Kurdish Politicians Lend Support To Zana's Call For New Party

• Ankara Hosts Kurdish Islamic Party Leader

Nov 2, 2004

• Turkey's Basbug Calls For Clampdown On Ocalan Lawyers

• Human Rights Report Sparks Row In Turkey

KurdistanObserver.com

KDP And PUK Do Not Play The Democratic Game: Hawlati Editor

Dec 3, 2004
By Annia Ciezadlo
The Christian Science Monitor

In Kurdistan, the longtime dominance of two major Kurdish political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, leaves prospects for independents grimmer than in other parts of Iraq. On Wednesday, the two parties crushed any hopes of a real referendum on their popularity by announcing that they would merge into one party list.

"This election will be very weak - it will be like a questionnaire, not an election," says Shwan Mahmood, political editor of the independent newspaper Hawlati.

"These parties ...do not play the democratic game. So if they have one list, they will not let any independents get very far," he says. "We can look at Iraqi politics as a closed circle. Anybody who is outside this circle will lose - they won't gain anything from this election."

But some small-party candidates remain cautiously optimistic - at least until the party slates are announced.

"Usually, there are considerable pressures against independents in Kurdistan," says Qadir Aziz, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Workers Party, weighing his words carefully. "But when we see that there are so many international monitors, we hope that things will be better this time."

KurdistanObserver.com