Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Basln Özeti
PUK Leader Appeals to KDP Leader For Unity
KurdSat Television 6 Mar 00
[FBIS Translated Excerpt] [PUK leader Talabani] The 1991 uprising had many gains, such as the elections
in 1992. For the first time people of Kurdistan went to polling stations and cast their votes freely.
[Passage omitted: Talking about other gains like, cultural freedoms; recent.municipal elections and denial
of violations that took place in the elections]
Another gain of the uprising is the Kurdistan National Assembly, which unfortunately passed its date.
It has been there for nine years. Initially, it was supposed to last for three years and it was renewed
for a further period of three years. It should be re-elected. It should not be set for three years and
last for nine. This will become dictatorship and a joke. [Passage omitted: Further comments on the
necessity of renewing the existing KDP-held assembly]
Let us hold new elections with the presenc~ of forei9n supervision. Let us normalize the situation
in the cities of Kurdistan and give freedom to everyone. Let us elect a free Assembly for all Kurdistan.
It is a gain of the uprising and we should safeguard it. The Kurdistan regional government is an achievement.
But there must not be two governments. We should have one government. As you remember, when our
Kurdistan Democratic Party [KDP] brothers appointed Nechirvan Barzani as the new head of government, I open-
.ly said that we accept Nechirvan to be the head of a joint government. Let us normalize the situation in
the cities, and then setup a government under the leadership of Nechervan with the condition of setting a
date for general elections. We are ready for the unification of government.
Regarding the issue of who is the first party and who is the second, we thing that we are the first
party, another party might thing that they are the first party and consider us as the third party. The
.Islamists might thing that they are the first or the second party. Let this issue be decided by the ballot
box. Let us safeguard the uprising's gain of being able to go to the ballot box.
Let us safeguard the other gains of the uprising like resources of Kurdistan, let it be spent for the
whole of Kurdistan. Withholding the country's wealth from people has never worked for anyone. [Passage
omitted: giving examples of corruption cases from European countries]
The PUK should be ready at anytime to account to the assembly for all the monies that have been collected
and spent over the past years. The government should be able to account for every dinar spent.
The same should apply to the KDP brothers. Let us unify the divided gains of the uprising and learn lessons
from the past.
I wrote a letter to my respected brother Mas' ud Barzani. I told him that we should buckle down to
the job and revive the old brotherhood and cooperation; and to implement the Washington agreement together
and safeguard the gains of the uprising. I talk the opportunity of this month, the month of March and
uprising, to urge our KDP brothers to tear off the dark pages of our past and open a new page of brotherhood
and cooperation. For this reason, and in order to normalize the situation in the cities and towns
of Kurdistan and unify the administrations, the PUK is ready for all concessions and softness.
[Passage omitted: saying that the Kurds inside Kurdistan should not forget their duties and that the
Kurds abroad should carry out diplomatic campaigns to gain support for the Kurds in western countries.]
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