7/31/2004
Iraqi Interior Minister : Kurds are free to choose their own separate state
The Iraqi Interior Minister stated that Kurds are free in deciding to separate from Iraqi state. "We shall honour their demand," he said. "But such a scenario is not emerging. However, they are still free to make such a decision," the Iraqi Foreign Minister Falah Al-Naqib stated in an interview to the London-based Arabic daily, Asharq al-Awsat, on Thursday.
About secession of Kurdistan, Al-Naqib said, "The Kurdish people rule themselves under an independent administration. If they choose no to be part of the Iraqi nation, we respect that decision. We do not impose living together on them and we do not want to be their opponent." He also added that oppressing a people that wish to have an independent state is not one of their options. [Link]
This is what I call, the new positive signs that a democratic Iraq would emerge. I don't know whether they are acting or not, but the new Iraqi figures, especially the UN-US selected president and the Interior Minister and some more, have proven that they really work hard for democracy.
If you impose your wills on people, like the Americans and the Kurdish-view of axis of evil (Syria-Turkey-Iran) , you won't get anything and you won't solve anything.
The Bush administrations kept repeating "We will not allow an independent Kurdistan, even if it was in a democratic way"...This is to comfort their follow partners Turkey, and its tails, Iran & Syria.
But comments like the Iraqi Interior Minister's ones, actually helps to solve the current tensions. This guy says "OK you are free to have your own state, but if you want more fun, we could work out something from Iraq, building a new European style country, but at the end of the day, it is your choice"..
In return, this makes Kurds think "hmmm it is nice to have a state of your own, something to call home, but if you could have that, and in the same time, have access to the sea, and be part of a bigger European style country in the Middle East, hmmmm build a new democracy on a federation style, hmmmmm why not give it a try ?!"
10 out of 10 to the Iraqi Interior Minister.
HealingIraq has just restarted blogging. I was thinking that Iraq's wounds are too deep that it can't heal , and they are getting deeper and deeper by day, but Zeyad's new post gives new hopes.
Also, in an interview with the Kurdish weekly ASO , the selected Iraqi president has said that they are working to change the current Iraqi flag. He says that he wants the flag to be changed in a democratic way, not like the one in April, which was chosen without anyone's notice.
