What the Iraqi government has for Kurds ? Talk & Talk and more talks, and more empty promises...

Since the establishment of the Iraqi state by the Britons in 1921, and the forced annexing of Kurdistan to Iraq, the Iraqi government officials have promised, and promised, and promised Kurds that they will be given their guaranteed self-determination-rights in Iraq.

They promised in 1921, 1931, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1983, 2003 and finally 2004.

We have heard recently a few good positive comments from the Iraqi officials in the last few weeks. But if we compare these comments to the previous promises which was given to Kurds we see no difference.

So why we should believe in something, that we have heard for over and over for almost 84 years ?

First of all, the Iraqi officials come to the Kurdistani areas which has no trouble at all, and promise us that we will not lose our self-rule. While they go to the areas where we have problem and promise that we don't get anything.

The Iraqi Minister of Immigration and Nationality, has recently said that Arab settlers who were brought to change the demographics of Kirkuk by Saddam Hussein will not go back to their original homes in southern Iraq.

Arabisation campaign was a programmed ethnic-cleansing which has its harsh consequences in the international courts. But has Saddam Hussein being charged with ethnic-cleansing ? No.

We hear the Iraqi officials, from time to time saying "Kirkuk is a smaller Iraq" . Now most of the Kurdish refugees who now live in tents under this killing heat, while their Arab brothers enjoy their houses in Kirkuk.
Kirkuk is not a smaller Iraq. If the Iraqi officials want to solve the Kirkuk issue before it explodes, they could call it "A smaller Kurdistan".

For almost a year all the Human Rights organisations and the Kurdish communities and parties are demanding the CPA to solve the Kirkuk issue.

What the CPA and the American Admin Paul Bremer did was to set up a few courts, ONLY one or two in Kirkuk, to resolve almost 250 000 cases.
Imagine if a cout takes one week to solve one issue, that would be about 250 000 weeks. Perhaps in year 3000 the issue of Kirkuk will be solved. (without appeals).

''If these property disputes are not addressed as a matter of urgency, rising tensions between returning Kurds and Arab settlers could soon explode into open violence'', said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of HRW's Middle East and North Africa division.

The report notes that the U.S.-led CPA essentially failed to address any of these issues or to implement a strategy to resolve claims. (from the same report).

Nothing has been done in Kirkuk. The Kurdish refugees are getting very very impatient. They have been living in tents for ages, some since the 1960s. They can't take it anymore. They have been waiting for about 2 years, and nothing has been done.
If the Iraqi president or anyone else tries to calm them down by telling them "patience is virtue", I would suggest that they would come and live in one of these tents for ONLY 24 hours under this heat, with no electricity or water, or a proper W.C. Then they will realise that impatience is really virtue.