BAKIR: KURDISTAN AS A MODEL FOR IRAQ
Interviewer: Greg Bruno, Staff Writer
Kurdistan Regional Government
smap=02010200&lngnr=12&rnr=73&anr=2087 5
Oct 31 2007
Iraq
The Council on Foreign Relations, a US independent, nonpartisan
membership organisation, think tank and publisher, interviewed Minister
Falah Mustafa Bakir, Director of the Foreign Relations Department of
the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq.
Falah Mustafa Bakir, Director of the Foreign Relations Department
for the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, says his government
favours a political solution to cross-border tensions with Turkey,
but so far, Ankara has "only considered a military operation to
solve this problem." He adds that while Kurds "would like to have an
independent Kurdish state," political realities in Iraq have prompted
Kurdish officials to embrace a federal government strategy to solving
Iraq’s sectarian problems.
Q: Turkey’s parliament has voted on a military plan to allow Turkish
soldiers to conduct cross-border raids against Kurdish rebels in
northern Iraq. How would the Kurdish government respond to such an
act of aggression and, in your view, what’s behind the latest tough
talk from Ankara?
FM Bakir: We believe the best way to solve this problem is through
political dialogue. We understand Turkey’s concerns and we are against
the killing of civilians, but there is no military solution for this
problem. It would be in the interests of both Turkey and the KRG
[Kurdistan Regional Government] for this question to be addressed
politically, and we believe there may now be an opportunity for a
political approach.
So far the Turkish government has only considered a military operation
to solve this problem. But history and experience have proven that you
cannot solve such a problem only through military means. We believe
there is a window of opportunity and the door is still open for an
alternative to a military solution.
Q: The Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has been described as a Kurdish
separatist group. As far as you can tell, what are the aims of the PKK,
and what is your government doing to reign in the separatists?
FM Bakir: In the last few years, the PKK has begun to change its
conduct and it now may be ready for a peaceful approach within
Turkey. Our understanding is that the PKK may be prepared to join the
political process in Turkey, and it is left to the Turkish government
to seize this opportunity for a potential political solution to this
problem. But as far as we are concerned in the Kurdistan Region of
Iraq, we agree on the principle of non-interference in the internal
affairs of Turkey, and we are not ready for the Iraqi Kurdistan region
to be used against Turkey or any of our neighbours. We do not provide
support to any group that wants to create problems for Turkey.
Q: The US Congress recently voted to label the Ottoman Turk killing of
Armenians in 1915 as genocide. The move has clearly angered Ankara,
and could leave the impression that lawmakers in Washington have in
some way turned their backs on the KRG. I was wondering what your
thoughts were on this.
FM Bakir: We do not want to be part of any friction between Turkey
and the United States. We are allies with the United States and we
are neighbours with Turkey – we want to enjoy good relations with
everyone. We did not want Ankara’s reaction to the House resolution
to negatively affect our Region, which is the only safe part of Iraq.
Any military action by Turkey would jeopardise our hard work to
cooperate with our Iraqi colleagues to build a more stable and
prosperous future for all of the Iraqi people.
Q: Shifting gears a bit, Kurdistan and Turkey have been in the news a
bit lately because of growing cross-border tensions. Less heralded,
however, are economic ties between your government and the Turkish
government. What is the status of these economic partnerships?
FM Bakir: Even before the fall of Saddam’s regime, we had encouraged
Turkish companies to come and do business in the Iraqi-Kurdistan
region. We had limited capacity internally and therefore wanted to
reach out to those Turkish companies who have had a good reputation
and good performance and invite them to be active in our Region.
After the fall of the regime, the main construction projects have
been granted to Turkish companies because we believe that both sides
can benefit from these kinds of commercial and business activities.
These ties are growing, not decreasing, and that is very good news.
We want this trend to continue.
Q: What sectors are you seeing the largest growth in?
FM Bakir: Mainly construction – Erbil International Airport,
Suleimaniah Airport, bridges, roads, public buildings – to name a few.
Q: You mentioned in your speech to the United Nations this week that
Kurdistan has experienced "an historic period of economic growth and
expansion." I wonder if you could detail what those expansions are,
and define this historic growth?
FM Bakir: If you go back to the history of the Kurdistan Region under
the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, the infrastructure was
ruined and there was no attention given to the agricultural sector,
industrial, or service sectors. It was after the fall of the regime
that we got the opportunity to expand and institute economic and
investment policies to encourage growth. These policies have provided
an opportunity for the public sector, the private sector and people
who lived abroad to start small businesses. It’s in the housing,
tourism, agricultural and construction sectors, and others, that the
government is trying to build a stronger economic foundation for our
people and for our future. People have started to have hope for the
future and are working together for a better future.
Q: You also mentioned during your speech at the United Nations that
the Kurdistan Region serves as a model for the rest of Iraq. Could
you expand on that?
FM Bakir: Since 1991 we have been free from Saddam Hussein’s control.
The Kurdistan National Assembly, our regional parliament, opted for a
federal solution in 1992 in order to be part of a federal democratic
system in Iraq. We wanted to show the rest of the country that, when
given the opportunity, we are able to administer our own Region and
take care of our own affairs. We have agreed with the rest of the
leadership in Iraq to draft a constitution which states that Iraq is
a federal state, a democratic state, a state that lives in peace with
its own people and its neighbours. Therefore we wanted the stability,
security, and economic activities in Kurdistan to be seen as a gateway
to the rest of Iraq, so that the rest of Iraq could be doing the same
as Kurdistan. We believe that companies established here will move
south when the time is right; Kurdistan is a gateway to the rest of
the country.
Q: You mention the Iraqi constitution and the federal system of
government. Last month the US Senate approved a nonbinding resolution
that urged the furthering of this federal government strategy in
Iraq. But the legislation has been widely criticized by the Shiite
government in Baghdad, Sunni groups and, in fact, the US Embassy. I
wonder what your thoughts are on the resolution?
FM Bakir: We were surprised by that reaction to and criticism of the
nonbinding resolution. We understand what the resolution was asking
for, and it was exactly what is stated in the Iraqi Constitution:
the implementation a federal system in Iraq. After trying a strong
central government, which has proven a failure, the best solution
that we could see that would bring the diverse Iraqi groups together
within a unified country is a federal system of governance. We see
federalism as a solution and not a problem. Federalism means uniting
Iraq and not partitioning Iraq. It’s unfortunate that people have
misrepresented federalism as a problem.
The president of the Kurdistan region, Masoud Barzani, has called
for a conference for all the major Iraqi political parties and
groups to come to Kurdistan and discuss the most appropriate means
of putting a federal system in place that will have the best chance
to bring political stability and progress to Iraq. Again, this is an
example of the Kurdistan Regional Government acting proactively and
constructively to find the best solutions to the problems facing Iraq.
Q: Now there are also those, however, who suggest that Kurdistan’s
favouring of this system is tantamount to favoring separatism. That
seems to be the concern that Turkey has. What are your thoughts on
that characterisation of support for this strategy?
FM Bakir: It’s unfortunate, because we have contributed so positively
to the political progress in Iraq and have given the best that
we can. We have done our best in serving the Iraqi people. But
unfortunately, still that kind of accusation, and that kind of fear,
remains.
We have opted voluntarily to be part of a federal democratic system in
Iraq. So long as Iraq continues to be committed to the constitution, we
will remain part of Iraq. We know very well that it is in our interest
to be part of this country, and we have decided voluntarily to remain
so. We have contributed so much to Iraq, and expect that the rest
of Iraq can return that kind of goodwill and gesture from the KRG,
so that we build together a federal and democratic system that can
give us a situation that allows for power sharing and wealth sharing
within the same country, which is for all Iraqis. Basically, the
foreign, defence and monetary policies would be handled by the federal
government in Baghdad, and the rest would be left to the region.
Q: The oil and gas law passed by the parliament of Kurdistan has been
questioned by many, including the Iraqi oil minister. I wonder if you
could talk on the subject of legality, and how the oil and gas law,
as passed, benefits not just your Region but Iraq as a whole.
FM Bakir: Whatever we have done comes within the constitutional
rights that our Region enjoys. And more importantly, we talk about
revenue sharing. Whatever we do, only 17 percent will come to the KRG
area, while the rest, which is 83 percent, will go to the federal
government in Baghdad. So we are committed to our constitutional
rights, we are committed to the constitution. We are committed to
revenue sharing. But our people have high expectations – they need
services and better opportunities.
We cannot put our future on hold while the rest of the country
stabilises. Therefore we have an opportunity: Kurdistan can serve as
the gateway for investors to come [through] and be a launching pad
or a stepping-stone toward the rest of the country.
Q: As an Iraqi from the Kurdish region of Erbil, do you believe the
Kurdish region deserves its own independent state?
FM Bakir: Every Kurd would like to have an independent Kurdish state.
We are the largest nation in the world without a state. But we
understand the difficulties. We understand the circumstances and the
neighborhood we live in, and therefore there is a difference between
what one wishes to achieve and what can be achieved.
The leadership of the Kurdistan Region is wise enough and there is
enough political maturity in the Region for them to make calculations
that take into consideration all the factors. Therefore they have
opted for a federal, democratic, pluralistic system to be part of
Iraq because they know what’s in the interests of the people. During
the elections, there was a referendum – 97.5 percent of the people
voted for an independent state, but still the political leadership
tried its best to manage the expectations of the people and explain
to the people why it’s in the interests of the KRG to be part of Iraq
and to work within Iraq.