Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Bureau for International relations
Press Release
Order is
Restored in Kirkuk
April 15, 2003
Iraqi-Kurdish authorities, with the cooperation of Coalition
forces, have restored civil order in the city of Kirkuk. Today,
markets and shops opened again, and city streets were bustling
with citizens reveling in a life of greater normalcy with the fall
of the Iraqi regime. In the past day, not a single report of
looting or major civil disorder has been reported in the city.
Significantly, critical public
services, such as water and electricity have been restored. The
telephone system is also up and running again.
Civil
servants and equipment from the Suleimani municipality, in Iraqi
Kurdistan, were loaned to the city of Kirkuk in order to repair
structural damage and clean streets. Police and traffic officers
from Suleimani also arrived in Kirkuk to restore order to city
life. The officers are coordinating their efforts with the US-led
Coalition. The residents of Kirkuk warmly welcomed the presence
of both.
There still remain small numbers of
Baath party loyalists and other movements that seek to create
instability in Kirkuk, but the local authorities, will work with
the US–led coalition to diminish the threat posed by these
anti-democratic elements.
Turkish government observers recently
arrived in Kirkuk and were witness to the positive changes in the
city. In a report to the Turkish Prime Minister, observers stated
that major clashes between Iraqi Kurds and Turkomans have been
absent.
In addition, a
twenty-four-person committee, representing Kirkuk’s ethnically
diverse population, has been formed in order to ensure that the
city remains safe and livable. The committee will work closely
with the US-led Coalition so that Kirkuk’s
municipal administration functions properly and effectively.
This
move comes amid Kirkuk, being the symbol of Baath oppression
against our people and being a city that has endured atrocities
such as the genocidal ethnic cleansing campaigns. Successive
Iraqi regimes attempts to change the demographics of Kirkuk,
forcibly evicting hundreds and thousands of Kurds, as well as
Turkomans and Assyrians and replacing them with Arab settlers have
failed to drive a wedge between the different ethnicities of
Kirkuk.
In another important step to restore
order and civil services in Kirkuk, an ethnically diverse group of
250 health professionals gathered on April 14th to hold
the democratic elections in Kirkuk – the first of their kind in the
city’s history. Directors and Deputy Directors of Kirkuk’s three
hospitals (the Azadi Hospital, Kirkuk Hospital and Kirkuk
Children's Hospital) were elected. Election participants
expressed satisfaction with the electoral process, as well as with
the outcome. The Minister of Health of the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) Dr. Mohammad Khoshnaw, an observer at the
elections, welcomed the democratic process and stated that the KRG
would begin working with the elected senior health professionals
immediately so that Kirkuk's health system, neglected by the Iraqi
regime for decades, can begin functioning effectively.
The
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will continue working with civilian
and military Coalition personnel to advance the democratization
process in Iraq and ensure full participation of Iraqi citizens in
the political and social development of the country.
For more information contact:
Mohammad Sabir – US Representative
1634 Eye Street, N.W. Suite 210, Washington D.C., 20006 USA
tel: 202 637 2496 www.puk.org fax: 202 637 2723
