Press Releases

‘Time is running out’: Interview with WKI President Najmaldin
Karim

Soma Digest
By Lawen A. Sagerma
August 2009

As political agendas change and priorities are reorganized the issue of Kirkuk and other contested areas remain on the backburner. The implementation of Article 140 appears as nothing more than a tactic to appease Kurds by the central government who has no real intention to enforce the controversial article. However Kurdish officials and ordinary Kurdish citizens are placing their trust in the constitution, the legal document which guarantees them the right to a referendum. But continuous delays may contribute in increasing tensions and fuel further violence.

“Article 140 is written into the Iraqi constitution, and will remain valid unless amended, changed or abolished through constitutional measures,” said Dr Najmaldin Karim, an original inhabitant of Kirkuk and active member of the Kurdish diaspora who has been in the United States since 1975.

“The delay in its implementation can lead to unrest and violence, as the people who were victims of violence and ethnic cleansing policies of the past will take matters into their own hands and lose faith in the authorities,” he added.

Many feel that Kurdish officials in Baghdad have greatly compromised Article 140 by making too many concessions on it but Dr Karim explains that this was done in part because the Kurdish leadership put ‘their faith in the future Iraqi government to implement it’, but concedes that ‘agreeing to including other provinces in Article 140, was a big mistake in my opinion’.

Dr Karim added that in his opinion more active and vigorous efforts from Kurdish representatives in the Iraqi government could have moved the process forward, especially when the government in Baghdad was in dire need of Kurdish support.

“To my knowledge the Kurdish side has rarely put Article 140 on the agenda of the meetings with Al Maliki,” he said.

Often referred to as the Jerusalem of Kurdistan and the heart of the region, Kirkuk is stuck in a battle that seems neverending. Sporadic suicide bombings continue to rattle the city as the security situation remains volatile. Lack of financial resources going into the city has meant that infrastructural progress remains minimal and public services poor at best. The curse of the black oil is more evident here than any other part of the country and while other parts of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have begun to profit from the abundance of the natural resource, Kirkuk stands a neglected and shattered city.

“The Iraqi government since 2003 has neglected Kirkuk altogether when it came to allocating resources to rebuild the city and the province. The local government is also at fault by being passive and complaining rather than being proactive,” said Dr Karim.

He added that the efforts of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in rebuilding are to be commended but that this would have ‘yielded better results if it was coordinated and not run by each political party separately’.“The people of Kirkuk and Kurdistan are losing patience and have less faith in how serious the leadership is on this very important issue. The wait is over and time is running out before the situation deteriorates out of control,” said Dr. Karim.

He added that the oil issues have been dealt with in the Iraqi constitution and the Kurdish leadership has removed the opportunity for Baghdad to nullify any contracts made by them by agreeing to have all the existing oilfields in Iraq which include the oil fields in Kirkuk operated by the federal government.

“Article 140 is about justice, history, and reversal of policies of Anfal, ethnic cleansing and genocide. It is not about oil,” he pointed out. “I was in Kirkuk on 29 June, the day before the suicide explosion in Shorja. As someone born and raised in Kirkuk, it breaks my heart to see one of the most beautiful cities of Iraq in this state of ruin and destruction. The city was ignored and destroyed by the Baath regime.”

Like many others, Dr Karim believes that the longer the delays continue the more likely the potential for violence. He explained that rebuilding the city and extending services to all communities will go a long way in restoring the trust and harmony among the population. Many Iraqis and indeed the majority of the Kurdish populace believe that foreign intervention in internal matters is unacceptable and while external support by way of assisting the implementation of Article 140 is welcomed, making decisions on the issues with binding resolutions is not.

“International NGOs and the UN can use their expertise in implementing Article 140 [but] in areas such as census and referendum, this is an Iraqi issue and no solution can be imposed on them,” said Dr Karim. Asked what he hopes for Kirkuk in five years time, Dr Karim said: "That we see an end to violence and that Article 140 has been implemented, and Kirkuk has joined the KRG, with special status, and provisions for true participation of all the communities not only in governing Kirkuk but the KRG as well.”

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