PNA ( 1.Μαy.12) -The President of Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masoud Barzani was officially received by UAE Vice-President Sheikh, Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum in the UAE.
“During the meeting, they reviewed the relations between the UAE and Iraq on one hand and between the UAE and Kurdistan region on the other hand, especially in connection with cultural, trade and investment relations,” the statement added.

President Barzani arrived in Dhabi on Monday evening for a two-day visit .

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org 30 Apr. 2012) – President Masoud Barzani invited senior officials from Baghdad last week to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Iraq and the unresolved disagreements between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal Government.

On Thursday, President Barzani received Mr Muqtada al-Sadr at Erbil International Airport, and in a subsequent meeting, the President reaffirmed the historic relationship between both sides and stressed the need to resolve the current crises through dialogue and other peaceful means - Mr al-Sadr is the head of the Sadrist Movement.

President Barzani held consultations in Erbil throughout the week with various senior officials of the Federal Government, including: Speaker of Parliament and member of the Iraqi National List, Mr Usama al-Nujayfi; leader of the Iraqiya bloc, Dr Ayad Allawi; former Vice President of Iraq and member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Mr Adil Abdul-Mahdi; and the Governor of Ninewa, Mr Atheel Al-Nujaifi.

All sides agreed on the importance of reaching a national and comprehensive plan to ensure that there is meaningful partnership in the Federal Government in Baghdad. They discussed the importance of honouring past political agreements and the need to implement those agreements and adhere to the Iraqi constitution.

Additionally, the participants reaffirmed the need to prioritise the provision and delivery of basic required services for all citizens of Iraq, and this was highlighted as an issue that demands immediate attention.

While they were in the Region, the visitors also attended joint meetings with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, President Barzani, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and the Chief of Staff to President Barzani, Dr Fuad Hussein.

ΒΥ CEMIL TURAN

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) walks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The Syrian people, after the fall of tyrannical regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and the supportive role of the West towards these revolts, considered that it was the right time and appropriate juncture to overthrow their own dictator. The Syrian uprising though has turned into a slaughter that is lasting for months. Hundreds of people are murdered while thousands fled in fear. The number of Syrian refugees has exceeded 26.000. Trying to escape death in their country many of them fall into another death trap in the filled with mines Syrian-Turkish borders.

The international community remains a spectator in the wild killing of these historic people. The issue was “contracted” to Turkey, the government of which remains firm in its view to support the struggle of Syrian people against al-Assad, insisting that he should leave immediately.

Faced with the brutal dictator and the torture of people, the Syrian opposition was united bridging any differences in an effort to redeem its people. In the context of this joint effort, two major international meetings have been organized so far of countries under the heading Friends of Syria. The second meeting, held in Istanbul, was considered particularly successful as was attended by 82 countries and many representatives of international organizations. The aim of this meeting was to ensure global support for Syrian people. The calls of the summit were mainly directed to the Security Council of United Nations: “If it (the council) doesn’t undertake action on allocated tasks to stop the slaughter in Syria then there will be no option for international community other than support the legitimate right of defense of innocent people”.

Turkish PM Erdogan delivered an opening speech at the meeting in which he said among others said that Turkey would not support any plan that would provide for the stay in power of the regime of al-Assad adding that, “Those who are slaughtering innocent lives must not escape punishment”. “I greet once again the Syrian heroes who are giving a superhuman struggle against sophisticated weapons and the merciless attacks in their cities. I want to remind again to our brothers who are struggling for freedom that they are not alone and they will not be abandoned”, stated the Turkish PM. After mentioning that the number of Syrians that have fled to Turkey has reached 20.000, Erdogan pointed that “with Syria we are not only neighbors but we share a common history. In Turkey we do not intend to interfere in the internal affairs of any country. We do not count our interests against any country. We are not trying to benefit from the oppression of any people”

“The message that we will give here today against Syrian government must be clear and unambiguous. There is no way – and we must not – support any plan that would allow this regime, which is torturing its own people, to stay in power. I must point that in case the Syrian regime will not cooperate this would necessitate the Security Council to take its responsibilities and stop the slaughter of Syrian people”.

The Secretary General of the Arab League, Nabil Al Arabi, stated on his part that the acceptance of the Annan plan would not be enough. There should be immediately ceasefire and fulfillment of promises for democratic constitution, human rights and political prisoners.

The head of the National Council of Syria, Bourhan Ghaliun, noted angrily “The regime is terrorizing the people. We ask from the international community to take its responsibilities. We are grateful for all the intentions expressed in this meeting but it is time to put words into practice”.

Prior to the meeting of Friends of Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu made notable statements in which he pointed out that the only mission of the special envoy of United Nations, Kofi Annan was to end the violence and provide humanitarian aid. Davutoglu highlighted that in case this intention of Annan is perceived by the Syrian regime as an opportunity to win more time and continue its violence than Annan and the United Nations should keep a clear stance. He noted that Annan’s proposal is their last chance. This same statement was also made by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Despite intentions in relation to the initiatives of Kofi Annan, the Syrian people were once again disappointed by latest development. The general feeling of Syrian people is that they are being sold, wondering what the UN took in turn so as to sell in such a way the Syrian people. While all international actors support from the outset that Assad must give up power as the other dictators of Arab countries did, the UN envoy Annan begun discussions and negotiations with Assad when arrived in Syria. This action legitimized Assad who suddenly became an exception to the so far line that UN has followed with the other dictators. For example, no one from the UN was sent to talk with Gaddafi.

It sounds absurd that the UN is seeking for solution with Assad considering the massacres to his own people. Compared to Assad the crimes of imprisoned Mubarak look negligible. Although Assad had promised to withdraw military forces from the cities by 10 April, this was not done. Instead, with Annan’s support he has something to gnaw on - time. Even if Assad is forced to remove his military forces, he will still continue his crimes in different ways with arrests, imprisonments, disappearance of people, action from paramilitary organizations etc.

These unexplained diplomatic contacts with Assad gave courage to the Syrian regime which on 9 April, a day before the alleged withdrawal of military forces, chased unarmed civilians who on their panic reached the borders with Turkey. There Assad’s forces started shootings which killed many people and even Turkish citizens. Their targets were the containers filled with refugees.

Erdogan on the other hand is on a visit in China trying amidst developmental issues to make Chinese leadership change its stance of supporting Syrian government. Erdogan followed the same tactic with Russian leadership in the conference on nuclear security held in Seoul. In his statement from Seoul about the incident at the Turkish border and the killing of Turkish citizens, Erdogan said that the Turkey will answer to this death attack. A relative question here is: are international actors ultimately seeking to create a conflict between Turkey and Syria which would save time to Bashar al Assad?

 Budapest, Hungary (KRG.org 11 Apr. 2012) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani, during a three day visit to Budapest this week, met Hungary’s President, Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Economic Minister on an official visit to promote bilateral relations and cooperation.

President Barzani and the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed ways to develop cooperation and investment opportunities in a number of areas, including agriculture, energy, and industry.

Prime Minister Orban talked about his country’s willingness to cooperate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in several fields and he hailed the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region, as well as its investor-friendly business environment. He added that his government would encourage more Hungarian companies to look for opportunities in Kurdistan.

President Barzani said that the KRG wishes to establish strong ties with Hungary, and invited Hungarian firms and investors to explore Kurdistan’s potential.

In a separate meeting with Foreign Minister János Martonyi, President Barzani welcomed the Hungarian government’s interest in opening an honorary consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and described it as an important step towards establishing strong bilateral relations.

The President also discussed methods to enhance bilateral cooperation with the Deputy Speaker of Parliament István Jakab and the Minister of Economy György Matolcsy, specifically talking about the exchange of teams and delegations of technical experts to promote coordination in a variety of sectors, including energy, industry, agriculture, education and more.

During the official visit, President Barzani was accompanied in his meetings by the Iraqi Ambassador to Hungary, Ambassador Qasim Askar, and the delegation met with a number of other Middle Eastern ambassadors posted in Budapest to discuss regional developments and the ongoing situation in Iraq.

The President also met with Hungary’s new President László Kövér during the visit.

President Barzani was accompanied by the Head of the KRG Security Protection Agency, Masrour Barzani; the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein; the Minister of Natural Resources, Dr Ashti Hawrami; the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa; and the Chairman of the Kurdistan Investment Board, Minister Herish Muharam.

 Washington, USA (KRP.org 05 Apr. 2012) - Today the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masoud Barzani was officially received by President Obama and Vice President Biden at the White House.

During their talks, both sides emphasized the necessity of a prolonged and deepened relationship between the United States and the Kurdistan Region within the framework of a democratic, pluralistic and federal Iraq.

The leaders also discussed practical steps towards the continued strengthening of the relationship through maintaining high level meetings and discussions.

Furthermore it was agreed that the United States would broaden the services provided by its consulate in Erbil.

The President and Vice President of the United States reaffirmed their continued commitment to the historic relationship with the people and government of the Kurdistan Region, and their support for an Iraq that adheres to its constitution.

Erbil - Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org 05 Apr. 2012) – The Kurdistan Parliament today approved the new Kurdistan Regional Government cabinet. Incoming Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and his ministers were sworn in to begin their two-year term.

While many of the ministers remain in their previous positions, nine new ministers were sworn into the 7th cabinet.

Announcing the agenda of the new cabinet, Prime Minister Barzani said that Kurdistan needs a collective effort to maintain progress and promote national unity, in spite of individual political and ideological differences. “We must begin a national dialogue to build a consensus on how we can improve our society,” he said.

“We also must have a united front in our negotiations with Baghdad, and at present the mechanism does not exist to create this united view. We must move ahead quickly with the formation of a High Council for Negotiations to oversee these discussions. All parties – government and opposition – must participate in this Council so that we can develop a meaningful consensus among ourselves on how to approach these difficult issues,” he added.

The new Prime Minister went on to describe plans to increase government transparency and to implement a policy to help separate the functions of political parties from the operations of the government as a whole, as well as initiatives to deliver better services to the people of Kurdistan and make better provision for the disadvantaged and poor.

The new cabinet was approved in keeping with the legal timeframe set by President Masoud Barzani’s call to form the new cabinet, on March 7. The members of the 7th Cabinet sworn into posts today are:

Prime Minister - Nechirvan Idris Barzani*

Deputy Prime Minister - Imad Ahmad Sayfour*

Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources - Serwan Baban*

Minister of Culture and Youth - Kawa Mahmoud Shakir

Minister of Education - Asmat Muhamad Khalid*

Minister of Electricity - Yasin Sheikh Abu Bakir Muhammad Mawati

Minister of Endowment & Religious Affairs - Kamil Ali Aziz

Minister of Finance & the Economy - Bayiz Saeed Mohammad Talabani

Minister of Health - Rekawt Hama Rasheed*

Minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research - Ali Saeed*

Minister of Housing and Reconstruction - Kamaran Ahmed Abdullah

Minister of Justice - Sherwan Haidary*

Minister for the Interior - Abdul Karim Sultan Sinjari

Minister of Labour and Social Affairs - Ms Asos Najib Abdullah

Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs - Sabah Ahmed Mohamed (Mamosta Aram)

Minister of Municipalities and Tourism - Dilshad Shahab*

Minister of Natural Resources - Abdullah Abdulrahman Abdullah (Ashti Hawrami)

Minister of Peshmerga Affairs - Jafar Mustafa Ali

Minister of Planning - Ali Sindi

Minister of Trade and Industry - Sinan Abdulkhalq Ahmed Çelebi

Minister of Transport and Communications - Jonson Siyaoosh*

Other senior officials with ministerial rank

President, Divan of the Council of Ministers - Fawzi Franso Toma Hariri

Secretary of the Cabinet - Mohammad Qaradaghi

Head of the Department of Foreign Relations - Falah Mustafa Bakir

Chairman of the Investment Board - Herish Muharam

* Denotes a newly appointed minister.

• Photo gallery of the event

 

Sofia - (KRG.org 01 Apr. 2012) Bulgaria – On an official visit to Sofia, Bulgaria last week, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani held meetings with the country’s leaders to promote bilateral relations and cooperation.
President Barzani met President Rosen Plevneliev and talked about the many cultural and historical similarities that the people of Kurdistan and Bulgaria share.

“Our peoples have much in common. Both our peoples emerged from years of suffering under totalitarian regimes and are now living in freedom. We can learn much from each other and we are prepared to establish strong cooperation with your country,” said President Barzani in his meeting with President Plevneliev.

The Bulgarian President highlighted his country’s recent participation in the liberation of Iraq from Saddam Hussein’s regime, and both sides discussed the development of further economic cooperation between their peoples.

President Barzani thanked the people and government of Bulgaria for their role in freeing the Iraqi people from the former regime, and he extended a formal invitation to the Bulgarian President and Prime Minister to visit the Kurdistan Region.

In a separate meeting, President Barzani and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov discussed ways to develop cooperation and investment opportunities in a number of fields including agriculture, energy, water resources, education, health and tourism.

“We would like to establish a strategic relationship with the Kurdistan Region, and to this end, we are prepared to work with you in a number of areas. We will encourage Bulgarian companies to explore trade and investment opportunities in Kurdistan and through Kurdistan as a gateway, in the rest of Iraq” said Prime Minister Borisov, hailing the stability and economic potential of the Kurdistan Region.

President Barzani said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is equally keen to establish strong ties with Bulgaria and it invites Bulgarian firms and investors to explore opportunities in Kurdistan.

Both sides agreed on the need for follow-up meetings by field experts and further visits between officials from both sides, in order to further explore areas for mutual cooperation.

In a meeting with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov and other officials from the Ministry, Minister Mladenov said that Bulgaria has decided to reopen its embassy in Baghdad and it will also open a consulate in Erbil in 2012 to help strengthen ties.

Several KRG officials joined President Barzani on this important visit, including the General Director of the KRG Security Protection Agency, Masrour Barzani; the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein; the Minister of Natural Resources, Dr Ashti Hawrami; the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa; and the Chairman of the Kurdistan Investment Board, Herish Muharam.

President Barzani’s delegation also met the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva and with a number of other officials and representatives of both public and private institutions.

The President visited the Iraqi Embassy in Sofia to meet with the Iraqi Ambassador and members of the local Kurdish community. He attended a lunch with a number of other ambassadors from the Middle East and discussed the political situation in Iraq and recent developments throughout the region.

The delegation ended its two-day visit to Bulgaria on Friday and travelled on to the United States to meet President Barack Obama and other US officials this week.

 

By CEMIL TURAN

Erdogan has his own Troika committee which consists of three members: deputy prime minister Bulent Arinc, minister of state responsible for economy Ali Babacan and Omer Celik, deputy chairman of AKP. All three enjoy the absolute confidence of Turkey’s Prime Minister as well as that of President Gul, especially the first two.

Bulent Arinc was born in 1948 in Bursa, Turkey. He is a lawyer by profession, graduate of Ankara Law School. During his student years he became actively involved in politics and joined the Islamic faction. In 1995, 45 years old, he was elected Member of Parliament representing the Islamic Welfare Party (RP). Three years later, in 15 February 1998, the Constitutional Court of Turkey banned the RP party with the accusation of violating the constitutional principle of secularism. This didn’t stop Arinc who managed to build a new party in only twelve days, the so called virtue party (F.P). With the FP, Arinc and Gul initiated a movement for renewal but their party was once again banned by the Constitutional Court. The previously initiated renewal movement and under the guidance of Erdogan played a key role in founding the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001.

Since then Arinc has been elected three times MP, in the same region, and became in 2002 President of the Parliament, winning the majority of votes. Arinc is thought to be a bright politician, a polymath who does not mince his words, a quality for which he has been characterized as aggressive. The rightwing, the Grey Wolves and the Kemalist accuse him of being an enemy of Ataturk, against secularism and, by extension, an enemy of the Turkish Kemalist Army.

Lately, Arinc has been the target of aggression following the publication of a book by journalist Nedim Cakmak entitled “Husnuyadis the Vampire” (Hüsnüyadis Hortadi).

The writer citing historical facts, defends that Arinc’s grandfather, Dervish Mehment, was an agent of the British, trained in Crete by Greek soldiers. In 1922, according to Cakmak, islamists murdered a Turkish officer. Arinc’s grandfather was accused for this murder. To avoid punishment he fled in Greece where he remained for many years changing his name to Husuyadis and changed religion to a Christian. Based on this book, Arinc’s political opponents call him a “Traitor’s grandchild” and attribute to his roots his polemic against Kemalism.

Apart from the attacks of the right wing, the deputy PM has caused with his statements the anger of the Kurds. He has expressed the opinion that Kurdish is not the language of a civilization, implying that there is no reason to recognize language educational rights to Kurdish people. This statement surprised and disturbed many as Arinc’s political steps contradict his statement. He seems to be welcoming change in Turkey in favor of a modern and democratic constitution that respects religious freedom and cultural diversity against the Kemalist establishment.

The second in command in the Troika committee is Ali Babacan. Born in 1967 in Ankara he was a top student of the College of Ankara. He graduated from the Polytechnic School of Middle East and in 1990-1992 did his MBA in Northwestern University in the US. While in the US he worked for several companies offering consulting for top executives. In 1994 he turned to Ankara and till 2002 was involved in business finance. In 2001 Babacan became a founding member of AKP and in 2002 became minister of state responsible for economy and deputy prime minister. A key associate of Erdogan he is considered as a successful foreign minister with enviable diplomatic maneuvers. The business world respects and trusts him.

Omer Celik, deputy chairman of AKP and troika member was born in 1968 in Adana, Turkey. He studied public administration and before getting involved in politics worked as a journalist and columnist for several local media. He is an unusual politician for Turkish standards. He drives to the parliament on one of his favorite’s motorcycles Harley and BMW. Motorcycle and expensive clothes are his weakness. His dressing choices is the favorite subject of commentators. Celik seems to enjoy this game. He does not hesitate to provoke with statements such as “Three things in life can lift you off: tobacco, love and motorcycles”. Young in age, he has fresh ideas and is the person to consult on youth issues. Erdogan relies heavily on the dynamic and the fresh air that Celik has brought in his government.

This choice of personalities for the Troika commission proves that Turkish PM wishes and seeks to cooperate with dynamic, modern people, distinct in their field. One of Erdogan’s particulars concerns and guards has been so that his colleagues will not cause any public sentiment with their actions and statements.

*) Cemil Turan is well-known Journalist and Writer

 http://www.balkanspace.org/mat.php?lang=2&idm=204&idr=36

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org 21 Mar. 2012) – In his annual message on the occasion of Newroz, the Kurdish New Year, President Barzani said that power-sharing in Iraq and commitment to the Iraqi Constitution are under threat and that the Kurds will decide their own course of action if these two principles are abandoned.

“Iraq is facing a serious crisis. We have tried our utmost to prevent Iraq from descending into a sectarian conflict and we have consistently avoided taking sides in this conflict. The Kurds have played a pivotal role in bringing about the new Iraq, particularly two years ago when our initiative resulted in the formation of the current government. Had it not been for our role, one can only guess what an unknown fate would have beset Iraq. It is very unfortunate that a small number of people in Baghdad have imposed themselves and monopolized power,” said the President.

He said there are a number of main disputes with the Baghdad government.

“Power-sharing and partnership between Kurds, Sunni and Shiite Arabs, and others is now completely non-existent and has become meaningless. The Iraqi Constitution is constantly violated and the Erbil agreement, which was the basis upon which the current government was formed, has been completely ignored. As soon as they came to power, they disregarded the Constitution, the previous agreements that we had, and the principle of power-sharing.”

On disputes between Erbil and Baghdad, the President said: “The resolution of the status of Kirkuk and other disputed areas has constantly been evaded. We have shown utmost flexibility and patience and here I want to thank our people for their patience. We have opted for a resolution based on legal and constitutional means but others have reneged on their pledges. It is impossible for us to abandon this issue because for us it is extremely significant and more than being a mere matter of principle.”

He said the other main issue is allocation of funds for the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces which the Iraqi government has consistently refused to address, saying, “for the last five or six years funding for Peshmerga forces has been embezzled.”

On the dispute regarding oil and gas exploration and management, the President defended the legality of the oil and gas contracts that the KRG has signed.

“None of the KRG contracts with foreign oil companies is unconstitutional. The main reason behind this dispute with Baghdad is not a question of legality of the contracts; rather it is that they don’t want to see the KRG make progress and stride forward. “

On monopolization of power in Baghdad, the President stated that power is being concentrated in the hands of a few people and others in the political process are being marginalized, including Shiites.

“There is an attempt to establish a one-million strong army whose loyalty is only to a single person. Where in the world can the same person be the prime minister, the chief of staff of the armed forces, the minister of defense, the minister of interior, the chief of intelligence and the head of the national security council. “

The President dismissed statements that the Kurdish-Shiite alliance is close to collapse, saying, “We are committed to our alliance with the Shiites but not with this group of people who have monopolized power and with their policies have even marginalized other Shiites. The Kurds and the followers of Ammar Al-Hakim and Muqtada Al-Sadr have always shown solidarity with each other.”

“It is time to say enough is enough. The current status of affairs in unacceptable to us and I call on all Iraqi political leaders to urgently try and find a solution otherwise we will return to our people and will decide on whatever course of action that our people deem appropriate.”

 Erbil, Kurdistan – Iraq (KRG.org 09 Mar. 2012) – Kurdistan Region’s President Masoud Barzani on Wednesday, 7 March, confirmed Nechirvan Idris Barzani as the new Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and tasked him to form the 7th Cabinet.

This follows the decision on February 17 by the Kurdistan Parliament to nominate Nechirvan Barzani for the post of prime minister and Imad Ahmed Sayfour as his deputy. Following their confirmation by the President, Mr Barzani and Mr Sayfour will have 30 days to form the Cabinet.

Nechirvan Barzani has a long and distinguished career of public service and was prime minister from 1999 to 2006 of the Erbil Administration of the KRG. He became the first prime minister of the unified government when the Erbil and Suleimaniah administrations merged. He served in this post until 2009. Mr Sayfour, also a veteran politician, was the Minister for Construction and Housing from 2006 to 2009 when he served as Deputy Prime Minister for a short time.

Mr Barzani and Mr Sayfour will replace Dr Barham Salih and Azad Barwari who have been in the posts of prime minister and deputy prime minister for two years as part of a coalition agreement between Kurdistan’s two leading parties. According to the agreement, these posts and those of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament will rotate every two years. The Parliament also voted in a new Speaker, Arsalan Bayez, and Deputy Speaker, Hassan Mohammed, last month.