Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

Bureau for International relations

Press Release

Iraq’s Liberation – One Year Anniversary

April 9, 2004

The toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad a year ago symbolically marked the fall of Iraq’s former despotic government.  The military demise of that government by a coalition comprising of international as well as pro-democracy Iraqi forces spelled the end of a difficult era in Iraq’s history.  The Peshmerga was the only major Iraqi force that fought with the Coalition and played an important role in Iraq’s liberation.  That liberation has ushered in a new era, which has brought the country important civil, economic and political advancements in a short period of time.  Building a full-fledged democracy that ensures the freedoms and rights of all its citizens is a long-term project that will require compromise among all Iraqi groups, along with Coalition guarantees and international assistance.

Iraq’s liberation marked the end of a regime that ruled the country with an iron fist for decades.  Those Iraqis that terrorized the country and were captured, including the former Iraqi president, will be put on trial in Iraq for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  Indeed, this past year has shown that those Iraqis who spent their lives fighting for freedom have been vindicated. 

The unanimous agreement of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) by a council of Iraqis that represent all of Iraq’s religious, ethnic and political groups is an excellent achievement in a region lacking civil political discourse.  Since liberation and for the first time in Iraq’s modern history, Kurdish leaders are playing a significant role in the country’s political process.  Importantly, Jalal Talabani, the founder and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is a member of the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) and one of the Council’s nine rotating presidents.   

The TAL, which is an interim constitution, is the most liberal law in the Muslim Middle East.  It was agreed to through the exchange of ideas not violence.  The TAL calls for principals based on the rule of law, national and regional elections for both executive and legislative branches, and an Iraqi permanent constitution.  It also recognizes Kurdish as an official Iraqi language, legitimizes the Kurdistan Regional Government and speaks of the powers of the Kurdistan National Assembly.  It also reverses the former regime’s policy of ethnic cleansing by allowing the original inhabitants of the city of Kirkuk to return to their homes after being forced out.  It is critical to expedite that new policy of return to Kirkuk. 

Iraq’s liberation has brought benefits to Iraqis of all walks of life.  There are new freedoms of speech and the press unheard of under the previous regime.  There is no restriction on the formation of political parties, except on the Ba’ath.  More than a million Iraqi refugees have returned home.  Iraq’s economy is improving.  Public health-care funding is more than twenty-five times greater than under the previous regime and child immunization rates have increased by 25%.  The supply of drinking water has doubled. The historical marshlands of southern Iraq, an environment devastated by Saddam, are being restored.  Iraqi Kurdistan, protected by Western support for twelve years, is experiencing a cultural, economic and political boom.

For the first time in generations, Iraqis feel optimistic. According to a recent poll, 56.5% of Iraqis said their lives were much better or somewhat better than a year ago. Only 18.6% said they were much or somewhat worse. And, 71% expect their lives will be much or somewhat better a year from now.  These attitudes are also true in Iraqi Kurdistan.

It is in response to progress in Iraq over the past year that terrorism in the country needs to be understood.  Those behind the terrorist attacks know that the majority of Iraqis does not support their way of life.  The terrorists, be it loyalists of the former regime, local Islamic extremists or foreign fundamentalists with ties to al-Qaeda, oppose the chances afforded to the population at large since liberation.  The goal of the terrorists is to discourage Iraqis from working with the Coalition and the international community during this transition to civil society and democracy.  The Kurdish leadership will continue to assist Iraq’s democratic forces and the Coalition in the fight against those seeking to return the country to its past.  That leadership will battle for the new Iraq much as the Peshmerga fought alongside the Coalition in 2003. 

The year ahead will be critical. On June 30, Iraq’s sovereignty will be restored.  Free elections for a national legislature are scheduled for early next year.  International support will be important, but the onus of responsibility shall be on Iraqis.  The priorities for Iraqi democrats will be to promote civil society and protect a political process against organized violence. 

This month’s violence poses a serious challenge to Iraq's new political process.  Kurdish leaders will work with like-minded Iraqi democrats to meet that challenge.  Iraqis must be empowered to assume a more active role in protecting their country and taking responsibility for their own fate.  The current Iraqi leadership shall be unequivocal in fulfilling its responsibilities. It will do everything in its power to keep Iraq on the correct track, a path begun with the country’s liberation a year ago.  Iraq and the Kurdistan region can be a model of peace and stability for the entire Middle East.  Both can become a beacon of hope for a region and world that practices the rule of law and provides fairly for all its citizens.

For more information contact: 

Mohammad Sabir – U.S. Representative

Tel. 202-637-2496