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A
Message For His Uncle
BYEGM
Oct
22, 2002
MILLIYET- Columnist
Sami Kohen writes on the expected visit to Ankara this week of Nechirvan
Barzani, the prime minister of a so-called Kurdish regional government. A
summary of his column is as follows:
What will Iraqi
opposition leader Nechirvan Barzani tell Turkish officials about the future of
Iraq during his visit to Ankara this week? Hes the nephew of Iraqi
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Massoud Barzani as well as the prime
minister of the Kurdistan regional government. Will he say that he supports
the idea of a federal state, or that in fact he wants an independent Kurdish
state to be established in northern Iraq, echoing his uncles statement last
week on CNN Turk?
In an interview
with US journal Middle East Intelligence, Nechirvan Barzani recently
stated that his aim was to protect Iraqs sovereignty, ensure the
establishment of a federal, democratic and parliamentarian state and sustain
peace in the region. He also underlined that the KDP wanted Iraqi Kurds to
take part in the central administration in Baghdad. However, his uncle Massoud
last week explicitly voiced his wish to establish an independent Kurdish state
in the region. His recent statements might seem quite provocative. However,
its good to know his true intentions.
I suppose
Nechirvan Barzani wont make such remarks in Ankara. In fact, other Kurdish
opposition leaders have never told Turkish officials about such plans. Is this
situation evidence of rifts among the Iraqi opposition leaders on their plans
for Iraqs future, or should we consider it as part of a plan meant to trick
everybody, in other words, a hoax?
As far as the
history of Iraqi Kurds is concerned, its easy to see that theyve always
wanted to establish an independent state in northern Iraq. However, there are
many obstacles to their wish. First of all, Turkey has often stated that it
would consider such a development a casus belli. In addition, other
countries in the region such as Iran and Syria would neither want nor support
Kurdish groups attempts to gain their independence. Finally, the United
States also knows that such a development would run counter to its national
interests. In short, the idea of the establishment of a Kurdish state in
northern Iraq might be desirable for the Kurdish opposition groups but it will
never be feasible.
Massoud
Barzanis recent statement was nothing but hot air which can only cause
unnecessary tension between Turkey and the KDP. Nechirvan Barzani would do
better to convey this message to his uncle after wrapping up his meetings in
Ankara.
SOURCE: OFFICE OF
THE (Turkish)PRIME MINISTER, DIRECTORATE GENERAL OF PRESS AND INFORMATION |
