Barzani explained that his government's main priority for the time
being is human development, as well as investment in the industrial,
administrative development, and educational sectors. He said the
Kurdistan Region is yet to receive any assistance from Arab
countries, noting that "Islamic relief organizations came to build
mosques and sponsor orphans, but we later discovered that they had
actually come to recruit young men and train them in violence." "We
issued warnings to five or six Islamic relief organizations because
they were breeding terrorists, and we insisted that they hand over
humanitarian aid to the government for distribution to the needy,"
He added.
He disclosed that the in the year 2000, a Shariaa college that was
funded by Gulf countries was closed down after it was observed to be
following the wrong path, far from the mediation and tolerance of
Islam.
He denied to Asharq al-Awsat that his government had any unofficial
ties with Israeli officials, and said that foreign relations are the
business of the government in Baghdad. He did however emphasize that
the Kurdistan Region harbors no animosity toward Israel or Jews, and
said, "We understand the Palestinian people's crisis because we
faced the same problem with the government in Baghdad during
Saddam's reign." He explained that the Kurdistan Region does not
share borders with Israel, but has relations with neighboring
countries like Iran, Turkey, and Syria.
He called on Kurdish businessmen in Europe and the United States to
return to their country because it needs their support, and said
that all Iraqis must understand their obligations to their homeland.
He admitted that "Turkish forces are indeed positioned inside the
Kurdistan Region's borders," and said that Turkish forces entered
his country in the 1990s under a deal with Saddam's government in
order to control the border, but under the condition that they not
interfere with out personal affairs, and that they not conduct any
military operations against members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
without first informing us.
He praised civil liberties in the Kurdistan Region, but said that
some laws still need to be amended. He added that the Assyrians,
Chaldians, and Sabian Yazidis enjoy full religious rights the same
way Sunnis and Shiites do, and explained that the various religious
sects have a long history in the region. He went on to say that his
finance minister, Sarkis Agajan, is Christian, and that the region's
former deputy prime minister was Christian as well. He said that
financial aid was extended to 3,100 Assyrian families to help them
resettle in Ankawah, Sarsank, and Dahuk suburbs. He maintained that
all Iraqi Kurds, Assyrians, and Chaldians suffered under Saddam, and
that "our country is going through some rough times, but this
situation is temporary, and we will reach the Iraq we aspire for
through the Iraqi people's strong determination to defeat terrorism
and silence the voices of saboteurs for good." He said that any
positive development in Iraq would reflect positively on the
situation in the Kurdistan Region, and that any turmoil in Iraq's
other areas would reflect negatively on the situation in the
Kurdistan Region.
He emphasized that democracy is part of everyday life in Arbil,
Dahuk, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Ba'shiqah, Al-Qosh, Barzan, Bartalah, Zakho,
and the remaining Kurdish cities and villages, and said that because
of the freedom of press in the Kurdistan Region, many are
criticized, sometimes outside the public framework. He recalled that
he was once accused by a daily newspaper of memorizing the names of
international fashion designers, and not the names or posts of his
42 ministers. He explained that he often does not reply to newspaper
remarks on his way of life.
Nechirvan Barzani is in his 40s, he is a fit sportsman with a
passion for horse breeding, swimming, morning jogs around his
palace, and mountain climbing with the Peshmerga (Kurdish militia)
whenever he can get away from the pressures of his work, which eat
up his days. His hobbies also include composing and listening to
poetry, or so he says.
Barzani spoke well of stability and security in the Kurdistan
Region, attributing it to the efforts of the brave men of the
security services and the Peshmerga. He disclosed the presence of a
number of foreign detainees in his country's prisons, including
Saudis, Afghans, and Pakistanis, all of whom will stand trial
following the endorsement of the new counterterrorism law. He said
that terrorists come to Kurdistan from Mosul and the Syrian border.
He spoke about the popular cohesion between Kurdish citizens and
security services that seeks to maintain security throughout
Kurdistan, and told the story of a Kurdish mother who had reported
her fugitive son to police after he had committed a terrorist act -
upon his arrest, the son supposedly denied his mother, but she
confronted him and said that she had carried him for nine months in
her womb and that he is the man wanted by the security services.
He went on to say that the people of Kurdistan have proved since
1991 that they are an element of stability in the region, adding
that they will continue to pursue this policy. He said, "We extend a
hand of peace to all our neighbors and constantly seek to maintain
good relations with them."
On a separate note, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's government has
appointed Khalid Salih, adviser to Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani,
as the Kurdistan Region's first ever official government spokesmen.
Dr Khalid Salih told Asharq al-Awsat that "Nechirvan Barzani
officially introduced me to the members of his government as the
government's official spokesman." Dr Salih holds a PhD in politics
and moved to Sweden in 1981, but returned to the Kurdistan Region
three years ago and was a member of the consultation committee on
the Iraqi constitution and the political adviser to Nechirvan
Barzani. He has many writings, the most important of which is the
"Iraqi State's Formation" and "The Future of Kurdistan in Iraq."
Dr. Salih said that "the post of official spokesman of the Kurdistan
Region's Government was created in order to communicate with
citizens through the media and newspapers, ensure transparency,
inform citizens of government decisions, and explain current
affairs." Dr Salih asked journalists to "work hard on obtaining news
and information and conveying the citizen's question, no matter what
they may be, to the government."
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