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Kurds Dropping Independence Demands?

By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Legislation, The War On Terrorism, The World

This possible compromise could mean very good news for a free Iraq.

Mullah Bakhtiyar, a senior official from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the political party of Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani, said all parties were showing flexibility in order to finish drafting the constitution.

“As for the self-determination for the Kurds, this issue did not enjoy the support of Sunnis or Shiites, and we almost gave up this demand,” Bakhtiyar said.

The Kurds have enjoyed de-facto independence since 1991. If they drop their demand to guarantee the right of self-determination â€â€? a codeword for eventual secession that goes beyond mere federalism â€â€? it would represent a major concession and would remove an obstacle to agreement on the charter by next Monday’s deadline.

So what is holding up the Constitution?

But a comprehensive compromise on a constitutional draft remained elusive, with the main outstanding dispute focusing on the role of Islam in the new state, pitting Kurds and secular groups against Islamist parties representing Iraq’s Shiite majority.

“As for the issue of Islam’s role, negotiations are still underway,” Bakhtiyar, told The Associated Press from the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah.

This doesn’t surprise me, but I do hope that the Kurds and the Secularists stand their ground. The price is too high for them to back down now.


This entry was posted on Saturday, August 20th, 2005 and is filed under Legislation, The War On Terrorism, The World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Kurds Dropping Independence Demands?”

  1. Kiu Says:
    August 6th, 2006 at 11:45 am

    Good job.

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