Parliamentary power: Kurds did not provide a convincing justification for non-commitment to pay oil money

[bkeiller]

 

Kurds defeated, displaced and divided after Iraq reclaims oil-rich Kirkuk

An independence referendum supposed to strengthen the Kurds’ position ended in a retreat in which Iranian influence was key.

Martin Chulov in Erbil

Saturday 21 October 2017 19.01 EDTLast modified on Sunday 22 October 2017 05.50 EDT

When the guns fell silent on the Kirkuk-Erbil road, just after noon on Friday, a fresh border had been scythed through the oil-rich soil – and a new line of influence carved across northern Iraq.

Their gun barrels still hot, vanquished peshmerga forces began another withdrawal a few miles closer to the seat of government in the now shrunken boundaries of Iraqi Kurdistan. A few miles south, closer to Kirkuk, Iraqi forces were digging in, their conquest of the entire province complete, and their five-day sweep through the rest of the north having seized up to 14,000 sq km from the Kurds, with a minimum of bother.

Baghdad has now reasserted its authority over territory that the Kurds occupied outside their mandated borders, most of which they had claimed during the three-year fight against the Islamic State (Isis) terrorist group.

 

The extraordinary capitulation – which followed an indepedence referendum that was supposed to strengthen their hand – has not only shattered Kurdish ambitions for at least a generation; it has also laid bare an evolving power struggle in Iraq, and a regional dynamic that is fast taking shape in the wake of the shattered so-called caliphate declared by the Isis leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in mid-2014.

Lining up to claim the rout of the Kurds were Iraq’s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, and Iran’s omnipresent general, Qassem Suleimani, whose influence in the days before last weekend’s attack was key to shaping the aftermath even before a shot had been fired.

 

Iranian government officials, too, were celebrating the win in Kirkuk, which the Kurdish leader, Massoud Barzani, had in effect annexed by including it within the boundaries in which the referendum was held. “We were never going to let a Zionist project like this claim Kirkuk,” said a senior leader of the Shia-led forces, known as the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMUs). “Kirkuk is central to Iraq’s economy and it will never belong to Barzani.”

Contested throughout history, Kirkuk is home to Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, as well as oilfields, an airport, a strategic military base – and at least 8,000 million barrels of subterranean oil. It has powered the oil-dependent Kurdish economy for the past three years, with up to 600,000 barrels a day exported through a pipeline it built to Turkey, much to Baghdad’s chagrin.

 

The fall of Kirkuk has also unearthed a faultline that lay at the heart of the decision to hold the referendum, which won 93% endorsement among those Kurds who turned up to vote, but was never wholeheartedly endorsed by the Talabani clan, whose peshmerga forces had been responsible for defending its southern approaches.

“They could never get past it being led by Barzani,” said an Iraq-based European diplomat. “Beyond that, it was always going to put them in an impossible situation with Iran, who would invade Iraq before losing it. And I think deep down they probably saw this as not something you could resolve through a unilateral declaration.”

In Baghdad, the Iranian claims of being central to the victory were repeatedly being disavowed. “The popular myth is that a certain Iranian general has a hand in everything in this country, that he is a viceroy of some sorts,” said a senior Iraqi minister. “That’s not true. This is a country that has been through a lot and is getting back on its feet through the blood of its martyrs and the sacrifice of its citizens.”

Asked why he declined to put his name to his remarks, the MP cited “the sensitivity of the situation”. He then added: “It isn’t wise to upset [Iranian officials].”

 

While Iraq’s military indeed played a prominent role in reclaiming Kirkuk, so, too, did Shia groups who report to Suleimani and the joint leaders of the PMU forces, Hadi al-Amiri and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Days before the referendum, it was al-Amiri who sent an envoy to Barzani threatening “war” if the poll went ahead. Suleimani also sat opposite the de facto Kurdish president to try to dissuade him, according to a senior Kurdish officials. When that did not work, he requested – and was refused – a second meeting. And, over the past two months, he had been a regular visitor to the rival political camp in the Kurdish north – the Talabani family, in the region’s second city, Sulaymaniyah.

The US, which was vehemently opposed to the ballot – especially the decision to include Kirkuk – insisted that despite the latest Iraqi move the areas that the central government has “seized” remain disputed.

Washington sat out the past week of clashes, even as forces loyal to Suleimani helped lead the assault.

 Iraqi Kurds wave flags of Iraqi Kurdistan and shout slogans during a demonstration outside the UN Office in Erbil. Photograph: Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images

The spectre of an ascendant Iran has been central to the Trump administration’s rhetoric in the past week, as the US president ponders tearing up the Iran nuclear deal – the centrepiece of his predecessor’s detente with Tehran.

 

“You have to say that this defiance [by Iraq] was at odds with what clearly happened,” said a former US diplomat in Iraq. “Yes, the Iraqis did fight and no, they weren’t a distant second in influence. But the Iranian role here can’t be denied. And nor can the fact that this is a prime example of a bigger struggle for the Iraqi street. This is Najaf v Qom [Shia power bases in Iraq and Iran] writ large.”

“The political and military campaigns around Kirkuk were organised by Suleimani,” said an Iraqi minister. “Make no mistake about it. Anyone who thinks he defers to Abadi does not understand how business is done in Iraq.”

On Saturday, 15 October, with Iraqi and Shia forces massed near Kirkuk, the Kurdish factions – the KDP, which is led by the Barzanis, and the PUK, a fiefdom of the Talabanis – sat down to talk in the lakeside town of Dukan. Barzani arrived with his son Masrour, and other senior officials. On the PUK side, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, the widow of the PUK father-figure Jalal Talabani, who had died just over a week earlier, led a delegation including her eldest son, Bafel, and security tsar Lahur.

“Bafel said he had met with Abadi and discussed allowing the golden division (Baghdad’s counter-terrorism forces) into Kirkuk. He said the Republican Guard might take control of some of the sites,” said a senior Kurdish official. “We asked him if he had made an agreement, and he said ‘no, they were just discussion points’. We said if he had agreed to that, we would have to adjust our force posture accordingly.

 

“They lied. It was a historical betrayal. The deal was done while condolences were received for Talabani, first in Sulaimaniya, and then in Baghdad. The second meeting is where Abadi was also informed.”

KDP officials also believe that Bafel and Lahur held two previous meetings with leaders of the PMUs – one of which Suleimani attended – in Tuz Khurmatu, 37 miles south of Kirkuk.

Speaking on Friday, Bafel Talabani described the decision to hold a referendum as “a colossal mistake. And even in the fighting in Kirkuk, there was an opportunity. Prime Minister Abadi, his excellency, reached out to us and we reached an honourable compromise,” he said of the move to withdraw peshmerga forces.

As the defeated peshmerga forces redrew their defences on Saturday, the new boundary north of Kirkuk – where a de facto line marked out areas disputed between Kurds and Arabs after the fall of Saddam Hussein – was busily being fortified by Iraqi forces, among them Shia groups.

“This has been the most painful lesson they have faced,” said a PMU member further along the road in Kirkuk.

 

“Let them reflect on that, and on history. Kirkuk will never be Kurdish.”

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/22/kurds-bitter-defeat-iraq-reclaims-kirkuk

 

 

[chinadawg]

Iran telling US to get out of Iraq,,,,bunch of FOOLS.

[SnowGlobe7]

why is Abadi defending the Iranian army being in Iraq? I am confused

[pokerplayer]

9 minutes ago, SnowGlobe7 said:

why is Abadi defending the Iranian army being in Iraq? I am confused

 

 

Is it Abadi or some other dude being quoted ? Read it a couple times and all I got out of it was a migraine lol

 

  pp

[SnowGlobe7]

I hear ya Gal...

 

The more I read this evening the more confused I get......can anyone here straighten is gals out and help us to understand what T Rex said and if it has negatively effected the Iraqi/us relationship...and why

[davis411]

51 minutes ago, chinadawg said:

Iran telling US to get out of Iraq,,,,bunch of FOOLS.

damn it that's it

get my belt

they all need a beating and sent to there bedrooms

in the bsmt

[yota691]

Jaafari from Moscow: Kirkuk crisis resolved within 15 hours

24/10/2017 12:00 am   BAGHDAD / Follow - up to the morning      Foreign Minister Ibrahim al - Jaafari that Kirkuk is the heart of Iraq 's spring, and the Iraqi Kurds do not face political isolation, also pointed out that the federal government proceeded to Kirkuk operations in order to impose security and not for other purposes, while the new Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country 's support for unity Iraq.  "The referendum in the Kurdistan region is unconstitutional and the Iraqi government treated it wisely," Jaafari told a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Monday.  He added that "there was a very important tactical position contributed by the Kurds and Arabs and Turkmen to reject this referendum and forced the Iraqi government to deal wisely with him and responded to the people of the province was resolved the crisis in Kirkuk within 15 hours was extended law and authority," noting that "the Kurds contribute to the management of the State and occupy key positions And President. " Al-Jaafari said that "Iraq today is in front of a new situation and in front of political participation and not political isolation and participate in the Kurds as part of the Iraqi people and take their natural right and enjoy the right to the federal budget by 17 percent, but even though it is limited by 12.9 percent, "He said.  The foreign minister stressed that "Iraq bears all responsibility and courage to protect its citizens and land and will not hesitate or delay in defense of that," and pointed out that "after Iraq folded confrontation with the Daash now is the time to turn the wheel of construction and reconstruction," Jaafari estimated Russian support To Iraq in the fight against terrorism, saying: "Russia has the right to be proud of what the Iraqi army achieved because it contributed to it," and Jaafari also invited the Russian president and Lavrov to visit Baghdad. For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq and calls for the settlement of all problems through dialogue with the participation of all ethnic, sectarian and political groups.  Lavrov said during the joint conference: "We expressed our vision in the referendum and we want to emphasize the understanding of the aspirations of the Kurdish people in his dream and his conscience, but we think it is right to achieve these aspirations dialogue with Baghdad and taking into account all the circumstances and away from the formation of hotbeds of new unrest in the region, "There are different political currents in Iraq, not the Kurds alone, and we seek to communicate with all of them," Lavrov said. Lavrov said that "our support for the efforts of the Iraqi government not only in the fight against terrorism, but in solving internal problems through the national dialogue through the participation of all components," Lavrov said, "We have not yet recorded an indication of the war between Baghdad and Erbil and look forward to prevent this and I think that the parties To decide whether they are ready for dialogue and accept our mediation but not impose ourselves. "  Lavrov said that "the increase of scholarships for Iraqi students in Russia," noting that "the Iraqi-Russian joint committee will meet to discuss the development of relations between the two countries and activate the agreements between them," Lavrov confirmed that he will meet Jaafari's invitation to visit Baghdad soon. The visit of Foreign Minister Ibrahim Jaafari to Moscow at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria and other issues, and before the start of Jaafari's visit to Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "Russia, after the referendum on the secession of Kurdistan, Last month, its attachment to the unity of the Iraqi territory and call Baghdad and Erbil to seek solutions acceptable to both parties through a constructive dialogue. "

[yota691]

 

Minister of Interior visits one of the North Oil Company's protection regiments

Localities

23:34

401

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BAGHDAD / 
Interior Minister Qassim al-Araji visited Monday a protection team working at the Dahf Afana station in the Dabas district of the North Oil Police Directorate in the Energy Police Directorate.

The ministry said in a statement received by Al-Ghad Press that the regiment is responsible for securing all the facilities located within the geographical area of the Debs district, which includes the station and any southern and northern regions.

 

[mylilpony]

Tillerson told abadi that the iranian militias need to get out of iraq now because the fight against isis can be contained by the u.s. and iraqi, sunni forces. Abadi is saying to tillerson that the popular crowd or better known as the iranian militias are part of the fighting force of the iraqi army and that they even have a law called the popular crowd that protects these idiots. Now you have all the militias telling the u.s. that we are not welcome there and that we need to get out now..Abadi continues to fight for the popular crowd and makes excuses for them. This could hurt u.s. and iraq if abadi doesnt grow a pair. 

 

here is one thing i wanted to point out in the article with the iranian foreign minister that spews crap out of his mouth everyday.

 

Upon his arrival in the South African capital city of Pretoria on Sunday, Zarif also denounced the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration as “isolated in the world.”

 

Anyone see a troubling sign here. Our troops were just ambushed in africa by isis supposedly and you have Zarif from iran visiting the south african city of pretoria. Why is is that iran seems to show up everywhere and is trying to do business with everyone? I do not call this a coincidence. I hate to see it and say it but it seems that abadi cannot break the iranian influence in iraq. 

[3n1]

2 hours ago, mylilpony said:

Tillerson told abadi that the iranian militias need to get out of iraq now because the fight against isis can be contained by the u.s. and iraqi, sunni forces. Abadi is saying to tillerson that the popular crowd or better known as the iranian militias are part of the fighting force of the iraqi army and that they even have a law called the popular crowd that protects these idiots. Now you have all the militias telling the u.s. that we are not welcome there and that we need to get out now..Abadi continues to fight for the popular crowd and makes excuses for them. This could hurt u.s. and iraq if abadi doesnt grow a pair. 

 

here is one thing i wanted to point out in the article with the iranian foreign minister that spews crap out of his mouth everyday.

 

Upon his arrival in the South African capital city of Pretoria on Sunday, Zarif also denounced the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration as “isolated in the world.”

 

Anyone see a troubling sign here. Our troops were just ambushed in africa by isis supposedly and you have Zarif from iran visiting the south african city of pretoria. Why is is that iran seems to show up everywhere and is trying to do business with everyone? I do not call this a coincidence. I hate to see it and say it but it seems that abadi cannot break the iranian influence in iraq. 

 

Oh i see a troubling sign MLP, lots of them ... been invested ( if that's how its referred )  in this for many years and its a incredibly volatile hostile part of the world ,I'm a realist and never drank the kool aid ,if abadi is banking on Iran for his military force his country is far less secure than i ever thought , the Kurds are the best friend / allies in the region the usa has ever had which imo explains the sheer hatred towards them by all the their neighbors I'm also sure abadi is under immense pressure seems he started strong but is needing help in this important time for democracy for Iraq and Iran is filling the vacuum I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they never leave and claim part of the country as their own I have read past references to that fact all of my opinion of course...  anyways I thank your son for his service and sorry for the loss of his quality of life ... all the best 

Edited October 24, 2017 by 3n1

[Spider]

https://sputniknews.com/amp/analysis/201710241058482240-usa-iraq-kurdistan-weapons-policy/

 

 

OPINION

 

© REUTERS/ Stringer

US Flood of Weapons to Iraq and Kurds Guarantees Bloody Conflict

03:52 24.10.2017(updated 08:34 24.10.2017)

 

The US policy of pouring weapons into the Iraqi army and autonomous Kurdish militias has ensured that Washington faces a nearly impossible task in trying to mediate or prevent a full-scale war between both sides, analysts told Sputnik

 

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is seeking to avert a full-scale conflict between the Iraqi national government and the Kurdish autonomous region, which held a referendum last month for independence from Baghdad.

 

However, the US ability to mediate between the two sides is gravely compromised because successive administrations have poured weapons into both of them, analysts advised.

 

US, Allies Deluged Iraq, Region with Weapons

 

The US policy of indiscriminately supplying weapons to any and all forces that Washington believed would oppose the Daesh terror group had made Baghdad and Erbil more ambitious and intractable author and political activist David Swanson said.

 

"Nothing makes the resolution of conflicts more difficult than weapons," Swanson stated. "The region has been saturated with weapons from the UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany, and first and foremost from the United States."

 

© AFP 2017/ AHMAD AL-RUBAYE

Baghdad Surprised by Tillerson's Claims About Foreign Fighters in Iraq

 

Instead of working for peace and security and helping restore stable government in the region, the United States was continuing to use its armed forces to devastate cities, intensifying the chaotic conditions that had allowed extreme Islamists to seize power, Swanson warned.

 

"The United States, far from learning any lessons from its disastrous destruction of Iraq, is continuing to destroy cities in order to save them [from Daesh] and ordering everyone around in ‘liberated’ Iraq [including ordering Iranian militias out]," he said.

 

Swanson cautioned that that the US government had no real commitment to achieving and maintaining Kurdish independence and therefore the Kurds would not be able to rely on the strong US military support they had anticipated.

 

"The rights of Kurds to independence, in Washington, DC rank far below those of Kosovans, and ways below those of Quebecois or Catalans, and probably not far from those of Crimeans. The right of any of these people not to be bombed is completely unrecognized," he said.

 

© REUTERS/ STRINGER

Russian Foreign Ministry Warns of Possible Surge of Violence in Kirkuk, Iraq

 

President Donald Trump had no personal, strategic or even business interest in strongly supporting the Kurds in any conflict with the government of Iraq, Swanson recalled.

 

"So, unless the Kurds launch a plan to build several Trump Towers in Erbil, I can't see the US government becoming an ally in the cause of freedom," he stated.

 

However, Trump would likely to try and use any new conflict between Iraq and the Kurds to distract attention from other failed US policies and to boost popular support for his own armed forces, Swanson remarked.

 

"If it's any consolation, I'm sure the US president will demand many times in the coming weeks that everyone honor the US flag in the name of freedom," he said.

 

Washington Backed Kurds, Iraqi Prime Minister in Contradictory Policies

 

University of Pittsburgh Professor of International Affairs Professor Michael Brenner agreed that confused and contradictory US policies supporting both, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi and Kurdistan Regional President Masoud Barzani, had led to the looming conflict between them.

 

"Washington has seen an interest in backing the Barzani faction in Erbil while at the same time building up Abadi. A clash was inevitable," he said.

 

© REUTERS/ ALAA AL-MARJANI

Baghdad Receives Full Control of Oil Fields in Kirkuk - Iraq Oil Ministry

 

The Kurds had sought to conquer and hold on to non-Kurdish territory after their US-backed battlefield successes against the Daesh, but now their ambition to hold on to this extra territory had rebounded against them, he warned.

 

"The Kurds have over-reached by grabbing non-Kurdish territory under the cover of fighting the Daesh," Brenner said.

 

The People's Protection Units (YPG), a mainly-Kurdish secessionist militia in Syria also backed by the United States, would suffer the same precipitous reversal of fortune as the Kurds in Iraq, Brenner predicted.

 

"The YPG Kurds in Syria will suffer the same fate. They have lost — once again," he said.

 

© AFP 2017/ AHMAD AL-RUBAYE

Kurdistan's Peshmerga Hopes to Receive Foreign Help to Resolve Crisis

 

All that the different Kurdish factions could now expect from the United States was diplomatic advice to accept subordinate positions short of full independence in both Iraq and Syria, Brenner advised.

 

"The United States has no choice but to placate all parties and reconcile the Kurds with their fate," he said.

 

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow hopes the Iraqi government and Iraqi Kurdistan, which held a referendum on the region's independence in September, will manage to avoid a full-scale military conflict.

[yota691]

Kurdish parties demanding the dissolution of the presidency of the region and the formation of an interim government

 

 Since 2017-10-24 at 10:45 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

Kurdish parties called for change and the Islamic Group and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice, on Tuesday, to dissolve the presidency of the province and the formation of an interim government.

The parties said in a joint statement received / Mawazin News / copy, "to address the crises and failures and political and military upsets in Kurdistan, and to preserve our gains, and to correct the course of the political process, and to develop a road map to normalize the situation in Tuzkurmato, Kirkuk and Khankin and disputed areas, For the Kurdistan region and the unity of the people of Kurdistan to save our people from the dangers of division and fragmentation and internal war. "

Stressed the need to continue efforts with the forces and political parties in Kurdistan to form an interim government through Parliament to carry out the main task is to manage the file of negotiations and dialogue with the federal government and the preparation and preparation for the holding of fair and transparent elections under the supervision and control of international organizations competent, The establishment of a parliamentary system and preparation for the referendum, and the development of programs and plans to improve the living conditions of people. "

She pointed out that the importance of "dealing with the Iraqi government in the disputed areas according to the Constitution and work to calm the situation in those areas to ensure the return of displaced persons to their places," stressing the "solution of the Presidency of the region and give its powers according to the law to relevant institutions."

The parties demanded that "the parliament of Kurdistan be the source of the decision and the enactment of laws, and that no political authority be above parliament."

[yota691]

Decision of the Parliament: Article 140 expired.. Iraq is free of disputed areas except from this region Policy access_time 2017/10/24 12:31 Number of readings: 901 Baghdad today – Kirkuk The decision of the House of Representatives Niasi Myanmar Uglu, on Tuesday, that Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution expired in 2007, between that Iraq is free of the disputed areas only one area, the center of Kirkuk province exclusively. "The governor of Kirkuk, Necmettin Karim, is a corrupt and dictatorial man, linked to foreign agendas, and has ignited sedition, which is legally responsible and bears all that happened in Kirkuk. He has embraced the elements of the terrorist pkk ," Oglu said in an interview with Baghdad today. Supervise their deployment in the streets. " He pointed out that "some Kurdish parties, headed by Barzani Party, are the ones who came to the terrorist pkk to Iraq, as well as the Iranian opposition Bijat. These are all constitutional violations. The constitution affirmed that no terrorist organization should be allowed to enter Iraqi territory." He added that "the Kurdish side speaks and controls Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, and this article expired on 31/12/2007, according to the report of the United Nations Representative in 2009, where he stressed the absence of any disputed area in Iraq, , Not fully maintained, only center. " He stressed that "will be reviewed the post of governor of Kirkuk and the President of the Council of Kirkuk and all positions in the province, which was managed by one national, but one party and one person." The Kurdistan Regional Administration has called, after the imposition of federal forces control of the Kurdistan region, the middle of last week, to resolve disputes over the disputed areas in accordance with Article 140 of the Constitution, which includes the management of disputed areas in partnership between Baghdad and Erbil. The Constitution of 2005, Article 140 as solution to the problem of Kirkuk of the so-called disputed areas between Kurdistan region and neighboring provinces (Nineveh, Diyala and Salahuddin). The Committee for the Implementation of Article 140 of the Constitution of the Republic of Iraq defines the disputed areas of Iraq as being subjected to demographic change and Arabization policy by the regime of Saddam Hussein until it was dropped during the US invasion in April 2003. The article includes a mechanism consisting of three stages: first, normalization, and the treatment of changes in the composition of the population in Kirkuk and disputed areas under the regime of Saddam and after, and the second census in those areas, the latest referendum to determine what the people want, before December 31 First.

[yota691]

Three Kurdish parties demanding the dissolution of the presidency of the region

Release date: 2017/10/24 13:05 • 50 times read

[Ayna - Baghdad] 
Movement for Change and the Kurdistan Islamic Group and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice, headed by Barham Salih, in a joint statement on Tuesday, dissolved the institution of the presidency of the Kurdistan region [currently occupied by Massoud Barzani] and give its powers according to the law to the relevant institutions.

The three parties demanded in their statement "to correct the course of the political process and to develop a road map to normalize the situation in Kirkuk, Tuzkurmato, Khanaqin and other disputed areas, and stressed the need to preserve the political entity of the Kurdistan region and unity of the people of Kurdistan to save from the dangers of division and internal war." 

The statement pointed out that the parties mentioned "will continue efforts with the political forces and parties in Kurdistan to form an interim government through parliament to carry out a major task of negotiating a comprehensive dialogue with the federal government and configuration and prepare to hold fair and transparent elections under the supervision and control of the competent international organizations and file management. 

It will also work on the completion of the drafting Draft constitution in such a way as to ensure the installation of the parliamentary system and prepare for the referendum, and the development of programs and plans to improve the living conditions of people.

The three parties called for "the central government to deal with the issue of the disputed areas in accordance with the constitution and to calm the situation in those areas to ensure the return of displaced persons to their places." 

The three parties stressed that "the Kurdistan Parliament shall be the source of the decision and the enactment of laws, and that no political authority shall be above parliament."

[yota691]

Turkish report: political moves to establish a new government in the Kurdistan region with its capital Sulaymaniyah

 

 Since 2017-10-24 at 10:52 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

A report of the newspaper "Yeni Shafak" Turkish, on Tuesday, the movements to establish a new government in the Kurdistan region and the declaration of Sulaymaniyah capital instead of Arbil, while expected to liquidate the head of the Kurdistan region outgoing Massoud Barzani during the next few years.

The newspaper said in its report that "Barzani's illegal referendum held on 25 September last changed the balance of power in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the stronghold of Barzani," noting that "the presence of vigorous efforts in the Sulaymaniyah area where Talabani has a wide impact to establish a new government in northern Iraq, To announce the then made Sulaymaniyah, not Arbil capital in the new phase of the region. "

The newspaper considered that "there is no escape from the system of two-chamber administration in northern Iraq, its capital Sulaymaniyah and not Erbil," indicating that "the illegal referendum is a political suicide of Massoud Barzani is expected to liquidate in the next few years."

The newspaper said in its report that "the illegal referendum in northern Iraq and its machineries changed the balance of power in the whole of northern Iraq, the Iraqi army succeeded in managing the cleanup of the city of Kirkuk and neighboring areas of the Peshmerga forces, and also defeated the Barzani clan and the creator of their dreams, Independence of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq "

[yota691]

Jabbar Yawar calls for the re-establishment of coordination committees between the army and Peshmerga to avoid clashes

 

 Since 2017-10-24 at 10:48 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

Peshmerga Secretary-General Jabbar Yawar revealed the actual number of Peshmerga troops in recent battles with the Iraqi army and the popular crowd, directed a letter to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense and the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

"The movements of Iraqi forces and popular mobilization in the disputed areas are aimed at returning to pre-2003 borders and the regime of Saddam Hussein," Yawar said in an interview with the New Arab newspaper.

"The Iraqi forces are using heavy weapons and Abrams tanks in the attack," he said, denying at the same time "the occurrence of any split in the Peshmerga forces after the incident of Kirkuk and accusing the leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan treason, and handing over their positions on the outskirts of Kirkuk for Iraqi forces."

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga that "the Iraqi forces and the popular crowd is currently attacking areas cut off from the region with modern American weapons and weapons, such as Abrams tanks, heavy artillery, mortar and Dushka, and ended control over most of them, but still moving to new areas adjacent to the region, To the limits of Saddam Hussein's regime before 2003. "

"The Peshmerga forces avoid any confrontation with the Iraqi forces, and the Iraqi forces are not coordinating any movement on the Peshmerga sites that are not ready to withdraw from their positions and evacuate their bases. Therefore, the Peshmerga are always defensive and not offensive, and we regret the deaths of both sides," Yawar told the newspaper. "He said.

Yawar expressed his hope that "the military coordination committees between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga will return as soon as possible to avoid further clashes."

"So far we have 30 martyrs of the Peshmerga and more than 150 wounded, and I do not know the losses of the federal forces, but any person killed in these clashes is a victim," Yawar told the New Arab newspaper.

"We do not have two wings in the ministry, and there is no division or division at the level of our forces," the secretary-general of the ministry said.

On the other hand, because the coalition countries stopped supporting and training the Peshmerga forces, Jabbar Yawar said that the coalition countries against terrorism did not stop training or support programs for the Peshmerga forces, and we have not received anything from any country suggesting that it will stop its military support in the region.

As for the frontier which the Iraqi army forces and the popular crowd have advanced so far, Yawar explained that the forces "are located on the borders of the Kurdistan Region with the provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk, and there is no fear or concern about them. They now want to reach the previous borders and our borders are fully insured, That the current political efforts inside and outside Iraq to stop the escalation and reach a political solution quickly and avoid armed conflict between the parties. "

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga during the meeting, "an invitation to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to revive the military joint committees and intelligence coordination and logistics to serve the two sides."

[yota691]

 

Turkmen leader: The constitution did not provide for the joint administration of the disputed areas

Iraq News Now

16:53

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BAGHDAD / 
A member of the National Alliance and the leader of the Turkmen, Mohammed al-Bayati, said Monday that the Iraqi constitution deviated from the issue of joint administration of the disputed areas, noting that it is currently subject to the federal authorities.

 

A member of the National Alliance for the Turkmen component, Mohammed al-Bayati, "Al-Ghad Press," that "the Iraqi constitution devoid of the issue of joint administration of the disputed areas and talk otherwise is not based on the law anything." 
Al-Bayati pointed out that "those areas in principle belong to the federal authority because the subject has not been resolved so far." 
He added that "the resolution of Article 140 of the Constitution will be able to know the fate of the disputed territories, whether it remains with the federal authorities or linked to the Kurdistan region."

[yota691]

Deputy for Change calls on Abadi and all politicians not to name the region in northern Iraq

 

Tuesday, October 24,

 

 

Alsumaria News / Baghdad  called a member of the House of Representatives on the mass change Sarwa Abdul Wahid, Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider Abadi and all politicians to respect the Constitution and the law, stressing the need not to name the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq.  "In recent times, after the referendum crisis, some politicians are clearly violating the Iraqi constitution with regard to naming the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq," Abdul-Wahid said in a statement. "This term is provocative to the feelings of millions of Kurds in the region. The media chanted the same term and thus became part of the problem and left the profession aside. "     "It is not the right of the Prime Minister, who calls for adherence to the Constitution and the imposition of the law, which violates the Constitution by naming the region in northern Iraq," adding Abadi, politicians and media to "not use vocabulary echoed Chauvinist dictatorship in the dark era."  "The institutions of the region and the constitutional status of it came with the blood of our martyrs from Anfal, Halabja and the victims of chemical weapons," she said. "These institutions can not be linked to a political one led by people in power in the region because they are lazy and Kurds remain."  She stressed Abdul Wahid on "the need to respect all constitutional and legal relations linking the Kurdistan region of Iraq with the federal state," calling on the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to " "We have stood up against injustice in Erbil. We do not accept anyone to oppress our children in these areas," she said. "We must work immediately to return the displaced, compensate the affected people and lift the siege on the return of all citizens."  The MP on the coalition of state law, Abdul Salam al-Maliki called, on September 25, 2017, the Iraqi government and the House of Representatives to lift the word "Kurdistan region" of all books and official communications and replace them individually "three provinces of northern Iraq" with a Kurdish majority, stressing the need to "return Things are right ".

[DinarThug]

Kurdish movement to remove Barzani and draw a new roadmap
25/10/2017 

The basis of dialogue with Baghdad under the tent of the Constitution
Baghdad / follow-up morning 

The Kurdish parties called the Movement for Change and the Islamic Group and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice, the dismissal of the presidency of the Kurdistan region represented by the outgoing Massoud Barzani as well as the government of his nephew Nechirvan Barzani, and the formation of an interim government, while reports from within the region of the existence of political deliberations diligent to remove Barzani from negotiations with the federal government, At a time when he called Pavel Talabani, son of the late President Jalal Talabani; to find a radical change in the entity of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by the outgoing President of the Territory.

"To confront the crisis and the political and military disaster in Kurdistan and preserve our gains, and to change the course of the political process, we announce a road map to calm the situation in Kirkuk and the Tuzhkhurmatu, Khanaqin and disputed areas," a joint statement by the three Kurdish parties said on Tuesday. "To preserve the unity of the ranks of the people of Kurdistan, and save our people from the dangers of division and internal fighting."

The statement added that "we seek with the political parties in Kurdistan to form an interim government through parliament to take responsibility for dialogue with the federal government and to prepare for the holding of fair elections under the control of international private organizations and to complete the draft constitution in a way that keeps the parliament system fixed and a special program to improve the living conditions of citizens" , And called for the statement that "the Iraqi government deals with the disputed areas in accordance with the Constitution and work to calm the situation in these areas and the return of displaced persons to their areas," He said: "We call for the dissolution of the Presidency of the Territory and the transfer of authority in accordance with the law to the The relevant data, "stressing the need to be the source of the Kurdistan Parliament resolution laws, but there is a political authority over the parliament." A leader in Kirkuk

In turn, the leadership of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Aso Mamand, the leadership of the Kurdistan region to visit Baghdad to solve the problems, stressing that "the constitution is an umbrella for all Iraqis." He said at a news conference in Kirkuk on Tuesday: "We as Kurdish parties in Kirkuk, In the Kurdistan region to address the problems and the file of oil and salaries and disputed areas as soon as possible and that through the start of talks with the federal government, "adding that" the aim of the visit of Interior Minister Qassim Araji to Kirkuk is to protect citizens, "appealing to the media" Stability in k Rakok, "Mamand also called on" the citizens of Kirkuk to return to their homes to restore security and stability in the city. " North Reports

In the same context, revealed reports from inside northern Iraq on Tuesday, the contacts to unite the Kurdish parties and stop escalation and accusations of treason, while noting that one of the conditions of the central government, which are discussed by those parties to conduct negotiations is "to keep Massoud Barzani on them." The newspaper " The Kurdish sources said: "There are contacts to unite the Kurdish parties, which reached an agreement to stop the escalation of information and accusations of treason that prevailed in the region during the past days," and continued: "Political circles have been reported on the condition of the central government to remove the President of Kurdistan Region Massoud Bar I negotiate , "adding," This is the demand of Sulaymaniyah pay him the main parties, the Patriotic Union and the Movement for Change and the Islamic Group and the Alliance for Democracy and Justice and the new generation. " Statements by Pavel Talabani

In turn, the son of the late President of the Republic, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Pavel Jalal Talabani, the lack of preconditions in his party to start dialogue with Baghdad, while stressing the need for a radical change in the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

"We must rely on dialogue as the only way to resolve the Kurdistan crisis with Baghdad," said Pavel in a press statement followed by Al-Sabah. "The National Union believes in meeting, dialogue and cooperation, but what disappointed us is the lack of unity among Kurdish leaders to work on change, Dialogue "and stressed" the need to have constructive dialogue with Baghdad, relying on the Iraqi constitution, "saying:" I am with the Baghdad government and we must stand in the middle and open some of the doors of dialogue and then go to solve the big problems. "He added, We will start a serious dialogue with Baghdad soon, without preconditions Violence because the fighting brothers (Kurds and Arabs) something wrong must be our strength in the Union and be our greatest concern to resolve all outstanding problems between the region and the center. "

"The truth is that Iraqi forces came to the city of Kirkuk to stop the bloodshed and racial intolerance in Kirkuk. There was a meeting in Dokan and the political parties did not agree on the withdrawal of the Peshmerga forces from the province, " said Pavel Talabani. A Kurdish national to preserve the blood of the people of Kirkuk, "and stressed that" there was no prior agreement with the Iraqi government on the events of Kirkuk, but we have held dialogues with Prime Minister Haider Abadi on the crisis of Kurdistan, "asserting" respect all views in Kirkuk on the post of governor. "

He continued: "When we see that the status of the Kurdistan region after the referendum has become worse and problems began to worsen, there was a good alternative by the Americans and the British and made their initiatives, but the advisers of Massoud Barzani provided advice wrongly, and the Democrats have conducted a wrong analysis of the referendum," and noted that " The work of choosing an alternative to Barzani to lead the Kurdistan region, and there were large meetings before the referendum with Barzani and I would advise to choose the alternative before the referendum, but political leaders chose this vision and happened what happened. "There is regional and internal pressure on Barzani to resign, Builder: "I think is the choice of Barzani and his party, and the political parties have no choice today but to go to dialogue, and make a radical change to the Kurdistan Democratic Party," and called for "cooperation with Western governments and European countries after the rupture that was caused by the mistake of the referendum," noting that " "We have good relations with Western and international countries, we have good relations with Iran and we want to build bridges of friendship also with neighboring countries and Western countries." The agreement to hand over salaries to the Peshmerga in Sulaymaniyah by the federal government, said Talabani: "According to my personal view is not There "I will have a close visit to Baghdad," he said, adding that "the scenario to resolve the crisis between the region and the center will be through constructive dialogue with Baghdad" . Pavel Talabani at the end of a letter to the Kurdish parties and leaders, saying:

A statement by the German
Defense Ministry, the use of Peshmerga forces for their weapons against Iraqi forces in the area of Alton Kubri of the province of Kirkuk, a spokesman for the ministry in Berlin on Tuesday: "Although it is impossible to verify the survival of each weapon in the conflict zone, To the German government, using weapons coming from Germany against a mere supporter, "adding that" we have no reason to doubt the occurrence of widespread violations of these agreements, "stressing that" the situation is under close scrutiny, "as he put it.

LINK

[yota691]

Raising the largest Iraqi flag in Kirkuk

25/10/2017 12:00 am  Kirkuk / Nahdet Ali  In the form of consolidation of the size of national cohesion in Kirkuk, a large number of young people of the province to raise the flag of Iraq length of 500 meters on the shoulders, on the occasion witnessed a large crowd embraced by the conservative street to the road to Baghdad. The correspondent of «morning» in Kirkuk, that «the National Youth Council in the province, in cooperation with a number of civil society organizations, they raised an Iraqi flag length of 500 meters and carried them on their shoulders starting from the province in the heart of Kirkuk and even the Baghdad Road area, indicating that the national celebration Witnessed the presence of Interior Minister Qassim al-Araji and the governor of Kirkuk and a number of leaders and personalities and a large Karkoukia expressed their joy and the depth of their belonging to their country Iraq.  The educational Kalzar Abla for «morning»: The lifting of the Iraqi flag this size on the shoulders of young Kirkukis shows that the province is one of Iraq's original provinces, and has a long history of brotherhood among its nationalities, while Taha Mohammed said that choosing the heart of the city for such an initiative National legitimacy, demonstrates that Kirkuk has returned to the authority of the federal government and the extension of security there.

[yota691]

Iran reopens commercial outlet with Iraqi Kurdistan

By

 rami

 -

October 25, 2017

11

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The Iranian consulate in Erbil issued a statement announcing the opening of the Beshmak Mariwan crossing from Wednesday morning.
In response to a request by the Sulaimaniyah provincial council, the Pashmak-Mariwan border crossing with Sulaymaniyah province will resume normal activity starting Wednesday morning, according to a statement.
“The passengers will be transported and customs operations will return to normal,” the statement said.
The border crossing between Iran and Iran was closed by Iran at the request of the Iraqi government following recent developments in northern Iraq.

[yota691]

Barzani agreed to resign but what conditions he put? Wednesday 25 October 2017 | 13:25 Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has agreed to resign and form a rescue government, provided that he is headed by Nechirvan Barzani, while he also requested that his post be removed from parliament. An informed source said that certain parties are pressing the outgoing regional president Massoud Barzani to resign and form a national salvation government, and that the extension of the life of parliament in yesterday's session was the first step to this proposal. The source pointed out that Barzani mediated by the King of Saudi Arabia to open the door of dialogue and negotiation with Prime Minister Haider Abadi to resolve the current problems and implement all what is required by Abadi, but the second refused to negotiate and dialogue with Barzani and told the Saudi king that there is no solution with the region only Barzani's resignation. He confirmed that Barzani told his party that he would implement the decision to resign or cancel his position from within the parliament, so as not to say he resigned as a result of international and domestic pressure. He added that the extension of the life of the parliament of Kurdistan for two sessions and each session four months means extending the life of the presidency of the region also, but international and regional parties have assured Barzani that the problems of the region with Baghdad will not be resolved unless he submitted his resignation, stressing that Barzani agreed to submit his resignation, Expected to be within the next 48 hours.

[yota691]

Baghdad requires the removal of Barzani for the negotiations

 

 From 2017-10-25 at 08:49 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

Al-Hayat newspaper revealed that the requirement of the Iraqi government to conduct negotiations with the Kurdistan region is to remove Massoud Barzani.

The newspaper published a report: the contacts between the Kurdish parties aimed at unification and stop the escalation and accusations of treason, pointing to the presence of an Iraqi Turkish plan to reach the crossing Vishkhabor in the triangle of the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The report added that "political instruments traded the condition of Baghdad to negotiate with the region, which is the removal of the President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani of the negotiations," pointing out that "parties in Sulaymaniyah are pushing in this direction."

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has imposed several measures, including stopping flights at Erbil and Sulaymaniyah airports following a referendum on September 25 in Kurdistan and "imposing security" in the disputed areas, including the city of Kirkuk, which was entered by the federal forces and the popular crowd on Monday 16 October 2017. Ended 29

[yota691]

UNAMI calls for calm and urges Baghdad and Erbil to negotiate on the basis of the constitution

 

 Since 2017-10-25 at 09:37 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Wednesday called for calm, while urging Baghdad and Erbil to negotiate on the basis of the Constitution.

"The anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter of the United Nations comes at a time when Iraq is undergoing a major change, and the organization of the terrorist advocate has been widely defeated, although he is still an enemy," said UN Special Representative to Iraq Jan Kubic, speaking on the occasion of United Nations Day. It remains a priority. "

"This has given many of the millions of citizens displaced as a result of this conflict the opportunity to return to their homes and rebuild their lives. It is an opportunity to reconsider and reform the political system in a way that opens up all components, minorities and all Iraqis in Iraq, Equal rights and opportunities, putting an end to the recurrent cycles of violence and terrorism. "

"The post-post period has highlighted many of the serious problems that have accumulated over the years and have remained unresolved. This concerns, inter alia, critical issues in the relations between Baghdad and Erbil, including shortcomings in the implementation of the Iraqi constitution."

"To deal with the challenge posed by the unilaterally declared independence referendum, Baghdad has taken steps to reestablish constitutional order and restore federal authority, culminating in recent developments that have unfortunately led to a confrontation between former partners in the first joint battle against dictatorship and more recently Against a terrorist organization that added more insecurity, fragmentation and difficulties, resulting in new waves of displacement, and most of the displaced this time of Kurdish citizens. "

"The United Nations is closely monitoring the situation, while providing humanitarian support to those recently displaced and raising human rights violations as necessary, guided by the principle of neutrality and serving the interests of the people of Iraq, including the Kurdistan region, at the center of their work," said Kubic. .

"Despite recent tensions, Iraq will be able to overcome this crisis and offer the good offices of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to facilitate the dialogue if requested by the two sides," the Special Representative of the Secretary-General said.

"The solution lies primarily in the cessation of military activities and calm, including the termination of provocative statements and escalatory actions, in the ongoing coordination of the military and security situation in the disputed areas when necessary and in compliance with the 2003 Green Line," he said. "To start soon dialogue partnership and negotiations between Baghdad and Erbil on the basis of the Constitution, and this is very important to maintain unity and re-establish the stability of the country and peaceful coexistence between all components and minorities on the basis of equal rights and justice for all citizens of Iraq under a democratic governance.

"The two sides publicly expressed their desire to enter into dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Constitution," he said, stressing "the willingness of the United Nations to help, if requested, as it has already begun to deal with the humanitarian consequences and human rights violations that occur also tragically , In Tuz Khurmato and Kirkuk and some other places. "

"We are confident that the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan region, as they have supported an encouraging defeat, can work together to overcome their differences through dialogue and away from confrontation to resolve all outstanding issues in line with the constitution," he said.

[yota691]

Barzani Party: The ball is now in the court of the federal government to resolve the referendum crisis

 

 Since 2017-10-25 at 11:09 (Baghdad time)

Baghdad Mawazine News

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) said on Wednesday that the solution was in the hands of the federal government after the provincial government's recent statement on freezing the referendum.

"Kurdish leaders have consistently declared their readiness for dialogue, negotiation and without conditions, but the federal government has until now been talking orally," said party spokesman Mahmoud Mohammad in an interview with Mawazin News.

He added that "the Democratic Party seeks to arrange the internal house in Kurdistan and the agreement of the Kurdish parties before embarking on the process of dialogue," noting that "there are vigorous moves to end the Kurdish-Kurdish dispute."

The official spokesman, that "Kurdistan waiting for greater flexibility of the Iraqi leaders to proceed in a smooth and quick process to end the problems and crises," stressing that "we refuse to fight with our partners and brothers."

The Kurdistan Regional Government announced earlier today the freezing of the results of the referendum process held on 25 September, demanding an immediate cease-fire and the cessation of all military operations.