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Hope in Kurdistan region-Iraq
17.2.2007
Shep Lowman, Letter to the Editor |
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February 17, 2007
Richard Holbrooke's Feb. 12 op-ed column on the
geopolitics of Kurdistan region (northern Iraq)
brought to mind a trip I took through
Kurdish-controlled areas of Iraq as a refugee-policy
analyst in 1992.
Before the Persian Gulf War, Saddam Hussein had
destroyed most Kurdish villages and devastated the
Kurds' agriculture. Most Kurds were gathered in the
cities with no jobs. After the war, the United
States established air cover for the Kurds.
Times were hard. Saddam Hussein shut down movement
of most goods into northern Iraq and ordered all
public employees to return to Baghdad. Most were
Kurds and remained without pay. Everything was
lacking, especially medicine.
Kurdistan was a gigantic pawnshop. To survive, Kurds
sold a flood of household goods across borders.
Despite all this, there was excitement and promise
in the air. Kurdish leaders were putting together a
governing structure and voluntarism was strong.
History has not treated the Iraqi Kurds well, and
Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani has made
difficult compromises before.
Offered firm U.S. support and a fair deal from
Turkey, he would probably take it. However, Kirkuk,
with a substantial Kurdish majority before the war,
will be hard for Mr. Barzani to compromise on.
After the war, Saddam Hussein began a systematic
program to forcibly replace Kurds with Arab families
there. The Kurds are trying to reverse this.
Kirkuk, the protection of Turkmen and the use of oil
resources are likely to be key points in a difficult
-- but not impossible -- negotiation.
washingtonpost com
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