KURDS: ARMENIANS WIN, WE PAY THE PRICE
By Falah Mustafa Bakir

Washington Post
/needtoknow/2007/10/kurds_armenians_win_we_pay_the .html
Oct 15 2007

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is asking his country’s parliament this
week to unanimously approve a "mobilization" against the Kurdistan
Worker’s Party (PKK), an action that he and other Turkish leaders
have signaled could include a Turkish military attack on the Kurdistan
Region of Iraq. Such an attack would represent the gravest challenge
to Iraq since our liberation from Saddam Hussein in 2003 and would
jeopardize, perhaps fatally, the success of the American mission
in Iraq.

The Kurdistan Region is Iraq’s safest and most secure. But we may
soon pay a heavy price for the actions of the PKK in Turkey, and for
a House Foreign Affairs Committee vote about Armenia in the U.S. –
neither of which have anything to do with the Kurds of Iraq or the
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG.)

The KRG seeks no conflict with Turkey. Quite the opposite: the KRG
considers friendly relations with Turkey its top priority. We consider
the Turkish people as close friends and neighbors with whom we have
much in common. Turkish trade and investment has been instrumental to
our region’s economic growth. We are interested in pursuing stronger
ties through direct dialogue with Ankara on any and all issues of
common interest. Any problems or disagreements should be solved
through diplomacy and dialogue, not threats of military force.

We condemn the killing of innocent people and we do not believe that
violence ever solves problems. The KRG has supported U.S. mediation
efforts with Iraq and Turkey about the PKK, and has encouraged efforts
toward a comprehensive political solution to the problem of the PKK,
which cannot be solved solely through military means.

The KRG does not and will not support the de-stabilization of Turkey
or any of our neighbors. We respect and practice the principle of
noninterference in the affairs of others, and expect the same in
return. In that context, the Iranian intimidation and shelling of
villages and towns along our eastern border must also stop. As with
Turkey, we seek no confrontation with Iran. Since 1991, we have
proven to Turkey, Iran and all of Iraq’s neighbors that the Kurds
are a stabilizing factor in Iraq and the Middle East.

The stakes could not be higher for Iraq, and for the peace and
prosperity of the Kurdistan Region, which has proven itself the
model and gateway for a new Iraq. The Kurds are America’s most
loyal and trusted allies in pursuit of an independent, democratic and
federal Iraq. The current crisis on our borders comes at an especially
inopportune and sensitive time with regard to on-going efforts in Iraq
toward national reconciliation. This is very much a work in progress,
but there is progress.

There is an emerging consensus among Iraqi politicians about
federalism, which is Iraq’s constitutionally mandated form of
government. KRG President Masoud Barzani has called for a conference
in Erbil among Iraq’s political leaders to discuss how to implement
a federal system of governance in our country. The diversity of Iraqi
society is a source of strength, not division. Federalism has worked
around the world – in the United States, the United Arab Emirates,
and in many other countries. It should be seen as the solution,
rather than the problem, for the deep governance challenges in Iraq.

Federalism is not "partition," as some have misrepresented it. We
appreciate those in the U.S. Senate who understand and have recognized
the reality of a federal Iraq through an amendment to the U.S. Defense
Authorization bill.

Some neighboring countries see the shadow of independence falling
across all that we do in the Kurdistan Region. When the Iraqi
constitution was drafted four years ago, the Kurdistan Region’s
leadership made a firm decision to remain part of Iraq. Despite the
national tragedy that has befallen much of the rest of Iraq, we remain
committed to that course of action today. We believe today that our
future is best secured by becoming an active participant in a federal,
democratic and secular Iraq.

Falah Mustafa Bakir is the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations,
with Ministerial rank, in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.