U.S. President George W. Bush (R) and
President of Kurdistan
Regional Government (Iraq) Massoud Barzani (L)
Photo: AP |
The leader of the
autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq says his people
are committed to the country's new constitution,
which was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum
last week. He made his comments in Washington
Thursday, one day after meeting with President Bush
at the White House.
Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani emphasized that
Iraq's five million Kurds are in favor of the
country's new constitution. He spoke through an
interpreter.
"We, as the people of Kurdistan, are committed to
this constitution," he said. "This constitution is
the guarantor of the unity of Iraq."
Mr. Barzani acknowledged that the Iraqi charter does
not completely meet all the aspirations of the
Kurdish people, namely their support for
independence. |
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But he said Kurds recognize there is a difference
between what they wish and desire, and what they can
actually achieve. This, he added, is why Kurdish
people support the constitution, which recognizes
and guarantees their hard-won autonomy.
"And, of course, we have to ask for something that
is achievable," he added. "We have to consider the
views and the position of the allies, of the
international community."
The Iraqi election commission announced Tuesday that
voters overwhelmingly approved the new constitution,
although large numbers of Sunnis voted against it.
One reason for widespread Sunni opposition is fear
that the federalism envisioned in the charter will
lead to the break-up of Iraq.
Mr. Barzani said Iraqi Kurds support a federal and
democratic Iraq, and will work with the country's
other ethnic groups to achieve this goal. At the
White House Wednesday, President Bush hailed the
visiting Kurdish leader as a man of courage and
praised him for helping to realize the
constitution's vision of a multi-ethnic and
religiously diverse Iraq.
In the 1990s, Iraqi Kurds enjoyed great autonomy,
with fully functioning civil offices that were
independent of the Saddam Hussein regime. Kurdish
territory in the northern part of the country was
protected from Iraqi government attacks by the
U.S.-enforced Iraqi no-fly zones.
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