DATE=4/2/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43013
TITLE=KURDS COMPARE THEIR PROBLEM TO KOSOVO
BYLINE=NEJLA SAMMAKIA
DATELINE= WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE IMAGES OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ETHNIC ALBANIAN
REFUGEES POURING FROM YUGOSLAVIA INTO NEIGHBORING MACEDONIA AND
ALBANIA HAS AWOKEN MEMORIES AMONG IRAQI KURDS HERE. AS WITH THE
KOSOVARS, THE COLUMNS OF KURDISH REFUGEES FLEEING IRAQI PRESIDENT
SADDAM HUSSEIN'S BRUTAL REPRESSION IN 1991 DREW INTERNATIONAL
SYMPATHY AND HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE. BUT, NEJLA SAMMAKIA
REPORTS PROMINENT IRAQI KURDISH LEADERS SAY THEIR PEOPLE WANT
MORE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.
TEXT: IRAQI KURDISH LEADERS SAY THERE ARE STRONG SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN THE PLIGHT OF THEIR PEOPLE, CONCENTRATED IN NORTHERN
IRAQ, AND THAT OF THE ETHNIC ALBANIANS IN KOSOVO. BOTH ARE
ETHNIC MINORITIES WHO HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES BY
THEIR CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS. THE BRUTAL PERSECUTION OF BOTH HAS
TRIGGERED WESTERN AIR RAIDS AGAINST THEIR GOVERNMENTS. NATO
ALLIES ARE BOMBING YUGOSLAV TARGETS, AND THE UNITED STATES AND
BRITAIN HAVE BEEN ATTACKING IRAQI AIR DEFENSE SYSTEMS OVER THE
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN IRAQI NO-FLY ZONE.
HOSHYAR ZEBARI IS THE WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KURDISTAN
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, OR K-D-P. HE SAYS RECENT TELEVISION IMAGES
HAVE JOLTED HIS MEMORY.
// ZEBARI ACT//
THE IMAGES OF KOSOVARS LEAVING TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
ARE REMINISCENT OF THE KURDS IN 1991 AFTER THE GULF WAR
WHO FLED TO TURKEY IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. TO
IRAN AND NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES. IT NEEDED AN
INTERNATIONAL EFFORT BY THE ALLIED FORCE TO RESETTLE
THESE PEOPLE, TO ESTABLISH A SAFE HAVEN FOR THE KURDS IN
NORTHERN IRAQ IN ORDER TO BE PROTECTED.
//END ACT//
THE KURDISH POPULATION IS SPREAD OUT OVER TURKEY, IRAQ, IRAN AND
SYRIA. THOSE IN TURKEY AND IRAQ HAVE BEEN VOCAL IN DEMANDING
AUTONOMY OR CULTURAL RIGHTS, AND HAVE COME UNDER VARYING DEGREES
OF REPRESSION.
MR ZEBARI OF THE K-D-P HE SEES LITTLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
YUGOSLAV AND IRAQI LEADERSHIP.
//ZEBARI ACT//
IF WE LOOK AT THE POWER STRUCTURE, BOTH COUNTRIES ARE
DOMINATED BY AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES, WITH STRONG
NATIONALIST FLAVOR. BOTH COUNTRIES ARE MULTI-ETHNIC
COUNTRIES BUT THE RULERS OF THESE COUNTRIES WANT TO
SUPPRESS THE MINORITIES TO FORM A UNITARY STATE BY
FORCE, WITH CONCEDING VERY LITTLE ON AUTONOMY OR
DEVOLUTION AND SO ON.
//END ACT//
MR. ZEBARI BELONGS TO ONE OF THE TWO MAJOR IRAQI KURDISH GROUPS.
THE OTHER IS THE PATRIOTIC UNION OF KURDISTAN, OR P-U-K. ITS
WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVE, BARHAM SALIH, SAYS THAT UNLIKE THE
KOSOVAR SITUATION, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ENGAGEMENT WITH
THE KURDISH ISSUE REMAINS ON A HUMANITARIAN LEVEL AND LACKS A
POLITICAL DIMENSION. HE SAYS HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE STRONGER
SUPPORT TO ENSURE THAT THE KURDISH PEOPLE CAN LIVE PERMANENTLY IN
A MORE SECURE ENVIRONMENT.
// SALIH ACT //
I'M HEARTENED AND ENCOURAGED TO SEE THE WESTERN POWERS
ADAMANT ABOUT A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT FOR THE PLIGHT OF
THE KOSOVARS BASED ON RECOGNITION AND RESPECT FOR THEIR
NATIONAL IDENTITY AND THEIR RIGHT TO GOVERN THEIR
AFFAIRS. I HOPE THAT THAT KOSOVO PRECEDENCE WILL BE OF
RELEVANCE TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ENGAGEMENT
WITH THE PLIGHT OF THE KURDISH PEOPLE IN IRAQ.
//END ACT//
ANOTHER KURDISH ORGANIZATION SEES THINGS DIFFERENTLY. THE
AMERICAN KURDISH INFORMATION NETWORK, RUN BY KANI XULAM (PRON.
ZULAM), SAYS THERE IS A DOUBLE STANDARD IN THE NATO ATTITUDE
ABOUT THE KOSOVARS AND THE KURDS. HE SAYS HE WANTS NATO TO SPEAK
UP FOR THE RIGHTS OF BOTH THE ETHNIC ALBANIANS AND THE KURDISH
MINORITY IN TURKEY.
//XULAM ACT//
TURKEY, NOW A PART OF THE NATO FORCE, WITH ELEVEN OF ITS
F-15 FIGHTER PLANES BOMBING SERBIA, HAS THE SAME HUMAN
RIGHTS VIOLATIONS GOING ON IN ITS OWN COUNTRY, IN ITS
OWN BACKYARD, SO TO SPEAK. THE KURDS -- A MINIMUM OF 15
TO 20 MILLION PEOPLE -- ARE DENIED THEIR LANGUAGE SINCE
1923, THEY CANNOT RUN THEIR SCHOOLS THEY CANNOT SHAPE
THEIR LIVES. FOR MR CLINTON TO SAY THAT THIS IS WRONG
FOR (YUGOSLAV PRESIDENT) MR MILOSEVIC TO DO AGAINST THE
ALBANIANS OF KOSOVO, HE SHOULD SAY THE SAME THING FOR
THE GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY.
//END ACT//
THE KURDS OF TURKEY HAVE BEEN CLAMORING FOR CULTURAL RIGHTS. AND
A NUMBER OF THEIR POLITICAL LEADERS HAVE BEEN JAILED. SOME HAVE
TAKEN UP ARMS AND JOINED THE KURDISH WORKERS PARTY, OR P-K-K,
WHOSE LEADER, ABDULLAH OCALAN, WAS ARRESTED IN FEBRUARY AND FACES
TREASON CHARGES. (SIGNED)
NEB/NS/GE
02-Apr-99 2:50 PM EST (1950 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
