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FORMER ITALIAN PRESIDENT TO KHABAT: KURDISTAN WILL BE AN INDEPENDENT STATE IN FEW YEARS
Khabat, Arbil
April 30 2008
Iraq
Interview conducted by Shorish Aziz Surmeh
In n exclusive interview with Khabat, former Italian President
Francesco Cossiga has criticized European policy on Kurdistan and
describing it as uncertain. About the future of Kurdistan, he said
that after a few years Kurdistan would be an independent state. In
the interview he looks back to history and criticized the way the
superpowers of the era of the two world wars run the world. He says:
"Unfortunately after the two wars the superpowers created the
borders in line with their own political, economical and military
interests. The Kurds are still paying the price of these borders."
[Khabat] President Cossiga, you are known as champion of the oppressed
peoples. You are well aware of the situation of the Kurdish people who
have been oppressed for many decades and their country was unjustly
divided up by victorious countries of the World War I. Do you think
that Europe should help the Kurds in this small part of their homeland,
Iraqi Kurdistan, to develop the process of democracy?
[Cossiga] Unfortunately, Europe does not have a firm policy on this
and furthermore for NATO Turkey is much more important than Kurdistan.
[Khabat] Mr President, it is the 21century now. Should in this age
a nation of 40 million people with their own land, history, language
and culture still fight for survival or should there be an independent
Kurdistan, which is much larger than Kosovo?
[Cossiga] I believe that within the next few years there will be an
independent Kurdistan and then there will emerge a balance in this
region with the support of the US and the Russian Federation. At
present, the Kurdish issue is tied to the issue of security in
Iraq. The US wants Turkey to stay in the NATO. This makes America
gives special importance to Turkey.
In the case of Kosovo's independence, we see that Spain expressed
its opposition because they are afraid that accepting the right of
self-determination for a nation will open the door for the recognition
of self-determination for the peoples of Basque and Catalonia. We must
also notice that although Slovakia chose self-determination to end
the united Czechoslovakian state, it refrained from the recognition
of Kosovo for fear that this will lead to its own recognition of
self-determination of the Hungarian minority who compose 10 per cent
of Slovakia's population who, although they have a lot of autonomy,
might ask for self-determination and reunification with Hungary. In
fact they were part of Hungary for many centuries. Unfortunately,
after the world wars the superpowers divided up nations and drew
borders in line with their own political, economic and military
interests. The Kurds are one of those nations that are still paying
the price of this policy.
We must also not forget that in Turkey it is still a crime to recognize
the genocide of the Armenians.
[Khabat] The Kurds were against the Saddam's regime. Now this regime
has gone and the Kurds are working for a federal system in Iraq. What
do you think of the efforts of Turkey, Syria and Iran to undermine
the federal solution, and who are also accusing the Kurds of seeking
independence?
[Cossiga] I believe that the federal system is the only solution
to keep the integrity of Iraq as one state. It is known that this
system was created by Britain after World War I. Iran considers
itself the most powerful state in the Middle East. Syria hopes to
share Iranian power. They both want to create discord between Iraqi
political groups. They are openly against a federal solution and they
consider it a Kurdish plot. Turkey, too, opposes this solution with
American support because an autonomous Kurdistan region will become
a great pull factor for the Kurds of Turkey.
Khabat, Arbil
April 30 2008
Iraq
Interview conducted by Shorish Aziz Surmeh
In n exclusive interview with Khabat, former Italian President
Francesco Cossiga has criticized European policy on Kurdistan and
describing it as uncertain. About the future of Kurdistan, he said
that after a few years Kurdistan would be an independent state. In
the interview he looks back to history and criticized the way the
superpowers of the era of the two world wars run the world. He says:
"Unfortunately after the two wars the superpowers created the
borders in line with their own political, economical and military
interests. The Kurds are still paying the price of these borders."
[Khabat] President Cossiga, you are known as champion of the oppressed
peoples. You are well aware of the situation of the Kurdish people who
have been oppressed for many decades and their country was unjustly
divided up by victorious countries of the World War I. Do you think
that Europe should help the Kurds in this small part of their homeland,
Iraqi Kurdistan, to develop the process of democracy?
[Cossiga] Unfortunately, Europe does not have a firm policy on this
and furthermore for NATO Turkey is much more important than Kurdistan.
[Khabat] Mr President, it is the 21century now. Should in this age
a nation of 40 million people with their own land, history, language
and culture still fight for survival or should there be an independent
Kurdistan, which is much larger than Kosovo?
[Cossiga] I believe that within the next few years there will be an
independent Kurdistan and then there will emerge a balance in this
region with the support of the US and the Russian Federation. At
present, the Kurdish issue is tied to the issue of security in
Iraq. The US wants Turkey to stay in the NATO. This makes America
gives special importance to Turkey.
In the case of Kosovo's independence, we see that Spain expressed
its opposition because they are afraid that accepting the right of
self-determination for a nation will open the door for the recognition
of self-determination for the peoples of Basque and Catalonia. We must
also notice that although Slovakia chose self-determination to end
the united Czechoslovakian state, it refrained from the recognition
of Kosovo for fear that this will lead to its own recognition of
self-determination of the Hungarian minority who compose 10 per cent
of Slovakia's population who, although they have a lot of autonomy,
might ask for self-determination and reunification with Hungary. In
fact they were part of Hungary for many centuries. Unfortunately,
after the world wars the superpowers divided up nations and drew
borders in line with their own political, economic and military
interests. The Kurds are one of those nations that are still paying
the price of this policy.
We must also not forget that in Turkey it is still a crime to recognize
the genocide of the Armenians.
[Khabat] The Kurds were against the Saddam's regime. Now this regime
has gone and the Kurds are working for a federal system in Iraq. What
do you think of the efforts of Turkey, Syria and Iran to undermine
the federal solution, and who are also accusing the Kurds of seeking
independence?
[Cossiga] I believe that the federal system is the only solution
to keep the integrity of Iraq as one state. It is known that this
system was created by Britain after World War I. Iran considers
itself the most powerful state in the Middle East. Syria hopes to
share Iranian power. They both want to create discord between Iraqi
political groups. They are openly against a federal solution and they
consider it a Kurdish plot. Turkey, too, opposes this solution with
American support because an autonomous Kurdistan region will become
a great pull factor for the Kurds of Turkey.