Washington,
D.C., Nov. 14 – The conference on Internally Displaced People
(IDP) and Ethnic Cleansing in Kurdistan region and Iraq was co-hosted
by the Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) and the Johns Hopkins
School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) .
The
president of WKI, Dr. Najmadin Karim, stressed in his opening
remarks, that the origins of the Iraqi policies of ethnic cleansing
and Arabization of Kurdistan region as a state policy to secure
valuable economic resources and racist design, go way back to
the mid 1930s’ when the Prime Minister Yassin Hashimi, supported
by the pro-nazi King Ghazi bin Faisal, initiated the first Arabization
project by inducing the resettlement of members of Al Obeidi Arab
tribe, from the south to Kirkuk region in Iraqi Kurdistan. The
Baath regime has intensified this racist campaign since 1963 with
tragic consequences for the victim families. Thousands of families
have been expelled from their indigenous homes and replaced with
Arab settlers brought in from the south of Iraq. Areas of Kirkuk,
Khanaqin, Tuz Khurmatu, Sinjar, Sheikhan and Makmour have specifically
been targeted. The victims included Kurds, Turkomen, Assyrians
and Caldeans. Genocidal acts – Anfal, Halabja, and the systematic
draining of the Marshes, the habitat of an ancient Arab civilization
- have been the brutal manifestations of the Iraqi state policies.
The
Minister of Relations and Cooperation in the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG), Sulaimani, Razzak Mirza provided a detailed
account of the history of the ethnic cleansing polices and practices
of the Iraqi regime in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as outlining some
of the problems facing the current UN Security Council Resolution
986 - Oil-for- Food Program) in dealing with the IDP crisis, despite
the availability of resources. The impediments have included the
ongoing manipulation of the program by the Baghdad regime, as
well as the failure by the United Nations to address the desperate
needs of the victim families and the absence of a concerted effort
by the UN implementing agencies to alleviate the humanitarian
needs of the IDPs.
Mr.
Mirza added that the chauvinistic Pan-Arab Baathist policies have
been the driving force behind Iraq’s ethnic cleansing campaigns
against the Kurds (especially Faily Kurds), Turkomen, and Assyrians.
The long-term solution for these grave transgressions is to institute
a new democratic, pluralistic and federal form of governance in
Iraq. He stressed that greater involvement of the Kurdistan Regional
Government in all stages of the implementation of the UN projects
will expedite, as well as improving the overall efficiency of
the program.
Roberta
Cohen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute discussed the
problems international organizations face in dealing with refugee
crises. She cited the examples of Turkey closing its borders during
the Kurdish exodus in 1991, and more recently both Pakistan and
Iran closing their borders to Afghan refugees fleeing Afghanistan.
Ms.
Cohen emphasized the need for a proper comprehensive resettlement
policy for the potential resettlement of hundreds of thousands
of Kurds and other ethnic IDPs of Iraq to their respective homes
and villages.
John
Fawcett, co-author (with Professor Victor Tanner) of a detailed
report on the Internally Displaced People of Iraq* - which was
the impetus behind the decision to host this conference, outlined
the problems faced in producing this report, and the potential
issues facing the displaced people in a post- Saddam environment.
Mr.
Fawcett emphatically stated that the policy of any future government
of Iraq towards its IDP’s should be an indicator of whether
the new government is really leaning towards democracy.
Mr.
Fawcett concluded by stating that that all citizens of Iraq must
have their rights of return (home) open to them, “rather
than imposing on them or forcing them to return to their lands,
they (the IDPs) must have the right of their land returned to
them, it should then be up to that family as to what they wish
to do with that land, go back to it, keep it, sell it or rent
it out.” He stated.
Dr.
Shaffiq Qazzaz, Minister for Humanitarian Aid and Cooperation
of the KRG, Arbil, talked about the underlying political and socio-economic
effects of the IDP situation in Iraqi Kurdistan. He briefly discussed
some of the negative impact of the Oil- for-Food program and the
fact that there now appears to be complete dependence on the 986
programs for food. The real danger lies in that any potential
war in Iraq may put an immediate end to the program and halt food
entering the Kurdistan region.
Rend
Rahim Francke, the executive director of the Iraq Foundation proceeded
to give a detailed explanation of the situation in the south of
Iraq and stressed that the main obstacle to assisting the Marsh
Arabs and of those displaced in the south is the lack of information
and difficulties in access to the south of Iraq. She made a stark
comparison with Iraqi Kurdistan, where the people control and
administer their own region.
Having
recently traveled to Iraqi Kurdistan, Peter Bouckaert, of Human
Rights Watch, described the potential humanitarian crises facing
the population in the event of a US led war in Iraq. He lauded
the Kurdish leaderships for greatly improving the human rights
record in Iraqi Kurdistan, and stated “I do not compliment
many people in my profession. However I am very impressed with
steps the Kurdish parties have made to improve the human rights
situation in Kurdistan.” He added that an important fact
– the absence of ‘warlordism’ – is a critical
factor in assessing the improvement of human rights inside Kurdistan
region.
Mr.
Bouckaert described in detail the tactics used by the Iraqi Government
in its pursuit to forcibly displace Kurds, Turkomen and Assyrians
from their homes and villages.
Other
speakers included Ms. Rehana Kirthisingha, the Middle East program
manager for Christian Aid, the relief and development agency of
the British Council of Churches that have worked in Iraqi Kurdistan
since 1995. Ms. Kirthisingha outlined some of the difficulties
NGO’s face in both getting access to Iraqi Kurdistan, as
well as the potential pitfalls of the NGOs once operating inside
the region. Ms. Kirthisingha also mentioned the specific roles
NGO’s play all throughout the world, and how NGOs become
“sub-contractors” to huge humanitarian projects. In
fact becoming the “face of the relationship between a political
authority and the relevant communities”.
The
Conference concluded with a panel presided by Mr. Kenneth Bacon,
former Assistant Secretary of Defense, and the Pentagon spokesman
in the Clinton Administration, who now heads the advocacy organization,
Refugees International. All the participants of the conference
took part in the panel discussion, where the floor was opened
up to the audience to discuss all the diverse issues.
*The
Internally Displaced People of Iraq
The
Brookings Institution-SAIS Project on Internal Displacement, October
2002
John
Fawcett, Advisor, Center for Humanitarian Cooperation
Victor Tanner, Professor, Johns Hopkins University, School of
Advanced International Studies
http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/IDP/articles/iraqreport.htm
Kurdistan
Representative Addresses Heritage Foundation
Washington
D.C., Nov. 6 – Dr. Mohammad Sabir, Washington representative
of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Regional
Government, presented a talk to academics and foreign policy experts
at a special luncheon hosted by the Heritage Foundation.
In
his presentation, Dr. Sabir emphasized the democratic transformation
being undertaken in the Kurdistan region, as well as the emergence
of a civil and open society. Dr. Sabir stated that people of Kurdistan
region are deeply thankful for the protection provided by US and
British air patrols over the No-Fly-Zones that has allowed for
the emergence of a flourishing democracy in the region.
Dr.
Sabir stressed that the Kurdish movement has long been an integral
component of the Iraqi opposition. He stated that the Kurdish
opposition to the Iraqi regime is in a unique position as it is
the only component of the Iraqi opposition that controls territory,
a substantial military force as well having the relevant political
and humanitarian intuitions that are effectively functioning and
implementing public services on behalf of the people of the free
region.
Dr.
Sabir highlighted the potential threats currently paused by the
Iraqi regime, as well as emphasizing that if there were to be
any change of regime in Baghdad, that federalism, democracy and
respect for the rule of law would lead the country to a brighter
future for all its citizens. The issue of federalism and its positive
effect on the administration of a country like Iraq, where there
is such diversity of ethnicity and culture was discussed at great
length; as was the continued peace reconciliation process between
the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
under the aegis of the US initiated 1998 Washington Agreement.
Following
the speech was an extended question and answer session.
Brussels
Opposition Conference Postponed
London,
Nov. 15 – Sources close to the Steering Committee of the
Iraq Opposition have confirmed that due to logistical reasons-
visa processing and travel plans of the delegates- the forthcoming
broad-based conference will not take place on November 22-25,
as originally planned. A new date for the start of the conference
will be announced soon.
USAID
AND STATE CONFER WITH KURDISTAN DELEGATION
Washington
D.C., Nov. 15 -- A Delegation comprising of the KRG Minister of
Relations and Cooperation, Razzaq Mirza accompanied by the representative
of the KRG/PUK in Washington, Dr. Mohammad Sabir, and his deputy
Qubad Talabany, attended a meeting hosted by the Administrator
of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Mr. Andrew
Natsios. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State for Near East Affairs, attended the meeting, in addition
to senior USAID officials, including Frederick Schieck, the deputy
Administrator.
Mr.
Natsios expressed great interest in the current situation in Iraq
and in particular Iraqi Kurdistan. Topics of discussion included
the possible role of the United States in assisting redeveloping
Iraq in case of the of regime change in Baghdad, as well as highlighting
the immediate needs of the Kurdistan region.
Furthermore,
the problems facing the Kurdistan Regional Government in the implementation
of the Oil-for-Food Program by the specialized UN agencies were
discussed at length and suggestions were made by the Kurdistan
delegation that in any event, the presence of USAID, would greatly
improve the effectiveness of the program, as well as provide local
and International NGO’s with greater incentives to further
expand and improve their operations inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
