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| Iraq-Jordan | ||
| Kurds Present Map With Larger Kurdistan to Iraqi Assembly | ||
| 2005-07-21 | ||
KIRKUK, Iraq (AP) - Kurdish leaders have presented a redrawn map with a larger Kurdistan to the Iraqi National Assembly for consideration in the new constitution, a Kurdish party official said Thursday. The map reflected long-standing Kurdish claims that stretches their territory south toward the capital of Baghdad - well beyond the boundaries of the current Kurdish autonomous area.
"The Kurdistan parliament and Kurdish parties have ratified and agreed on this map. We want this map to be part of the constitution," said Mullah Bakhtiyar, a senior official with the Kurdish Democratic Party, one of the two main Kurdish political parties. The Kurdish demand was unlikely to be well-received by Sunnis and Shiites on the constitutional commission and could further complicate efforts to complete the draft charter by the Aug. 15 deadline. The southern boundaries of the proposed Kurdish-controlled area would include the towns of Badra and Jassan, about 90 miles southeast of Baghdad. "We need an official map that marks the boundaries of Kurdistan in the federal Iraq. This redrawn map is based on historical and geographical facts and we are determined to stick to this map," Bakhtiyar said. "In any negotiations, we might be ready to seek compromises on some political privileges or ministerial posts, but the boundary of Kurdistan is a red line, and Kurdish leaders are committed to this," he said. The northern Kurdish-ruled region has been autonomous since 1991, when the area enjoyed U.S. and British protection from Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. In the drafting of a new Iraqi constitution, Kurdish leaders have been pushing hard for a federalist system, which would have strong regional governments. Bakhtiyar said some people in the committee - notably Sunni Arabs - oppose the idea of federalism because they are afraid that this would be a step toward dividing Iraq, but "they are wrong because federalism is the best guarantee for a united Iraq." The Kurds, Washington's most reliable allies in Iraq, comprise 15 percent to 20 percent of Iraq's estimated 27 million people. Together with the Shiite majority, they had been oppressed for decades by the Sunni Arab minority.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 rjschwarz, I like your proposal. may not be practical for a foreseeable future, but I like it nonetheless. ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2005-07-21 15:14 |
| #8 Give the Sunni triangle to the kurds. Inform them that it is infested and this is an as-is deal. Also sections of Syria and Iran can be theres if they clean up the triangle within a year. Chunks of Turkey can follow that as an implied threat. Motivation is what we're talking about here. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-07-21 15:08 |
| #7 There is a misperception of what it means to be an ally. Allies are countries whose interests on an issue are coincident and so they work together on that issue. Britain and Australia are not allies. They are countries with whom we work together even if our interests are not coincident on a particular issue because our relationship is more important than any issue. This special relationship makes them cousins. Second cousins are Japan, India, Canada, and New Zealand; some getting closer, some drifting away. The rest of the world is potential allies. Countries with whom we may share interests on an issue and thus choose to work together, being allies on that issue. But they are unlikely to become cousins in the short term. When they ask to be paid for being an ally even though they are acting in their own interest, then they are being a whore. I believe the Turks do this more often than the French. The French are simply a hemroid. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-07-21 12:53 |
| #6 oops "it" could not be better said. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-21 12:37 |
| #5 sniff, sniff (wipes tear) that was beautiful Frank! I could not be better said. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-21 12:37 |
| #4 Britain is an ally, Australia is an ally. Turkey is a whore, spurned by France, who now wants to start dating again... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-07-21 12:31 |
| #3 Turkey will not happen they may not be a active member of the coalition of the willing they are still a strong ally I disagree. While there is no point in making the Turks our enemies - nor they making us one, calling them an ally is just plain wrong. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-21 12:26 |
| #2 I agree this is a good idea we should support. After all one of the main reasons for Iraq is to help make a ally in the heart of the enemy homeland. The Kurds are not only allies but they are considered by other arabs and themselves to be Europeans from the Alexander the Great and Bazintine empires. So they are not only alles but a extention of our selves. I dont support their breaking off now or in the imediate future we need thier 20% vote to keep the Shia in line in Iraq. But we should set them up into a strong position to be able to break out in the future maybe joing with N. Iran and NE Syria. Turkey will not happen they may not be a active member of the coalition of the willing they are still a strong ally. |
| Posted by: C-Low 2005-07-21 12:24 |
| #1 I have no problem with this if the new territory is taken from the Sunnis. |
| Posted by: Brett 2005-07-21 12:01 |