From: "Washington Kurdish Institute"
07/18/01

KurdishMedia.com
By Eamad Mazouri
June 26, 2001

In an interview with the Iranian monthly magazine (Hamashahri), an Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mr. Dawod Hurmidas raised the often-debated question of partitioning Iraq. He criticized the Iranian government's stand that calls for the lifting of the sanctions on the Iraqi regime. In his interview he called for a new friendly Iranian policy towards the United States and Great Britain based on understanding and cooperation. He also pointed out that the cessation of Kurdistan from the rest of Iraq is eventually inevitable. Earlier some Iranian officials urged some Iraqi opposition groups residing in Iran to demand the separation of the Shiite Moslem South from Iraq in order to establish an Iranian protectorate there.

 What makes this statement interesting and unique is the fact that this is the first time ever an Iranian official so openly and publicly calls for an independent Kurdish state. However, this does not constitute a drastic change in the Iranian official position on the Kurdish question in general and the Kurdish issue in Iran in particular. It is more like an isolated statement that came in the middle of an ongoing debate in Iran about the possibility of creating a safe haven in the south for Shiite Arab Moslem similar to the one set up in Kurdistan. Still such a statement coming from an Iranian official carries unparalleled political significance for the Kurdish people, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan, where the Kurds have been able to run their own affairs for the last decade, successfully and in a democratic fashion based on popular elections, and overseen by international monitors.

Regional governments are very sensitive towards raising the issue of Kurdish statehood, especially nowadays, when they realize that the Kurdish de facto state is taking shape and place and becoming a reality. This development is occurring despite the fact that the Kurdish Administrations has repeatedly tried to calm their fears down by limiting the Kurdish national demands to federalism that has not been recognized by any international powers or even the Iraqi opposition groups yet, let alone the regional powers that are adamantly against anything Kurdish.

First of all, we will need to take a look at some historical facts regarding the Kurdish nation that many Turks, Arabs, and Persian nationals do not even know about or rather their respective governments have suppressed this kind of information from reaching them. They don't know about the modern history of our people and especially the division of Kurdistan. Here, it is enough and adequate for our purpose to tell them that Kurds while are perceived by them as a minority and dealt with accordingly,  are actually a divided nation with a divided country, and they hold dearly the dream of someday becoming free and independent just like them. And the Kurds believe that they can achieve that goal peacefully and in a democratic manner rather than violence that has brought nothing other than destruction, weakness, and chaos in the last century, not only on the Kurds alone, but also on them too.

 The question now is whether the Kurdish statehood is a viable option under the circumstances. From the legal perspective and according to the international laws and norms, every nation deserve and have the right to be free and determine its own fate. This means that the Kurdish people in Iraqi Kurdistan should have that option available to them like any other nation. That can be achieved by conducting a national referendum under UN auspices giving the Kurdish people the various options such as staying an  integral part of Iraq, or autonomy, to federalism, and finally if they are  willing to cedes and establish their own state. Taking into consideration the obstacles that are facing the Kurdish question, and the various international and regional entangles interests that meet and interact over the Kurdish issue, therefore this option cannot be fully achieved without some kind of willingness by the international community combined with the tolerance or at least a non-aggression behavior of the regional powers towards such a crucial event. The majority of Kurdish people have come to the conclusion that their ultimate national demand can and will be realized through peaceful means. They fully understand their issue is tied up with the democratic question for the region without  which no nation let alone Kurds will be able to enjoy freedom and real democracy. How can any country in the Middle East call itself a democracy while practicing the suppression of the Kurdish people on daily basis and denying the Kurds their basic and inalienable rights?

 Economically, the Kurds if they were granted such an option would end up with a small land locked country, with a very weak and poor economy unless the Oil City of Kirkuk becomes part of state. In spite of that, this will be a Kurdish state and the Kurds will welcome it and cherish it.

 Most of the Arab countries are against the Kurdish dream of an independent Kurdish state in Northern Iraq, on the assumption that Iraq and Iraqi people are an integral part of the indivisible Arab World. In this context they are forgetting the circumstances that Iraq and Syria were created by the colonial powers in the aftermath of the WWI. Kurdistan was annexed despite of the will of the Kurdish people who were promised an independent country by the League of Nations according to the Severs Accord. It is an irony that same people who stood against colonial powers are obsessing themselves today with the idea of sovereignty only on the account of the Kurdish people. Don't they consider that a contradiction in their national strategy?

Nevertheless, the Kurdish people realize the tremendous difficulties and obstacles that are associated with their daily struggle. They fully understand the complications, the hardships, and the sacrifices they have to go through to achieve their national goals in a realistic and peaceful manner. Therefore, they are very prudently and methodically are applying the principles of securing what is attainable at the present time. Only to cultivate, improve, and expand on that, and move forward on the road to realize their ultimate dream of freedom and independence. This requires tireless efforts by the Kurds on every level, regionally and internationally to gather support and understanding for their just cause. Understanding the international relationships and diplomacy is an art in itself we have to master and be good at it and exploit it to our advantage. We have to make genuine endeavors to approach the people of Middle East, especially Arabs, Turks, and Persians in order to make them understand our plight and earn their sympathy and friendship. We also have to work constantly on furthering the sympathy and the support of the international community for the Kurdish cause.