Kurdistan Observer

Amid reports that the United States and Turkey are preparing an attack against the PKK's headquarters in Qindil Mountain in Southern Kurdistan, a Kurdish leader has warned that the party will put up a fight, reported the Italian news agency AKI. Kawalbi told a Sulaimani -based Kurdish newspapaer, Aso, that "if American troops attack PKK headquarters , Kurdish fighters will descend from the mountains into Iraqi and Turkish cities and lead similar operations to those conducted by terrorist groups such as Ansar al-Sunna."

• President Barzani Urges Kurds To Back Iraq Charter

• Armed Kurds Fomenting Unrest In Iran Pose Security Threat To Tehran

Aug 28, 2005

• News Snapshot

Iraq's parliament convened on Sunday to approve the draft constitution. A final version of the draft charter was read out before lawmakers in a special session after it was signed by an overwhelming majority of the constitution drafting committee. A Sunni Arab delegate on the committee drafting Iraq's constitution said all his colleagues on the panel objected to a draft presented to parliament on Sunday and would campaign against it in an October referendum. "This constitution was cooked up in an American kitchen not an Iraqi one. We stand by our position."

Syria's regime sentenced three Kurds on Sunday to 30 months in jail for belonging to a Kurdish party banned as a separatist faction, a human rights activist said. Ammar Qurabi of the Arab Organisation of Human Rights in Syria (AOHRS) told Reuters the three men were also indicted of "infringing on the interest of a friendly state", in an apparent reference to Turkey.

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Sunni minority has presented fresh demands on the wording of a new constitution
The Sunnis have demanded:

1) That all reference to autonomous regions other than the Kurdish region be deleted from the text.
2) That the Kurdish language be given official status in the Kurdish region only.

3) That the whole of Iraq be referred to as part of the Arab world.
4) They also want Islam to be enshrined in the constitution as "the main source of legislation" rather than "a main source" as it is at present.

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Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa has described the Iraqi draft constitution as "dangerous". Mr Moussa was reacting to the document's failure to describe Iraq as an Arab state. The draft constitution says the Arabs in Iraq are part of the Arab nation, but Iraq as a whole is not.

Aug 27, 2005

• Sunni Official: We Requested A Categorical Omission Of The Term Federalism

• Kurdish Asylum Seekers To be Flown To Hewler Airport Tomorrow

Aug 26, 2005

• News Snapshot

Shiite and Kurdish leaders decided Friday to send an amended constitution to parliament this weekend, even though Sunni Arab negotiators said they rejected the latest document. Bypassing Sunnis would be a blow to U.S. efforts to lure them away from the insurgency, reported AP

Bush Sidesteps Kurdish Leaders to Unite Arab Iraq.

Following the direct intervention by Bush, Shiites and Kurds offered concessions on the two key issues that had led Sunni leaders to reject the proposed draft - the division of powers between central and regional governments, and the requirement that former members of the Sunni-dominated Ba'ath party controlled by Saddam Hussein be barred from future government posts, reported AP

• Murder, kidnapping Of Kurdish Iranian Refugees In Iraq Raise Alarm

• Turkey's Erdogan Faces Resistance to Promise of Kurdish Rights

• Analysis: Kurds have their way in Iraq

• US Liberal Media Idolize Arab Baathists

As part of their anti-Bush agenda, the liberal media in the United States portray the former Arab Baathists in good light. Along with this, these so-called progressives continue to show contempt for the people of Kurdistan despite all the atrocities committed against them. For an example of this anti-Kurd reporting, just read the NY Times.. More...

Aug 25, 2005

• Kurds pave way for Iraqi draft charter approval

• An Islamic Republic of Iraq?

• News Snapshot

The stability and prosperity of the new Iraq is only feasible through restoration of harmony among the three main components of the Iraqi people and the demands of the Arab Sunnis must be met, Iraqi President Jalal Talebani told a press conference Wednesday.

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Kurdish leaders were initially demanding the right to self-determination, a federal structure for Iraq and the inclusion of oil-rich Kirkuk in their autonomousregion. But intense US pressure forced them to climb down and agree to the draft along with the Shiites, reported AP

Aug 23, 2005

• US Sides With Arab Iraq Against Southern Kurdistan

• In New Iraq: Kurds Must Learn Arabic, Abide by an Arab Religion, and Lose Oil to Arabs

Aug 22, 2005

• Iraqis Submit Constitution Draft, but Key Issues Remain

• Iraqi Shiite, Kurdish Leaders Back Draft Charter; Sunnis Don't

• Sistani Against Kirkuk's Inclution In Kurdistan

"His Excellency [al Sistani] will not allow Kirkuk to be included in Kurdistan since it belongs to all Iraqis regardless of their national, religious and confessional background", said the Iraq news agency, quoting a press release from Sistani's office. More--

• Barzani Rejects Islamic Law

"As I said to those who are engaged in drafting Iraq's new constitution in Baghdad, and to the 111 members of the Kurdish regional parliament, we categorically reject a state that is based on Islamist principles," Barzani emphasised. A withdrawal of the United-States led coalition from Iraq would be "a disaster at this point," he said. More--

Aug 21, 2005

• US Pressures Kurds to Give UP Their Rights On Oil And for self-Determination

Aug 20, 2005

Kurds Keep Losing Ground in Negotiations in Arab Iraq
While the Shiites and Sunnis of Arab Iraq keep their stance of no compromise, the Kurdish leadership as expected is wavering and giving in to American bullying to accept Islam and now to drop demands of self-determination in their negotiations in Baghdad. Earlier reports however suggested that Kurds did not even raise the issue of self-determination. On every key issue, Kurds have made little gain in their pointless negotiations in Arab Iraq...More....

•Bush Spends American's Blood And Money To create An Islamist State In Iraq

• Interview With Kurdish Intellectual Shahin Ayaz

• Unscrupulous Bush Calls for Khomeini-Type Islamic Hegemony in Iraq and Southern Kurdistan

In an astounding new development, according to an AP report, the Bush administration is pressuring Kurds to accept Khoemini/Sistani type of Islam as the supreme source of law in Iraq and Southern Kurdistan. Sensing that they are losing the war in Arab Iraq, the Bush peole are quickly losing all their principles and going for a quick writing of a consitution for the phony country of Iraq, as part of their exit strategy. As usual, the loyal and fearful Kurdish leaders in Baghdad are bowing to American pressure...More...

• Kurdish Rebels Declare Ceasefire

• Kurds In London Condemn Iranian Regime

• Sever: The Problem Is Neither Physical Nor Economic: It's The Denial of Kurdish Identity

Aug 19, 2005

• DEHAP Dissolved, Joins Zana’s Movement

• Foreign Diplomats Press Iraq Talks

• Kurdish Journalist Detained For Allegedly Having Footage Of PKK Militants

• News Snapshot

Turkey regime has asked Belgium to arrest a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers Party Zubeyir Aydar who is expected to announce a ceasefire by the his party in a press conference in Brussels Friday, a senior Turkish diplomat said Thursday, reported AFP. Belgium authorities unable to confirm Turkish request. "Zubeyir Aydar's case is totally unknown. The Office for Foreigners has no files on this person and has registered no request for entry" into Belgium from him, Belgium's interior ministry spokesman Jo Dero said.

Aug 18, 2005

• News Snapshot

According to a report in the August 17th issue of the Washington Post , it appears that Kurdish leaders might be misleading their constituents in Southern Kurdistan by stating that they are negotiating in Baghdad on issues of fundamental importance to Kurdistan, while the American ambassador indicates that these issues are not even on the table. The Afghan-American Khalilzad said , for example, that the Kurdish regional parliament's controversial stated demand for the right of self-determination -- widely considered a proxy for an eventual push for independence -- had not been mentioned in meetings he attended and was "not on the table at the present time."

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President of Southern Kurdistan Massoud Barzani said on Wednesday that the main points in the Iraqi constitution are still unsolved. In a statement broadcasted by the KDP's KTV, Barzani said that a number of meetings have been held recently regarding the constitution and that "we are obliged to discuss the constitution one item at a time as the constitution defines the fate of Iraq and Kurdistan. Barzani said that there are some points of vital importance to the interests of Kurdistan that are not agreed upon and that the Kurdish delegation would insist on these points. The leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party Zubair Aydar announced on Wednesday that the party is seriously considering ending violence with Turkey to reduce tension in the country, noting that the party will make a final decision on that as soon as possible, reported Turkish Milliyet Newspaper yesterday. PM Erdogan's unveiling of his new initiative to resolve the "Kurdish problem" through greater democracy has unnerved the Turkish generals reported Turkey's NTV on Tuesday. The Turkish junta intends to present a report on the causes of so-called "terrorism" and what to do about it at the next meeting by the Turkish military rulers on Aug. 23. The report is expected to note that statements by Erdogan made without necessary coordination with the Turkish junta could be counterproductive in the Turkish reign of terror in Northern Kurdistan.

Aug 17, 2005

• Turkey: Government Under Growing Pressure To Meet Kurdish Demands

• The Disintegration Of Iraq

There is a valuable lesson which has been repeated over and over again in the last 60 years, but we never seem to get it. Whether it's the Indian subcontinent, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon or Yugoslavia, the conclusion is the same. People divided by ethnicity or religion, with deep-seated hatreds, will not agree to live together peacefully in the same political entity. More

Aug 16, 2005

• News Snapshot

Syrian regime have arrested about 35 Kurds in Western Kurdistan in a town near Aleppo. Ammar Qurabi of the Arab Organisation of Human Rights in Syria (AOHRS) said a crowd rioted on Monday after police prevented them from holding a celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), reported Reuters

• Why Kurdistan Insists On Kirkuk

Last January, 2m Kurdistanis voted in an unofficial referendum on independence: 98 per cent wanted to separate from Iraq. If my colleagues and I are to persuade them to be part of a new Iraq, they will have to believe that their rights will be protected. That is why we are working hard to get a viable and lasting settlement. More

• Kurds Don't Plan To Secede From Iraq, Want Right To Do So In Constitution

• Kurdistan Looks To Lead Way For Investment In Iraq

• Activists Mount Iranian Embassy Picket to Protest Human Rights Violations in Eastern Kurdistan

Aug 15, 2005

• Protect Kurdish Freedoms

• Interview With Outspoken Writer, Maha Hassan

• Iran Says Four Police Seized by PKK-Linked Group

• Leaders Extend Deadline On Draft Constitution Agreement

• News Snapshot

A powerful time bomb ripped through a government building in Sirnak province in Northern Kurdistan early Monday, causing extensive material damage, but no casualties, media reports said, reported AFP

Aug 14, 2005

• Kurdish Community In Diaspora Rises in Support Of Eastern Kurdistan

• News Snapshot

Thousands of Kurds demonstrated Sunday in Kirkuk calling for self-determination in the constitution and demanding a Kurdish identity for the oil hub city. "We have struggled for our rights, we have tens of thousands of martyrs to dictatorship and we are ready to prolong our fight to get the right to self-determination," said one protestor

• Tehran Asked To Probe Protesters' Deaths

Human Rights Watch said it obtained a list of 17 protesters killed. Residents told the human rights group that cities in Kurdistan remain surrounded by Revolutionary Guard troops and that undeclared martial law is in force. More

Aug 13, 2005

• The latest On The Agreement On Constitution Talks

• Iraqi Leaders Reach Tentative Deal on Oil, Removing One Obstacle to a Constitution

• Envoy Delivers U.S. Vision for Iraqi Constitution

The United States does not support keeping oil revenue under the control of regional governments. It prefers that the money be sent to the central government and redistributed to the provinces. This is in part because Sunnis have made clear that they will accept autonomy for regions such as the Kurdish provinces only if the oil revenue is dealt with by the central government. The U.S. also opposes a deadline for the return of the Kurds. More

• Southern Kurdistan: A Tale Of Two Cities

• Erdogan: The Kurdish Problem Is My Problem First Of All

• Iraq Constitution Supposed To Be Finished By Monday

• Kurdish Rebel Commander Spells Out Conditions For Peace With Turkey

Aug 12, 2005

• Two Turkish Soldiers Killed In New Clash With Kurdish Rebels

• DEHAP Mayors Call For Unconditional End To Fighting

• Senior Iran Cleric Tells Government To Stamp Out Kurdish Unrest

• Iraq Shi'ite Leader Calls For Own Region In South

• PKK Official: Turkey Interprets The International Law As It Wishes

• News Snapshot

Sixty Iranian women activists made a public appeal on Thursday for the release of a Kurdish feminist campaigner who has been held in jail for more than a week after she protested against the Islamic government’s repressive measures in Eastern Kurdistan. “More than a week after the arrest of Dr. Roya Toloui she has not been allowed to receive any visits from her two children and her lawyer”, the women wrote in an open letter to Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahroudi, reported Iran Focus

Aug 11, 2005

• KAES Press Release for Immediate Action