'Federal,' or 'separate,' Kurdish state? 
Flag, march, and capital city for 'federal' state 

At a conference held in Washington, organized in cooperation with American University's Center for Global Peace and the Mustafa Barzani Global Kurdish Institute, Kurdistan Democracy Party (KDP) member Hosyar Zebani stated, "We want a federation, not an independent state." 

This statement, which on the surface seems to be a new approach to an old problem, may actually have been an attempt to clarify the intentions of a proposal, claimed to have very recently been presented to the United States. The proposal may have been open to interpretation, suggesting a "separate" state, rather than a "federation." However, the United States claims that no such paper was presented. 

It has been widely speculated that KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) representatives met in Germany in April, and according to some sources, flew to the United States to present a paper, agreed upon by the KDP and the PUK. 

It has also been claimed that the meeting in Germany took place at an air base belonging to the United States. It has also been said that the report, which was claimed to have been handed in to United States, was not handed in at all. 

While there are many speculations being made, there are only two things most people agree on: The KDP have prepared a proposal, outlined below; and a "a federal state" for Kurds was mentioned at the Washington conference. 

The key elements of the proposal 

The KDP proposes the creation of a constitution, which outlines the future of the "Iraqi Federation." According to the proposal, the Constitution would consist of 77 articles and would divide the Iraqi state into two federations. The new state, called the "Iraqi Federal Republic," includes Arab and Kurdish federations, with Turkoman and Syriac minorities. 

The key articles 
The "Kurdish region" 

According to Article No. 2, the Kurdish region would include Kerkuk, Suleymaniye, Erbil, Duhok, Seyhan, Akra, Sincar, Zummar, Hanekin, Mendeli, and Bedre. 

Kerkuk to be "capital" 

Article No. 5 of the proposal states that Kerkuk would be the capital of "Kurdistan." 

Federal state with a "special flag" 

Article No. 6 proposes that the Kurdish region would have its own flag, different from the flag of the Iraqi Federal Republic. 

Can a federation establish international relations? 
According to Article No. 33, the Kurdish Parliament would be able to make amendments to the Constitution with a 2/3 majority. Laws would be amended by Parliament. More importantly, the "Kurdish federation" would be able to establish international relations. The same article gives power to Parliament on the ratification of international relations. The parliament would ratify agreements on economic, cultural, educational, administrative, security and border issues. 

Turkoman minority 

Article No. 7 deals with, among other issues, the main educational and cultural language. The Turkoman and Syriac minorities would learn Kurdish besides their mother tongue. 

Do not open Pandora's box 

Retired ambassador and Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) Chairman Ozdem Sanberk told the Iraqi Kurds at the conference that they should not try to establish an independent state, because this would disturb regional balances and would "open a Pandora's box," while Iraqi Turkoman Front Washington Representative Orhan Ketene stated that the history and geography invented by the Kurds would not be accepted by the Turkomans. 
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