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Baghdad yet to accept Kurds as second
ethnic group: Kurdistan Peshmarga minister
24.1.2012
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Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, Minister
of Pehsmarga.
January
24, 2012
ERBIL-Hewlęr,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — Baghdad does not accept
Kurds as teh second largest ethnic group and a real
partner in Iraq. This is why neither Kurdistan
Region nor the federal government can resolve
outstanding issues like the disputed territories,
Minister of Pehsmarga Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa said.
Speaking to AKnews, Mustafa said rather than resolve
the problems over the last five years of
negotiations, "there were attempts to make the
issues more complicated."
Mustafa conceded that on some issues negotiations
have been fruitful.
"It is more than two years that we reached an
agreement on Peshmarga numbers and budget," the
minister said. "But none have been put into action."
The parties agreed that the Peshmarga force should
not exceed 190,000 individuals; 90,000 to be retired
and the rest to be re-named as border guards.
An agreement between Kurdistan Regional President
Massoud Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
to create two Iraqi army divisions in Kurdistan out
of 30,000 border guards, was also issued as an order
but was never carried out.
The minister added it is for the six successive year
the Peshmarga budget is being discussed by the
Council of Representatives. It has been decided
Baghdad should fund the Peshmarga but the
legislation is not enforced.
By Omar Ali
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