REASON FOR
DEVIDING IRAQ AND ASKING
FOR INDEPENDENCE
A reminder:
When the UN has lift the sanctions against Iraq and
left the Kurd remind in Iraq, as we know it today:
a)
Was carved from the Ottoman Empire at the
end of the First World War and placed under British protection as a mandated
territory;
b)
Includes the MOSUL VILAYET, or province,
mainly inhabited by Kurds, which itself was almost made a separate mandated
territory at the end of the great war;
c)
Was allowed by the League of Nations to
become an Independent state in 1932 provided strict conditions concerning
ethnic and religious minorities within its boundaries were recognised and
adhered to; these stipulations were to be observed in perpetuity, and the UN in
one of its earliest acts in 1946 acknowledged the validity of the 1932
undertakings.
Let’s take a moment to read the declaration of the
Iraqi Government, which was the basis for the formation of the Iraqi state
(translated from the original French) and is the basis today for the call for
Kurdish independence:
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AND
Reading and re-reading the 1932 declaration, as one
must when considering the plight of the Kurds, several observations can be
made.
1- Britain knew there was 
oil at Kirkukas early as 1926, and was anxious to have access to
this increasingly important resource; it thought this could best be achieved by
incorporating the Mosul Vilayat in a larger state
centred on Baghdad and ruled by a King which Britain would install.
2- As the mandatory power and sponsor of Iraq, Britain felt
guilty at the way the hopes and aspirations of the Kurds were crushed, and the
1932 declaration was written to try to mitigate the wrong that they were
committing.
3- In due course the giant Kirkuk oilfieldwas developed by the Iraq Petroleum Corporation and
oil was exported at the rate of up to one million barrels a day. What a prize this was! But little benefit
flowed to the Kurds. In fact the 1932
Declaration was largely ignored right from the start by the Arab regime in
Baghdad headed by King Faisal and backed by Britain.
4-
Kurdish frustrations with their situation
by the mid 30’s again took the form of guerrilla action, which continued, off
and on right up to the time of the Gulf War.
5- With the
overthrow of the Faisal regime in 1958 there was a revival of hope that the
Kurds in Iraq would gain the security and recognition promised in the 1932
declaration. Unfortunately the new Baathis regime in Baghdad, which included a young Saddam
Hussein, proved even harsher in its treatment of the Kurds. The treatment of the Kurds in the 1970’s and
1980’s under Saddam Hussein’s personal direction became nothing less than an
ethnic cleansing operation.
6- All the while the Western powers have turned a blind eye
to the real plight of the Kurds and their aspirations for freedom. The creation of the no fly zones after the
Gulf War was no doubt a reflection of the guilt felt by Britain, the U.S. and
France at the continuing injustice experienced by the Kurds and the other
minorities in Iraq. However, no fly
zones and sanctions are no substitute for a policy on
human rights.
7- It is interesting indeed that the West has literally
gone to war in recent years in Bosnia and Kosovo for instance in the name of
human rights, but has steadfastly refused to take concrete steps to ensure the
safety of the Kurds. Unfortunately as so
often happens when a political vacuum is prolonged as is the case today in
Iraqi Kurdistan, various factions begin to fight each other politically for
control of the Iraqi income. In this
case the new Iraqi Government empowers Talabani and Barzani, giving the impression
that the Kurds are weak and disorganised.
The U.S and Britain for the past 20 years now have aided and abetted
this tragedy by their dithering. This
must stop.
In the meantime the Kurds on the ground in
Northern Iraq are at the point of total despair, reflected not least in the
massive numbers who are moving westwards in the hope of achieving refugee
status in Germany and Britain. Already half a million have reached Europe and
thousands more are on their way. Why is
this? The reason is oil. The U.S., Britain and France obviously think
that the best way to preserve access to the oilat Kirkukis through a regime in Iraq centred on Baghdad. This idea must not be allowed to grow as a de
facto policy. The continued theft of Kirkuk’s oil, the money from which lines the pockets of the Iraqi
Oil Smuggler and his entourage and otherwise is wasted on military
preparations, is an affront to all right thinking people and must be
stopped. It is time the Kurds of Iraq
took control of their rightful heritage.
8- Because the Western powers clearly have never had any
real interest in the long term welfare of the Kurdish peoples, the Kurds of
Iraq at least now wish to announce that the time has come to move beyond the
1932 Declaration and to broadcast to the world their own Declaration of
Independence to take effect from today.
9- 
An independent Kurdistanwould of course include the original province of Mosul
extending south almost to Baghdad, and including Kirkuk. Because Saddam Hussein forcibly resettled over two
million Kurds in Baghdad and to the south in his programme of ethnic cleansing,
we would want to extend the boundaries of our new Kurdistan to bring in those
so displaced as well.
10-
Be reminded then that the Kurds in Iraq
have grievances and a claim to freedom, which is historically valid, and
certainly no less valid than their brothers in Palestine. We appeal to all right thinking people in the
world to join us in saying ‘The time has come!’
An Independent Kurdistanwill welcome the involvement and investment of banks,
companies, and legitimate business interests generally to build up our
resources and facilities. Talk to us now!
