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KurdistanObserver.com
Another American Betrayal Of Kurds, Enough
Is Enough!
By: Dr. Nazhad Khasraw
Hawramany
June 9, 2004
The American administration is treating
Kurds like an invisible nation in Iraqi Kurdistan, at first the special envoy of
president Bush Mr. Blackwell objected to the suggestion that an ethnic Kurd
could assume the post of president or prime minister, leaving Kurds with
insulting token posts, and now the very interim Iraqi constitution (transitional
administrative law TAL), which was hailed by the American administration as a
remarkable achievement and success and a road map for democracy in Iraq, is
deliberately excluded by American administration just to appease the reactionary
Shia cleric Ayatuallah Al- Sistani, simply because this law endorses federalism
for Iraqi Kurdistan province, and the Kurds have tentatively a veto power ( or
to that matter the majority 2/3 in any other 3 Iraqi governorates, something the
Kurds could use to prevent the establishment of an Islamic theocracy in Iraq),
and as such treating Kurdish demands for endorsement of TAL in the new Security
Council resolution with contempt, these demands which were included in a
common letter by Kurdish leaders Barzani and Talabani to president Bush on June
1 2004, which asks explicitly for inclusion of TAL in Security council
resolution as guarantee for Kurdish national rights against any possible future
atrocities against Kurds reminiscent of chemical attacks on Halabja 1988,
genocidal Anfal campaigns of 1986-1988 where 182 000 ethnic Kurds were
apprehended and buried alive in mass graves by the central Arab Iraqi government
led by Saddam Hussein.
But the Americans continue to ignore the legitimate rights of Kurds as a nation
in Iraq, as it did for the last 14 months since liberation of Iraq, and are
treating them as non-existent and invisible nation, insisting that they should
assimilates Iraqi citizens, while Arabs should maintain their Arab or Shia
heritage, the American eyes sees only Arab Shias and Arab sunnis in Iraq,
ignoring the outstanding fact that Kurds are a separate and distinct nation in
Iraq with own language, own traditions, own ambitions which does not necessarily
coincides with the reactionary visions of Shia islamists like Sistani or Sunni
Islamists like insurgents of Falludjah, the Kurds by tradition are open and
liberal, where the women enjoys a very respectable role in Kurdish society,
something which can't be said about the way Shia clerics view women. All along
since April 2003, the Americans were making mockery of Kurdish demands, they
have prevented deported Kurds from returning to their homeland Kirkuk, which
raises eyebrows about the real intentions of Americans about Kirkuk, and if the
oil wealth of Kirkuk was not actually one of the main aims of American invasion
of Iraq, then they denied the key posts of president or prime minister to Kurds,
behaving exactly like a colonial power which is trying to subdue the original
inhabitants of the country, and now deliberately excluding the legitimate demand
of the Kurdish nation in Iraqi Kurdistan for inclusion of TAL in the new
resolution, as Kurds we have always tried to dismiss conspiration theories which
thrive in the Middle East, but the stench of this Bush-Brahimi-Sistani plot
can't be avoided. We are not asking for a special favor from America or United
Nations when we ask for guarantees that the heinous atrocities committed by Arab
governments of Iraq will not be repeated. Neither Mr. Bush, nor Mr.Brahimi nor
the back warded cleric Al-Sistani have legitimacy to deny the Kurds their
natural rights in their own homeland. The sincere friendship of Kurds with
coalition and their commitment to democracy in Iraq, was misinterpreted by Mr.
Bush and Mr. Bremer as weakness which should be dealt with by stepping down on
the legitimate Kurdish demands, something which the Americans did many times to
Kurds in the recent past especially in 1975, 1988 and 1991.The Americans are
undoubtedly about to loose the confidence and friendship of their only real ally
in Iraq, Kurdish people are very angry and disappointed about these dubious
American actions.
Kurdish Leadership must act decisively:
The American officials are calling our demands as expressed by the letter of
Barzani and Talabani to the White House as bluffing, posturing and empty threats
and they consider Kurds to weak to follow their words with deeds. The Kurdish
leadership and with them the whole Kurdish nation are required to stand up to
this challenge and show the Americans and Al-Sistani that they are very serious,
they should immediately suspend any cooperation with occupation forces, withdraw
their representatives from Interim Iraqi Government, stop cooperation with the
biased UN, and make preparations for a referendom about future of Kurdistan.
With the obvious dishonest intentions of Americans and the repeated threats of
Al-Sistani and other Shia leaders, the Kurds have nothing to loose but their
slavery to the Arab regime of Iraq and to expose the lies, double standards and
hypocrisy of the American administration about democracy and human rights in
Iraq.
Dr.Nazhad Khasraw Hawramany
Switzerland
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