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Iraq: New alliance brings Kurdish role
under intense scrutiny
2.1.2008
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January 2, 2008
Baghdad, -- Many questions over the Kurdish
role have risen in Baghdad after the emergence of a
new political coalition that includes the Kurdistan
Democratic Party led by Massoud Barzani, Kurdistan
regional President, the Patriotic union of Kurdistan
led by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani and the Sunni
Islamic Party led by Tarek Al Hashemi.
The questions at the forefront are: Have the Kurds
abandoned their alliance which was based on the
concept of the Shiite and Kurdish suffering during
Saddam Hussain's era? Will the new Talabani-Barzani-Hashemi
alliance overthrow Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's
government? Will former Prime Minister Iyad Alawi
join the new Kurdish Sunni alliance?
Abdul Qader Kamal, a Kurdish political researcher
told Gulf News, "Despite President Talabani's
reassurances during the tripartite agreement signing
ceremony … the Kurds deliberately send political
messages to Prime Minister Al Maliki and the Shiite
coalitions' leader Abdul Aziz Al Hakeem which reveal
that the coalition government is at the Kurds
mercy," he said.
At the same time he added, "Al Maliki took a strict
position towards the Kurdistan region especially
concerning the oil contracts signed by the regional
government with foreign companies. Also,www.ekurd.net
Al Maliki evaded his
former promises to normalise the situation in Kirkuk
and to implement the 140 articles in the permanent
Iraqi Constitution. This led Kurd leaders to
reevaluate their attitudes and their political
alliances."
The Iraqi government has objected to the oil
contracts, however it cannot cancel them yet. While
article 140 calls for the referendum on the future
of Kirkuk, recently it has been announced that the
Iraqi government and the Kurds have agreed to delay
the referendum for another six months.
Alternative
The Kurdish-Shiite crisis may seem less intense than
the Shiite-Sunni disaccord specifically the dispute
between Al Maliki and Al Hashemi, because Al Maliki
refused the national political project submitted by
Al Hashemi, which contains political and security
reformatory steps.
Al Maliki did not only ignore that project but urged
Al Hashemi to support the Sunni awakening councils
politically as an alternative to Al Hashemi's party.
In this context, Shaker Al Samarraei, a writer and
political analyst, said to Gulf News: "With Al
Maliki delaying the general amnesty law and refusing
to speed up the awakening members integration in the
Iraqi Security forces and his guards continuous
control and sectarian management of the security
agencies and institutions, perhaps this led Al
Hashemi to change his attitude towards the Kurds."
Have the Kurds abandoned their alliance ... based on
the concept of the ... Kurdish suffering during
Saddam's era?
gulfnews com
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