Kurdish Leader Says No Room For Al-Qaeda In
Southern Kurdistan
Erbil, 17 May (AKI) - The armed Kurdish groups which belong to al-Qaeda "have no
popular support in Kurdistan and will not find anywhere to put down roots in
this region," warned Saadi Ahmad Bira, a member of the executive of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) the party of the Iraqi president Jalal
Talabani. Speaking to Adnkronos International (AKI) Bira underlined that "Ansar
al-Islam is fully backed by Iran. If Tehran continues to support them, we will
interpret that as a declaration of war against us".
The politician went on to say that Kurdistan and Iran "have common economic
interests, as well as being linked by the long mutual borders which force us to
have exemplary ties," he said.
Bira said he hoped "the much anticipated talks between Iran and the US are
successful and in Iraq's interests."
Regarding the internal security situation in Iraq, the Kurdish politician
underlined how important it was for "the government of Nouri al-Maliki to move
forward its commitment to disarm militias..in particular the Mahdi Army and trim
the authority of its leader," Moqtada al-Sadr.
At the same time it is normal that Iran is trying to create problems for the US
in Iraq, given the statements by US president George W Bush who declared Iran,
Iraq and North Korea the "axis of evil".
Given this, Bira concluded, the Baghdad government has two options - "show its
capacity to impose the authority of the state and disband the militias or let
itself be dragged along by the armed groups."
