KURDISTAN
NEWSLINE
PUK &
KDP Leaders Undertake Joint Diplomatic Mission
December
1, 2002
Paris,
Dec. 1 – The leaders of Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani, signaling
their determination to solidify their cooperation and alliance
in the interest of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, launched a series
of consultations with French and Europeans officials last week.
The
two Kurdish leaders conferred with the President of the French
Senate Christian Poncelet, the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs Renard Muselier and the Minister of Interior and domestic
security Nicholas Sarkozy.
Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Massoud Barzani, left, and Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani, right, shake hands in
Paris with French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Renaud
Muselier. (Remy De La Mauviniere -- AP)
On
Friday November 29, Messrs. Talabani and Barzani called on the
European Union to play a greater role in both Kurdish and Iraqi
affairs. They made their appeal after a meeting in Brussels with
the European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solano.
Dr. Bernard Koushner , France’s former health minister and
UN’s Special Representative in Kosovo ,accompanied the Kurdish
leaders in their meeting with Mr. Solano. Dr. Koushner gave a
full briefing and assessment of the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan
after his recent visit to the region. He underscored the remarkable
progress made in the last decade after decades of devastation
and oppression by the Iraqi regime.
Talks
were held also with former prime minister Alan Juppe, the parliamentary
leader of the ruling majority party of L’Union pour un Mouvement
Populaire ( UMP) , and with the General Secretary of the Socialist
Party, Francois Hollande.
The
two Kurdish leaders participated together in the proceedings of
the international conference on ‘What Future for the Kurds
in Iraq’, organized by the Kurdish Institute of Paris at
the Assemblée Nationale. The totalitarian regime in Baghdad
should be replaced by a democratic and federal system, of which
Kurdistan would be a part, the Kurdish leaders said.
"We
need everything to be clear and transparent, especially in the
post-Saddam era," Talabani said.
"The
Iraqis should rule themselves," said Barzani ... "We
don't want to see any military rulers ruling Iraq, whether it
is an Iraqi military dictator or a foreign military ruler."
Both
leaders reiterated their assurances that their parties have no
intention of demanding independence for Iraqi Kurdistan in the
event of war. “ We think there will be no reason for Turkey
to send troops inside Iraq because there will be no Kurdish independent
state… The Turks have no reason to be concerned as our proposals
are based on the framework of a federal state including a central
government…Federalism will in fact reunify a country which
is divided into several zones…The notion of a federal state
was decided in 1992 during a meeting of Iraqi opposition parties
in Salahadin”, Talabani added.
In
addition to the two the Kurdish leaders, a number of French and
Western public figures and experts as well as members of the Iraqi
opposition launched the much needed debate in France. Participants
included: Hubert Vedrine, former Foreign Minister of France; Francois
Loncle, Vice-President of the Foreign Affairs Commission; Peter
Galbraith, former U.S. Ambassador in Croatia; Dr. Bernard Kouchner,
former Health Minister; Dr. Ghassan Attiya of the Iraqi Opposition;
Adil Abdul Wahid, spokesman of the Supreme Council for the Islamic
Revolution ( SCIRI); Jonathan Randal, author and former Washington
Post Middle East Correspondent; Alain Gresh, Editor in Chief of
the Le Monde Diplomatique; Gerard Chaliand, geopolitical expert;
Hamit Bozarslan, lecturer at the Ecole des hautes en Sciences
Sociasles; Pierre-Jean Luizard, specialist on Iraq; Bernard Dorin,
Ambassador of France; Serge July, Director of Liberation daily;
Dr. Mowafaq Al Rubaie, Iraqi Opposition; Dr. Najmadin Karim, President
of the Washington Kurdish Institute; Mrs. Nasreen Berwari, Minister
of Reconstruction, KRG, Arbil; Hoshyar Zebari, Head of the International
Relations Department, KDP, Albert Yelda, Chairman of the Assyrian
Cultural Center London; Jewdat Najar, Turkoman Minister , KRG
( Arbil); Razzak Mirza, Minister of Relations & Cooperation
, KRG( Sulaimani); Adnan Mufti, Deputy Prime Minister, KRG ( Sulaimani);
Dr. Fuad Hussein, Vice-President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris;
Dr. Kendal Nezan, President of the Kurdish Institute of Paris
KRG
Minister Mirza Confers with White House, Officials
The
White House
Washington
D.C., Nov. 17 – The Minister for Relations and Cooperation
of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Razzak Mirza, accompanied
by the Washington representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
and KRG, Dr. Mohammad Sabir and his deputy Qubad Talabany, were
received by Elliot Abrams, the Special Advisor to the President
for Democracy, Human Rights and International operations in the
White House.
Also
attending: Benjamin Miller, the Director for Near East and South
Asia at the National Security Council (NSC), Jonathon Dworken,
the Director for Democracy Human Rights and International Operations
at the NSC and Hilary Mann, of the NSC.
Mr. Mirza briefed the White House officials on the progress of
humanitarian and development projects undertaken in Iraqi Kurdistan,
and an up-to-date assessment of the implementation of the United
Nations Oil-for-Food Program.
The
need for a more pro-active role by the US expertise and support
systems in the development sector of Iraqi Kurdistan was discussed,
as well as the potential role of the US agencies in supporting
the ongoing efforts to enhance the democratic transformation of
the Kurdistan region. Mr. Abrams stated that the US government
was fully aware of the democratic advancements made in the region
spearheaded by KRG.
Mr.
Abrams emphasized the importance of putting in place a contingency
mechanism, in order to maintain the humanitarian assistance in
the event of a complete breakdown of the of the current food and
medicine distribution system with the objective of providing food
and medical security for the population of the region during any
potential humanitarian crisis as a consequence of a military confrontation.
The
KRG minister expressed the vital role the US would need to play
in the worst-case scenario of any sudden halt to the supply of
humanitarian needs in the Kurdistan region.
State
Department
The
Kurdistan delegation held a series of discussions with various
senior US State Department officials on matters pertaining to
the development of the humanitarian situation inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
In
a meeting with David Pearce, the director for Near East and Northern
Gulf Affairs bureau, Mr. Mirza presented an overview of the humanitarian
situation in Iraqi Kurdistan as well as emphasizing the deficiencies
in the Oil- for-Food Program that are impeding its effective implementation
in the Kurdistan region. The KRG minister asked for US assistance
in looking into and resolving the current financial predicament
stemming from the currency exchange fluctuation the Kurdistan
region, which has had an adverse impact on the regional economy
and the projects undertaken by UN agencies. Mr. Pearce was aware
of the problem and informed the delegation that this topic was
being discussed within the various departments of the US government.
Mr.
Pearce commended the KRG for the excellent work it has done in
improving the humanitarian situation in Kurdistan region, and
stated that the US government is discussing at all levels the
need to provide greater assistance in the field of humanitarian
development. He went on to say that there is also a healthy debate
on the need to prepare contingency planning given the possible
negative effects on the development sector whilst the US leads
in the liberation of Iraq.
The
delegation held a roundtable meeting at the State Department with
Mr. Donald Patierno, the Director of the Office of Humanitarian
Demining Programs, which oversees the US governments demining
programs worldwide. Minister Mirza explained the enormous and
constant dangers posed by the minefields to the daily lives of
the population, especially children, in the region. He stressed
the lack of progress in the demining operations undertaken by
the UN due primarily to the Iraqi regime’s obstructive measures.
Mr.
Patierno expressed US interest in exploring the issue in more
detail, with the aim of stepping up the demining program in the
Kurdistan region. The US government officials reminded the delegation
that only recently the Department of State awarded a grant to
an international NGO in order to expand their demining operations
in Kurdistan, and hoped that these efforts will continue to expand
in the near future.
The
delegation proceeded with a meeting at the State Department with
the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population,
Migration and Refugees, Mr. Richard Green. Mr. Green was accompanied
by members of his office that deal primarily with the problems
of internally displaced peoples around the world as well as refugee
crisis situations. Mr. Green thanked the delegation for bringing
to the attention of the PRM bureau, the ever-growing IDP crisis
in Iraqi Kurdistan (Approx. 750,000) as a consequence of the deliberate
policies of the Iraqi regime of ethnic cleansing and Arabization.
He explained that the US government, given its role in other similar
situations in history, most recently the IDP and refugee situation
in Afghanistan, and more relatively, the reversal of the ethnic
cleansing campaigns carried out by former Yugoslav leader Slobidan
Milosovic, could assist the KRG and the future government of Iraq
in formulating policies to return the hundreds of thousands of
internally displaced peoples back to their original homelands.
Mr.
Mirza concluded his discussions with Department of State officials
with a lengthy meeting with Mr. William Imbrie, the official in
charge of UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations within the
Department of State. Attending the meeting was also the Department
of State’s top Iraq Sanctions Chief, whose duty it is to
primarily liaise with the US-UN bureau on matters pertaining to
the UNSCR 986 program and the larger sanctions policy of the U.S.
Government.
During
the discussions, the major shortcomings of the Oil-for-Food Program
were discussed, as were the growing tactics of the government
of Iraq in order to impede, obstruct and delay the implementation
of critical programs in the Kurdistan region.
Mr.
Imbrie was well aware of the tactics used by the Iraqi regime,
and expressed his frustration at the glaring weaknesses within
the program. The need to modify the program to include mechanisms
for local procurement of goods as well as the need to allow a
greater role for the KRG in the planning, budget allocation as
well as the implementation of the program was discussed.
The
overall purpose of the series of meetings held at the State department
was to contribute to the process of increased US government’s
awareness to the core issues of the Kurdistan region and the need
for US to address the issues related to the Oil-for-Food Program.
In addition it is hoped that the dialogue will lead to expand
the level of US government assistance to the development of Iraqi
Kurdistan. The talks have also been helpful in going forward with
discussions for the role of the US in any immediate transition
period given the possibility of regime change in Iraq.
Meetings
at the UN
New
York, Nov. 18 --The KRG Minister Mirza, accompanied by Howar Ziad,
the representative of the KRG in New York as well as the Deputy
Washington representative of the PUK and KRG Qubad Talabany held
meetings with senior United Nations officials and with representatives
of a number of missions to the UN.
The
delegation met with Benon Sevan, the Under-Secretary General of
the United Nations and Executive Director of the Office of Iraq
Program (OIP), Dr. Danilo Turk, the Assistant-Secretary General
for Political affairs, Ambassador Adam Thomson, the Deputy Permanent
Representative of the mission of the United Kingdom, Ambassador
Wegger Strommen, Deputy Permanent Representative of the mission
of Norway and diplomats from the Permanent Security Council member
states of the United States and France.
Topics
of discussion included the urgent need for an overall review of
the current Oil-for-Food program, with emphasis on provisions
that would allow for the local procurement of goods as well as
the need to allow a greater role for the KRG in the planning,
allocation of funding and the implementation of the programs in
order to better serve the people of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The
growing concern over the adverse impact of the currency exchange
rate fluctuations on UN projects was discussed at length. Mr.
Mirza stressed the important role of the United Nations and Permanent
Security Council Members can play in order to restore economic
stability by providing some level of compensation to the sectors
that have greatly suffered as a result of this phenomenon.
Benon
Sevan informed the Minister that the OIP were actively seeking
creative solutions to the impediments that face effective implementation
of the program, and that he encouraged increased dialogue in order
solve all outstanding issues.
The
consultations covered issues critical to the improvement of the
humanitarian situation in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the need for a
contingency plan for humanitarian crisis in case of military conflict
in Iraq.
During
the talks, the topic of the Security Council Resolution 688, which
calls for a halt to the suppression of the rights of the Iraqi
people, especially the Kurds, by the Iraqi regime, was extensively
discussed. The United Nations Secretariat was urged to lead all
efforts for an immediate implementation of the provisions of the
resolution, particularly by re-invigorating the mission of the
Human Rights Rapporteur on Iraq.
KURDISTAN
NEWSLINE
December
1, 2002
