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| The Turkish "peace process": suspicious, unspecific, and frail talks and steps By Shakhawan Shorsh: Many countries in the region and around the world welcomed the peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurds, especially after the release of the letter written by Abdulla Ocalan, the jailed Kurdish leader of the Kurdistan Worker Party (PKK). Ocalan's message is quite broad and lacks a tangible and concrete political proposal. We should not forget that since Ocalan is not a free man, we must read his messages very cautiously. However, the key message of Ocalan's letter is that the armed conflict can be resolved through dialogue and negotiations... Read More » U.S. Vice president Biden phones Kurdistan president and Iraqi PM WASHINGTON,— U.S. Vice President Biden spoke with Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama Nujayfi, Thursday, May 23rd. With President Barzani, the Vice President commended the return of Kurdish ministers and parliamentarians to Baghdad, and stressed the importance of engagement by all sides to seek solutions to contentious issues under the Iraqi Constitution. With Speaker Nujayfi, the Vice President expressed concern about the security situation in Iraq, stressing the need for all of Iraq's political leadership to... Read More »The Kurdish version of 'One Million Questions and Answers about Sex': Book The translator threatened to withdraw the book. SLÊMANÎ, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— In Iraq's Kurdistan Region, where talking publicly about sex remains a deep taboo, the Kurdish version of One Million Questions and Answers about Sex has stirred up a controversy, with threats warning the translator to withdraw the book. "This (book) is a danger to the young boys and girls," a female user wrote on the Facebook wall of a priest, urging, "You have to speak up about this." "Stop! You have followed Satan's path," someone else warned translator Sozan Jamal in a message. "You better withdraw the... Read More »Dividing Iraq: Now is the time to split the country in half BAGHDAD,— Currently Iraqi commentators seem to think there are two options for ending current protests and ensuing violence: civil war between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Or a new Iraq with various autonomous regions. Over the years since the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein, there has often been discussion about whether it would be a good idea to split Iraq up, mainly dividing the country into the two sects of Islam that make up most of the population: that is, Sunni and Shiite Muslim. And every now and then the idea has seemed a credible solution to Iraq's troubles, when... Read More »Cooking up Kurdistan constitution to stay in power? ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Iraqi Kurdistan's PM is demanding the regional Constitution be finalised. In 2009, everyone agreed with him. In 2013, everyone – including his political allies – believes he's manipulating the national document for his own ends. It was just under four years ago that the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan passed the draft of the Constitution that was supposed to guide legislative and political goings-on in the area, which has its own parliament and legal system. A public referendum was supposed to be held shortly afterward to ratify the... Read More »Massive fire in Iraqi Kurdistan's Duhok city burns 100 shops DUHOK, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— A massive fire erupted in one of Duhok's bazar (market) that resulted in burning more than 100 commercial shops. Kurdish National Union Party's site, quoting police sources, said that the burning started at 9 p.m. Thursday. The site reported that a number of casualties were declared, but the fire was controlled after five hours. No other details were given. Last month a Fire broke out in Erbil International Hotel aka (Sheraton) without causing casualties. Last February a fire broke out in a building belonging to "Huawei" Chinese company for technology in... Read More »Iraq's deputy PM says to take legal action against Kurdistan crude sales SYDNEY,— Iraq on Friday vowed to take legal action against companies to halt Kurdistan's crude oil sales to Turkey. "Any oil that is taken out of the country and payments not made to the Iraqi people through the central government is considered to be taking Iraq's national wealth," said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Hussain al-Shahristani. "There are a number of means the Iraqi government is considering, and any responsible government would have the same priority to protect the wealth of the people," said the deputy prime minister, who is also an adviser to the prime minister on energy matters... Read More »Kurdistan Region-Iraq News in brief. May 24, 2013 Brazil to open honorary consulate in Kurdistan. Erbil: Kurdistan region premier Nechirvan Barzani discussed with the Brazilian ambassador to Iraq Anwar Nahas bilateral relations and the preparations to open an honorary consulate for Brazil in Erbil, the capital city of Kurdistan. In a governmental statement, the consulate will be able to grant visas to the citizens in the Kurdistan region. Ambassador Nahas pointed out that the best Brazilian companies are present in Kurdistan in fields of construction, which are trying to benefit from the work opportunities in the Kurdish region. It added that the... Read More »Massoud Barzani presses for referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan constitution ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Massoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, recently intensified his efforts to put the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's draft constitution to a referendum. It is clear he is committed to making this happen, regardless of objections by the Kurdish opposition in the Parliament seeking to amend the draft before the referendum. Over the past few days, Barzani has held meetings and discussions in his headquarters in Erbil with Kurdish political parties, with the exception of the opposition powers: the Movement for Change, the Kurdistan Islamic... Read More »Iraqi Kurdish director Hiner Saleem developing epic Middle East love story CANNES, France,— Iraqi-Kurdish director Hiner Saleem is in Cannes with Un Certain Regard title My Sweet Pepperland. Iraqi-Kurdish filmmaker Hiner Saleem has revealed he is developing an epic love story spanning two decades and the Middle East. The director is currently in Cannes with My Sweet Pepperland, about a local police chief and teacher who challenge a drugs baron in the remote Kurdish Khwakork border area, which screened in Un Certain Regard on Wednesday. 'It will be a fresco of the Middle East revolving around a love story unfolding over the last two decades in the region... Read More »Former editor of Kurdish Azadiya Welat newspaper sentenced to ten years in prison in Turkey DIYARBAKIR, Turkey's Kurdish region,— Diyarbakir 8th High Criminal Court has sentenced former editor in chief of Kurdish daily Azadiya Welat, İbrahim Güvenç, to ten years three months and 22 days in prison for allegedly spreading propaganda on the sixth issue of the daily. Güvenç was also served with a pecuniary penalty of 16,500 TL. Azadiya Welat's current editor in chief, Aydın Atar, is also being tried by Diyarbakır 8th High Criminal Court on the grounds of spreading propaganda for an illegal organization. Atar's trial is still going on. In August 2012, a court in the southeastern Kurdish... Read More »Kurdistan Region-Iraq News in brief. May 23, 2013 Iran calls the shots on PUK leadership issue. Slêmanî: Iran has proposed a temporary leadership council for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in the absence of its ailing leader Jalal Talabani, and has preconditions for approving the party's number two as Iraq's president, officials said. The PUK, the partner of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), has been without a leader since Talabani – who is also Iraq's president -- suffered a critical stroke in December and was flown to Germany. Since then, five senior PUK delegations have visited Iran... Read More »Red lines and lack of action – how the bigger picture in Syria is overlooked Bashdar Ismaeel: With the death toll from the Syrian crisis rapidly surpassing 80,000, over 4 million displaced Syrians forced to live in poor conditions and the human catastrophe deepening on a daily basis, the continued discussions in America and Europe about the trespassing of "red lines" and what action should follow is an insult to the suffering of the Syrian people. When will the conflict be considered a crisis worthy of firm action? When the whole region is embroiled in the conflict, when the death toll surpasses 100,000 or even 200,000 or when most of Syria lies in rubble? The point is... Read More »New Turkish oil venture signals growing clout of Kurdistan By Bashdar Ismaeel: As the Middle Eastern socio-political landscape has unraveled in recent years, it has transformed the one-time frosty relations between the Iraqi Kurds and Turkey into one of the most important alliances in the region. The Arab Spring and the rapidly changing power makeup of the Middle East may have played a key part, but money and the power of economy have echoed louder. Trade between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey is reaching unprecedented heights, none more so than in the field of energy. The booming economy of Kurdistan is underpinned by its status as... Read More »Iraqi Kurdistan crude sales to rise as exports reach second Turkish port LONDON,— Iraqi Kurdistan's crude oil sales to world markets, deemed illegal by Baghdad, are set to rise by nearly 50 percent next month as trucks start deliveries to a second export terminal in Turkey, industry sources in the region said on Wednesday. Crude exports from the Taq Taq oilfield in the autonomous Kurdistan region to Turkey's Mersin port started at a trickle in early January and have risen to just over 40,000 barrels per day (bpd). They are expected to hit around 60,000 bpd by the end of June as trucks unload at the neighbouring Dortyol terminal in southern Turkey. Oil lies at the heart... Read More »Turkey to sign oil, gas deals with Iraqi Kurdistan ANKARA,— Turkey is looking to sign commercial contracts this year with Russian and U.S. companies operating in Iraqi Kurdistan for joint oil and gas exploration, Turkey's Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told Reuters. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan last week discussed U.S. concerns about Turkey's deepening energy ties with Iraqi Kurdistan during meetings in Washington with President Barack Obama. Minutes before his departure for Washington, Erdogan announced that a Turkish company already had a contract in place with U.S. energy company Exxon Mobil but declined to provide details until... Read More »Kurdistan's Barzani warns Syrian Kurdish PYD party over its policy ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Iraqi Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani has warned the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), for declaring itself as the representative of the Kurdish population in Syrian Kurdistan (Western Kurdistan), a move that is likely to deepen tension that has escalated between Barzani's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the PYD in recent days. "No one can declare itself the representative of Kurdish people in Syria before elections are held. We will not permit such initiatives. If they [PYD]... Read More »Iraq's Kurdistan announces plans for second oil pipeline to Turkey ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Iraq's Kurdistan Region intends to build a second pipeline for oil exports to Turkey, following Ankara's agreement with US oil giant ExxonMobil for joint oil exploration in the autonomous enclave, an oil official in Erbil said. Ali Balo, oil advisor in the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said that the pipeline would daily export 500,000 barrels of heavy crude – requiring special buyers – from oil fields in the districts of Akre, Shekhan and Bardarash. He said that would be in addition to another oil pipeline into Turkey, with a daily capacity of... Read More »Syrian-Iraqi Kurdistan border arrests reveal disunity, conflict among Syrian Kurds Syrian Kurdistan, - Tensions erupted again between rival Kurdish parties in Syria supported by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) of Turkey and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Iraq on Saturday, May 18, when the security forces of the PKK-affiliated Democratic Union Party (PYD) arrested 74 members of the KDP-supported Democratic Party of Syria. The 74 members reportedly underwent training in the camps controlled by the KDP in Iraq, before sneaking into Syria from Iraq. After the arrest, the KDP reportedly closed down the parts of the border near the Tigris River at the Faysh... Read More »Tensions rise as Massoud Barzani closes Syrian-Iraqi Kurdistan border ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Massoud Barzani reacted to the detention of 75 members of the Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), who were close to him, by the Democratic Union Party (PYD). When the PYD, known as the PKK's [Kurdistan Workers Party] Syrian extension, did not release the detainees by nightfall, Barzani closed the Iraqi-Syrian border. According to reports, Barzani has ordered some special units of his Peshmerga forces to the Derik region on the Syrian border. Tensions rose after the PYD, which... Read More » | ||||
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Monday, May 27, 2013
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