Erbil summit sends strong message to Baghdad - Kurdish Globe

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 2National politics or Minority politics: Decisive moments to decideGlobe EditorialDivided into four parts accordingto the imperial power interestsfollowing the First World War,Kurdistan has come to a criticaljuncture and the Kurdish nationalliberation movements have tomake historical decisions to follloweither a policy of national poliiticsor that of minority politics.Radical political developmentsthat are unfolding in the MiddleEast and internal political crisis ofthe four states that occupy parts ofKurdistan have brought the Kurdiishnational question to an internnationalarena and provide opporttunitiesas well as challenges tothe entire Kurdish movement.It is important to differentiateand underline the political persspectivesof national politics andminority politics in assessing theKurdish position. National politticsrefers to the Kurdish questionas a national/political questionand aims to resolve this questionwithin the framework of territorrialand sovereign rights. In otherwords national politics suggest thesolution as the sovereign rights ofthe Kurds over the territory and inturn the control and exploitationof natural resources of this territorryfor the benefit and utility of thepeople residing on the territory.Sovereign rights over the territtoryand possession of the naturralresources of and over the terrritoryrefer to the formation of astate. The solution of the Kurdishquestion within the frameworkof national politics thus signifiesa political program and objectivetoward establishment of an indeppendentKurdistan and a Kurdishstate.Minority politics on the otherhand refers to the solution of theKurdish question as a culturaland individual right of the Kurdswithin each state that control therespective part of Kurdistan. Minnoritypolitics seeks the solutionwithin the concept of democratizzationof the occupied state andwithin the legal framework of thatstate. In other words the Kurdishquestion is stripped from its terrritorialcontext and reduces theKurdish nation to a minority stattus.Majority Kurdish politicalgroups within the four parts ofKurdistan from the mid-20th centturyonwards mostly followed aminority politics course. One funddamentalreason for such minoritypolitics was the climate affordedby the Cold War period. The globaalstatus quo between the capitaliistand socialist blocs could notaccept radical changes to politicalborders in a strategic region of theMiddle East.However, the collapse of the SovvietUnion and subsequent politiccaldevelopments obliterated theCold War status quo, thus reformattionand reconstruction of the exiistingpolitical arrangements andborders particularly in the MiddleEast became more tangible.As a matter of fact, the first waveof such radical alterations and bordderchanges took place in formerSoviet Union itself, particularlyin the Balkan region. After all thebloody wars and internal conflicts,the Balkan question was ultimatellyresolved by the formation ofnew political entities and the reddrawingof political borders.It is crucial to note here that forthe advent of stability and democrracy,the solution for a MiddleEast that is currently facing tremmendouspolitical challenges andturmoil is a second Balkanization.Existing political orders and borddersthat served global capitalismthroughout the 20th century is nolonger in parallel with the globalcapitalist development. Balkkanizationof the Middle East isgradually becoming a prerequisitefor a proper and just solution tothe chaotic and chronic problemsof the Middle East.As one of the most criticalproblems of the Middle East, theKurdish question has to be dealtdecisively at this period. At thiscritical period that the MiddleEast is passing through, the Kurdiishpolitical actors must switchdirection from minority politicsto national politics. This politicalswitch has already happened inIraqi Kurdistan. By demandingfederalism and insistence on thecontrol of Kurdistan oil and gasresources the dominant politicalculture is now a national orientedpolitics. This needs to be followedby other parts of Kurdistan.Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki speaks to Kurdish leader Massud Barzani during the 2010 congress of thelatter's Kurdistan Democratic Party in <strong>Erbil</strong>.Currently the Kurdish politticsin north Kurdistan (Turkey)dominated by Partiya KarkeranKurdistan (PKK) and its legalarm, Peace and Democracy Party(BDP) is under the influence ofminority politics. This presentsa serious challenge to the entireKurdish national movement. Theminority politics of PKK alsoreflects itself in Syrian Kurdisttan.The PKK’s affiliated group,Democratic Union Party (PYD),contrary to other Kurdish organizzationsis collaborating with theSyrian regime and insists on theresolution of the Kurdish nationalquestion within the paradigm ofcultural and individual rights.Because of the political turmoilin Syria and potential collapseof the Syrian regime, the Kurdiishnational question in SyrianKurdistan assumed the utmost impportancefor the Kurdish nationalmovement. It seems that amongthe Kurdish political groups thereis a lack of united position or nattionalstrategy.The conglomeration of variousSyrian Kurds under the name ofKurdish National Council (KNC)initially demanded federal rightsin a post-Assad Syria. The dominnantSyrian opposition group,Syrian National Council (SNC),denounced this right and suggesteedthat the Kurds be content withsome basic cultural and individualrights. The way the SNC accommmodatesthe Kurdish question isexactly what was earlier outlinedabout minority politics.KNC should not step back fromtheir demand of federalism. Theissue cannot be postponed to apost-Assad period. According tosome Kurdish online news outllets,the KNC in a meeting in Qammishlu,a Kurdish town in SyrianKurdistan, has prepared to stepdown from their demand of federaalism.If this is true it indicates aworrying development and a hugesetback for the Kurdish nationaliism.Should the Syrian Kurds giveup their demand now at such aninfant stage, how they are goingto get their national rights afterAssad’s collapse?Syrian Kurdish political organizzationsand actors should differeentiatethe notion of national politticsfrom that of minority politics.The SNC position regarding tothe Kurdish question in Syria isnot far from that of Baathist Arabnationalism. The opportunitythat the Syrian Kurds have todayshould not be wasted with pettypolitics.Despite all the developmentsin four parts of Kurdistan themomentum now lies in southernKurdistan. The bold and nationalorientedpolicy and strategy of theKurdistan President should conttinuewithout any compromise.The Maliki government should notbe allowed to run until its term<strong>sends</strong> in 2014 as suggested by inffluentialShiite leader, MuqtaderSadr. The deadline set by MasssoudBarzani of September for areal solution should be observedand implemented. Either the Iraqipolitical actors should muster atangible solution to resolve thepending issues between <strong>Erbil</strong> andBaghdad according to the Iraqiconstitution or the Kurds shouldgo for referendum to decide theirown destiny.Time is running short and the reggionalconflicts continue to gathermomentum. The Kurdish politicalactors should be able to developconcrete national/political strateegyand put it into effect withoutany delay.Any failure to respond to theconditions and challenges of thetime will mean the Kurds cannotbreak their century long chains.The path towards a better future isfor the Kurds to differentiate nattionalpolitics from minority politticsand act accordingly in theirnational interest no matter whatthe challenges may be.Azad AminGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamedWeekly paper printed in <strong>Erbil</strong>First published in 2005www.kurdishglobe.netinfo.kurdishglobe@gmail.comAddress:<strong>Erbil</strong>, Bakhtiyari QuarterEXECUTIVE EDITORJawad QadirEDITORAzad Aminazad.kurdishglobe@gmail.comSenior U.S. EditorSuzanne DeRouensuzi.kurdishglobe@yahoo.comSenior U.K. EditorBashdar Pusho Ismaeelbashdar@hotmail.comAko Muhammed+964 750 4661936ako.kurdishglobe@gmail.comAiyob Mawloodi+964 750 4776905aiyob.kurdishglobe@gmail.comQassim Khidhir+964 750 4823081qassim.kurdishglobe@gmail.comSTAFF WRITERSSazan M. Mandalawisazan.kurdishglobe@gmail.comZakaria Muhammed+964 750 475 3897zakaria.kurdishglobe@gmail.comRawaz Koyee+964 750 1163296rawaz26.kurdishglobe@gmail.comARTS EDITORDiyaco Qayoumy +964 750 4036252diyaco.kurdishglobe@gmail.comAdvertisementFor information and prices of ad spots, please contactGlobe’s Advertisement section: Rizgar Yahyarizgar.kurdishglobe@gmail.comCell: +964 750 4055888You can also check prices and packages by loggingon to: kurdishglobe.net/adSubscriptionThe Kurdish Globe can be delivered to your office orhome address, whether in Kurdistan or abroad.To subscribe: Please contact the Globe DistributionSection: Rauf Aspindarairauf.kurdishglobe@gmail.com+964 750 4497976You can also subscribe by logging onto:kurdishglobe.net/subscription

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 4Children go unobservedafter parents divorceFathers complain they are not allowed adequatevisitation rights with their childrenRegion’s civilstatus law regardingchild custodyand parentalvisiting rightsunder scrutiny.Rahim Mohammed, 35,claims that perjury andinterference by relattiveswas the cause forhis not having seen his4-year-old son since hisestranged wife, Sana, leftwithout filing for divorce."It has been two years!"he exclaimed, becomiingemotional about thenight he separated fromhis family.He works as a barber ina small shop and runs asandwich shop at nightsin Bnaslawa, an <strong>Erbil</strong>suburb. Mohammed wasyoung when his familyimmigrated to Iran. Hewas married in an Iraniancourt. Since his family>sreturn from Iran in 2009,he has lived in Bnaslawwa.Mainly because ofMohammed>s low inccome,sisters and brotheersof his estranged wife,Sana, insist their sisterget divorced and staynear them in Khanaqin,both spouses’ hometown."I want my family back,"said Mohammed, blamiingthe Khanaqin courtfor cheating him withtestimonies by two witnnesseswho he says perjjuredthemselves withfalse testimony that Mohhammadhad abandonedhis family. Thus, the caseremains suspended."I might not knowhim…he must be growiingand changing a lot,"said Mohammed of hisson. His estranged wife>sbrothers told him that hebetter not visit his son,said Mohammed, whofeels helpless becausehis case is in Khanaqin,which is currently outssideKurdistan Region’slegal authority.Inside the region, thesituation is different. Theparent with custody mustobey rules that allow forthe noncustodial parent tovisit his or her children.However, the process isquestioned, mostly by fatthers,because of the shorttime periods of meetingsand lack of an observattionsystem to reveal thepsychological and econnomicstatus of childrenafter divorce.Since his divorce ayear ago, Ahmed KhalidNajm, 34, is allowed byhis employer a few hourson two days a month toleave his work and visithis 2-year-old son. Thissame rule applies to 160other divorced parents in<strong>Erbil</strong>. But the most recentvisitation was spoiled forNajm because his childwas ill and cried for 30minutes. "All toys I triedto use were broken; thisis not fair. How can Ishow my paternal feeliingsthis way?" he said,demanding custody forat least one complete dayper month.Children legally gowith their mothers postdivorce,except whenthe mother refuses. Fattherscan see or accomppanytheir children whenthe mother agrees, butwhen the mother rejectsthe visitation, the courtinterferes based on thefather>s demands to arrrangeregular meetings.The government doesn’thave a place to hold thesessions; instead, <strong>Erbil</strong>’sexecutive court uses itsown yard to strictly obsserve70 cases, fearingquarrels between the divvorcedcouples.The Social Institute ofthe Kurdistan Women’sUnion, an NGO linked tothe Kurdistan DemocraticParty, arranges sessionsfor some 91 other friendlliercases. The instituteopened its department ofBroken Family>s ChildCare in March 2011 with26 cases at the time. Caseeshave multiplied nearlyfour times since. Theunion general secretary,Viyan Haji, said they aredoing work that is thegovernment>s duty. "Weinitiated this project aswe noticed sessions innarrow spaces inside thecourt>s rooms or gardden,"she explained. “Allwe do is to serve the happpinessof the family andbuilding healthy individuualsin society."The union set aside aceremony hall for sesssions.The big room issupplied with six sets oftables and chairs as wellas a number of slidingboards and car toys thatare mostly broken. Thesecretary said that theyare working on buildingsunshades in their gardento create "more comfortaable"sitting spaces.A small staff of threeresearchers looks after all91 cases at the institute.Pishko Jabari, a social ressearcherand head of thesession department, saidthey used to study thechildren>s conditions eveeryweek in the beginningmonths when their staffincluded six researchers.Now the cases have inccreasedand the staff hasbeen reduced, he said,resulting in a cutback oftime spent on each case.Narmin Jaff was thelone researcher observing18 sessions in one day ona Sunday. "Sundays arealways like this," she noteed.But on most days theysee no more than five orsix cases. Court employeeesand researchers arepresent only during a fewhours of the meeting, andcases are never observedafter regular meetings.Custodial parent ArazuHassan>s insistence onkeeping her four schoolagedchildren caused her"life difficulties" sinceshe is unemployed andher only income is IQD320,000, paid by herex-husband, as the legalfamily expense.After divorce, the courtobliges one-fifth of afather>s monthly incometo be given to childrenin the mother>s custody.Fathers must also payfor travel expenditure forboth sides during meetiings.Father of 5-year-oldNasim, Sanar Aali, hasno economic worriesA court employee marks name of a visitor woman out of Kurdistan Women Union office, erbil.but cannot know enoughabout his daughter in amere two hours. Oncemeeting his daughter aftertwo missed sessions, Aalifound a scar on Nasim>sleg while putting her intoa new dress he bought herfrom his town in Soran.Another time, Nassimcollected every cellphone she could findat her mother>s houseand deposited them allin the toilet, Aali said."She had asked to callme but her request wasrejected; this is how sheacted out. I never receivecalls from her." Aali alsocondemned the meeting’slimits and said that Nassimneeds also to meether paternal relatives, notjust the father.<strong>Erbil</strong> executive judgeAhmed Farzi agreed thatthe rules are cruel, buttheir "authority is onlyto fulfill" what the courtsdecide on in divorce triaals."Like in Britain,fathers should have theright to live with theirkids for days," Farzi said,reminding that he hadseveral times asked exppertsto be employed towatch the children andfor a special building tobe built for the sessions.Kurdistan Parliament isworking to amend an itemof the region>s civil stattuslaw relative to parenttalcustody. The bill commmitsboth parents to takeresponsibility for raisingand educating the childuntil he turns 18; the pareentwithout custody cantake the child home oncea month for no less than24 hours. The child couldalso go to the other homewhenever he/she wantsto. But the bill still lacksan item obliging any sortof observation for childdrenafter divorce.Ako Muhammed<strong>Erbil</strong>ako.kurdishglobe@gmail.comGLOBE PHOTO/Ako Muhammed

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 5Dokan’s fish fight for their survivalKurdistan’s rivers quickly emptying out in part due to illegal fishingTourists count forthe majority of fishconsumers in DokanJust as springtime arrrived—theseason whenfish reproduce--the goveernmentbanned fishingthroughout Kurdistan Reggionfrom April 1 till June15.Najad Sabir, a fish venddoron Dokan’s mainstreet between <strong>Erbil</strong> andSuleimaniya, argues thatrivers and lakes. To comppoundthat, the numberof domestic fish is verylow compared to marketdemand. According toSabir, 80 percent of theRegion’s fish is importedfrom neighboring counttries,especially Iran andTurkey. “Our domesticfish resources are about10 percent to 15 percent,and the remaining 5 perccentcomes from southernIraq,” explained Sabir.Despite Kurdistan’s limi-Sabir. “Although the goveernmentpunishes thosewho violate the laws andregulations, still there areofficials and influentialpeople who harm the fishand other fishermen. Thereare people who hunt fishwith guns in the [Dokan]dam, where hunting is prohhibited.”Karim and Sabir bothargued that many huntershave been fined for violattions;the maximum finewas about three millionsamong fish hunters in Dokkan,according to Sabir, isdividing the dam’s waterinto territories among fisheermen,by which hunterswill gain exclusive fishingrights in a specific area ofthe water.“The dam is a publicproperty and the fish liviingin the water belong tothe whole region, but onlya number of people havemonopolized this resourceand they make unbelievaablemoney out of this,”fish wealth in the region.Also posing a threat tofish in Dokan Dam andelsewhere in Kurdistanis the fish eggs incubatedinto the water by the goveernment.Abdulla arguesthat these eggs grow intotwo fish species that eatthe eggs of the other fishnaturally living in the watter,something that significcantlyharms the reproducttionof the good species offish.Considering the state ofpassing by. “For instance,we sell the largest amountof fish during Fridays andpicnic seasons, when largeestnumber of tourists andtravelers are around.”“On a summer Friday, wewould sell 300-400 kilosof fish,” argued Abdullaas a number of customersexamined the dozen diffferenttypes of fish showccasedin front of his shopon the street. “Generallyfish market is higher insummer than winter dueGLOBE PHOTO/Aiyob MawloodiA traveler buying fish at Najat Sabir's shop in Dokan, north of Suleimaniya, March 16, 2012.the timing is not ideal.“In fact, the ban shouldhave been applied fromMay 1 until July 15,” hesaid while cleaning fishcustomers. “This is the repproductionseason--not theone set by the government.I have seen fish in mid-July still not laying eggs.”Sabir told the Globe thatthose making decisionsin the government are notspecialized in this fieldand sometimes make uninfformeddecisions.Lacking a sea, Kurdisttan’sfish live only in theited fish resources andthe regulations set by theKurdistan Regional Goveernment’sauthorities toprotect these resources,the Region’s fish still facethreats. According to AbddulrahmanKarim, anotherfish vendor, fishermenwith influence and power,or those who are relatedto officials in one way oranother, are the biggestthreat, as they are“The majority of theviolations are made bythe officials,” explainedIraqi Dinars (approximmatelyUS$2,500). Karim,however, believes that thefines are too small for thosewho are already extremelywealthy and powerful andearn “10 times more thanthis” by fishing.Taking this into consideeration,fish retailers inDokan prefer penalties beyyondmere financial fines.Witnesses claim that themajority of illegal fishingoccurred during the springban period.Another phenomenonsaid Aras Abdulla, a fishvendor since 1998. “Withooutany legal ownershipdocuments, those peopleuse various illegal waysfor fishing in their “excclusiveterritory” such aselectric shock, dynamiteor nets.”While claiming that thereis no control over this act,Abdulla argues that thegovernment should put anend to it and rent fishingterritories to fishermen;they should then use therevenues to improve thefishing in the Region, thedemand for fish has beenon a steady increase in thepast few years. Thanks toits location on the mainroad connecting <strong>Erbil</strong> andSuleimaniya and the touriistattractions around it,Dokan is always crowdedwith local and foreigntourists attracted to thoussandsof fish showcasedon the sides of the street indozens of shops.As Karim said, the majjorityof their customersare tourists and travelersto huge number of touristscoming from inside andoutside the region.”Although fish prices arevery high—with the pricesof some fish exceeding25,000 to 30,000 IraqiDinars, (approximatelyUS$20 to US$25) per killogram,the fish market remmainshot in Dokan.Aiyob Mawloodi<strong>Erbil</strong>aiyob.kurdishglobe@gmail.com

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 6Dollar price fluctuations push prices upPrice of U.S. dollar up from 1190 Iraqi dinars to 1280 Iraqi dinars since MarchThe dollar exchangerate has risensignificantly in Iraqand Kurdistanrecently,due to scarcity ofU.S. dollarson the market.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamedFor the past week, the excchangemarket in <strong>Erbil</strong> hasbeen overcrowded--evenat lunchtime--as tradersall seek USD while pricesfluctuate on an hourly bassis.Although the exchangerate at the Central Bankof Iraq (CBI) is still 1179IQD:1 USD, accordingto the owner of KurdistanMoney Exchange, SiamandMawlood, the amount ofdollars injected into themarket every day is notsufficient for the volumeof trade happening in themarkets throughout Iraq.“Therefore, the official valuueof U.S. dollars and theactual market value have10,000 ID difference [pereach US$100],” arguedMawlood.According to Mawlood,in the past the CBI usedto sell 400 to 500 millionUSD every day, but thisnumber has fallen to only50 million USD.“Now the CBI has setnew regulations for selliingUSD, and the buyersshould disclose the purpposeof buying dollars andshould have proof for this;otherwise, they cannot buyfrom the CBI,” Mawloodiexplained to the Globe.Apparently the new procceduresby the CBI areaimed at preventing dollarsfrom channeling into thehands of terrorist groups,but Mawlood describes thisA money trader counts US Dollar notes in Sheikhall market in <strong>Erbil</strong> Downtown in January 19, 2012.as an effort to sell it unoffficiallyto some traders ata higher price and make acouple of million dollars aday out of that.The impact of the excchangerate fluctuationsdoes not stay inside theexchange market, but asKurdistan is virtually impportingeverything fromabroad, the Kurdish econoomyhas become dollar-deppendent.Hence, as dollar pricesfluctuate, the cost of doiingbusiness fluctuatesproportionately. Cross-borddertraders have to changetheir profits into dollars topay their international supppliers.The volume of thistrade, according to Mawllood,reaches 25 milliondollars per day only at the<strong>Erbil</strong> exchange market.Aiyob Maghdid, a foodand cleaning materialwholesaler at the SheikhalllaMarket in downtown<strong>Erbil</strong>, has visited the excchangemarket for manyyears now. He buys hisproducts from abroad withdollars, and now as the dolllarprice has increased, hehas to pay more dinars tobuy the dollar amounts heneeds to pay his suppliers.“Whenever dollar valueincreases, we will increaseour prices as well,” admitsMaghdid. Although by thishe is trying to avoid losses,“the higher our prices beccome,the emptier my shopwill become.”A returning client ofMaghdid breaks the silenceof his shop, but hearing thenew “shocking” prices, heimmediately decides to buyless stuff.Maghdid’s client, who isa retailer, says that everyitem now costs 250 to 500dinars more than before,and when customers realiizethat, they think they arebeing misused and leavethe shops while complainiing.Maghdid Mohammed, anootherretailer at SheikhallaMarket, believes that inaddition to dollar prices,there is another factor behhindthe price increases.“Traders have bought someof their products at a lowerprice before the exchangerate fluctuations, but someare selling them at today’sprices,” explains Maghdid.As buyers continue tocomplain, store owneerslike Saman Salim, aclothes seller at the NishtimmanMarket, has poured allhis clothes on the floor andis trying to change the dessignof his shop. “I haven’tsold anything since yesterdday,”a bored Salim said.“I have nothing to do here;that is why I want to busymyself with redesigningthe store.” He believes thatIraqi Prime Minister Nurial-Maliki is trying to createproblems for Kurdistan,but it seems that without astrong domestic productionsector, Salim’s job and thewhole market will stay vulnnerableto such shocks.Mountain vegetable market growsWalking around downttownSoran on the lateafternoons, it’s easy tofind most of the commonspring mountain vegetabbles,which are gatheredfrom the surroundingmountains by local peopple,being sold in smallgrocery shops or on thestreet.A large number of loccalsset out to mountainoousareas in Balakayaty,Mergasoor and Sidakanearly in the mornings tocollect the vegetablesand return to Soran latein the afternoon to sellthem and earn their dailylivelihood.Hayat Mustafa, a midddle-agedwoman fromSidakan, said, “We sellthe vegetables at a lowprice and earn a modestliving. As spring arrives,we go to the mountainsat 5 a.m. and return at 7p.m. for 45 days, collectiingany kind of ediblevegetables; we bring ourharvest every other dayto Soran to sell it.”According to her, eachperson earns around20,000 to 30,000 IraqiDinars (approximatelyUS$18 to US$25).Haidar Khurshid, 45,who was selling mounttainvegetables in a Soranmarket, shouted, “Comehere; we have all mounttainvegetables, especciallymedicine for yourstomach.” He’s been doiingthis for 10 years, hesaid. “All natural mounttainvegetables are goodfor the health,” saidKhurshid. “Thank Godthis year we had plentyof rain, the spring seasonwas longer and hence themarket for mountain vegeetablesis very good.”In the heart of Soran’smarket, Uncle Siddiq hasvirtually all mountainvegetables available inthe area; he sells each ata different price.“I no longer have theenergy to do any job orto go to the mountains,”Uncle Siddiq told theGlobe as he organized hisvegetables. “As springarrives I call some peopplein Balakayati and askthem to bring me thesemountain vegetables andbuy them at a reasonableprice.”Uncle Siddiq says thathe receives a pickup fullof vegetables every dayand “if I make 500 Dinnars[approximately 40cents] profit per each killogram,”he sells them.

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 7<strong>Erbil</strong> doctor treats bed-wetting toddlersRetired doctor making headway on an issue he takes personallyA form of Chineseelectro-puncturelooks promisingin alleviatingbed-wettingissues often seenin childhood.GLOBE PHOTO/Ako MuhammedDr. Tareq Anwer Wali shows his special medic apparatus at his office in <strong>Erbil</strong>.In the 1980s, psychologgistand neurologist Dr.Tareq Anwar Wali beganresearching nontraditionaltreatments for childrenwho wet their beds atnight. The main drivingforce behind his researchwas that his own child suffferedfrom the same issue.The direction of Dr. Walli’sresearch changed conssiderablyin the mid 1990swhen he met Dr. SarbastKakayee at an <strong>Erbil</strong> hosppital.Dr. Kakayee treatedsuch children with electricvibrations.Dr. Kakayee passedaway, leaving Dr. Tareqsorry that he never learnedenough from his collleague.But Dr. Tareq nowpractices a Chinese scieencecalled electro-punctture,which consists ofapplying low electric vibbrationsto affected partsof the body.Dr. Tareq graduated fromMosul University MedicalCollege in 1970. He wasthe first to supply <strong>Erbil</strong>’smain hospital with a muscclelever measuring apparratus,he claimed. And hewas one of a group of docttorsto establish the firstintensive care unit in thesame hospital.Beginning his practicewith his new knowleedgewas expensive. "Atthat time the tool costUS$1,700 and I was notable to afford it," he stated.So he and a friend whowas an electronics expertinvented an apparatususing parts of a radio recceiverthat produced lowlevelelectric vibrations."The tool was covered ina can….I used it for manyyears." His invention notonly resulted in positivetreatment of bedwettingcases, but also in removiingpain in certain parts ofthe body.He no longer utilizes thehandmade tool. Instead,he now uses two white appparatuses;each is as big asa large-size cellphone andconnected to wires. Anyof these tools, which arebasically used for measuriingmuscle lever, now caneasily be found in the markketand cost only US$170.Dr. Tareq said that childdrenwet their bed at nightdue to either psychologiccalor physical issued withthe nervous system or inthe spine – but he saidpsychological issues aremost common.Applying electric vibrattionto the bladder andother body parts can stopbedwetting, promised Dr.Tareq, noting that at leastthree sessions are needed."Even if this method doesnot stop the problem,there are no negative sideeffects," he assured. Theelectric vibration tightenscells and activates bloodcirculation.Regarding medicationsto stop bed-wetting, Dr.Tareq said, "Medicationhasn’t become a treatmentfor this disease. They arelike headache pills." Hesuggested vitamins, calcciumor honey to alleviatebed-wetting.Dr. Tareq retired in 2007and soon after closed hisprivate clinic. But he neverquite stopped working alltogether. "I would like tocontinue serving people,"he said. He now receivespatients for three hours inthe evening at the Zanyaripublic clinic in <strong>Erbil</strong>.He said he has treatednumerous children forbed-wetting, but his arcchivesvanished after heclosed his clinic so he hasno records.Still, he claims to be the"only doctor in Iraq whouses this treatment” and isready to teach other docttorshis methods.He would like to attendelectro-puncturing courseesin China, but he alsorealizes it will be difficultto make such a wish cometrue. He also said regionalhealth authorities nevertried to assist him with hisinvention.American teachers of Media Private School leave SuleimaniyaNalia TV interview ratchets up American teachers’ fears at Media Private SchoolAfter the shootingof an Americanteacher in theclassroom lastmonth, Americanteachers at thisprivate school optto leave for good.All American teachersworking at the MediaPrivate School have leftSuleimaniya, and parentsof the students are conccernedabout their childdren’sstudies. The eventfollows the death of anAmerican teacher lastmonth by the hands of astudent who also killedhimself.Kamal Noori Gharib,the director of SuleimmaniyaEducation, says,“it is correct that the deppartureof those teachershas created a gap, but wehave solved this issueand classes continue normmallyin the school.”The school has still notreturned to normal sincethe deaths last month,and on April 20. One ofthe local teachers of theschool told the Globe onthe condition of anonymiitythat the Americanteachers were lecturing atthe school with fear thatanother such event mighthappen again. “The fearincreased after the NalliaTV interview withthe parents of the studdentwho committed thecrime,” said the teacher.Parents of other studentswarned that instead ofcalming the situation, thestatements by the criminnal’sstudent who killedthe teacher worsened thesituation.Nihayat Ali, the motherof one of the students ofthe school, told the Globethat after the incident,students began attendingclasses intermittently;parents requested thatthis problem be solvedso that students’ studiesdon’t suffer.Gharib admits thatthere is a problem in theschool. “The reappearaanceof the issue and thedecision of the Americanteachers to leave cameafter some statements bythe parent of the criminnalstudent in an NRTchannel interview, whichraised concern among theAmerican teachers.”In an interview withNRT two weeks ago, theparents of the student argguedthat the Americanteachers at the schoolwere acting more likeChristian missionariesmaking propaganda forthe Christian religionamong the students,something that createdsensitivity among studdentsand resulted in viollence.Gharib stated that theyhave assigned replacemmentteachers and allclasses will resume thisweek.There are currently dozeensof private schools inKurdistan, which someexperts believe havefailed to perform theiroriginal duties. KameranKhalid, an educationalexpert, argues that due tothe large number of privvateschools, monitoringtheir performances hasbecome more difficult. “Ibelieve it is now time toreview all these foreignprivate schools,” arguesKhalid.Gharib agrees with theidea that the contractsof the private schoolsshould be revised. “Thereare plans to organize aconference this summerto revise all the contractsthat the Ministry of Educcationhas signed withprivate schools,” saidGharib. “Preparationsfor the conference havealready started.”

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 8Bands lose business to disc jockeysDJs rock out wedding parties and other celebratory eventsPeople are not sokeen on hiringbands anymore asDJs cost less anddeliver a largervariety of music.GLOBE PHOTO Zakaria MuhammedThis picture shows a singer and a music band during a party.In the 1990s, hiring musicbands for wedding partieswas the grooms’ responssibility.Live concerts,musical instruments andsongs were very popularamong Kurdish people.But today, when someoonewants to arrange awedding, engagement,birthday or even an annniversaryparty in Kurdiistan,he hires a discjockey.A disc jockey, alsoknown as a DJ, selectsand plays recorded musicfor an audience. Originnally,"disc" referred to aphonographic record. Todday,the term includes allforms of music playback,no matter the medium.Although there are seveeraltypes of disc jockeys,club DJs who select andplay music in nightclubsand at wedding partiesor raves are the mostcommon in Kurdistan.Hall directors used DJsin ceremonies in Kurdiistana few years agowhere wedding partieswere held, and the trendquickly flourished. Altthoughmost of the wedddinghalls and clubs havetheir own DJs, peoplesometimes prefer to hiresomeone in the marketwhere all DJ offices arelocated.Amanj Askander Qader,DG Hawler Office directtor,said, "Our business isvery good as people nowaadaysuse DJs for wedddingparties. Our job isvery simple. The deviceswe use are a recorder anda computer with four bigmicrophones. We play allkinds of music and songsdepending on the typesof the parties."Since Kurdish peopleusually dance duringwedding parties, Qadersaid the DJs play musicthat suits dancing. Kurdiishdance is a group oftraditional handholdingdances similar to thosefrom the Balkans, Lebannonand Iraq. It is a formof round dancing, witha single or a couple ofdancers often added tothe center of the dancingcircle.Asked why people prefferDJs for parties inssteadof bands with singeers,Qader said, "Hiringa simple music band forthree hours costs morethan $500. But $100 isenough for hiring a DJfor the same purposeand time. A music bandhas usually one singer tosing, but a DJ can playany music and select anysongs by any singer.”There are only threemusic band offices in<strong>Erbil</strong>>s Saidwa Marketwhere some 30 musicbands used to work. TahaHaji, who started singingin 1990, still has an officeand sings in wedding partties.Haji said, "We haveno job because of DJs;until five years ago myband had a party everyday; nowadays we onlyhave it once a week."Another thing weakeniingthe music business,according to Haji, is thatpeople nowadays are notgetting married like befforedue to financial isssues.Although many musicbands closed their officesin the past five years beccauseof weak business,Nuri Garmiyani, a wellknownKurdish singer,doesn>t subscribe to theview that DJs have afffectedsingers> business."I have been in manycountries and I have notticedthat DJs and bandsare available everywwhere.Each one practticeshis or her job. Thesingers who say DJs afffectedtheir business arenot real singers," notedGarmiyani.Garmiyani disbandedhis band and quit singiingat wedding parties afew years ago because ofthe haphazard increase ofsingers in Kurdistan. Heruns a studio and sings inspecial concerts and TVprograms. "People stillask me to go and sing intheir wedding parties butI won>t go. I am sure thereal singers can>t be afffectedby DJs," he conccluded.Zakaria Muhammed<strong>Erbil</strong>zakaria.kurdishglobe@gmail.com<strong>Erbil</strong> ceremony honors Syrian Kurdish artistsThe Syrian Kurdish YouthMovement and the GeladtBadrakhan Associationin <strong>Erbil</strong> today organizeda ceremony in <strong>Erbil</strong> tohonor artists Saeed Kabaareand Mahmoud Azizfor their work.Member of the youthmovement Sipan Zubairsaid it was decided tohold the ceremony on theoccasion of Kurdish pressday in Kabare's house tomake it a folkloric event."The other reason thatmade us evaluate these[artists] is that we foundin our society that theimportant Kurdish artiistsare not honored andno one cares for themexcept after their death,for example the great artiistMohammed Shekhuwhere he was honoredafter his death," addedZubair.Kabare said: "This honooris very important forme especially because nogreat importance is givento the Kurdish artists. Irespect the Kurdish peoppleand respect the youngpeople who honored meand thank them for theirefforts."On the other side, theKurds will not have acomplete state until theyhave their technical insstitutesand universities.I fought for my nationalissue in southern Kurdiistan.I was a memberof the Peshmarga and anartist too and I will workuntil the last day for theKurdish issue in all partsof Kurdistan. The Kurdiishmovement in Syriais uniting and workingtogether to resolve theKurdish issue in Syria."The ceremony was atttendedby Silva Jakrakoouhin,the granddaughterof the great poet Jakrakoouhin,in addition tomembers of the youthmovement, members ofthe Geladt BadrakhanAssociation, Kurdishpolitical figures and SyriianKurds resident in theregion. The artists pressentedfolk and nationalsongs.AKnews

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 9Kirkuk Citadel remains in state of ruinPeople “turn their backs” on the archaeological treasureThe citadel fallsinto furtherdisrepair after itsdestruction in 1991.GLOBE PHOTO/Aiyob MawloodiThis photo depicts a view of a ruined part of Kirkuk Citadel, March 13, 2012Ayad Tariq, director ofKirkuk Archaeology,states that out of 800houses inside the KirkukCitadel, which is situaatedin the city’s center,only 50 remain. The resthave been destroyed.“We need 25 to 30 billlionIraqi Dinars [appproximatelyUS$20 to25 million] to renovateall the destroyed parts ofthe citadel,” Tariq said tothe Globe. “It is becauseof the huge damage inthe citadel that no touriistsvisit there.”The priceless archaeollogicalKirkuk Citadelloses one piece of itswalls daily while eveeryonehas their backsturned on it. The houseswere destroyed duriingSaddam Hussein’sreign.“In the late 1970s, theIraqi Archaeology Commmissionrenovated 15 to20 folklore houses of thecitadel, and there wasa plan to renovate thewhole citadel and makeit a modern tourist arcchaeologicaltourist atttraction,”said Tariq.In 1991, the governoraateof Kirkuk forced thecitadel’s inhabitants outof their old homes andcompensated them withmoney and plots of landas part of a project torenovate the citadel.The plan was to desstroythe houses and rebbuildthem in their oldshapes, but the projectwas partly implementedand never completed.Only the destructiontook place, which resulteedin the leveling of 750houses.Since 2003, the goveernmenthas allocatedbudgets to renovate theremaining 50 housesthree times, but theywere insufficient. “Twoyears ago, UNESCOalso promised to renovvatedthe citadel, but thisis not clear yet.”Walking through thecitadel, one sees ancientwritings and pictures onwalls and doors, somedepicting the citadel’shistory. It has four maingates three neighborhhoods,Maidan, Qalaand Hammam. There arefour mosques inside aswell as a bazaar with 34shops.It is completely negglectedand suffers fromdirt and barking dogs, allof which give an eeriefeeling to the scene.Saad Abdulkarim, dirrectorof Kirkuk Touriism,says the citadel is areligious and historicalattraction. “Now a verysmall number of thecity’s inhabitants visitthe place; no foreigntourists do,” explainsAbdulkarim. “If attenttionis paid to it, it willhave millions of dollarsin revenue every yearfrom tourists in additionto creating a large numbberof jobs for locals.”According to Abddulkarim,the citadel isthe city’s most importantarchaeological site. It is18 meters high with dimmensionsof 450 and 500meters. “The history ofthe citadel goes back to2600 B.C., which wasbuilt during the SumerrianCivilization Era,”Abulkarim noted.

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 10Universities; less practice, more theoryLearning “theoretical information by heart” not enough, students sayEngineering studdentsneed moredrive to improvetheir studies, saysSalahaddinUniversitypresident.Some students of SalahadddinUniversity’s engineeriingcollege argue that theircollege is not so differentthan others where one studiiesonly for a degree. Studdentssay the college doesnot force or even encouragethem to become good enginneeringpractitioners in thefuture. The president of theuniversity blames studentfor that.A different CollegeOne gets a different feeliingwhen entering the colllegebuilding when compparedto other collegesat the university. Widerstreets, bigger gardens anda large number of trees givea sense of peace and quietto this educational center.The sound of singing birdsoverwhelms the voices ofhundreds of students walkiingin the streets.It is a few minutes past 11and civil engineering studdentsexit the study hall totake their 15-minute break;a few remain inside theclass discussing the topic ofthe last lecture.Hoshmand Sahand andMohammed Amir, twosecond-year civil engineeriingstudents, explain thatin their department there isa need for practical learniingrather than theoreticalcourses.“We’ve been here twoyears now, but we have notdone anything in practiceand everything has beeninside the classrooms,” expplainedSahand as he andAmir head to the college’scafé.Sahand and Amir say thata majority of their classmmatesare concerned thatthey might not be able topass the courses successfulllyand might need to studyone or more years than therest. This very fear forcesthe students to only think oftheir grades and "spend alltheir time and effort learniingthe theoretical part ofthe science."According to Amir, thestudents share the complaintthat the education system atthe university is wrong, andthey are not encouraged orhelped to become good andsuccessful engineers in thefuture but rather forced tolearn theoretical informattionby heart, pass the exaamsand get their degrees.Salam Eshaq, a fourthyearstudent, says that hehas done practical workonly twice during this fouryears. “I will graduate thisyear but I don’t have theself-confidence to supervisea small project,” argues Eshhaq.A majority of the studentsbelieve that they have verygood facilities and equipmment,and argue if the systtemis changed, they couldbe better engineers.One student having teain the café said that somecourses are given more impportancethan other courses;they don’t know its practicalbenefit, but there are veryimportant courses neglectedor devalued by teachers.Dr. Shukri Qarani, a civilengineering professor witha Ph.D. from Malaysia,says in an interview withthe Globe that the coursestaught here are almost simillarto those taught in otheruniversities around theworld, and Kurdistan’s studdentsare even "cleverer".The different student“The difference is that studdentsin other parts of theworld feel more responsibleand work harder than Kurdiishstudents to get the bestout of the courses and theirstudies,” argues Dr. Qarani.Yousif Ismael, also an insstructor,says that studentsare provided with all reqquiredtools and means forlearning, and that practicalwork comes after graduattion“in the same way thatphysicians become practittionersat a specific stage.”Dr. Ahmed Dizayee, presiidentof the university, toldthe Globe that nowhere inthe world are fresh graduaatesassigned to supervisea project, but they will havethe chance to get trained forpractical work.There are plans to connectuniversities with the privatesector to send fresh graduaatesto companies wherethey can be trained whileworking for the companies.The first such effort is theestablishment of a trainingcenter by the Swedish ScanniaCompany in associationwith the Kurdistan RegionaalGovernment’s Ministryof Labor and Social Affairs,which is aimed at admittingfresh graduates and enginneersand training them fortheir next jobs.Dizayee believes that ifKurdistan’s engineers havegood English, computerskills and theoretical knowleedge,the companies woulddefinitely welcome them,and with a short period oftraining and probation, theycould very well turn theirtheoretical knowledge intopractical work.“Graduates should notwait for the government toemploy them,” argues Dizayyee.“The era has changedand students should devvelopthemselves duriingtheir studies. We haveopened summer courses forthird- and fourth-stage studdents,and have made somechanges in the system andthe curriculums. Still, if thestudent does not have thecapacity for learning, onecan’t force him to learn.”Publishers concerned as sales drop precipitouslyThere arecurrently morethan 133newspapersand magazinespublished insideKurdistan.Newspaper sellers in theregion’s markets claim thatdemand for newspapers hassignificantly dropped thisyear, and with the excepttionof a few publications,"90 percent of the papers"sent to the market for purcchasingare eventually sentback to publishers.In the downtownAree Mohammed, 19,who is reading a newspapperat a kiosk in downtwon<strong>Erbil</strong>, says his interest insports news compels himto buy a couple of sportsnewspapers and even magaazinesevery week.But for Aso Hasan, 26,most Kurdish newspapersare waste of money."All the newspapers writeabout the same thing thatviewers see on TV at night,so there is no reason for allof the publication to exist,"Aso says.In the mean timeNow, 114 years afterthe publication of the firstKurdish newspaper, newsppapersellers are concernedabout the situation of theirpublications.A newspaper kiosk owneerwho has been sellingpublications for 21 yearsand introduced himself asAshti, says that newspappermarkets have passedthrough different stages,and despite the fact thatKurdish journalism enttereda new era after 2003,starting early last year thesituation worsened.Ashti argues, “Magazinesthat used to be very popularand were sold out the sameday, arrived at the marketnow and stay in kiosks inbulks,” he tells the Globe.“All kiosk owners sharethe idea that the numberof the publications shoulddecrease while quality andauthenticity must improveso that people have moretrust in the newspapers.”Ako Mohammed, editorin chief of Rudaw, a weekllynewspaper, believes thatthe market and readersshould be able to decidewhich publications shouldcontinue and which shouldstop, and some publicattionsshould make the decissionto close on their own,A number of men browse headlines in a newpaper kiosk in <strong>Erbil</strong> Downtown in this file photo.especially those that arefunded by a specific entityand think that they don’thave the desired impact orsales volume.Kurdistan Region’s newsppaperssuffer from a shortaagein financial resourcesand don’t have the charactteristicsthat newspapers inother countries have. Forinstance, Mohammed argguesthat Kurdish newspapperslack legal advisors tosupport the interests of thepublic.“Media organizationsshould try to reach thisstage of comprehensivennessand should considerthe public interest whilepublishing important andgood quality news articcles,”explained Mohammmedin a Globe interview.Addressing the weaknewspaper market in Kurdiistan,Rudaw’s editor saidthat the market of printedmedia is decreasing globaallyexcept in some counttriessuch as India and Turkkey.Shwan Dawoodi, DeputyChairman of the JournaliistsSyndicate of Kurdisttan,believes that lack ofsubscriptions, specializeddistribution companies,newspaper shops outsidecity centers, and managemmentof some newspapersby unspecialized and ineexperiencedmanagers, thetransference of politicalconflicts into the mediaorganizations, and widesspreadInternet use by thepublic are among majorreasons for the weakeningmarket of print journalism.Dawoodi, however, argguedthat there are still 15to 20 publications that havemaintained their place inthe market and have tanggibleimpact on decisionmakingcenters.According to a report bythe Media Network, currrentlythere are more than133 magazines and newsppapers,and kiosk ownerssee decreasing quality andintegrity of the publicattionsand most importantllywide use of Internet asource of information andnews have weakened themarket for newspapers andmagazines.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin Hamed

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 11Pro-Kurdish BDPdelegation visits U.S.By Mehmed Sabri AkgönülThe pro-Kurdish Peaceand Democracy Party(BDP) delegation, consistiingof Selahattin Demirtasand Gultan Kisanak, cochairsof the party, AhmetTurk , the DemocraticSociety Congress (DTK)chairman and member ofthe Turkish Parliamentfrom Mardin, as well asVan MP Nazmi Gur, visiitedthe U.S. on Monday,April 23.The delegation>s visitiingprogram started witha meeting with QubadTalabani, the KurdistanRegional Government’srepresentative in the U.S.The meeting with Talabbaniwas about the recentpolitical developments inthe Middle East, Syriancrises and the situation ofSyrian Kurds. They alsodiscussed the Grand KurdiishNational Conferenceto be organized in <strong>Erbil</strong>with the participation ofKurdish parties, instituttionsand organizationsfrom all parts of Kurdiistan.Although the dateof national conference isnot certain, the main purpposeof this conference isto contribute actively to ademocratic solution of theKurdish issue.The BDP delegation metwith Namik Tan, TurkishAmbassador to the US.The meeting with Tan adddressedAmerican foreignpolicy and Turkish foreignaffairs. They also visitedthe Assistant Secretary ofState for European andEurasian Affairs, PhilipGordon.The BDP delegation metwith Turkish journalistsand spoke about the armedstruggle of the KurdistanWorkers Party and militaryoperations of the TurkishState, events in Syria aswell as a possible referenddumfor independence inKurdistan Region. Journnalistsasked questionsabout the recent statementof Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdogan,who said Turkish militaryoperations would cease ifPKK laid down its armsduring his official visit inQubad Talabani, KRG Representative in the US meets with the BDP delegation in Washington DC, Monday, April 23, 2012.Qatar. Selahattin Demirtasanswered: "Of course, we[the BDP] desire to endthis violence. If the PKKshows a positive stance,we support it. But if PMErdogan calls for a ceasefire,he should make cleareerstatements." He alsomentioned Turkey>s Syriianpolicy by saying thatTurkey aims to preventthe autonomy of Kurds inpost-Assad Syria. "Turkeyinsists upon the Syrian NattionalCouncil in order toavoid promising a certainpolitical status for Kurds,"he added.Asked about the currentpolitical crises in Iraq andKRG President MassoudBarzani>s statements conccerningthe right of selfdeterminationfor Kurds,Demirtas answered: "TheIraqi people>s demand fora new political status istheir right, but this shouldbe realized through peaceffulways. If this new situattionwould bring about therisk of bloody wars at aregional level and ethnicalconflicts, it should be morecareful. In this regard, ifthe last developments inSyria, Iraq and Iran aretaken into consideration,there is such a risk."The delegation also atttendeda press conferenceat Brookings Institute onThursday. In this confereence,Demirtas defined theKurdish issue in Turkey asan economic and politicalmatter. He argued that theKurdish issue should betaken into considerationas a question of the rightof self-government aswell. "From our perspecttive,Kurdish conflict inTurkey is not a problembetween Turkish peopleand Kurdish people; it isa conflict between a stateand Kurdish people whohave been subject to asssimilationand denial oftheir identity," he said. Heunderlined two principlesfor solving Kurdish issue,adding that "our first andforemost principle is thatthese matters should betaken into considerationwithout any elements ofviolence in this sense.This matter has to be commmunicatedwith dialogue,collective and constructtivedialogue. And thesecond principle will be tolook at the Kurdish confflictin the Middle East, inthe respective countries,without bringing the stateintegrity, their territorialintegrity, into the questtions.So, in that sense,their territorial integritywill be out of discussion."In his speech, he alsopointed out that the PKKis a reality of the Kurdishissue; because of this, theTurkish State has to accceptthe PKK as an actorto solve the problem.Speaking after Demirtas,Ahmet Turk emphasizedthat violence is not a wayof resolving the Kurdishissue, adding that this isssuewill be solved withnegotiation and dialogue.Turk also indicated thatKurds want to solve thisquestion in unity the TurkiishState and frameworkof democratic rights. GulttanKısanak also said thatthe BDP is against anykind of violence and theyhave supported peaceffulmethods to solve theKurdish issue. She spokeabout tensions betweenSyria and Turkey by sayiingthat the "Turkish PMmay call every day on thegovernment of Syria askiingthem not to use viollence,oppression, and allother measures to oppresspeople to try to maintaintheir status quo. He saysthat if you use measure ofoppression and extrememeasures to justify this,your authority on thesepeople, you will lose yourlegitimacy. We applaudthat, we agree with that.These are great words, butwe call on PM Erdogan toemploy the same measuresin Turkey as well."After the BDP delegattion’svisit, some Turkishopinion-makers stated thatthe BDP wants to movethe Kurdish issue to an intternationalplatform. ButTurkish President AbdulllahGul rejected these intterpretations.He evaluateedthe delegation>s trip inthe U.S. as ordinary event,adding, "the BDP is nottrying to carry the issue toan international platform,but the world public opiniionwatches Turkey veryclosely. This kind of visitshouldn>t be evaluated asextraordinary activities."Photo from knowkurdistan.com

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 12Syrian Kurdistan andBy Mir MengiNIKOLAY DOYCHINOV/AFP/Getty ImagesA Syrian immigrant waves a Kurdish flag for the Kurd minority living in northeastern Syria during a protest on January 8, 2012 in Sofia against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.There is still lack of an intternationalconsensus overhow to handle the ongoingSyrian crisis. Kofi Annan’sinitiative to find a peacefulsolution seems not to beworking properly, and this isnot surprising. As many obsserversand analysts argued,the initiative was exploitedby Assad’s regime to buymore time against mountinginternational pressure.Neither the regime nor thedisunited Syrian oppositionprepared to accommodateeach other. Existence ofone depends on the removalof the other. Syria’s BaathParty, like that of the formerIraqi Baath Regime, doesnot have an economical, soccialor political background,and it lacks essential experieenceand socio-political acccumulationto be graduallytransformed into a plural,democratic political entity.There are three main reassonsthat can explain thesurvival of the Syrian reggime,despite the fact that ithas faced serious oppositionwith a certain amount of intternationalsupport. First,the regime has unquestionaablesupport from Iran,Russia and China. Russianand Chinese support is partticularlystrategic as thesetwo powers are obstacles toany decisive action the UNmay take. All the draft resollutionsto deal with Assad’sregime so far have fallenshort mainly thanks to theRussian and Chinese veto.The second reason is thelack of international conssensusamong those globaland regional powers apartfrom Russia and China. TheU.S. and EU have not comeup with a common policy todeal with the Syrian regime.This global discontent wascombined with the regionalpowers’ contradictory policciesagainst the regime andmost crucially the politicalstatus of post-Assad Syria.As Turkey tries to play aleading regional role inSyria, neither Saudi Arabianor Israel will be content tosee a dominant Turkish inffluencein Syria and be sidellinedby her. The timing ofthe upcoming presidentialelection in the U.S. and theongoing election in Francealso contribute greatly to aneffective international policcyagainst the regime.The third reason is thelack of a united oppositionagainst the regime. Varioousethnic, religious anddenominational groupshave sometimes opposiingaims and expectationsof what would be a post-Assad Syria. While non-Muslim groups fears thatradical Islam may prevail inpost-Assad Syria, thus appprehensiveof their social,economic and political stattus,non-Arabs such as theKurds have legitimate conccernabout the pro-Arab nattureand chauvinistic charaacterof the leading Syrianopposition. The main Syrianopposition, Syrian NationalCouncil (SNC), has failedto reduce all these concernsand apprehensions.For the subject matter ofthis article, I emphasise theKurdish concern regardiingthe Syrian oppositionagainst the regime. It is safeto note here that withoutKurdish participation in theopposition against the reggime,the Syrian oppositionwould not have either legitiimacyor sufficient power tooverthrow the Baathist Reggime.Because of this fact,the SNC and other powersbehind the Syrian opposittionare forcing and presssuringthe Kurds to join theSNC.It is also essential to makecomparisons with the experrienceof a post-Saddam Iraqand approach the thorny isssueof relations between theKurds and the Syrian opppositionwithin the concepttualframework of the Iraqiexperience. In other words,the Iraqi Kurdish experieencewith the Iraqi groupsin pre- and post-SaddamIraq could be utilized bythe Syrian Kurds in orderto develop concrete policiesand a substantial road mapto secure their position inpost-Assad Syria.SNC and Kurdish opposittionThe SNC without doubt isthe most recognized and orgganizedopposition gatheriingagainst Assad’s regime.Its status was further sollidifiedwith the two SyrianFriends meetings held inTunis and Turkey. While atthe first meeting in Tunis theSNC had relatively positivediscourse on the Kurdishnational question, its disccoursecompletely altered atthe Istanbul meeting. Thischange of discourse rightlyattributed to the Turkishinfluence over the SNC. Inwhat was called a ‘NationalPact’ that highlighted thevision and objectives ofSNC post-Assad, there wasno clear reference to remeddyKurdish concerns or anyKurdish demands. In a cleardemonstration of sideliningthe Kurdish question, reprresentativeof Kurds withddrewfrom the meeting andabstained from the pact.The SNC’s position reggardingthe Kurdish nationaalquestion was further expposedby Burhan Ghalioun,the head of SNC, in an intterviewby a Kurdish newswebsite on April 17. Duriingthe interview, Ghaliounclearly denounced even theexistence of ‘Kurdistan’in Syria: “There is no suchthing as Syrian Kurdistan.This is duplicating Iraq’sexperience. In Syria, thereis an area where the majjorityof the population isKurdish. In some cities,Kurds constitute the majoriity,but there is no regionor area called ‘Kurdistan.’Syria is Syria. As an>>

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 13exclusive Arab nationalism>>area, [the Kurdish area] itis called Jezira. It has beencalled the same throughouthistory … Kurds do notonly exist in Jezira, but alsoin Damascus, where thereis a significant number ofthem. They are present inAleppo and Afrin as well.So, Kurds are everywhere.The term [Kurdistan] thatis now being talked aboutdid not exist in history andhas not been mentioned inthe literature of the Kurdishparties. This is all duplicatiingthe experience of Iraq inSyria. The Kurdish partiesin Syria have some viewsthat do not match the realiityof Syria. The Kurdishhistory in the pre-Baath erawas different from that ofthe Baath era. Kurds were amain component of the stateand were partners in buildiingthe new state of Syria.There were Kurdish historrians,intellectuals, a primeminister and a renownedmilitary commander inSyria. Kurds do not live inghettos. Kurds are not separratefrom the Syrian peoplein general. They are not diffferentfrom other citizens inSyria. This feeling emergedunder the Baath, becausethe Baath Party really purssueda discriminatory, racistand marginalizing policyagainst the Kurds. But thatis not the real history ofKurds in Syria. Kurds occcupya great position withinthe real history of Syria.”One does not need to learnhistory from Ghalioun, buta few quick glances at anyprimary sources or scholaarlyworks on the MiddleEast and Syrian historyand one can clearly see ifthere is a Kurdistan or not.Ghalion sounds like that ofnow-outdated, typical Turkiishofficial ideology thatonce claimed that there isno Kurd or Kurdistan. Thisoutdated ideology has longtaken to the dusty shelf.The determinant rationalebehind Ghalioun’s such riddiculousclaim in fact relatesto the issue of decentralismand the Kurdish demand offederal political structurein post-Assad period. TheSNC refrains from committtingto the Kurdish demandof federalism and aims topostpone it to the post-Assad era. Ghalioun makesthis very explicit in the intterview:“It is not our rightto decide on federalismbecause we would be viollatingthe right of the Syriianpeople. Only an electedparliament can decide onfederalism or autonomy. Itwould be wrong to makesuch a decision now. We arenot the representatives ofthe Syrian people. We onlyrepresent their wish to getrid of the current regime.We cannot confiscate thewill of the Syrian peopleabout the country’s future.In the future, Kurdish parttiesin Syria will have theright to demand what theywant. But the deep feeling Iget from Syrian youth is thewish to be together and disccovertheir Syrian identity.Before being Turkish, Iraqior Kurdish, they are Syrian.The issues of federalismand autonomy should notbe talked about right now inany way.”These two long quotesevidently expose the framewworkof the SNC’s perspecttivetoward the Kurdishnational question. This persspectiveplainly indicatesdegrading the Kurdish nattionalquestion to a minoriityquestion, thus allowingthe Kurds only some sortof minority and individualrights. By rejecting territorrialrights of the Kurds andstripping them from theirland, Ghalioun reduces theKurds to a minority groupentitled only to minorityrights.If the Kurds are part ofthe Syrian people and iffederalism is what theKurds demand, then it isnot understandable why theSyrian opposition thinksthat recognizing federalrights of the Kurds wouldbe “violating the right ofthe Syrian people.” If theKurds are part of the Syriianpeople, then their demmands,whatever they maybe, should count as legitimmateand rightful demandsof the Syrian people. If theKurdish demands seem tobe “violating” the right ofthe Syrian people, then theKurdish people are not partof the Syrian people andthus should separate fromthem.Ghalioun makes repeatedreferences that the Iraqi expperiencecannot be repeatedin Syria. It is not logical.The two Baathist Regimeshad more similarities andcommon points than disssimilaritiesand differences.They both run the countryas a single party systembased on a small group ofinterests through exclusiveArab nationalism. Both reggimesdenied the basic nattionalrights of the Kurds.The only difference is thatthe Iraqi Kurds had develoopeda formidable armedresistance against Saddam’sregime while the SyrianKurds, due to their geoggraphicconditions, failed toestablish an armed struggleagainst the regime. In otherwords, the Iraqi Kurds wereorganized while the SyriianKurds were not. This,however, does not meanthat the Syrian Kurds havenot developed any resisttanceagainst the regime.Contrarily, the Kurdish ressistanceagainst the regimeoutdates the SNC. In 2004,the Kurdish oppositionagainst the regime was bruttallyoppressed and therewas not any solidarity bythe Arab groups toward theKurds.It is therefore inevitablethat the Syrian Kurds shouldfollow the Iraqi experienceand develop a vision accordiingly.The Iraqi experiencealso indicates how difficultit is to alter relations bettweenthe Kurds and Arabsfrom dominant-dominatedposition to equal partners.Despite all those agreemmentsand contracts signedbetween the Iraqi Kurds andthe Iraqi Arab oppositionsbefore and after the fall ofSaddam’s regime, the IraqiArab political groups haveyet to implement what theyagreed upon and promisedto do. Relations betweenKurdistan and Iraq havealmost reached a breakingpoint.What has to be done?It is now very clear thatthe Syrian opposition doesnot have any perspective toaccommodate the Kurdishnational question. This inddicatesa difficult road thatawaits the Kurds in SyrianKurdistan. Their national/democratic struggle is notonly against the regime butalso against the exclusiveArab nationalism that prevvailsin the SNC. Assad’sregime has no future and itwill go down sooner or lateer.The Syrian Kurds shouldorganize themselves anddevelop a coherent nationalstrategic policy to defendtheir rights and get their asppirations.Without a unitedposition the Syrian Kurdscould not repeat the successthat their brethren and sisttersin Iraqi Kurdistan didupon the fall of Saddam’sregime.Equally crucial, the SyriianKurds should not bowto any pressure, global, reggionalor internal, to giveup on their demand of fedeeralism.Compromising onthis legitimate/national demmandwould be detrimenttalnot only to the future ofSyrian Kurds but also to thefuture of the entire KurdishKurds hold up Syri's pre-Baath and Kurdish flags, chanting slogans against the Syrian regime as theycelebrate Noruz spring festival in the lebanese capital Beirut on March 21, 2012.nation. As has been repeateedlysaid, a federal politicalstructure in Syrian Kurdisttanwould not only consoliddatethe Kurdistan region ofIraq, but more importantlyit would rescue the Kurdishquestion from the narrowdiscourse of a minority isssue.Federalism then wouldbe the minimum standardfor any solution to theKurdish question, whetherin Turkey or Iran.It is thus absolutely crucialfor all the Kurdish politiccalgroups, institutions andcivil society organizationsto support the Syrian Kurdsin their struggle against theregime and Arab nationaliism.The most crucial roleand responsibility lies uponthe shoulders of the KRGand all the institutions in theKurdistan region. The inittiativetaken by KurdistanPresident Massoud Barzanishould continue, and strateggicalignments and contactswith the Syrian Kurdistanshould be established muchstronger.It is imperative to repeathere again that, due to thenegative role that the PKKand its affiliated groups inSyria play, gathering of aKurdish national confereenceof four parts of Kurdiistanwould not be fruitfuland meaningful. Instead,the Kurdistan presidentalong with other Kurdishpolitical groups in Kurdisttanregion should work on anational conference of Iraqiand Syrian Kurdistan.There is no luxury towaste time and energy onissues that have no prosppect.Convention of a Kurdiishnational convention offour parts at this stage is exaactlysuch a waste time andenergy. Unless PKK makesradical policy changes andgives up its guerrilla warffarestrategy and denounceits dark relations with theKemalist circle in Turkey,with the Baathist Syrian reggimeand with the Islamicregime of Iran, such a confferencewould not produceanything apart from disapppointmentand disillusion.Under existing conditions,any national conference offour parts can easily be hijjackedor manipulated bythe regional powers.At this stage, close andstrategic contacts and colllaborationshave to be establlishedbetween Kurdistanregion and Syrian Kurdisttaninstead. These contactsand solidarity should notonly be limited to the polliticalgroups, but must bedisseminated through thepopulation and all sorts ofsegments and layers of socciety.Such a foundationthen can be served to establlisha united common frontamong the entire Kurdishnation toward a united andindependent Kurdistan.JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

The Kurdish Globe No. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 14Enjoy your natural right to statehood orprolong agony with an unrepentant Baghdad?The current crisis in Iraqis anything but new. Thepast nine years have beenshrouded in sectarianism,civil war, political bickeriing,shaky unity governmments,animosity, distrustand agreements that werenot worth the paper theywere written on.The United States helpedmask some of the realitiesby acting as the crutchesto support an Iraq that wasbroken and could not standon its own two feet.On the other hand, theKurds chose to rejoin thenew Iraq after years of isollationon the premise of apartnership based on a voluuntaryunion.The Kurdish leadershipon many occasions was thekey intermediary in a bittercycle of violence betweenthe newly empowered Shiiitesand disenfranchisedSunnis. Key negotiations,initiatives and interventtionsfrom the Kurds oftenresulted in pivotal breaktthroughs,notwithstandiingthe important role thatKurdish security forcespaid in restoring stabilityin the south.The Kurds, owed to theirkingmaker role, were thebeneficiaries of a numberof concessions and countllesspromises from Baghddad.Here is the problem:What good is a compprehensiveconstitution,democratic frameworks,concessions and promisesif the end product is failedimplementation, by-passedlegislature, half-heartedunity and empty gestures?The Kurds find themsselvesin a position of deepmistrust with a Baghdadthat continues policies thatare detriment to the develoopmentof Kurdistan, ofreconciliation and brotherhhood.The centralist tenanciesof al-Maliki are not new;this was a frequent criticcismof his first term incharge.Despite reservations andwidespread mistrust of hisparty, somewhat regretttablyal-Maliki was givena lifeline and a brittle coaalitionwith al-Iraqiya andthe Kurds broke a worldrecord for the formation ofa government.Ironically, as al-Mallikihas come under moreBy Bashdar Pusho Ismaeelpressure from Sunnis andKurds, he has converselygrown in power. He hassuccessfully monopolisedpower, combined severalpowerful posts under thedisguise of temporary coveerand all but broken thecoalition beyond repair.Barzani’s ultimatumThe Kurds, after playiingthe patient game andseeing a lack of changein Baghdad, are now at acritical juncture were theydare not stay idle.Do the Kurds continue toexhaust energy in the newIraq, when clearly the bassisfor a new Iraq is nonexistent?After nine yearsof effort and perseverance,the Kurds cannot continueto ignore the writing onthe wall. Iraq is not united;it’s not democratic, consstitutionalarticles are nobinding, and parties suchas Maliki’s clearly do notbelieve in a true partnersshipwith the Kurds.Kurdistan President MasssoudBarzani has made anumber of bold remarksaround the plight of Iraqand the critical politicalcrisis, and has warned thatthe Kurds will not toleratea return to centralisation ordictatorship.He repeated his stancein an interview with AP,where he warned that if apositive breakthrough wasnot achieved by local electtionsin September then hewould turn to the Kurdishpeople for a decision andthus a referendum on indeppendence.Barzani has been criticalof al-Maliki and Baghdadin the past, but simultaneoousevents have pushedthe Kurdish leadershipwell beyond the limits ofpassive observation or toleerance.Barzani’s visit to Turkeyin recent weeks followed akeynote visit to Washingttonwhere met with U.S.President Barack Obamaand Vice President JoeBiden. No doubt at the topof the agenda was Barzzani’sgrowing worry overthe consolidation of powerin Baghda,d and his messsageto his counterparts inTurkey and the U.S. wasthat the Kurds had reachedbreaking point and wereserious about threats tosecede if the foundationsthat were a proviso for rejjoiningthe new Iraq werecontinually disregarded.Some critics viewed Barzzani’sremarks as a mereploy to extract concessionfrom al-Maliki rather thanany real threat to secede.Such views are narrowmindedand lack conjectture.The Kurds have alreadyreceived countless conccessionsand have alreadyhad many promises aroundpower-sharing, resolutionof disputed territories andhydrocarbon laws. Moreconcessions alone are infact just the tonic that theKurds should avoid.Empty promises areworthless as are positiveagreements that are noadopted. What the Kurdsmust demand of al-Malikiand Baghdad in the keyweeks and months ahead isreal action, practical stepsand tangible outcomes.The visit of influentialShiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to <strong>Erbil</strong> and growingdisillusionment of someShiite factions on top ofan already marginalisedand bitter Sunni populattionshows that the currentcrisis is more deep-rootedthan ever before.Rewriting the wrongsof historyKurdistan has a fundammentaland unmolestedright to two clear options:either a truly democratic,federal and balanced Iraq,or outright independence.As the largest ethnicgroup in the world withoouta state, subject to acruel and selfish partitionof their lands and decadesof repression, if any nationhad a right to determineits destiny it would be theKurds.While other countries,some with populationsnumbering in the thoussandsand others grippedwith immense poverty anda lack of infrastructure,dot the global horizon, theKurds are warned to treadcarefully or that their timehas not come.After the end of the FirstWorld War, the conceptof self-determination wasthe overriding principle ofU.S. President WoodrowWilson that he imposed onthe League of Nations andthe Middle East.Kurdish President Massoud Barzani has been an outspoken critic of Nouri Maliki's policies.For imperial interests atthe time, Kurdistan wasthe only major nation notto be granted statehood.Self-determination is oneof the key internationalcharters and by which reppression,imperialism andsubjugation is eradicatedand free will is attained.Some claim that Kurdisttandoes not have the inffrastructureor conditionsfor statehood, but just howmuch infrastructure doesPalestine or Kosovo havecompared to the Kurds?Kurdistan is washed withimmense amounts of oil,with a booming economy,a vibrant population andall the trappings of anystate. It is a key strategichub of the Middle Eastand with the influenceand standing to play a keypart in the evolution of theMiddle East.However, double standdardsare something thatthe Kurds can no longgeraccept. Kosovo wasgranted independence as aspecial case where foreignpowers had ruled that Serbbiahad forfeited the rightof sovereignty due to theirtreatment of the Kosovars.If anyone has forfeitedthe right to have any sayon Kurdistan, it is is Arabsand Iraq. After decadesof brutal Arabisation, desstructionand systematicrepression, the Kurds desserveto be applauded forsingle-handedly standingup to one of the most poweerfuldictators of recenttimes.Have the Kurds spilledcountless blood, tears andtragedy to now return tocentralist rule in Iraq or tohave terms dictated uponthem by other groups?No Turk, Persian or Arabcan intimidate the Kurdsany longer. In reality, evenTurkey has accepted thatKurdish statehood is notonly a natural and inevittablereality, but that Turkkeyitself may benefit fromsuch a development.The Middle East is in turmmoilas governments jostlefor power and influence.Turkey’s rapid decline ofrelations with Syria, Iranand ever increasingly Iraq,puts the Kurds in a strongposition to be at forefrontof shaping the Middle Eastsocially, politically andeconomically.At the first seismic shiftiingof the Middle East aftterthe fall of the OttomanEmpire, the Kurds weresidelined and had to painffullyendure decades ofsuffering for their chanceto rewrite the wrongs ofhistory. They can ill-affordto be passengers as theevolutionary trains dartspast this time around.Way ahead in IraqBarzani has warned Mallikibefore, but it was thefirst time that a real timettablewas set for action.If Maliki is sincere aboutpower-sharing and partnersshipwith the Kurds, thenhe doesn’t need weeks toshow his intentions.However, even if Malikidoes change his tune, itwill be temporary at best.Arab nationalists such asMaliki will never wantwhat’s best for Kurdistan,only what is best for himsselfand their party.There is no threat of Iraq’sdisintegration when it hasalready happened. A crissisbetween Kurdistan andBaghdad is just tip of theiceberg. Deadly bombingsserve as a daily reminderthat bloody sectarianismis not a thing of the past,with Sunnis digging theirheels in and ready to battlefor their slice of the cake,it begs the question of justwhat part of the new Iraqwould any Kurd want?Regional powers havecontinually served theirinterests at the expense ofKurdistan. It is time forKurdistan to be selfish andsolely focus on motionsthat exclusively serve theirnational interests.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin Hamed

The Kurdish GlobeNo. 350, Monday, April 30, 2012 15Sadr visits <strong>Erbil</strong>, meets with Talabani and BarzaniIraqi leaders reiterate <strong>Erbil</strong>agreement should becomebasis for solving the issuesGLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamedOne day after MuqtaddaSadr, leader of SadrMovement arrived in<strong>Erbil</strong>; he met with IraqiPresident Jalal Talabaniand Kurdistan Region’sPresident Massoud Barzzanias well as a numberof high ranking Kurdishofficials in <strong>Erbil</strong> on Fridday,April 27th.Talabani, who hosted themeeting, welcomed Sadrto Kurdistan and hopedthat his meetings with theKurdish and Iraqi leaderswould become a factorfor finding a solution tothe current political situaation.Participants of the meetiingreiterated the need fora national program thatserves the national intereestof the whole countryaiming at restoring peaceand tolerance among allIraqis.In the same day, anothermeeting was held amonga number of Iraqi politiccalfigures to discuss thesame issues.The meeting was organnizedin the PUK’s pollitbureauoffice in <strong>Erbil</strong>and was led by PresidentTalabani.President Barzani, Sadr,Usama Mujaifi, Headof the Iraqi Council ofRepresentatives, andIyad Allawi, head of theIraqia Bloc attended themeeting, where they excchangedideas about theways to gather all effortsto find a solution to putan end to the crisis facedby the Iraqi political proccess.In the meeting, it wasargued that if the currentsituation stays unresolvedfor a longer period, itwould have significantnegative impacts andwould threaten the highernational interest.All participating partiesreiterated that the <strong>Erbil</strong>Agreement of 2010 is thebest basis for overcomiingall the difficulties andsolving all the disagreemmentsand tensions amongpolitical groups in Iraq.The leaders were suppposedto hold a pressconference following themeeting, but the pressconference was canceledand Chief of Staff Husseinannounced a press releaseregarding the meeting.The press release statedthat "the meeting "as reiteeratedthat the basic servvicesshould be resumedto all the Iraqi citizensin the shortest period oftime, as well as settingsome mechanisms for thedelivery of these servicesin the most efficient mannner."Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani welcomes Muqtada Sadr as the latter arrives at the <strong>Erbil</strong> International Airport on a visit,Thursday, April 26, 2012.According to the pressrelease, "the Iraqi leadersparticipating in the meetiinghave all shared theidea that <strong>Erbil</strong> Agreementshould become the basisfor solving the problems,and Sadr has emphasizedon the constitutional basees,which determine themechanism of decisionmaking process."Another point of discusssionwas "improving demmocracyand paving theway towards its realizattionin governance issues."It was also emphassizedthat all the politicalgroups should work handin hands to overcome thedifficulties and that eveeryoneshould refer backto the national alliancesand power sharing princciples.The meeting, whichtook more than threehours, was also attendedby KRG Vice PresidentKosrat Rasul Ali, PUKDeputy Secretary GeneralBarham Salih and IraqiDeputy Prime MinisterDr. Rozh Noori Shawais.National Alliance BlocLeader Ibrahim Jaafari,on the other hands, annnouncedin a statement onFriday, April 28th, that allthe political groups leadeers,except the Iraqia List,agree to hold the nationalconference in the firstweek of May in Baghdad.Jaffari, who has beentrying to collect the ideasof other political leadersin the country about thenational meeting, saidin the statement that inphone conversations withPresident Talabani, PrimeMinister Maliki, PresidentBarzani, Head of HigherIslamic Council Ammar alHakim, Head of NationalCongress Party AhmedChalabi, and Ahrar Blocleader Baha al Aaraji, theyhave all agreed to held thecongress in the first weekof May in the capital.Jaafari requested all thepolitical groups to priorittizethe national goals duriingthe dialogues, whilereiterating the importanceof "face-to-face meetingsand direct and positivedialogue to protect the nattionalunity and uprootingthe problems and overccomingthe obstacles andthreats to national unity."US to give visas to KRG citizens in <strong>Erbil</strong>U.S. Consul General in <strong>Erbil</strong>,Alex Lascars, stated in an intervviewwith Hawler newspaperthat his consulate would start isssuingall types of visas to KurdiistanRegion citizens before theend of 2012.Attending an exhibition of 11American universities in <strong>Erbil</strong> onApril 22, Lascars said that one ofthe policies of U.S. Secretary ofState Hillary Clinton, U.S. Ambbassadorto Iraq James Jeffreyand the U.S. Consulate in <strong>Erbil</strong> isto increase the number of Kurdiishand Iraqi students in Americcanuniversities.“During the past few years thenumber of Iraqi students studyiingat American universities waslow,” said Lascars. “But our goalis to increase this number.”The U.S. Consul told Hawlerthat they are planning to start isssuingdifferent kinds of visas in<strong>Erbil</strong> before end of 2012 to Kurdiistancitizens.“We will grant all kinds of visasincluding study, medical, touriism,business and others,” saidLascars. “We only don’t grantvisas to those who seek asylum.”Although there doesn’t seem tobe a specific limit for the numberof visas issued per day, Lascarssaid adding they will see howmany applications they receive.Ambassador Jeffrey and Under-Secretary of State Thomas Nidesopened the U.S. Consulate Geneeralin <strong>Erbil</strong> on July 10, 2011.GLOBE PHOTO/Safin HamidU.S. Consul General in <strong>Erbil</strong>, Alex Lascars speaks to reporters at a press confernce in <strong>Erbil</strong>, July 10, 2011.

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