Massoud Barzani's Inaugural Speech

June 14, 2005

The new president of Southern Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, was sworn in today. In his inaugural address Barzani called on the Kurds to seize the "golden opportunity to benefit from our mistakes and futile attempts of the former regimes and bring about a brighter future". He said now was the time to rebuild Iraq on the basis of "federalism, democracy and pluralism". Barzani said that the issue of Kirkuk had been resolved by the State Administration Law, adding that these stipulations must be implemented without any delay. We shall not accept a different solution, he stressed. He pointed out that what had been enshrined in the State Administration Law was a minimum of the rights of the Kurdish people and "it is impossible for us to accept less than these rights". Barzani expressed his willingness to build good-neighborly relations with the neighboring countries, as well as his hope that the Kurds in the neighboring countries would use "modern methods" in demanding their rights. There is no place for violence in the world today, he said. The following is excerpt from Massoud Barzani's inaugural speech broadcast live by Kurdistan Democratic Party satellite TV on 14 June

Barzani speaking in Kurdish said "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Dear brother Mam Jalal, the President of the Federal Republic of Iraq, dear brothers the vice-presidents, dear brother Dr Hachim al-Hasani, Speaker of Iraq's federal parliament, brothers, sisters, leaders and representatives of the allied parties, honorable ambassadors of the friendly countries, dear brother the Speaker of the Kurdistan parliament, dear sisters and brothers the MPs of Kurdistan parliament, dear participants, greetings, I warmly welcome you all on this occasion.

It is a great honor for me to be assigned as a peshmerga by the sons of my nation and by their elected parliament to assume this task and take on this responsibility. I consider this trust by the people of Kurdistan a gift and reward for all the peshmerga and strugglers of our nation.

Forty-three years ago, when I first took up arms as a peshmerga and until today, I witnessed many times the Kurdistan revolution going uphill, I witnessed many times the bitter and miserable life of my nation. However, not for a single day have I had any doubt that this nation will triumph.

I am glad to be with you today and witness for myself the result of this determined toil and struggle. What really saddens and pains me is that many of the comrades, friends and peshmergas who were with us, sharing with us the cold and the heat, have lost their lives in this march and have been martyred. Regrettably, they did not live to see this day and I am sure their spirits are hovering over our heads, they are only dead in their bodily form. Otherwise their souls always remain with us and they share this joy with us. I am sure the spirits of our immortal leaders are happy for today's triumphs.

This parliament is an establishment that is to be respected and trusted by as all, it is a symbol of the legitimate demands and needs of our people. This lawful establishment has come about through their [people's] votes and, hence, it represents them. This is the result of the blood of martyrs, the struggle of the peshmerga and the victims of Anfal  and chemical attacks. It is the outcome of the unified stance and the unity of ranks of our people, particularly the two struggling parties: the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Here, I would like to warmly greet the people of the whole of Kurdistan, whether on the soil of Kurdistan or abroad. I particularly would like to greet the Kurdistan peshmerga, no matter which political side they belong to, they are the safeguards of the Kurdish people's honor and they are the men of crises. I also would like to greet all members, friends and comrades in the KDP and the PUK and all other sides. Today's gain is the result of the struggle and determination of them all, without discrimination. They, therefore, must all take part in safeguarding and bringing forward this gain. I tell you all: You are my dear brothers.

Let us all cast a look upon ourselves and turn over a new leaf, the leaf of fraternity, amity and unification. What is gone has gone forever. Let us heal any wound that is still in our hearts, and let us overcome all the psychological sensitivities. Henceforth, we must ignore the shortcomings of the past and not look back. We must march towards the peak of victory and a brighter horizon. We must take steps towards the strengthening of national awareness and promotion of the spirit of democracy in the Kurdistan society. We must stay away from narrow partisanship and infertile rivalry, and not repeat the actions of those days which pain the wounds of our nation.

We, as the Kurdish nation, are proud that our struggle has never faltered and we have never given in in the face of atrocities. Since the September Revolution, our goals and slogans have been clear and without corners or convolutions, Democracy for Iraq and Autonomy for Kurdistan, this living slogan symbolizes wisdom, far-sightedness and realistic assessment of the Kurdish revolutionary leadership regarding the conditions of our movement and the situation in Iraq and the region.

Today, this slogan has changed to "the federal and democratic Iraq", yet has the same set of concepts of realistic assessment. Because the issue of the rights of the Kurdish people and the issue of democracy are two binding issues that cannot be separated.

The successive regimes have tried many times to turn their imposed war against the Kurds and the Kurdish resistance into a conflict between the Arab and Kurdish nation. Since their aims were filthy, they yielded no result. On the contrary, many of the Arab activists had been with us in the same trenches, in this democratic movement and path of struggle. They, too, side by side with us, have offered many sacrifices and many of them offered their lives.

Equally, today, we are on the same path of struggle. If we were fighting in one trench against dictatorship, we, similarly, are working today together in realizing federalism and democracy. And no plan to create rifts between these two brutalized nations will succeed in the Iraq of future. This brotherhood which we have made efforts and worked hard to safeguard, will become the foundation stone of a bright future for us.

Today, the effects of atrocities and brutality of the Ba'thist regime and its predecessors are clear before our eyes: the bones are buried together in mass graves.

This is a golden opportunity to benefit from the mistakes and the futile attempts of the former regimes and bring about a brighter future in this country on the basis of fraternity and equality. We shall ignore other things. The Iraqi people have come up against genocide and war of extermination. Now is the time to heal the wounds and reconstruct the country; a country where human rights are safeguarded.

We, as Kurds, also take pride in having never resorted to terror nor even thought about it throughout the history of our revolution in the Iraqi Kurdistan. In spite of the tyranny of the Iraqi regime which began its terror campaigns against us since the beginning of the September Revolution and had continued doing so until it perpetrated the utmost form of terror, such as the 1988 Anfal, the Anfal of the Fayli, the Anfal of the Barzanis, the chemical attacks and the heinous crime of Halabjah.

Now, it is time to rebuild a new Iraq on the basis of federalism, democracy and pluralism where law has supremacy. The new Iraq must be rebuilt on the basis of voluntary coexistence of the two main peoples, the Kurds and the Arabs, where every Iraqi citizen, no matter of which religion, faith, sect or tribe, can feel that this is his country where his duties and rights are defined.

We have offered many sacrifices to realize these achievements and shall be struggling until the end. Security must prevail in this country. The property and honor of the people must be preserved. Iraq must claim its deserving status in the regional and international community. We offer our utmost backing to provide for this future. Any government which is committed to this path will have our support and backing.

The new Kurdistan government will soon be formed and will be approved by parliament. The new government will be a united and broad-based government and its duties are very complex. Thus, all of us must work together to make the government succeed in its work and agenda.

The infrastructure of Kurdistan must be rebuilt all over again, the infrastructure which the Iraqi government has destroyed and ruined at all levels. Kurdistan must be revived with modern roads and motorways, and similarly, modern posts and public services must be established; water and electricity must reach all quarters and shortages in these spheres must be dealt with as soon as possible. Schools and health centres must be opened in all rural areas and suburbs. The best health system must be in place in Kurdistan. The education system must be restored and cleansed from the Ba'thist remnants. Education is the basis of all our future works. [Passage omitted: More on education, and other sectors including employment, agriculture, media, trade and economy. Barzani also called on the people to stand against terrorism]

The issue of Kirkuk has been rightly dealt with in the interim State Administration Law. We will not accept a different solution. This is an agreement signed by all sides. It has become a law and a constitution. It must be implemented without any delays - Article 58 is a serious matter and going back on it will not be accepted. Equally, other separated areas must all be reincorporated into the Kurdistan region, because they are Kurdistan territories and cannot be separated.

What has been enshrined in the interim State Administration Law is the minimum of the rights of the Kurdish people. It is impossible for us to accept less than these rights. These rights must be enshrined in the permanent Iraqi constitution intact.

The constitution is a great step and all sides must take part in the drafting process. The constitution must be based on consensus and accord, so that the federal democratic identity of Iraq can be embodied in it.

We respect all the neighboring countries and extend a friendly hand to them, and we work to establish the best neighborly relations and mutual respect. This is a good opportunity, here, to call on them to cooperate with Iraq and the Kurdistan region. We will not interfere in their internal affairs and hope that they would not interfere in ours. We thanks those neighbors who opened their arms to our people and extended their hand to help in crisis and hardship.

Regarding the Kurdish nation which is divided among the neighboring countries, we reassure our brothers that our hearts and minds are with them in their pain. We hope that they resort to modern methods in demanding their rights. There is no place for violence in today's world. Violence will only bring harm and destruction to the Kurds. Similarly, we hope that these countries heed the demands of our brothers and have dialogue with them.

I hope that the trust and belief that has been put in me would bring about the unification of ranks and stances of our people. Frankly speaking, being a peshmerga is extremely important, sacred for me. However, today, we are busy setting up the institutions and the regional presidency is another institution in Kurdistan. It will be an honor for me to have a humble role in serving you. [Passage omitted: Barzani reassures that he and Talabani will work together, calls on all parties to cooperate]

We, as the Kurdish people, would like to thank US President George W. Bush, the US Administration, people and army, who have stood by our people in toppling the most evil dictatorial regime. We will never forget their courageous decisions and reaffirm that we will always stand together in the war on terror and in the rebuilding of a federal and democratic Iraq. I also would like to thank British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the British people, and the coalition countries. [Passage omitted: Barzani thanks the people of Arbil]

Finally, I would like to send the warmest greetings to the immaculate souls of the martyrs who lost their lives in the path of salvation and freedom of Iraq and Kurdistan. Long live the federal and democratic Iraq. Long live the Kurdish-Arab brotherhood. Long live the brotherhood of the Kurds, Arabs, Turkomans and Cheldo-Assyrians."