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=> An Interview with a Kurd Journalist

An Interview with a Kurd Journalist
Posted by Ashur Beth-Shlimon (Guest) - Friday, December 6 2013, 18:19:42 (UTC)
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An Interview with the Kurdish Journalist,
Kameran Qarah Daghi of Al-Hayat International newspaper - London

The Editorial Staff of Al-Muntada/ The Forum Magazine did an interview with the Kurdish Senior Journalist of Al-Hayat, a leading Arab Newspaper based in London, England.
The Interview was conducted in Detroit, Michigan by Mr. Fouad Manna, the Editor-in-Chief and Mr. Talall Samona the magazine correspondence.

The Journalist Kameran Qarah Daghi said:
-The Kurdish Leadership must apologize to the Assyrians.
-The leadership of both Kurdish principal parties betrayed the Kurdish people.
……………………………………………………......

Talall: Mr. Kameran Qarh Daghi, could you please introduce yourself to Al-Muntada Magazine readers?

Qarah Daghi: I am Kameran Qarhah Daghi, a Kurdish journalist from Iraq, living and working in London, England since 1980. I have been employed by the Al-Hayat International Newspaper, based in London, England, for the past ten years.
I am here (in Detroit) by a special invitation from some friends. My views here are personal and don’t have any connection with the Newspaper Al-Hayat, and any expression made by me is considered a personal opinion.

Talall : What is the nature of the disagreement between these two Kurdish Parties, i.e., the Kurdish Democratic Party/ KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party /PUK?

Qara Daghi: The nature of such struggle is based on struggle for power, hegemony and monopoly of the Kurdish leadership. In my opinion such struggle is not in any way serving the Kurdish high interest or the Kurdistan region. Furthermore, such struggle is deeply rooted; it is a struggle for hegemony and power which are the nature of such tragedy, it is a struggle for hegemony and control between the two party leaders, and precisely by Mr. Mas’ud Barzani and Jalall Talabani.

Talall: It seems that the Kurdish people are paying the price for their personal grievances?

Qarah Daghi: in fact, this is the reality of the Kurdish problem and the leadership of both parties since 1991. With the uprising in the Kurdistan region which resulted in the Kurdish Front/ K.F taking control of the situation and the general elections that followed, where a Kurdish government was formed. This gave the Kurdish leadership a legitimacy as a result of the elections of 1992 which paved the way for the Parliamentarian elections, which could be considered relatively a free one, and a standard by the Middle Eastern countries measures, where a government was formed by these two parties that was in function for two years before the war broke up and divided the region between the two rivals.
We all remember those tragic events which were the results of such wars; this is the main problem where both rivals control the power centers and possess weapons and the financial capability. They have monopoly on the limited Kurdistan’s imports and taxation revenues collected from foreign trades between Iraq and Turkey or Iraq and Iran. Some of these trades could be considered legal; however some of it is illegal.
The fact remains, that the people in Kurdistan are not free, because the people in the whole region depends on one of the two parties, and this caused a problem in my estimation that both of these two parties betrayed the people’s will, and the will which was gained through the elections of 1992, because these two parties have a monopoly on the situation. In my opinion and evaluation, the majority of the free Kurdish elements do not trust these two parties, which were mandated on them, because if the Kurdish people were having freedom and the right environment to freely express themselves in a free elections, where these two parties didn’t possess any power or weapons, in that case, I strongly believe that the Kurdish people would have refused the current Kurdish leadership which was responsible for the tragic situation.

Talall: Regarding the Kurdish people who are currently in a revolutionary mode and divided amongst the neighboring countries, how do you explain that one of these Kurdish political leaderships (KDP) is backing Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers Party/ PPK who have the same common goals that the Kurdish people have in general? How will a Kurd fight his own Kurdish brother, could you explain?

Qarah Daghi: Any internal fight is a tragic situation for the Kurdish people. And such phenomenon is not a new one; the history of Kurdistan witnessed many of such incidents throughout the centuries. Unfortunately it is a continuous situation.

Kurdish Affairs are very complex, and it is not that easy to give a simple impression. As we know that one of these problems pertaining to the Kurdish people, which is divided amongst deferent countries, possesses many important internal, and geopolitical dimensions which influences the Kurdish movement with peculiar circumstances in each of these countries… the problem that there are many streams inside the Kurdish movement calling to unite them in a common goal of the Kurds in the host countries which they reside. The Kurdish movement has its special circumstances in each country; these conditions influence them because they are divided geographically among these countries which dictate the framework in each state which each movement resides.
In regard to the Kurdish movement in Iraq and Iran, the main goal is to get their rights based on the standards of these countries.
In Turkey, the setting is a different one, to a the certain extent, which created its current situation since seventies and the early eighties; it started, from the beginning, with a violent nature, calling for independent and a separatist feelings in a reaction to the aggressive move by the Turkish government toward the Kurds in general and for long decades of denial of the Kurdish national existence. That was the reason behind the Kurdish movement to start its armed struggle since 1984 under the leadership of the Kurdistan Worker Party/ PKK, which implemented violent methods to a point that it espoused terrorism in order to achieve its general goal.
The current Kurdish problem in Turkey is that, the PKK always tried to impose its will on the Iraqi Kurds, where it was directly interfering in the affairs of both struggling factions in Iraq. And this by itself is a big problem because of the fighting that is going on between the Iraqi Kurds and this party-PKK- which is imposing itself on the Iraqi Kurd.
In my judgment, whatever was said about the KDP under the leadership of Barzani, I don’t think for one moment that he is fighting the PKK willingly or to serve Turkey, but to serve his own interest, because such party (PKK) is threatening the status quo. In fact the PKK attempted to impose its will on the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan. They know as we all know, that it has its special circumstances, that there is an elections, a united Parliament, and a Kurdish united government, but the PKK tried to be part of it, and further interfered in the Iraqi Kurdistan affairs and continued its activities and presence inside Iraq, which is one reason for the Turky’s continuous armed incursion and interference.
Personally, I do believe that this is what the majority of the Iraqi Kurds and the Kurdish movement in Iraq alike believes as well, that the PKK has its own agenda that it is struggling inside Turkey with its own military operations against the Turkish army.

Talall: But it is one area..!

Qarah Daghi: that is right, Kurdistan is one area … this is a reality … and the division imposed certain and special conditions on the Kurdish movement. For example, take the Kurdish movement in Iraq, no matter what; still considers itself part of Iraq, and attempts in its declared goals and its programs through its institutions to function in such structure. The 1992 Parliament issued a decree to guarantee the work to achieve their rights (the Federal Solution) in a Democratic, Free and united Iraq with the cooperation of the other opposition Iraqi groups, an attempt that it never bonded with, because it was always seeking to form a free Kurdistan. That is the reason I believe of the oddity of the Iraqi Kurdish movement in relation to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK).

Talall: How the area was called ‘Kurdistan’ in fact that the Assyrian people considered the region historically an Assyrian Land and see themselves the real owners, what you make of it?

Qarah Daghi: We must go back in time historically, and try to know how such a term; ‘Kurdistan’ appeared for the first time. – “As far as I personally remember, since then the terminology spread in the political dictionary of the area – I think, the Kurds never invented such a terminology of the word Kurdistan. It is clear that ‘Kurdistan’ terminology appeared after WW I, as it appeared for the first time in the records of the Sevres Treaty( 10 August 1920- between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies) I do believe that it is not right and or there is no privilege to any Kurdish movement in Iraq to have a monopoly on Kurdistan. Kurdistan, as it is known is a common home for several peoples, for the Kurds and the Assyrians which is a historical matter. It is possible that the Assyrians were found there for thousands of years and it is possible even before the Kurds. Personally, I believe that the Assyrians (in Kurdistan) have all the right to have an equal and a complete right in the land. And it is not right to think how some Kurds think, that they are above or better than the Assyrians. Or even better than the Turcomans who settled in the area since the days of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566) and in general, any people inhabit any given area should become part of that area..

Mr. Fouad Manna asked Mr. Qarah Daghi: We hear from time to time, that delegations from both parties are conducting negotiation with the(Saddam’s) regime. Could you elaborate on this and tell us how accurate is that?

Qarah daghi: This is true, which is regretful. It is a result of the inside struggle between these two parties which is strengthening the position of Saddam Hussein’s regime. It is clearly due to the increasing struggle between these two parties where each one tried to ally itself with regional states or outside powers, in order to weaken the other front. As far as we know, the KDP started their negotiations with Baghdad before Talabany, and such cooperation (between Barazani & Baghdad) reached its peak when in August 1996, the Iraqi armed forces helped the KDP in Arbil. Then we observed that the PUK also moved towards that direction to have negotiation with Baghdad, not in the interest of the Kurdish movement or interest of Kurdistan, but the purpose was to not let such a card in the hands of the KDP only. It is also known that both rivals had their delegations in Baghdad and they had some meetings under the supervision of Ali Hassan Al-Majid, the one called by the Kurds ‘ Ali Al-Kimyawi ‘ who was responsible for the ANFAL operations and the bombardment of the Kurdish villages with the Chemical bombs which is a very regretful incident and not acceptable period. But the fighting between them continued to a point where they became very weak to confront the Saddam Hussein’s regime, and he was able to steer his policies in Kurdistan while sitting in Baghdad.

Fouad Manna: It is well known that Iraqi Kurdistan is inhabited by the Assyrians and the Kurds, side by side and the common history between them carried a lot of bloodsheds and tragedies. How could we dress/heal these wounds, when we hear in times that the Kurds make incursions into the Assyrian villages by attacking them?

Qarah Daghi: I personally and truly speak for myself and express my views as a Kurdish citizen. I do believe that the past wounds must be addressed with a complete forgiveness and openness, and I think – “Yes in deed, the Kurds did commit such acts and oppressions against the Assyrians , further we remember that the Kurdish tribes participated in attacking operations against the Assyrians during the Ottoman empire and against the Armenians too “.

I also think, these reasons had no basis or roots of national or religious hatred, and if these acts of oppressions against the Assyrians and the Armenians were waged in the name of the Islamic religion, as it was the situation when many Kurdish tribes participated. Nevertheless, due to frictions which were appearing at the time, there were many dishonorable stands the Kurds played a part in against the Assyrians. I personally, as I see it, it is a must for the Kurds or the Kurdish leadership and its representatives to offer an apology to the Assyrians for their crimes. It is well known such apologies are a civilized phenomenon and it is practiced by many nations and civilized states in Europe and other places, as we earlier, witnessed how the Pope in Rome, two weeks ago, issued an apology because the Roman Catholic Church was silence for what happened to the Jewish people during WW II. And a Kurdish apology to the Assyrians for their crimes is not going to degrade them, but will boost their credibility. In the event of issuing such an apology, it will give credibility to the Kurds and to set an example in dealing with the others in a civilized spirit, and work towards healing these old wounds, because it happened at various historical and mindful aspects, which makes it unacceptable today.

Talall: During the uprising of March 1991, where were some Kurdish battalions, and why they chose to stand idle?

Qarah Daghi: as far as I know, when Saddam Hussein’s army invaded Kuwait, there was a movement of the Kurdish Front (KF) which was comprised from the Kurdish parties and one Assyrian group (ADM/ZOWAA) to evaluate the situation if there is any possibility that the Kurdish movement could take advantage of. Finally, efforts were made and agreed upon to have the KDP and the PUK take action. As soon as these parties moved, the KF tried to establish communication with some groups of the Iraqi opposition. Personally, I did have good information about it, where there were other groups involved, like the Islamic Revolutionary Higher Council under the leadership of Baqir Al-Hakim and other national movements.
The Kurds were planning to do something in Kurdistan, as you know, from the early stages of the Kurdish revolt in the early sixties under the leadership of Mulla Mustafa Barzani, as well as their cooperation with other factions from the opposition groups. However, because of their circumstances, the opposition groups were having their own differences, the Kurds realized that it was very difficult to persuade the opposition groups to accept its movement in Iraq and to have the groups represented and guided by the Kurdish opposition movement. It was self evident that such features were considered by the Kurdish movement. When the southern uprising (Shia area) occurred and spread, the KF, which was at the time operating outside of Iraq, and was preparing to take action since the eighties, saw that there were new circumstances and geographical factors to be taken in consideration.
During the months of February and early March, falling snow creates difficult condition for movement and fighting, but in spite of that, the Kurds started planning to move in Iraqi Kurdistan by the middle of March, immediately after the snow started melting and conditions were helpful.
There was a movement that was not planned in advance for the city of Raniah, which forced the Peshmarga fighters to engage itself in a hard environmental conditions , because of the rugged terrain that prevent them to move at the right time.
Later on we learned the details, when the KF was able to impose its control on the Kurdish areas; there was a plan that the KF will attack the city of Mosul in cooperation with the other Arab opposition movements. The Arab opposition groups hesitated to move from Syria and join such an operation. That was the reason the Kurds refused to attack the city of Mosul as an all Kurdish force only, and by attacking the city, it feared it will create some animosity towards the Arabs, since Mosul is in the Arab sphere.
As far as I think, this was one reason that the Kurds were postponing their movement with the Arabs in the south.
Talall: Thank you very much Mr. Qarah Daghi, hoping we will have more interviews with you in the feature.


 The interview was conducted in the Arabic language and was published for the first time in the Al-Muntada Magazine; May 1998 issue. It was translated into the English language by Ashur Beth-Shlimon
__________________________________________________
The translator observations and comments:

Firstly, there is no question about the ability and fluency of Mr.Kameran Qarah Daghi in the Arabic language and the same can be said about these two fine gentlemen, i.e., Mr.Fouad Manna and Mr. Tallal Samona, but unfortunately there were some flaws in such reporting, a case in point is the redundancy which I managed to get around it without changing the meaning of the text.

Secondly, the readers will notice that these people defended and exposed the only nation and that is the Assyrian nation and never came even close to the invented compound name period, which I am grateful to them.

Thirdly, Mr. Kameran Qarah Daghi, himself a Kurd, never denied that his people committed atrocities against the Assyrian nation on one hand, and on the other he clearly assured us that North of Iraq is an Assyrian land before it ever was a Kurdish one. Furthermore, he affirmed that ‘ Kurdistan ‘ is not an old name to the area on one hand and the Kurds never imposed it, but it was a as result of the Western colonial powers which came up with the name as a result of the Sevres Treaty of 10 August 1920 between the Ottoman Empire( the Sick Man )and the Allies.



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