Rights group says "ongoing" genocide against Kurds in Syria

Sulaimaniyah, Dec. 10 (AKnews) – A Kurdish rights group says Syria is carrying out genocide acts against the indigenous Kurds in the country behind a complete media blackout. CHAK or Kurdocide Watch, a Stockholm-based rights watchdog, says it is planning a conference in the Swedish capital on Wednesday to uncover the persecutions of the Kurds of Syria. Rights groups in Syria have warned that violence against the Kurds is increasing and the Stockholm-based watchdog says Syria's Kurdish region "is under ongoing genocide". "Hundreds of thousands of Kurdish individuals in this country (Syria) are not seen as worth even Arab nationality, let alone Kurdish" said Azad Haidery of CHAK, "their children have no schooling rights. More than 50,000 children do shoe shining on the streets" "Unfortunately, the least coverage by the media and European circles has been devoted to the west part of Kurdistan (Syrian Kurdish region), while the persecution of this Kurdish region is no less than the other Kurdish regions in Turkey and Iran, if not greater" Though there are no official statistics to confirm the number of the Kurds in Syria, unofficial statistics suggest there are about three million of them, accounting for 10-17% of the population. The majority of the Swedish parties are expected to attend the conference on Wednesday, in addition to Amnesty International, and many more human rights groups, according to Haidery. CHAk has held conferences in Sweden on the persecution of Kurds of Turkey as well. "We have also invited the foreign ministry of Sweden, but they have not replied to ups officially" Haidery says renowned Turkish writer Ismail Besikci will also deliver a speech in the conference from Ankara by telephone. And Syrian eye witnesses will also participate to recount mass murders of the Kurds in the country. The PEN Honorary Member has served 17 years in prison on propaganda charges stemming from his writings about the Kurdish minority in Turkey. On Dec. 9, a Kurdish human rights organization (DAD) in Syria, said Kurdish recruits in the Syrian army were killed while doing military service in mysterious circumstances after the body of a Kurdish solder was delivered to his family the same day. The family of recruit Mohammed Jalal Mohammed, received the body of their son who Syrian officers in his military unit said he died as a result of electric shock. Families of the victims often claim their sons were exposed to torture and murder, citing traces and marks appearing on their recovered bodies. Syrian authorities claim the cases are "accidents" or "suicides" without official investigations being conducted into the cases or the bodies being inspected by forensic experts. In 2010, nine Kurdish soldiers were killed while on military duty in the Syrian army bringing the total number of Kurdish recruits killed in mysterious circumstances to 44 since 2004. Reported by Khabat Nawzad, edited by Raber Y. Aziz Monday, January 10th 2011 12:47 PM

Illiteracy down to 16% in Kurdistan region

Erbil, Dec. 28 (AKnews) – Illiteracy rate in Kurdistan Region has dropped to 16% from previous 37% nine year ago and the Ministry of Education is planning to bring the figure down to 10% by the end of 2015. The ministry of education has been implementing a through plan to reduce illiteracy in the Kurdish Region through opening quick learning schools and evening schools that allow adults to go to school for education. Illiteracy rate in 2000 and 2001 was as high as 37% but now this rate is only 16%, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Education Safin Dizayee told AKnews Tuesday. The opening of more schools and especially the increasing number of quick learning schools and centers for illiterate adults has been very effective, Faisal Hasan, an assistant to the Director General of Erbil Education Department says. He says fighting illiteracy has been a top priority for the ministry of education in the recent years. "In any area or neighborhood, if the majority of the people agree on having an education center they can raise a request to us and we will be happy to help them and provide them with teachers" Hasan said. Currently, there are 88 quick learning schools in the three provinces of Kurdistan Region which educate some 15,585 learners. The quick learning centers are for the people who have dropped out of school and their age won't allow them to go back to their grades. Reported by Ahmed Ghafur Ry/AKnews Tuesday, December 28th 2010 3:01 PM

Jordanian PM to arrive in in Baghdad to boost ties, increase oil imports

Baghdad, Dec. 30 (AKnews) - Jordan's Prime Minister Samir Rifai is expected to arrive in Baghdad Monday as part of an official visit to boost relations and increase oil imports from Iraq, according to a source at Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Office.

Rifai is the second high-level Arab leader after Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, who earlier opened his country's consulate in Erbil city, to visit Baghdad after the formation of the new government.

Jordan is seeking to increase imports of 240 thousand barrels of crude oil from Iraq per month at 10,000 bpd which represents only 10% of the daily needs of Jordan.

"Rifai and Maliki will discuss ways to strengthen diplomatic cooperation between the two countries and raise the Iraqi oil exports to Jordan," the source who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media told AKnews.

Jordan and Iraq signed an agreement in 2006 under which Iraq exports oil to Jordan for two years. The agreement was extended in August 2008 to another three years with an increased discount of US$22 granted to Jordan from US$18 according to the previous agreement.

More over, expanding the role of Jordanian investment companies in the Iraqi reconstruction projects will be part of the discussions.

Mr Maliki visited Jordan on Oct. 17 heading a delegation from his political bloc in a tour to a number of countries in the region, including Iran, Egypt and Turkey where he discussed the government formation crisis.

Reported by Saman Dzayi
Sa/Ry/AKnews

Kurds insist on holding National Security Ministry

Erbil, Dec. 29 (AKenws) - Iraqi political parties have agreed to share the three security-related ministries, a Kurdish MP says, and one of which will be given to a Kurd. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, approved by Parliament on Dec. 21, is formed of 42 ministries nine of which still unassigned due to political competitions including the ministries of the interior, defense and national security. The political blocs have agreed that the candidates to the security ministries have to be "neutral" and "qualified" Mohsen Sadoun of the Kurdish Blocs Coalition (KBC) says he is sure that the ministry of the National Security will be held by a Kurd. "According to the political agreements between the Iraqi political actors, the ministry of the interior will go to the National Coalition (NC led by Maliki), the defense for the al-Iraqiya, and the Kurds are demanding the national security ministry" said Sadoun. "being the third largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, a security portfolios has to be given to the Kurds in the power sharing deals between the al-Iraqiya and NC" he said, "We want the ministry of the national security" he said. Another Kurdish MP Najmaddin Karim says political agreement is required for any ministerial post. And "Kurds, like Shia and Sunni Arabs have to have their share in the security ministries" "I am sure that the political actors will reach agreement to give the Kurds one of the three ministries" Kurds have seven ministries in the new government most notably the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, in addition to the presidency, first deputy Prime Minster and second deputy parliament speaker. reported by Hevidar Ahmed Ry/AKnews Wednesday, December 29th 2010 10:21 AM

Women MPs push for greater involvement in govt

Sulaimaniyah, Dec. 30 (AKnews) – Iraqi women continue to press on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and their blocs to secure a quarter of the government posts. Women MPs in the Iraqi parliament have collected some 100,000 signatures to support their cause. The campaign followed the announcement of the new cabinet by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki where in a total of 33 announced ministries only one had been allocated for a woman MP. Mr Maliki passed the buck onto the political blocs for not submitting to him names of women candidates. He said he would not announce the remaining ministries because he wanted the blocs to put forward women candidates for the posts. The campaign to collect signatures from government officials, former and current MPs, NGOs and the different slates of the society is to force the Iraqi political blocs who still have share in the nine remaining ministries to nominate women. "So far, no other positions have been assigned to women and the issue has not been resolved therefore we continue in our effort" Kurdish MP Lana Mohammed told AKnews, "After the next parliamentary meeting the total number of signatures to support women to receive 25%  of the positions will be announced in a press conference" Iraqi parliament is expected to convene after the New Year day holiday. Iraq's constitution states that 25% of the government positions have top be given to women. "What we have heard from the women MPS of the other blocs like the al-Iraqiya and the State of Law (Maliki's bloc) indicate that no significant ministerial portfolios have been allocated for women," Mohammed said. She said a delegation of women is expected to meet with President Jalal Talabani and PM Nuri al-Maliki for the purpose. Viand Dakhil, candidate of the Kurds to the Ministry of Women Affairs rejected the post in support of women demands to receive a quarter of the posts. The only woman candidate now for a state ministry post in Maliki's government, Bushra Muhsen, said she did not want to withdraw from the cabinet only because she had seen equality in his Fadhila Party which has two ministerial portfolios; one man and one woman. Mohsen's position is not a public services ministry and is not considered to be one of the ministerial portfolios. Ala Talabani, another Kurdish woman MP says the women are also expected to meet UN officials to win their support in an attempt to gather pressure on the new government. Reported by Dilshad Saifaddin, edited by Raber Y. Aziz Thursday, December 30th 2010 12:25 PM