The photo which became the symbol for the 1988's chemical attack on Halabja. A father tries to protect his child but they both die from the attack.
I had a little chat with Mister Ghost over the current issues the other day, but I couldn't resist talking about the "unrealistic Kurdish demands" here.
If you remember the beginning of this blog, I was shouting for "guarantees" that could give Kurds the hope that another massacre like the one which happened today, 17 years ago, will not happen again.
After the Iraqi elections, the Kurdish political groups have come up with these guarantees :
1. The end of Arabisation in Kirkuk and the return of Kirkuk to Kurdistan.
2. Approving of the Peshmarga forces as the federal forces of the Kurdistan government because they are the secret of our peace.
3. Allocate %25 of Iraq's natural resources to the Kurdistan government (Kurdistan is making up %25 of Iraq).
4. Islam shall not be the primary law in Iraq but it can be one of the sources.
Soon after declaring these demands, the Iraqis from all different backgrounds, the Baathiests, the Sunnis, the Shitt'es, the Sistanists, the Saddamists, (you name it) , said these are unrealistic demands.
Kurds also call these demands "unrealistic". We agree. These demands shouldn't be our demands. We have to demand independence at this stage. Enough is enough. The Kurdish leaders, should warn USA, Britain, and the UN that if these "guarantees" weren't meant, we will declare independence.
The unrealistic demands the Iraqis are talking about is called "guarantees". The demands that Kurds should make now is "independence". It is very clear that the Iraqis are trying to force us back to pre-1991 era where their army was busy in Kurdistan.
We have come to a stage where we have a peaceful modern, some-how democratic institution. We are protecting our institution ourselves , we are not ready to go backward. But the Iraqis are forcing us to go backward.
Well I am sorry but no one in Kurdistan is ready to go backward, not just in Kurdistan, tell me which normal person in this world is ready to go backward ?!
The Iraqis are asking for the impossible. We have gone to a stage where we have been independent for the last 14 years. There is no power on this Earth taking that from us. We feel very strong about it.
Many US/British/etc Commanders come to Kurdistan and say "Why on Earth you have a peaceful region, where just kilometers away from you, a sea of blood is rising?""
We tell them, our Peshmargas. They are not militia, they are organised Police, Security Forces, Intelligence Officers, but because they face-death to protect us, we call them "Peshmerga". (those who face death).
My blessings for the victims of Halabja, and all the martyrs of freedom in this world.
