Asharq: What role do you play toward stabilizing the security
situation in Iraq?
Barzani: We are ready to
contribute to the stabilization of the security situation, but we
take care that our intervention does not create problems for us.
Many said the interior minister in the federal government should be
a Kurd, but we rejected that because we do not want to create
sensitivities against us.
There has been no problem between the Kurds and Arabs throughout the
history of Iraq. The conflict was not a Kurdish-Arab one. It was
struggle against governments and regimes which attacked us, killed
our people, and robbed us of our rights. Nevertheless, the Kurds did
not carry out any military operation in Baghdad or any other city in
Iraq at the time of Saddam or others because we did not want any
Iraqi Arab citizen to be harmed. The Kurdish revolution leadership
has never allowed this.
Asharq: How did you confront the terrorists in the Kurdistan
Region?
Barzani: They try hard to create
problems and transfer terrorism here, but there is no place for them
among our people and in our region. We succeeded in this regard,
thanks to the awareness of the security services and citizens of the
need to stand against the terrorists. There is large cooperation
between the citizens and the security services.
They report any suspicious moves and provide information. We are
much reassured about this aspect. The security services have been
mobilized to fight the terrorists and they continue to do so.
Asharq: How did you succeed in separating politics from
religion?
Barzani: Our problem as Kurds
was not religious but national. The majority of the Kurds are
Muslims, but we all suffered from the problem of wars against us as
Kurds. Religion is something that concerns the person himself. When
religion interferes in politics, it will negatively reflect on
religion. Islam does not call for killing innocent people and then
attributing this to religion by saying this is done for the cause of
Islam. This does not exist in Islam or any other religion.
We believe in separating religion from politics. The Kurdish society
is a Muslim society which believes in this.
Asharq: What about the issue of investment in Kurdistan?
Barzani: There is no doubt that
we encourage Arab and foreign investment. We will soon have an
investment law. We are waiting for the Kurdistan Parliament to
endorse it. It will facilitate foreign investment in Kurdistan.
The general situation in Iraq reduced the chances of investment
because some do not differentiate between the internal situation in
Iraq and the stable situation in Kurdistan. Our message here is that
we call on the Arabs and westerners to come to Kurdistan because it
is the first gate of Iraq.
Asharq: What encourages the Arab or western investor to
invest in Kurdistan?
Barzani: We believe that having
an investment law characterized by transparency and security will be
important to encourage any investor to come to Kurdistan. The
anticipated law guarantees the rights of the investor and protects
his funds. A stable security situation makes the investor feel
secure about himself and his money.
Asharq: Do the Arabian Gulf investors have more incentives
for being closer to Iraqi Kurdistan?
Barzani: When we talk about the
chances of investment in Kurdistan, we prefer to see our neighbors
invest their money here. These are headed by investors from the Gulf
region. They have the economic capabilities and they know our
culture. We share the same habits and traditions with them. We also
have a joint heritage of good relations with them.
The investment law, which will be issued soon, allows the investor
to completely own property in Kurdistan. It also provides many
facilities which encourage investment in Kurdistan and other regions
of Iraq.
Asharq: What is the nature of these facilities?
Barzani: We will allocate the
land they need for their projects. They will be able to bring in
their money and get it out whenever they want without any
complications. There will be no restrictions on them. We will also
establish an investment commission through which the investor can
finish all procedures without having to report to any other
government department. This commission will do everything for him.
Asharq: Do you mean the Arab and foreign investor will have
the right to possess property for life in Kurdistan?
Barzani: Yes, every investor
will have the right to own property in Kurdistan.
Asharq: You are planning to establish a media city in Arbil.
Could you give us more details on this issue?
Barzani: This city is still an
idea. We will allocate the necessary land for it. We are preparing a
feasibility study for this large project. The idea is there and we
are working on it in order to translate it into practice in the near
future. We are serious about this project.
Asharq: Some say Kurdistan is rich with natural resources,
particularly oil. Have you started investment in this field and have
you started to look for oil?
Barzani: Kurdistan, like the
rest of Iraq, is rich with natural resources, including minerals in
general and oil in particular. Regrettably, the former governments
and regimes used the Iraqi wealth against the Iraqi people. We envy
some other countries for their wealth and the richness of their
people although Iraq can be richer than them and the Iraqi people
can be more prosperous.
Iraq is rich with its human and natural resources. It is a country
in which all resources exist, but due to the erroneous policies of
the former regimes we reaped only poverty. The Iraqi people turned
poor. We tried to invest in the field of minerals in Kurdistan and
we began with oil. Let me convey to you happy news about the Zakho
oilfield production test. We began drilling in October last year and
the production test indicated two days ago that the field can be
productive and that the quality of its oil is excellent. Only
yesterday we received the happy news.
Asharq: When the Arab and western media discuss your call for
annexing Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Region, they concentrate on saying
it is a city rich with oil. This gives the impression that you want
this city because of its oil. Is this true?
Barzani: This is far from truth.
Kirkuk for us the Kurds is a symbol of our people's struggle. We
cannot give up Kirkuk and say it is not a Kurdish land. As for oil,
it exists everywhere. It exists in Zakho, Arbil, and Al-Sulaymaniyah.
This is not our problem. It is completely wrong to say that we want
Kirkuk because of its oil. We want a solution to the issue of Kirkuk
on the basis of the constitution for which the Iraqi people have
voted.
The constitution drew the road map for this solution, which we want
to see implemented on the ground. Kirkuk is historically and
geographically a Kurdish city in which Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans,
Assyrians, and Chaldeans live. They all live in brotherhood on this
land. Geographically, it is part of the Kurdistan Region.
Some accuse us of trying to expel the Arabs from Kurdistan, but the
issue is not at all like this. Some Arabs were brought in to Arabize
the city at the time of Saddam and their issue is known. We want
these to return to their original areas because they got the rights
of others through the force of the former regime. We know that they
are not responsible for this. Therefore, we will appropriately
compensate them. There are other Arabs who naturally came to Kirkuk
or Kurdistan.
There are seven Arab villages here around Arbil. The people did not
go there by force. They came as part of a natural movement. They
bought land and settled in it and these are their villages. They
voted for the Kurdistan Alliance list during the recent elections
and the previous ones. They want to stay in the Kurdistan Region. We
are certain that if we hold a referendum in other areas where Arabs
live, we will find that they will vote for staying in the Kurdistan
Region.
Asharq: Do you have a message to the Arabs? I do not mean the
Arabs of Iraq but all the Arabs.
Barzani: My message is that the
Arabs have regrettably misunderstood our cause. We are people who
were subjected to a large injustice in history. We only demanded our
rights. We do not have enmity with any people in the world. We as
people have all fundamentals just like other peoples. We have our
own language, culture, habits, traditions, history, and heritage. We
want to live in peace with all world peoples, especially with our
Arab brothers, who are our strategic depth.
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