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Minority set to
benefit most from election
IRAQ’S Kurdish minority is poised to become the
greatest beneficiary of the new constitution and
looming general elections, according to the former
guerrilla leader who now heads the region.
Massoud Barzani, president of Iraq’s Kurdish region,
told The Times after visiting Downing Street
yesterday that the autonomous northern zone should
secure a bigger slice of the economy, and predicted
that Kurdish parties would form a key component in
any future government.
The Kurds run the only functioning area of Iraq,
with security assured by Kurdish peshmerga fighters,
democratic rule and a booming economy. Mr Barzani,
the head of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), said
that the region’s relative calm was attracting
Iraqis from the rest of the country. He estimated
that 25 to 30 per cent of the population were living
in his region, and said that this should be
reflected in the budget.
“The new constitution stipulates that there should
be a fair distribution of resources . . . Based on
the population figures and the destruction caused to
the region under the previous regime, we deserve
more . . . Kurdistan will get its fair share.”
The Kurdish region receives about 17 per cent of a
budget of about £8 billion, a sum that could be
doubled if Mr Barzani has his way. That would be
unpopular with other regions, but the Kurds’
political power is likely only to increase. Kurdish
politicians occupy key posts in government.
In December’s elections the KDP and PUK are
virtually guaranteed the support of all Iraq’s
Kurds, about 18 per cent of the population. While
the Shia Muslims remain the majority, their parties
are more divided. Crucially, the Sunni Muslim Arabs
are expected to take part in the polls, unlike the
last election, which they boycotted.
Up to 20 people were killed last night when a car
bomb exploded in the southern Iraqi port city of
Basra. The device exploded as a police patrol passed
by and tore into a crowded market. (AFP)
www.timesonline.co.uk
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