~
Many Kurds believe Kurdish territories should secede from Iraq if
sectarian violence continues to escalate.
As Kurdish leaders in Baghdad, led by Iraqi president Jalal Talabani,
urged national unity and brokered political talks between Sunni and Shia
leaders, Kurds in the northeastern city of Sulaimaniyah said their
leaders should stop negotiating and go it alone if the situation does
not calm in Baghdad.
Iraq's Kurdish territories, widely considered the safest area in Iraq
following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, have remained largely
immune to the sectarian violence that wreaked havoc in Baghdad and other
southern and central provinces, particularly in the last week.
For many in Iraqi Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region of Iraq since
1991, the violence raging elsewhere serves to reinforce their strong
desire for independence.
"Sectarian sentiments are stronger than nationalist [ones] in Iraq, so
the Kurds need to split [from Iraq] if a sectarian war explodes," said
Azad Rostam, a 23-year-old university student, reflecting a commonly
held view.
As Baghdad shut down for a three-day curfew, life remained pretty much
the same in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraqi news stations carried virtually non-stop coverage and analysis of
the crisis, but the main Kurdish station, Kurdsat, focused on issues
that affect the Kurds, such as the bird flu outbreak in Sulaimaniyah
that has panicked citizens here.
Kurdish leaders are currently trying to negotiate a national unity
government in Baghdad, but the Kurdistan Regional Government president
Masood Barzani has warned that if a civil war broke out, the Kurds would
declare independence.
But one Kurdish Iraqi analyst, Behman Tahir, suggested that this was not
a serious threat, rather "a pressure card" aimed at drawing together
Iraqi political factions that are now battling over the new cabinet.
Although Tahir did admit that if civil war engulfed the country, it
would provide the Kurds with a rare opportunity to "liberate other parts
of Kurdistan that are still under Iraqi government, such as Kirkuk"
Kirkuk is one of several predominantly Kurdish cities outside of Iraqi
Kurdistan that were ethnically cleansed under Saddam Hussein's regime.
Many Kurds carry a deep mistrust of Arabs because of the campaigns, and
are particularly frustrated with central government's failure to address
their grievances over Kirkuk.
Leaders of the two ruling parties in Iraqi Kurdistan, the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, refused numerous
requests for interviews for this story.
Commenting on how Iraqi Kurdistan should respond to the escalating
violence, Muhsin Bayyz, deputy minister for Peshmarga (Kurdish forces),
said that the trend was worrying and that efforts would be made to
prevent the insurgency spilling across into the region.
"We don't want this conflict to ignite in Iraq, and we'll do our best to
maintain the stability of our region," he said.
Bayyz said the Kurdish authorities were prepared to welcome families
from other parts of Iraq who were trying to escape the troubles, as they
did when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
While many Kurds believe the violence could hasten their independence,
there are some who caution against such a move because of the strong
economic ties that have emerged between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad.
Halkawt Ramazan, a 34-year-old businessman, traded goods between Baghdad
and Sulaimaniyah until last week when violence broke out.
"The start of a sectarian war in Iraq would not work in favour of the
Kurds," he said. "We might lose all of the political and economic
achievements we have gained in the last few years."
~
.
|
