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Pushed by the Iraqi Turcoman Front (ITF), Turkey requested the US Army yesterday to suspend its raid onto Talaa'far and the US Army rejected the request. The Iraqis were surprised with the Turkish request because throughout 14 months of recurrent US raids on terrorists strongholds in the cities of Najaf, Kut, Baghdad, Basra, Baquba, Falluja and other places using various heavy weapons, Turkey did not express any concern. People say Turkey does not care for the bloodshed in Iraq and it has its own interests in Iraq. The ITF appealed to Turkish intervention claiming there was no terrorists in Talaa'far and the town was targeted because of its Turcoman majority.
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Scores of people staged unplanned demonstrations in Kirkuk Saturday 9/11 commemorating the 43rd anniversary of launching the Aylul [September] Revolution for the Kurdish rights. The jubilant demonstrators chanted slogans hailing the KDP and raised photos of its leader Massoud Barzani, who rejected, days ago, any compromise over the Kurdistani identity of Kirkuk even if it required resuming fighting and recalling that the party founder Mustafa Barzani sacrificed the Aylul revolution for the sake of Kirkuk.
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A number of US military commanders and the Mayor of Smelan town north of Soran inaugurated a primary school that the US Army 133rd Battalion constructed in Brayati village in 3 months. Lots of cloths and gifts were distributed to children in the same ceremony. The same battalion constructed a bridge linking two quarters in Soran. High-ranking KDP officials and US military commanders attended yesterday's inauguration ceremony.
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South Korean international Aide Agency (KOICA) will support the KRG Ministry of Industry and Energy. The offer came during a meeting in Erbil between the Minister and KOICA's Erbil director.
Kurdistani Nwe, PUK mouthpiece, Sulaymanya 9-10 September 2004
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The KDP and PUK politburos met in Salahuddin to discuss promoting bilateral cooperation and coordination, as well as Iraq and Kurdistan status quo and the issues of Kirkuk, Khanaqeen, Sinjar and other Arabized areas of Kurdistan. The two parties hailed the Kirkuk Governorate Municipal Council's (KGMC's) endeavors for the return of IDPs. The meeting participants supported Khanaqeen people's stand against the Governor of Dyala who wants to revive the Arabization policy and consequently disturb the area's stability. The two politburos considered the persistent violence and terrorism targeting the Kurds in Mosul a stab at Kurdish-Arabic fraternity in the governorate. They urged Mosul Kurds to collaborate with other ethnicities and religions to foil this conspiracy. On the right of the Kurds from Kurdish areas outside current Kurdistan Region boundaries to participate in the Kurdistan National Assembly elections, the two parties decided to discuss the matter with the relevant parties in the federal Government [in Baghdad] to preserve their rights.
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In Ranya district north west Sulaymanya, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spending $3,365,000 on a umber of projects, including ongoing construction of a 65-room administrative compound for the service departments, a 2-story building for the court house and 7 residential units for the civil servants, 6 residential apartments for distribution over 72 families upon completion and two road construction projects, in addition to financing 350 self-build housing units.
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Pirmam Demining Organization, local NGO, cleared 4 plots of land from mines and UXOs (total area 186,046 M2) in Qarahanjeer area east of Kirkuk and handed them over to their owners. MAG international NGO also cleared two plots of land in the same region (total area 67,131 M2).
On Khanaqeen Meeting:
From Kurdistani Nwe daily, PUK Mouthpiece
Talabani's representative to a meeting with Dyala Governor:
No Arab Settler Allowed to Come Back, The Remaining Ones Must Leave Also
Wednesday afternoon 8 September the Governor of Dyala Abdullah Al-Jubouri and a delegation compromising Dyala police chief, mayors of Saa'diya and Jalawla districts, representatives of the multi-national forces (MNF) in Dyala and Khanaqeen, representatives of the Arabs who were settled in Khanaqeen and Jalawla visited Khanaqeen for a meeting with Comrade Mala Bakhtyar, the PUK leader Jalal Talabani's representative and Muhsin Ali, the PUK chief of the PUK office in Khanaqeen, as well as Khanaqeen's Mayor, representatives of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Garmyan Branch, Kurdistan Social Democratic Party (KSDP) and members of Khanaqeen Municipal Council.
Governor Abdullah Al-Jubouri, who has been in a futile effort to bring back the 54,000 Arab settlers kicked out of Khanaqeen since he assumed his post, started the meeting by putting forward three requests: First, bring back the 54,000 Arab settlers who have been kicked out of Khanaqeen and its neighbourhood since the regime fall in 10 April 2003; Second, Withdrawing the [KRG] security apparatus from Khanaqeen, Jalawla and Saa'diya and Mandali cities and; Third, withdrawing the judges whom the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) appointed in those cities. The governor insisted on fulfilling all his three demands.
Comrade Talabani's representative strongly opposed the Governor's unjust demands and said: "The Baa'th regime implemented a Baa'thist chauvinist policy in Khanaqeen and the cities around it for 35 years. The regime has settled more than 54,000 Arab settlers, according to the Governor's confession, in the city since 1970. We the Kurds have been evicted from these cities since 35 years. Our house have been looted and orchards confiscated and given to Arabs for more than 35 years. We've been fighting since 35 years to end this suppression. We've paid a river-full of our blood to eliminate Arabization and now HIS EXCELLANCY the Governor comes and requests us to bring back the Arab settlers whom Saddam's regime settled on the land and houses of our people. This is something that the PUK will never accept. It is impossible to allow even one Arab settler to come back to Khanaqeen. This is a national and historical responsibility and we'll never agree on the Governor's requests by any means. Furthermore, Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) does not entitle you to bring back Arab settles onto Kurdish land and houses. The Article holds you responsible to bring back the displaced Kurds to their places of origin. This is the PUK's, Talabani's and the KRG's view"
After that the KDP representative expressed his agreement to the PUK stand in a short statement saying: "As long as there is one Kurd remaining in this city, we will not allow the return of Arab settlers. We will not allow anyone to impose the Baa'th black days on us again." Then the PUK Khanaqeen Office chief Mr. Ali exposed the chauvinist policies through showing some documents from the Baa'th era and compared them to the Dyala Governor's current stand. Mr. Ali bewared the attendants of the reality of the Baa'th party doctrine for the eradication of Kurds. The KSDP representative also expressed the same strong position.
Dr. Jinan, who represents the Turcomans at Khanaqeen Municipal council, said; "The politicians all made their statements. Apart from that, I thought his Excellency the Governor had come to stay with us for two-three days and get acquaintance with our problems from close but I found out that Dr. Abdullah Al-Jubouri considered himself representing the Arabs only and he came to forcefully impose on us the Arab settlers once again. We Khanaqeen people, Kurds, Turcomans and genuine Arabs, will not allow the return of even one of the Arab settlers, who were until recently Saddam's tools. The Kurds from Kurdistan Region came and brought reconstruction and salaries for the civil servants. They warmly embraced us. I don't know, Your Excellency Mr. Governor, what have you done for us throughout more than a year?"
The insistence of the PUK, other Kurdistan political parties and Khanaqeen people obliged the Governor to change his tone. In a begging tone, he requested to settle those [54,000] Arabs within Saa'diya district boundaries. Comrade Talabani's representative denied the request saying no Arab settler will be allowed to settle north of Hamreen Mountain. The Governor then suggested to allow some of the Arab [settlers] you satisfied with to dwell in the villages. Comrade Bakhtyar rejected the Governor's last request also and threatened to withdraw from the meting if he insisted on discussing the Arab settlers' issue.
Seeing this strong stand from Talabani's representative, the Governor asked to stop debating on this issue and shifting to the other two points on the agenda.
The second discussion point was withdrawal of the [KRG] security forces from the area. Comrade Bakhtyar said: ``These forces were brought upon your request to protect and preserve the security of the cities. You now that Khanaqeen and the towns around it are the most secure places in Dyala governorate. Furthermore, Kurdistan interior ministry and the multi-National Forces (MNF) are engaged in talks over this issue.''
After that Dyala police chief admitted that the security department cooperated with them very much and there was no problems between them. This was in contradiction to the claims of the Governor, who was saying the [KRG] security department was creating problems in eth cities.
On the third issue, Comrade Bakhtyar said: ``The judiciary apparatus is an independent one. Neither the Governor, nor me, nor anyone else have to say anything about it. The Iraqi Justice Ministry is in charge of this apparatus.''
Thus, the Governor's chauvinist endeavours annulled and he returned empty-handed.
As the meeting was ending, the MNF commander expressed his happiness for the democratic resolution of the matters and said: ``We have not come to interfere in the issues. We just came to help you resolve them.'' The MNF Commander's statement further discouraged the Governor because he was counting on their support very much. After the meeting, the MNF Commander told Talabani's representative: ``You deserved your message clearly.''
After the meeting conclusion, a press conference was held and the
Central Media Bureau on the Khanaqeen Meeting:
No Retreat on Confronting Arabization and Eliminating All Its Consequences
On yesterday's meeting between the Governor of Dyala and the directors of governmental departments in Khanaqeen, Jalawla and Saa'diya and Mandali towns, during which representatives of all Kurdistani political parties and Comrade Mala Bakhtyar as Talabani's representative also attended, the PUK Central Media Bureau (CMB) Chief Comrade Azad Jindyani stated to the media: We are all aware of eth outcomes of the Khanaqeen meeting and how the Kurds univocally stand against the policy that the Dyala Governor is slyly implementing to bring back Arabization.
Comrade Jindyani stated to the PUK media outlets that prior to his visit to Italy via Turkey, Comrade Talabani had chaired at his Qalachwalan HQ a politburo meeting during which the attendants debated on the [Arabization] threat and reached a conclusion tat the policy that the Governor wants to silently implement targets not only Khanaqeen, but also other Arabized areas of Kurdistan and the purpose was hindering the current Iraqi Government's duties of implementing Article 58 of the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) and making Arabization persistent state and implement it in other forms in Kurdistan once again.
He also stated that the Politburo strongly rejected this policy and that Comrade Talabani and the politburo members tasked Comrade Bakhtyar to attend the meeting with the Governor and convey the views of all social, cultural and political forces of Kurdistan to Dyala Governor and through him to all those who retreat from implementing Article 58 of the TAL and sneakily leave the Arabization intact or bring it back, and also to relay a message that our Kurdish people will not compromise on the Arabization issue.
Comrade Jindyani added: The news of the meeting [outcome] was quite pleasant. It is a new stage of field and direct confrontation with the threats of Arabization and its return. He also explained that if the issues of Arabization confrontation were dealt with through newspapers and magazines articles and raising slogans until yesterday, our people has started, since yesterday, the new stage of direct confrontation wit the efforts that are being exerted to bring back Arabization. He also said: ``We the PUK declare that Comrade Bakhtyar attended the meeting as Comrade Talabani's representative to inform the Dyala Governor, and through him all those who think like him, of the Kurdish people's straight and explicit view. This is real path of struggle not only for Khanaqeen, but also for the issues of Kirkuk, Sinjar and all other Kurdistan areas that were Arabized in the past.
Comrade CMB Director pointed out that the PUK was fully committed to implement Article 58 of the TAL and the party was for a complete implementation of it. He also said the Khanaqeen meeting clearly indicated that many threats would surface in the area in case of not implementing Article 58 and that the Kurds would have their explicit say on such a threat without bearing responsibility for any consequences resulting form not implementing the Article or against its future outcomes.
Answering a question on the impacts of the return of settler families to Khanaqeen, Comrade Azad Jindyani said: Of course it is not only changing the de facto situation, but everything will change. The issue is the return of a policy that is against the will of Kurdistan people. Arabization was an attempt to milt Kurdish ethnicity. He also said that the return of even one settler family to these areas means the return of the Arabization policy and its characteristics. Our people and Comrade Talabani will not accept such a policy neither in Khanaqeen, nor in Kirkuk nor in any another places. He also confirmed that there would be no retreat from confronting the Arabization policy and complete elimination of all its consequences.
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NB: This is not an official document. The information contained therein was compiled by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Information Office. If you have any questions/suggestions, please contact us at (+ 962 550 -4631/4703 or Cell. + 962 77 619 731 jarrar@un.org <mailto:jarrar@un.org> or alsokhni@un.org <mailto:alsokhni@un.org>
