Masud Barzani’s recent statements about Kirkuk are nothing new. We have heard other passionate statements from him before. What is new is the comparison between Kirkuk and Diyarbakir. This is something that will be talked about for years to come.Apparently, Mr. Barzani made this statement during an interview with al-Arabiyyah TV back in January 26, 2007. The Turkish government is in shock, and for a good reason.
Despite the staunch opposition of the army, the government had worked hard to get a positive statement out of the January 23 National Security Council Meeting. They did but no major steps were taken since then over the PKK issue. And now this language of threat and Barzani’s claim that they will interfere with Diyarbakir and mobilize “30 million Kurds” in Turkey if Turkey intervenes in Kirkuk.Mr. Barzani has chosen the worst way of talking to Turkey. Given the sensitivity of the Kurdish issue, this claim is both wrong and dangerous. It is wrong because neither Barzani nor Talabani has the kind of power to intervene in Diyarbakir, the symbolic city of our Kurdish region, and mobilize the Kurds in Turkey (one wonders where Barzani got the 30 million figure; even the PKK puts the number of Kurds in Turkey somewhere between 20-25 million).A very small minority of Kurdish leaders may see Barzani as a leader for themselves. Given Turkey’s troubled record of the Kurdish issue, some Kurds in Turkey may turn to Barzani or Talabani for leadership. But in reality this will never work because any attempt to carry Turkey’s Kurdish issue beyond its borders will result in the deepening of the problem. A prolonged Kurdish problem in Turkey can only be trouble for Kurds in Iraq.
Part of the problem is Mr. Barzani’s irrational sensitivity over Kirkuk. While he accuses Turkey of being too emotional and expansionist over Kirkuk, he himself keeps raising the bar. He makes such statements as “Kirkuk is the Jerusalem of Kurdistan”, “we will fight over Kirkuk until the last drop of our blood”, etc. First of all, there should be no more Jerusalems in the region. Any other Jerusalem means more blood and tear. Secondly, it is simply irrational, if not stupid, politics to declare Kirkuk a Kurdish/Kurdistani city long before the referendum over the future status of Kirkuk. Every time Barzani says these things, his claim that they would accept the “democratic outcome” of the referendum in Kirkuk fails the test of credibility.
What is to be done now? It is not in anybody’s interest to increase the tension over the Kirkuk-Diyarbakir comparison. As much irrational and stupid as it is, Turkey should try to put it behind and continue its policy of engagement. On the Kurdish side, they need to make a strong statement that this unfortunate comparison does not reflect their current view and that they’re ready to cooperate with Turkey.
If there is enough political reason and will, the two sticking issues of Kirkuk and PKK can be solved. First of all, the Kirkuk referendum must be postponed for technical reasons. The whole thing about the referendum should be dropped and a completely new mapping of the northern region within Iraq’s territorial unity should be considered. It is possible to develop a solution that will satisfy Kurds, Turkomans, Arabs, Christians as well as Turkey. The way to do it is to draw up a new “Northern Iraqi Region” (drop the name “Kurdistan”), include Kirkuk and Mousul in it, and accept Kurds and Turkomans as the two founders of the new region. Such a new mapping will allow Kurds and Turkomans to live together without the pressures of identity politics and external interference. Turkey can and should support such a proposal.
The PKK issue is even more sensitive as new fighting has begun again in the last few weeks. The Kurdish leaders cannot convince Turkey by saying that they don’t have the military capability to fight against the PKK terrorists in Northern Ir
