Turkish media: Three PKK fighters killed in protracted gunfight

Sulaimaniyah, June 28 (AKnews) – Three Kurdish rebel fighters were killed in clashes with Turkish forces backed by helicopters, Turkish media sources reported today.

Turkish News Agency, Cihan, said the three Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants were killed in a gunfight that lasted for hours in Tunceli city in Dersim region.

The PKK's media official Roj Wilat confirmed that clashes broke out between PKK and Turkish forces, but did not give details of casualties.

"The military operations and bombardments of the Turkish army in the border territories continue" said Wilat, "the Turkish army continues to attack the PKK guerrillas"

Formerly a peaceful group made up of students, the PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 to fight for an independent state for the country's Kurds.


Around 45,000 people have died in the war against the Turkish military so far, many of them civilians.

Last week, the PKK set two conditions for the Turkish state in order to extend a ceasefire it had unilaterally declared: inclusion of jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in the resolution of the Kurdish Issue, and a public pledge from the country's leaders to end military operations against the outlawed party and commit to peaceful reconciliation.

The PKK has declared 8 unilateral ceasefires over the years in favor of finding peaceful means to resolve the issue,  but the Turkish state - which along with the US and the EU lists the organization as a "terrorist group - has officially refused to enter into negotiations with them.

By Raber Y. Aziz, with contributions from Dilshad Saifaddin.
RY/PS

28/06/2011 21:47

 

PKK refutes "declaration of war"

Erbil, June 22 (AKnews) - Turkey's outlawed armed group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) refuted responsibility for an improvised explosive device explosion that killed two Turkish policemen in Dersim on Wednesday - described by Turkish Interior Minister as declaration of war by the PKK, .

The bombing in Dersim city, which Turkish media sources said was a remotely detonated bomb attached to a police vehicle, comes just days after the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan called on the group to extend a ceasefire they had announced earlier this year.

PKK foreign relations official Ahmed Deniz told AKnews that "We are not aware of the explosion in Dersim today, and we do not know who has carried out the attack"

Deniz refused to give further comments "since i am not aware of this act"

Following the attack Wednesday, Turkish Interior Minister Osman Gunes accused the PKK of being behind the attack which he described as a "declaration of war"

'The bombing was simultaneous with the PKK ceasefire.. doesa ceasefire mean to place bombs here and there to kill members of the Turkish security forces?" the Turkish news agency Dogan quoted Gunes as saying.

Turkish authorities often accuse the PKK for armed attacks inside the country.

PKK has waged a bloody war against the Turkish state for almost three decades that has claimed around 45,000 people many of them civilians.

On Monday, the PKK said in a statement carried by Firat news agency, a news agency close to the PKK, that PKK would extend a ceasefire on two conditions: the inclusion of jailed PKK leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in the resolution of the Kurdish Issue, and a public pledge from the country's leaders to end military operations against the outlawed party and commit to a peaceful reconciliation.

The PKK has declared 8 unilateral ceasefires over the years in favor of finding peaceful means to resolve the issue,  but the Turkish state - which along with the US and the EU lists the organization as a "terrorist group - has officially refused to enter into negotiations with them.

Writing by Raber Y. Aziz, reporting by Dilshad Saifaddin (AKnews)

22/06/2011 19:58

 

US forces barred from Basra province

Basra, June 22 (AKnews) – Basra provincial council has ordered a ban on US forces entry into the province in a show of no support for a US forces stay extension in the country beyond the 2011 deadline. 

According to the provincial decree which was passed by the council with a vote of 26 members out of 36, no US troops ill be allowed to enter Basra province.

"The provincial council called on the US forces to evacuate the Basra Airport" Basra provincial council media official Hashim Luaibi told AKnews, "To fill the gaps in the face of armed groups who continue to attack the airport because of the presence of the US forces"

The US forces use Basra airport for their military base in the province. Last week, a US helicopter killed one person and injured two whom they described as insurgents trying to fire missiles at the US base.

An Iraqi lawmaker told AKnews that it was civilians who were targeted by the US helicopter not insurgents.

The local government in Basra has also called on the US forces to compensate victims of their military operations, according to Luaibi.

Luaibi did not make clear whether the decision had anything to do with the recent US helicopter attack in Basra or a call by Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr who called on all Iraqi provincial councils in late May to prevent the US forces from entering their provinces.

Al-Sadr is famous for his continuous resistance to the US presence in Iraq. His movement's military wing Mahdi Army waged a deadly war against the US forces and Iraqi army in 2004 following closure of his newspaper and attempts to arrest him.

Al-Sadr's followers accuse the US of committing "crimes" against the Iraqi people while stealing the wealth of the country.

Head of the Ahrar Bloc in the Basra provincial council, part of al-Sadr's bloc, Mazen al-Mazeni told AKnews that the decision came after the bloc persistently pressed on the council for such a move.

"This decision is considered to be a strong blow in the face of the occupying forces following the crimes they committed against the people of Basra" he said, "this will benefit the country"

According to a 2008 security agreement, the US forces have to leave the country by the end of 2011. The US forces currently keep some 45,000 troops in Iraq.

US officials expect from the Iraqi government to request Washington at some point to keep part of the US forces in Iraq after the US troops leave in 2011.

The Iraqi government is expected to disclose its final position regarding those forces in late August.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Baha al-Kadhemi (AKnews)

22/06/2011 20:34

Government official raises US$7 m claim against Baghdad newspaper

Erbil, June 22 (AKnews) - Spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC  has filed a lawsuit against a Baghdad-based daily newspaper al-Mada demanding US$7 million on charges of libel.

Qassim Atta, spokesman of Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) - a security body reporting directly to the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki - has raised the claim against the al-Mada's CEO Fakhri Karim and three other staff members of the daily after it published a series of articles, columns and that criticized the way the security forces and government authorities treated protesters.

Baghdad witnessed protests earlier this month as a 100-day period, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had set for his minister to improve performance, expired. The protesters called on Maliki to leave the country because the performance of the government was poor.

Clashes broke out between the protesters and pro-Maliki demonstrators who were said to have been paid by Maliki to chant pro-Maliki slogans.

Al-Mada newspaper accused the authorities of trying to counter anti-government protests by misleading media coverage. In some of the articles published by the newspaper, Atta has been particularly criticized for releasing in accurate information and contradictory comments.

The lawsuit has been criticized by press freedom groups saying the authorities want to silence the media and restrict press freedom.

An Iraqi press freedom group, Society for Defending Press Freedom (SDPF), said in a statement the lawsuit was "unreasonable" and aimed at restricting press freedom by "muzzling the media"

Al-Mada newspaper chief editor Ali al-Hussein said they had received on Monday the official writ from the court indicating that Atta had demanding a compensation of 8 billion Iraqi Dinars (about US$7 million)

"The association considers that the insistence of government officials to exploit the articles of criminal defamation, inherited from the previous era (former Iraqi regime) to raise unfair and illogical lawsuits against journalists and media," the statement read.

The groups went on to say the lawsuit does not only threaten press freedom "gained after 2003 but revokes it especially since such articles prevent criticizing any government employee"

SDPF called on the federal court to scrap those articles in the journalism law that have been "inherited" from the former they "contradict the constitution especially that the article 13 of the constitution clearly states that no legal provision can be implemented that does not comply with the constitution"

By Raber Y. Aziz (AKnews)

22/06/2011 18:42

Imprisoned, abuse and almost drowned: one Kurd's tale of migration

Erbil, June 21 (Aknews) - It was August, 2008, when Shamal Mohamed, a young disabled Kurd from Erbil, decided he no longer wanted to stay in his native Kurdistan and resolved to make his way to Europe. He had no hope of entering legitimately and so would have to enlist the help of a smuggler.

For Shamal, it had long been his dream to live in those distant and prosperous lands. One of his brothers had already made it to Britain and many of his cousins and relatives were living abroad. Perhaps they could help him achieve his goal. After all, he was just another Kurdish man who wanted to ride the wave of immigration to Europe.

His journey would be made all the more difficult by the fact that both of his legs hardly function and he can't walk or even stand without his crutches.

He set off by traveling to Turkey legally using his passport. He tried to cross into Greece through dangerous routes and aided by smugglers.

"We set out in a 4-meter long boat with 16 crammed people in it. But the weather was very bad that night, so we had to turn back. As we reached the Turkish coast Turkish authorities raided our place, they [the other migrants] all ran away, but I couldn't run because of my legs."

He was detained and deported to Kurdistan. Not deterred, he tried again, but was once more captured and sent back to his homeland. Still determined to make it through he tried three more times but was repelled and pushed back into Turkey.

Shamal had to spend one week in a Turkish jail. He suffered verbal abuse due to his being a migrant – but others were treated worse, he says, he was spared the harshest treatement due to his disability.

He was only freed after he identified himself as a Palestinian because "they wouldn't deport Palestinians, they would release them inside Turkey and give them an allotted time to leave the county by."

"I was caught up in Istanbul for three months in hiding, because the trafficker lied to us. He would constantly say tomorrow or the day after tomorrow we will set out, that's how he kept us there."

On his sixth attempt he once again attempted to get across by boat. The tiny boat that was carrying him through the treacherous waters wasn't up to the task.

"The boat began to sink. I had a life vest, so I quickly took it out and started filling it with air. But I couldn't completely fill it because the boat was sinking fast so I put it on anyway."

Luckily the Greek coastguard was scrambled and came to their aid, scooping Shamal out of the water and saving his life. He was carried by them to the Greek shore, the shore of Europe. But his troubles weren't over yet.

In a bid to make it to Germany he had to pass through several other countries, all of whom had no interest in allowing him in. He sometimes had to use extreme measures to cross the borders. To get into Italy "I hung under a truck, next to the gas tank. I stayed there for hours and hours before we made it to Italy."

In France, he had to sleep in a toilet because he had no place to stay and was running out of money to complete his journey.

After months of struggle he made it to Kiel in Germany, in doing so he spent $10,000. A sum that could have been used to establish a decent business in Kurdistan. But Shamal was one of the lucky ones. Others didn't make it through in one piece. "I met one Kurdish family from Zakho, on the Turkish border, who later made it to Germany who had lost their baby on the journey."

During the 1990s, Kurdistan was undergoing major political and economic upheavals due to the sanctions imposed on Iraq, and the civil war that tore through the region. Thousands of Kurds started to immigrate to Europe as well as countries like Australia, Canada and the U.S.

These people were lured by the stories of successful immigrants who sent bucket loads of dollars and pounds to their families in Kurdistan, and deceived by the smugglers' tales of how easy it was to reach these countries paved with gold, and how getting asylum there was even easier.

What they were not told was that the journey was a long and perilous one, with the possibility of getting robed, beaten or jailed, or in some cases dying on the road.

Now that Shamal is in Germany with a permanent resident status, he looks back on his days in Kurdistan with nostalgia. "I miss my parents, whom I love so much, and my friends. I love my country and my homeland very much."

"Kurdistan will always stay my country." But he cannot even come back to visit Kurdistan because he has been waiting for a German citizenship and he does not have the Iraqi documents anymore. "I dumped it into the water when I was crossing into Greece."

By Raber Y. Aziz
RA/PS

21/06/2011 21:05

Iraqi refugees detained in Malaysia await deportation

21/06/2011 13:35 Sulaimaniyah, June 21 (AKnews) - About 500 Iraqi refugees - mostly Kurds - currently detained in one of Malaysia's refugee camps, are expected to be forcibly deported soon, says a refugee activist group.

The refugees have been waiting in the Malaysian camp to be resettled in Australia, but have been refused refugee status unless they register with the UNCHR and claim asylum legally, according to the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR).

"According to our reports, Australia has signed a protocol with Malaysia to forcibly deport the 500 refugees by boat to Baghdad," said IFIR secretary Amanj Abdullah.

Malaysia is currently home to 93,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNHCR, among them are 710 Iraqis.

"Australia has announced it will not take refugees who come from a country where there is no political conflict," Abdullah told AKnews. If implemented, Malaysia joins UK, Norway, Sweden and Finland who have been sending back mainly Kurdish refugees in recent years.  The IFIR has warned that some 70 Kurds from the UK are expected to be deported today.

Thousands of Iraqis fled the sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007 before the warring parties finally laid down arms to engage in the political process in 2008. The beginning of the Kurdish migration, however, goes a little further back to the 1990s when the former Iraqi regime waged a murderous campaign against the Kurds . Now, with a relative restoration of order, Iraq has been declared a non conflict zone by former asylum-granting countries.

Refugee Swap Deal

Australia announced in early May that it had reached an agreement with the Malaysian government whereby Australia would send some 800 refugees currently held in its detention centers, to Malaysian camps for their applications to be processed. In return, Australia would take 4,000 refugees registered by the UNHCR.

The Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard hailed the deal as a solution to the people-smuggling trade, by rendering "nugatory what people smugglers try to sell".

Kurdish migration to Australia has exploded in recent years. According to STATT Consulting, a Hong Kong-based global NGO working on transnational issues, over 1,000 Kurdish refugees have arrived in Australia by boat since 2009.

The explosion in migration came alongside government change in migration policies. In 2007-2008, when controls were much tighter, only 4 Kurdish refugees made it to Australia. In 2009, however, 139 Kurds arrived on Australian territories as the government's policy on illegal immigrants softened. The figure reached its peak in 2010 when over 800 Kurdish immigrants arrived in Australia by boat.

During the first three months of 2011, over 340 Kurds illegally arrived in the country forcing the Gillard administration to tighten procedures on illegal immigration and put an end to the flow of immigrants.

Since the government of Australia announced the new refugee swap deal with Malaysia in May, the number of illegal Kurdish immigrants reaching the country dropped to almost zero.

The UNHCR, which had harshly criticized the deal when it was announced by the Australian government, has now backed off, saying the Australian government has made significant changes after the Australian Immigration Minister, Chris Bown, said earlier this month that decisions on unaccompanied minors would be made on a case by case basis.

"These are extremely important protection principles for the UNHCR, which we continue to discuss with both governments," UNHCR said in a statement on Sunday.

By Raber Y. Aziz, contribution by Dilshad Saifaddin

Baghdad awaits arrival of 70 deported Kurdish refugees from Britain

Erbil, June 18 (AKnews) – The UK government is planning to deport some 70 Kurdish refugees – due to arrive in Baghdad this week - amid criticism from refugee groups.

The deportations come as refugee groups have warned that the lives of the refugees will be put at risk by sending them back to Iraq where they had fled violence and life threats.

"On June 21, 70 Kurdish refugees will be forcibly deported from Britain to Baghdad airport," Dashti Jamal, secretary of the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR) told AKnews.

On Wednesday the UK government deported some 16 Kurdish refugees who landed in Baghdad airport. According to the IFIR, some 250 Iraqi refugees mainly Kurds have been deported from Europe this year, and some 700 others are awaiting the same fate.

IFIR's Kurdistan-based official Amanj Abdullah has said the Iraqi government signed a deal with European countries wanting to deport Iraqis in return for dropping Iraqi debts. Other countries that started forced deportations via Baghdad in 2005 are Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Some 5,000 to 6,000 Iraqi refugees, most of them Kurds, have been deported from Europe since 2005, according to IFIR figures.

In May, Swedish ambassador to Iraq Karl Magnus denied claims of a behind-the-curtains deal between Sweden and Iraq to deport Iraqis in return for loans being dropped. He did not, however, deny the deportations.

"What is circulated in the media about a deal… to deport Iraqis is not true," Ambassador Magnus told AKnews, adding that, "we reject asylum only to Kurds because the Kurdistan Region is enjoying security and economic stability therefore Kurdish Iraqi citizens do not need asylum in our country."

A UK Border Agency spokesman, however, said to the BBC in August 2010: "Currently we have an agreement with the government of Iraq to return all Iraqi citizens to Baghdad".

"Deported Refugees Exposed to Danger"

A statement posted on the website of the National Coalition of Anti Deportation Campaigns, a refugee group, says that many of those who have been deported to Iraq are now living in hiding, in fear of persecution because "most of them are from the disputed areas" and had originally fled from the violence there.

The disputed areas are those territorially contested between the regional government of Kurdistan and Baghdad. Many of the insurgent groups like al-Qaeda, the Islamic State of Iraq, and Naqishbandi group are active in these volatile regions.

 "This number includes women and children as well. Three of those refugees to be deported have gone on a hunger strike and have not eaten anything for the past three days," the IFIR secretary said.

On June 24, some 24 Iraqi refugees, most of them Kurds, in Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, UK, went on strike as the UK government said it was preparing to send them back to Iraq.

Among the 70 Kurds to be deported is a young Kurdish man from Iraq's volatile province of Dyala, Adam Aziz, who has been living in the UK for almost four years with his partner Joanne. They were planning to marry before authorities caught up with him to announce his deportation.

UNHCR has voiced concerns regarding the forced deportations to Iraq on several occasions. In January, the UNHCR's Melissa Fleming said "Our position reflects the volatile security situation and the still high level of prevailing violence, security incidents, and human rights violations taking place in these parts of Iraq."

"UNHCR considers that serious – including indiscriminate – threats to life, physical integrity or freedom resulting from violence or events seriously disturbing public order are valid reasons for international protection" she said.

Iraq's Immigration Minister Dindar Doski, a Kurd, told AKnews that Iraq cannot do anything to press the UK government to stop deporting Iraqi refugees, "because those countries are independent countries with their own laws and do not care what we want."

"To be forcibly deported to Iraq these refugees must have been refused asylum by the countries." Doski said.

Doski suggested that the refugees with failed asylum cases should take advantage of the financial support given by the UK government to those voluntarily returning.

"After the refugees refuse to return to their own countries or leave the host country, the country's authorities will forcibly deport them to Iraq and they will also lose the financial assistance which is up to US$15,000 because they do not leave the country normally."

By Raber Y. Aziz, additional reporting by Fryad Mohammed (AKnews)

18/06/2011 22:10

Turkey: Ocalan extends PKK ceasefire

Erbil, June 18 (Aknews) – The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, has ordered the extension a ceasefire he declared nearly a year ago to give the Turkish authorities another chance to engage in talks to come up with a solution to the country's Kurdish issue, reports Turkish newspaper the Sabah daily.

Ocalan's lawyers said their client has called for an extension of the ceasefire despite his threat in May to resume the armed conflict with the Turkish state if the Turkish authorities did not agree to enter talks with the PKK.

The paper quotes Ocalan's lawyers as saying the leader is continuing talks with state officials to reach a solution to the Kurdish issue through "a democratic constitution"

The PKK was formed in South-east Turkey by Abdullah Ocalan in 1978.

Formerly a peaceful group made up of students, the PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.

The group has been fighting for greater political and cultural rights for Turkey's 20 million Kurds for nearly three decades.

Around 45,000 people have died in the war against the Turkish military so far, many of them civilians.

Ocalan was arrested in Nairobi in 1999 and is still imprisoned under Turkish custody on the remote Imrali Island.

Since this time, the PKK's struggle has been continued on the political arena

Turkey has officially refused to negotiate with the PKK which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the U.S.

PKK spokesman Ahmet Deniz told AKnews last week that the PKK was waiting for the orders of their leader as to whether they would extend their ceasefire or not.

The PKK has declared 8 unilateral ceasefires over the years in favor of finding peaceful means to resolve the issue,  but the Turkish state - which along with the US and the EU lists the organization as a "terrorist group - has officially refused to enter into negotiations with them.

Ocalan, along with other pro-Kurdish groups, have been calling for reforms to the Turkish constitution that recognize their Kurdish identity, give them the right to education in their mother tongue and provide them with 'democratic autonomy'- a form of self-rule.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan who's party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured him a second term in office (the AKP's 3rd consecutive term), in the June 12 elections, has promised to write a new constitution.

However, having won 326 seats in the 550-member parliament, the AKP fell short of the 367 seat quota to be able to unilaterally draft a new constitution. Erdogan will now need the backing of other parties for the purpose including the Kurds who secured 36 seats.

The Kurds have repeatedly announced that they will not give their vote to a rewritten constitution that fails to address their demands.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reporting by Abdulqadir al-Wandawi

Ka/AKnews

Wedding massacre gang sentenced to death

Baghdad, June 16 (AKnews) – 15 of the 34 perpetrators of what has become known as the Dujail wedding massacre have been sentenced to death by hanging by Iraq's criminal court, the Judicial Council said.

Judicial Council spokesman Abdulsalam al-Bairaqdar told AKnews that the criminal court sentenced to death 15 of the insurgents found guilty of the crime including leader -  "the terrorist Firas al-Jubbouri" -  under the terror law.

The death sentences come after Iraqi President Jalal Talabani - who has always refused to sign death warrants on moral grounds - authorized his deputy, Khudair al-Khuzaie, to sign them in his place.

Talabani is well-known for his objection to capital penalty - he famously refused to sign the warrant for the hanging of Saddam Hussein, who was responsible for the murder of thousands of his fellow Kurds and against whom he led a guerrilla war.

The President's decision to give his deputy signatory rights came after intense pressure from the political blocs and the Iraqi public to bring the perpetrators of "terror" crimes against the population to justice.

On Friday, hundreds of protestors took to the streets of Baghdad calling for the execution of Firas al-Jubbouri and his accomplices.

The worst attack the al-Qaeda affiliated group had carried out was the systematic killing of a wedding party celebrating the marriage of a Shiite man and a Sunni woman in the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, before disposing of their bodies in the Tigris river.

The murders came as confessional violence was raging throughout Iraq, with tens of thousands having died in 2006 and 2007 as a result of the brutal sectarian war.

Police said the insurgents first detonated a bomb across the road the party was travelling along, so as to force them to travel along a side street.

They separated the women, the men, and the children and raped all the women, then hung massive weights around the necks of the 15 children, who were aged between two and 12 years old, and threw them in the river to drown, according to police accounts.

The new bride was raped in front of her husband, and all the men in the wedding party were made to stand along a bridge crossing the river, with each receiving a single gunshot to the back of their head and their bodies being flung into the water with the force of the bullet.

The bride was slashed in the chest and left to bleed to death.

Baghdad witnessed demonstrations of hundreds on Friday who called for the execution of the perpetrators of the Dujail massacre.

"The council will wait for 30 days until the period of appeal is over and then the court order to execute the 15 men by hanging will be passed to the presidency of Iraq for approval," Al-Bairaqdar said.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Jafar al-Wannan, edited by Karl Allen (AKnews)

Syria’s Kurds want Assad out, says Kurdish leader

Erbil, June 16 (AKnews) – As the anti-government protest gain momentum, Syria's Kurds are now calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down says a prominent Kurdish party chief – a change from their previous demand of political reforms.

Kurdish Democratic Union (KDU) leader Salih Muslim said that Syria's Kurds have been calling for political and cultural rights over the past four decades – but now it's time for Assad to go.

"The demonstrations and protests in Syria continue and the demands of Kurds have gone higher as they are now calling on the Baath to leave so that the Kurds alongside the Arabs like two nations can coexist in Syria and the rights of Kurds be secured," he said.

Since March 15, nation-wide protests against the 40-year Baathist rule in Syria have continued despite a bloody crackdown by the Syrian authorities.

International human rights groups say that more than 1,300 people have been killed to date, and over 10,000 arbitrarily arrested.

Under the Baath party rule, hundreds of thousands of Syrian Kurds were stripped of their Syrian citizenship.

Against the backdrop of the snowballing public protests against his regime, the Syrian President recently pledged to re-issue Syrian nationality documents for around 300,000 of the country's Kurds.

Observers believe that Assad's promise was to deter the country's two to three million Kurds from adding fuel to the uprising.

Muslim told AKnews that the current regime in Syria had to change; the Kurds must be given their identity documents, be allowed to join the political process and be accorded a voice in reforming the constitution.

The Baath party has unilaterally ruled Syria for four decades during which time any form of political opposition has been outlawed.

The Kurds have been one of the fiercest opponents of the Syrian regime since the Baath Party took power nearly half a century ago. Headed by Bashar al-Assad's father, Hafez, in 1963, the Baathists imposed an emergency law that effectively suspended most constitutional protection for citizens.

 "Even abroad, apart from the members of the Kurdish parties, there is nobody to identify themselves as opposition except for some intellectuals and writers who defy the Syrian regime through their writings," Muslim said.

After "the fall" of the Syrian regime, the Kurds must participate in the country's political process from the presidency to the provincial councils, the Kurdish politician continued, "And they need to have their own Kurdish identity and live in a Kurdish region."

There are no accurate statistics on the numbers of Kurds in Syria, but unofficial figures suggest there are between two and three million, accounting for 10-17% of the country's population.

Written BY Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Karzan Karim, edited by Karl Allen (AKnews)

16/06/2011 11:00

PKK hails Turkish poll “great victory” for Kurds

Erbil, June 13 (AKnews) – A spokesman for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said on Monday that the Kurds, represented by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), achieved a "great victory" in Turkey's election by increasing their representation in parliament.

The PKK's foreign relations officer, Ahmet Deniz, said that the BDP will now present a real opposition to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan, who secured a third term in power.

Independent candidates, representing the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast, polled 5.9% of the national vote (36 seats), failing however to assure a seat in the National Assembly which under the Turkish electoral system, requires a minimum 10% vote.

The AKP fell short of its 330 seat target in Sunday's poll which would have allowed the AKP to unilaterally re-write the Turkish constitution, the 49.9% victory affords the party 326 seats in the 550-seat house.

The Republican People's Party (CHP), the main opposition, bagged 25.9% of the votes - 135 seats – while the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) came away with 13% which gives them 53 seats.

"The BDP's victory is great, because there were big challenges facing them and they were under pressure," said Deniz, "the state cooperated with all parties except the BDP, yet the BDP was able to secure 36 seats for its 43 candidates, thus raising Kurdish representation in parliament."

"Now the task of BDP is even greater. They have to focus on two points; changing the Turkish constitution and finding a solution to the Kurdish issue in the country".

Deniz said the Turkish state needs to change its constitution - long criticized by the country's Kurds for failing to recognize their cultural and political rights - because it is not democratic.

The Kurds want the new Turkish constitution to recognize a form of 'democratic autonomy' in the predominantly Kurdish southeast as well as addressing wider issues such as the recognition of a 'Kurdish identity' or the right to education in the Kurdish language.

"The Kurdish issue is a constitutional one that needs to be addressed. Not resolving it will bring about big complications," Deniz said.

In his victory speech, Erdogan was quick to evoke the question of replacing the constitution introduced under martial law in 1982.

"We will discuss the new constitution with opposition parties. This new constitution will meet peace and justice demands," he declared.

Erdogan's opponents say however that the AKP wants to re-write the constitution in order to reinforce its hold on power, and that the Prime Minister is seeking to afford the country's presidency - a post they accuse him of coveting - more executive powers.

The PKK was formed in South-east Turkey by Abdullah Ocalan in 1978.
Formerly a peaceful group made up of students, the PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.
The group has been fighting for greater political and cultural rights for Turkey's 20 million Kurds for nearly three decades.

Around 40,000 people have died in the war against the Turkish military so far, many of them civilians.

Ocalan was arrested in Nairobi in 1999 and is still imprisoned under Turkish custody on the remote Imrali Island.

Since this time, the PKK's struggle has been continued on the political arena

Turkey has officially refused to negotiate with the PKK which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and the U.S.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Sarbaz Salih

Ka/AKnews

Barzani "concerned" about feuding bloc leaders

Erbil, June 13(AKnews) – Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani is said to be concerned about Iraq's political process and has called on rivaling political blocs to settle their disputes through dialogue.

Presidential office head, Fuad Hussein, said Barzani was particularly worried about the ongoing row between the two major political blocs led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and former interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Tensions between the two leaders came to a head on Friday when a group of pro-Maliki demonstrators, calling for the execution of the perpetrators of the al-Dujail wedding massacre, clashed with anti-Maliki protesters in Baghdad.

Maliki's supporters were allegedly paid by the government to chant pro-Maliki slogans.

The two groups eventually clashed and Maliki's supporters ripped and burned Allawi's photos and struck them with their shoes, a highly disrespectful gesture in Arab Culture.

Yesterday the al-Iraqiya bloc expressed outrage at the burning of photos of its leader with spokesman Shaker Kattab describing the act as "unacceptable".

The Sunni-backed al-Iraqiya list then announced yesterday its boycott of parliamentary sessions following a brawl between the list's spokesman and a leader in the State of Law Coalition (SLC) led by Prime Minister Maliki.

The scuffle is said to have broken out when a leader from the State of Law (SLC), Kamal al-Saadi, allegedly hit al-Iraqiya spokesman, Haider al-Mulla, with his walking stick.

Hussein said these tensions pose a serious threat to the political process and the country's security.

Al-Iraqiya, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, narrowly beat Maliki's State of Law Coalition in the March 2010 elections but Maliki controversially overcame Allawi's list by forming a super-bloc, the National Coalition (NC), with the Sadrist Current after the results of the poll were announced.

Following a nine-month political impasse with both leaders refusing to relinquish claim to the country's leadership, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani stepped in with a model for a national unity government and a power-sharing deal.

Under the agreements signed in Erbil, Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani – a Kurd – were to retain their offices for a second term, while al-Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi, who secured a narrow majority of votes in the elections, would head a new executive body called the National Council for Strategic Policies (NCSP) as an attempt to maintain balance.

With the NCSP still un-formed six months after the Erbil accord was signed, the al-Iraqiya list has several times threatened to withdraw from the partnership government, accusing Maliki of monopolizing power and failing to implement all terms of the deal.

This view was also shared by the Kurds. MP Mahmoud Othman accused the government of failing to honor the prerequisite demands of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC), submitted to the feuding political blocs in September 2010.

"None of the 19 demands handed to Maliki have been implemented," Othman said on June 6, "…the most important of which are the application of article 140, the hydrocarbon law and the Peshmarga issue".

Article 140 outlines a three-stage process to resolving the disputes over areas contested by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government in Baghdad.

In recent weeks, a number of Iraqi politicians, most notably from among the leadership of al-Iraqiya, have appealed to President Barzani to intervene once more and oblige the political blocs to adhere to the terms of the Erbil accord.

 "Part of Barzani's initiative has not been implemented," Hussein said, "and it is up to the political blocs to resolve that".

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Fryad Mohammed

Ka/AKnews

Al-Iraqiya outraged by burning of leader’s photo

Baghdad, June 11 (AKnews) – The Sunni-backed al-Iraqiya bloc led by former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi expressed outrage at the burning of Allawi's photos in the pro-government protests in Baghdad on Friday.
 
Al-Iraqiya spokesman Shaker Kattab described the burning of Allawi's photo as "unacceptable", saying that the protesters should abide by an ethical code of conduct concerning their opponents.
 
On Friday, pro-government demonstrators along with supporters of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party, took to the streets after tribal leaders called for the execution of the perpetrators of the al-Dujail incident – a 70-member wedding party that was wiped out by al-Qaeda agents.
 
The demonstration was soon followed by a second rally.

Several hundred protestors took to the streets of Baghdad - at the end of a 100-day period set by Maliki for his cabinet to improve its performance - calling for government officials to step down and criticizing Maliki's performance so far.

The two groups eventually clashed and the Maliki's supporters ripped and burned Allawi's photos and struck them with their shoes, a gesture considered highly disrespectful in Arab Culture.

"The al-Iraqiya list condemns the burning of photos of the list's leader, Ayad Allawi, in the Tahrir Square" said Kattab, "this is unacceptable in the same way as the misconducts and abuses chanted by the protesters against the Prime Minister in the previous demos."

 "The government should have dealt with the protesters by receiving their demands and putting them into a short-term or long-term political program," said Kattab, "we were hoping the protesters would be received and their demands be listened to contrary to what happened which really disappointed us."
 
Written by Raber Y. Aziz, reported by Yazn al-Shammari (AKnews)

Syria: Kurdish activists call for mass Friday protests

Erbil, June 9 (AKnews) - Kurdish activists in Syria are calling on the country's Kurds to take to the streets for what they have dubbed the "Friday of Tribes" – in a show of solidarity with anti-government protestors across the country.

The Syrian protests, calling for an end to the Baath party's 40 year rule, have gained momentum over the past three months despite the government's aggressive and internationally-condemned crackdown.

The Federation of Syrian-Kurdish Youth Movements issued a statement today urging all components of Syria's population; Kurds and Arabs; Christians, Muslims and tribal factions, to stage "massive and effective demonstrations on the Friday of Tribes" in solidarity with "our people in Hamat, Der al-Zur and all other Syrian cities".

"The Baath regime is still dealing with the peaceful popular uprising with unprecedented, indiscriminate cruelty and violence," the statement reads, "with no exceptions being made for women and children".

The statement calls at the same time on the protestors to "be disciplined and committed to national interests".

Rights groups report that around 1,300 people have been killed in the government's crackdown on dissent so far, and more than 10,000 arbitrarily arrested.

Reports from either side are virtually impossible to verify as the government has imposed a ban on all foreign media in Syria.

On Tuesday, three of Syria's 12 Kurdish parties announced that they would join in the protests calling for an end to the despotic rule of the Assad family - the first official instance of Kurdish parties expressing their support for the uprising.

Over the past few weeks, thousands of Kurds in the north east of the country have taken to the streets in protest against the Syrian regime.

Last week, Britain and France submitted a draft bill to the UN's Security Council that strongly condemns the Syrian government's use of violence against the protestors.

Although it is not expected to contain recommendations of military intervention, the draft is believed to be a bid to generate enough support in the 15-member council to prevent major opponents to UN action in Syria - Russia and China - to veto the resolution.
 
Written by Raber Y. Aziz - reported by Abdullah Sabri (AKnews) – edited by Karl Allen

09/06/2011 15:26

Protest inevitable response to "bloated government"

Erbil, June 9 (AKnews) – Iraq is set to be rocked by more mass protests as the "bloated' government adds to its "unmet promises". This is the warning from Erbil based independent think tank, Pird (bridge) Research Centre.

Head of the organization, Abdurrahman Saddiq, pulls no punches in his counsel to the government in Baghdad.

He said today in an interview with AKnews that demonstrations are likely to "explode on the streets" once more in Iraq as the people realize that Nouri al-Maliki's government is based on promises he made to political parties rather than the needs of the country.

Saddiq argues that the prime minister's 43-point program (targets for the next four years, laid out on the formation of the coalition government in December) is nothing but a fiction, and that it will never be implemented.

The Iraqi government is a "lumbering train of a cabinet", said Saddiq, referring to the swollen size of the 42 ministry government. Maliki created numerous posts to "satisfy those parties that he had promised positions to for supporting him in keeping his job"

"It was not because the country needed all those ministries. It should have been an expected consequence that the government would not be quick in decision-making or performing its tasks"

In response to the questions about the likelihood of a new outbreak of protests as a result of the end of the prime minister's 100-day deadline last Tuesday he said "Yes – Maliki has set targets that it is nearly impossible to even hit part of it, let alone all of them"

Maliki was only able to implement a small portion of his 34-point program in his 2006-2010 term, said Saddiq. He pointed to his failure to execute article 140 of the Iraqi constitution - which provides for compensation for Kurds persecuted by Saddam and a referendum of the extension of the Kurdish autonomous region – as a case in point.

Protests broke out in February following disgruntlement with corruption, the lack of basic services and unemployment in the country.

According to Transparency International's 2010 perception of corruption index, Iraq is the world's 4th most corrupt country after Sudan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.

by Raber Y. Aziz, reporting by Sarbaz Salih
RY/PS

09/06/2011 15:26

Kurdish MP accuses Maliki of failing to honor alliance demands of Kurds

Erbil, June 6 (AKnews) - A Kurdish deputy in the Iraqi parliament complained on Monday that the demands of the Kurds, preconditions to the alliance that assured Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office, have still not been met six months after the formation of the government.

MP Mahmoud Othman accused the government of failing to honor the prerequisite demands of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition (KBC), submitted to the feuding political blocs in September 2010.

"None of the 19 demands handed to Maliki have been implemented," Othman said, "…the most important of which are the application of article 140, the hydrocarbon law and the Peshmarga issue".

Article 140 outlines a three-stage process to resolving the disputes over areas contested by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central government in Baghdad.

In addition, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region and Baghdad have long been at odds over oil deals signed between the regional Government and foreign companies to develop and export oil from Iraqi-Kurdistan. Baghdad has declared the Kurdish contracts with foreign companies illegal as they were signed without the consent of federal authorities.

"We were expecting the demands we submitted to Maliki (all but one of which Maliki had approved) to be implemented…There should at least have been talks about the demands or the Iraqi government's plans to implement them," Osman said.

Othman's dissatisfaction with Maliki's government adds fuel to accusations from the al-Iraqiya List currently being aired that Maliki has so far failed to uphold the power-sharing agreements signed between the political blocs in December last year prior to the formation of the government.

Al-Iraqiya, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, narrowly beat Maliki's State of Law Coalition in the March 2010 elections but Maliki controversially overcame Allawi's list by forming a super-bloc, the National Coalition (NC), with the Sadrist Current after the poll.

After a nine-month political impasse with both leaders refusing to relinquish claim to the country's leadership, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani stepped in with a model for a national unity government and a power-sharing deal.

Under the agreements signed in Erbil, Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani – a Kurd – were to retain their offices for a second term, while al-Iraqiya leader Ayad Allawi, who secured a narrow majority of votes in the elections, would head a new executive body called the National Council for Strategic Policies (NCSP) as an attempt to maintain balance.

With the NCSP still un-formed six months after the Erbil accord was signed, the al-Iraqiya list has several times threatened to withdraw from the partnership government, accusing Maliki of monopolizing power and failing to implement all terms of the deal.

"The Iraqi government has not exerted serious efforts," Othman said, "…therefore the Kurdish government must follow up the issue and make sure they (the Kurdish demands) are implemented."

Written by Raber Y. Aziz - Rebin Hasan contributed to this story
 
 

06/06/2011 17:03

Perpetrators of Tikrit attacks arrested

Salahaddin, June 7 (AKnews) - Salahaddin province has announced that five people have been arrested accused of perpetrating a deadly attacked in Tikrit - the birth place of Saddam Hussein - which killed 13 people.

Over four days, some 36 people have been killed in Tikrit city, and over 80 wounded in three separate attacks.

On Monday, a suicide car bomber targeting the presidential palaces in Tikrit, 175 km northwest of Baghdad, blew himself up killing 13 and wounding 15 others, most of them security personnel. Also on Friday, some 23 people were killed and around 70 injured in two further attacks, one on a hospital and another near a mosque.

Following the Monday attack, the director of national security in Salahaddin province stepped down.

"The police forces launched an extensive operation in central Tikrit Monday and were able to arrest 15 people, among them five wanted by the security forces for their involvement in the recent car bombings," Captain Hazem Khalil told AKnews.

The operations were based on "accurate" intelligence information, said Khalil who declined to identify the five detainees, or the group to which they belong.

"The forces transferred the arrested men to interrogate them and refer them to the judiciary," is all he would say.

In April, al-Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) attacked government buildings in Salahaddin province taking all inside hostage. A fight between the security forces and the militants ended with dozens killed in addition to 15 gunmen holding the buildings. Among the victims were a number of members of the provincial council.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz, Mazin Abdullah contributed to this story (AKnews)

07/06/2011 10:29

Iraqi Oil Minister heads to Vienna for OPEC meeting

Baghdad, June 6 (AKnews) - Iraq's Oil Minister Abdulkarim Luaibi has set off for Austria to attend the annual OPEC meeting to discuss international calls for an increase in crude oil production.

The conference will discuss whether its possible to produce enough crude oil to satisfy global demands after exports from Libya ground to a halt due to the uprisings there.

"Iraq's move to raise its output level to 3 million bpd by the end of this year fits with the OPEC plan to develop crude oil production in the world," the Oil Ministry's assistant media official, Murtadha al-Jashaami, told AKnews.

On Sunday, the state-run Iraq Drilling Co. started drill-and-repair work on wells in the Hamrin Mountains, north of Baghdad, for the first time in 21 years, according to the semi-official al-Iraqiya television station.

Al-Iraqiya TV cited Idris Mohsin al-Yasiri, general director of the drilling company, saying they had started work on a total of 72 wells this week.

Iraq Drilling Co. is also expected to drill 12 wells in 2011 and 18 next year, according to al-Yasiri.

Holding the world's fifth-largest oil reserves, Iraq depends on oil for most of its revenue. The government is struggling to raise crude exports and is seeking foreign investors to boost output after three decades of successive conflicts and international sanctions destroyed its infrastructure.

The crude oil business has also suffered in recent years from insurgent attacks.

Since 2003, Iraq has signed 15 gas and oil licenses and is expecting oil output to rise to more than 3 million bpd by the end of this year. Iraq currently produces 2.4 million bpd.
 
Written by Raber Y. Aziz (AKnews) - Jaafar al-Wannan contributed to this story 

06/06/2011 13:47

Turkey: “We will not recognize a constitution that doesn’t recognize the Kurds” says DSC leader

Erbil, June 4 (AKnews) – The leader of a prominent Kurdish party in Turkey has declared that they will not recognize a new constitution for the country if it does not recognize the Kurds.
 
Contest between political parties in Turkey is gaining momentum as the country goes closer to national elections to be held on June 12. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogn promised in mid-April to draft a new constitution and make Turkey one of world's 10 strongest economies by 2023.
 
"We'll start working on a new constitution right away, to support democracy and freedom," Reuters quoted Erdogan as saying during a speech at his AKP headquarters in Ankara without giving details.
 
But for the Kurds, identity and autonomy are more important than any pre-election pledges made by the Turkish political leaders.
 
"We will not recognize a constitution which does not recognize the Kurds in the country and does not accept autonomy," the Firat News Agency – close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) - quoted Ahmed Turk, the head of the Democratic Society Congress (DSC) as saying.
 
"The next elections carry vital importance for the Kurds," said Turk. "We consider it as a referendum for the Kurds".
 
After decades of struggle against Turkey for independence, the Kurds are now calling for a model of self-rule similar to that of the Kurds in northern Iraq.
 
Turk accused on Saturday the Turkish authorities of not responding to their demands for peace. "We offered our hand for peace to the policy-makers in the country, but they refused it."
 
"We are struggling for democracy… and we will struggle until we are offered autonomy," Turk stressed.
 
Even the PKK which has engaged in a deadly war with the Turkish state for three decades, leaving some 45,000 dead, mostly Kurds, is now supporting a model of autonomy with greater political and cultural rights.
 
Prime Minister Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been Turkey's dominant political force since 2002.
 
In 2010, Erdogan's AKP introduced for the first time reforms to the Turkish constitution of 1980 which included an overhaul of the Constitutional Court, changes to the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors, and new limitations on the power of military courts.
 
The reforms were approved by the Turkish parliament in May 2010. But the majority of Kurds boycotted the popular referendum on the reforms on the grounds that it did not contain clear reference to the Kurds as the second largest ethnic group in the country alongside the Turks. Also, the reforms did not contain provisions for the Kurdish language to be used in Kurdish schools.
 
By Raber Y. Aziz, contribution by Abdul-Kadir Wandawi (AKnews)

Syria arrests dissenting Kurds | Politics | AKNEWS.com

Syria arrests dissenting Kurds | Politics | AKNEWS.com