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Success in Kurdistan should inspire rest
of Iraq
12.3.2007
By Qubad Talabani |
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March
12, 2007
As the troop surge approaches full speed,
significant progress appears to have been made in
Iraq. This progress could be jeopardized, however,
if a sound political strategy does not follow soon.
While there are many key issues in Iraqi politics
that must be addressed to ensure a viable outcome in
Iraq, ignoring a critical few will lead to failure.
These include federalism, resolving the status of
Kirkuk and the management of natural resources.
In the debate over Iraq, the mere utterance of
federalism causes a stir. But whether the reaction
is a disapproving grimace or a warm embrace, one
thing is certain: No long-term, sustainable
political settlement in Iraq is possible without
federalism.
Iraqi Kurdistan, which today stands as a secure and
peaceful federal region with its own government,
security structure and development plan, is Iraq's
success story. The creation of federal regions in
other parts of Iraq, as defined in Iraq's
democratically ratified constitution and further put
into law by Iraq's parliament, could over time
foster success stories similar to those in Iraqi
Kurdistan. |
Qubad Talabani is representative of the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) to the United States. |
Given the insecurities, the lack of trust and the
sectarian tensions that exist today, a centralized
system of governance will surely lead to failure.
Devolving power from the central government would
give Iraqi citizens greater control over their own
political, social and economic affairs.
As long as the political prize remains Baghdad and
all decision-making powers rest within a central
authority, groups will continue to resort to
violence in order to claim this prize. Federalism
offers a viable solution to the threat of more
violence or ultimately the complete break-up of
Iraq.
Kirkuk is key
Equally critical to ensuring stability in Iraq is
the necessity to determine the future of Kirkuk.
Kirkuk, a governorate that had been ethnically
cleansed by Saddam's regime — a crime that resulted
in the eviction of hundreds of thousands of Kurds
and Turkomans from their homes purely on the basis
of identity — symbolizes Iraq's current tragedy.
To delay the proposed referendum that resolves the
status of Kirkuk, as some have suggested, will only
lead to an escalation of already high tensions and
will raise the risk of the situation erupting out of
control.
It would be prudent to allow the process established
by the Iraqis themselves to rectify the injustices
committed by the former regime to advance naturally;
this includes the much needed referendum, based upon
Article 140 of Iraq's constitution.
As for Kirkuk's oil, the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) has taken great care to ensure that
tensions are not raised over Kirkuk's petroleum.
Even if or when Kirkuk becomes part of the Kurdistan
region following the referendum, the KRG has
confirmed that it has no unilateral claim to the
rights or revenues on the Kirkuk oil fields. Under
the Iraqi constitution the management of those
fields is to be shared by the central government and
the region, and the revenues shared throughout the
country.
Oil, other resources
Moreover, Iraq's federal system requires a sound
natural resources policy in order to thrive. Oil
revenues, if properly managed, can ensure both a
viable federal government as well as strong,
self-sustaining regions, as the constitution of Iraq
envisages.
Progress has been made in establishing a natural
resources cooperative agreement between federal and
regional authorities. An acceptable draft
hydrocarbons law includes the creation of an
intergovernmental entity, the Federal Council of Oil
and Gas, with both federal and regional membership,
to manage the country's petroleum policy. Under the
law there will be a role for private-sector
petroleum investment to maximize the speed and size
of the returns to the Iraqi people.
A revenue-sharing law will also be prepared soon. It
will ensure that all petroleum revenues in Iraq are
forwarded — again to an intergovernmental account —
and shared equitably across Iraq based on population
and other criteria defined in the constitution.
These two laws are major achievements because they
are the result of arduous, meaningful compromises
made by responsible people who genuinely care about
Iraq's future and view this as the fundamental step
toward a united, federal and secure Iraq.
A successful strategy in Iraq, one that will alter
the current deteriorating situation, must come from
within Iraq, not Washington or any other capital. An
imposition of a policy from outside, especially one
that ignores the glaring realities on the ground and
Iraq's history, will lead to more failure and more
bloodshed.
For its part, the United States must take a more
active role in advising Iraqi leaders to continue
along the path of national reconciliation. Rather
than coming up with solutions to Iraq's national
problems, the U.S. should work harder to foster and
nurture the ongoing, internal negotiations on key
issues.
The U.S. must stand on the side of the Iraqi
constitution and not obstruct democracy.
The Kurdistan Regional Government will continue to
do all that it can to ensure a viable political
solution for Iraq. While it is not fully clear what
the future will bring and how Iraq will look, in the
success of the Kurdistan region there remains hope
for a federal democracy for all of Iraq.
Qubad Talabani is representative of the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) to the United States. He
works with the U.S. government, the media and
research institutions providing information about
the situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan region.
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