INSTITUT KURD E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N°350 may 2014 The publication of this Bulletin enjoys a subsidy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGCID) aqnd the Fonds d’action et de soutien pour l’intégration et la lutte contre les discriminations (The Fund for action and support of integration and the struggle against discrimination) This bulletin is issued in French and English Price per issue : France: 6 € — Abroad : 7,5 € Annual subscribtion (12 issues) France : 60 € — Elsewhere : 75 € Monthly review Directeur de la publication : Mohamad HASSAN Numéro de la Commission Paritaire : 659 15 A.S. ISBN 0761 1285 INSTITUT KURDE, 106, rue La Fayette - 75010 PARIS Tel. : 01-48 24 64 64 - Fax : 01-48 24 64 66 www.fikp.org E-mail: bulletin@fikp.org Information and liaison bulletin Kurdish Institute of Paris Bulletin N° 350 May 2014 • IRAQ: AN UNSETTLED POST-ELECTION PERIOD • KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: KURDISH OIL IS COMING ONTO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE • PARIS-ROME: MASUD BARZANI HAS THREE OFFICIAL MEETINGS • SYRIA: LARGE SCALE MASSACRES AND KIDNAPPING OF KURDS BY THE ISIL • CANNES: “SIMAV” OR “SILVERY WATERS” WARMLY APPAUDED AT THE FESTIVAL • CULTURE: THE DEATH OF ABBAS KAMANDI IRAQ: AN UNSETTLED POST-ELECTION PERIOD he Electoral High Commission published official results of the Iraqi Parliamentary on 25 May are as follows: T The State of Laws Party (Prime Minister Maliki’s) 92 seats (+2 on 2010) The Sadrist Movement 34 seats The Supreme Islamic Council (Shiite, religious) 31 seats The Reform Coalition (Usama al-Nujayfi’s) 28 seats (+ 14) The Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani’s) 25 seats (-4) The Arab Coalition (Ayyad Allawi, secular) 21 seats The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 21 seats (+7) Gorran (Change led by Nawshirwan Mustafa) 9 seats (+1) National Reform Movement (al-Jaffari) 6 seats The Islamic Virtue Party (A Sadrist offshoot) 5 seats The “Diyala is our Identity” List 5 seats Yekgirtu (Kurdistan Islamic Union) 4 seats The Civil Democratic Alliance 3 seats Komal (Kurdistan Islamic Group) 3 seats (+1) Other Parties 23 seats Minorities 8 seats. Maliki’s State of Laws list was at fragmentation of their various degree of Sunni Arab disillu - the top in 10 of the 18 provinces, organisations and competition sionment with elections that while the results for the Sunni between several of their leaders they consider lost in advance Arab parties disappointed their like between Al-Nujayfi and Al- and so useless. leaders, probably owing to the Mutlaq. It may also show a • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 350 • May 2014 The results for the Kurdistan Region and those provinces with a substantial Kurdish population were as follows: Erbil : Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani) 7 seats Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 4 seats Gorran (Change Movement, Nawshirwan Mustafa) 2 seats Komal (Islamic Group, Hassan Ali) 2 seats Total 15 seats Suleimaniyah: Gorran (Change Movement, Nawshirwan Mustafa) 7 seats Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 6 seats Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani) 2 seats Komal (Islamic Group, Hassan Ali) 2 seats Yekgirtu (Kurdistan Islamic Union, Ahmad Aziz) 2 seats Total : 14 seats Duhok : Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani) 8 seats Yekgirtu (Kurdistan Islamic Union, Ahmad Aziz) 2 seats Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 1 seat Total : 11 seats Kirkuk: Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 6 seats Turcoman Front (Baha’ddin Sahay) 2 seats Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani) 2 seats Al Arabiyyah (al-Mutlaq) 1 seat Kirkuk-Arab Coalition (Assai Ali) 1 seat Total 12 seats Nineveh: Reform Coalition (al-Nujayfi) 12 seats Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani) 6 seats National Coalition (Allawi) 4 seats Nineveh-national Alliance (al-Hakim) 3 seats Al-Arabiyyah Coalition (al-Mutlaq) 3 seats Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Talabani) 2 seats Iraqi Coalition (al-Shamri) 1 seat Yezidi Reform & Progress Movement (reserved: Jijo Brim) 1 seat Shabak Council (reserved: Mohammad Ahmad) 1 seat Total: 31 seats Adding all the seats of the Kurdish Khosro Goran. On the KDP coming “ resignation ”, since his ill - parties gives a total of 62 Members Internet site he expressed disap - ness has prevented him from ful - of Parliament, which is five more pointment, saying they had filling his duties since 2012). than in the previous assembly. To expected “ to win more seats in Erbil this should be added the 4 seats of and in Nineveh ” and at least one in the Kurdistan religious minorities, Diyala. Since the Iraqi Constitution was traditionally allies of the Kurdistan adopted by referendum in 2005, Alliance, making this the biggest On the strength of its overall score, the duties of president have been block after Maliki’s State of Laws. the Presidency of the Kurdistan carried out by Jalal Talabani, while Regional Government stated, in a the position of Prime Minister The increase of the PUK and communiqué published on its site, have been held by Iyyad Allawi, Gorran and the drop of KDP, that that the Iraqi Kurds were “ entitled ” Ibrahim al Jaffari and Nuri Maliki had hoped for at least 28 seats, as to the Federal Iraqi Presidency (in in succession. Nuri Maliki is now was admitted by one of its leaders, the event of Jalal Talabani’s forth - aiming at a third term or office. n° 350 • May 2014 Information and liaison bulletin • 3• While, because of their numerical that are provoked by every Kurdish Karim, a PUK member and a close superiority, the Iraqi cabinet is pre - advance towards a Confederal associate of Jalal Talabani (whose dominately Shiite, the Speaker of the rather than Federal status, the idea doctor he is) is thus considered a Iraqi Parliament has been a Sunni of replacing Jalal Talabani by anoth - possible PUK candidate. Moreover, Arab, Usama Al Nujayfi. This has er Kurd is far from being opposed he is the Kurdish MPs who secured helped to compensate the lack of by the Arab political circles. Indeed, the most overwhelming victory in balance in the distribution of leading the absence of President Talabani both the Parliamentary and the positions between the ethnic and from the Iraqi scene has coincided Provincial elections, in a province religious components of Iraq created not only more Kurdish-Arab con - where there has been incessant con - by the flight and in absentia death flicts but also with a general deterio - flict between the Kurds, the sentence passed on the Sunni Vice- ration of political climate and, conse - Turcomen and the Sunni Arabs.. President Tariq Hashimi. quently of security throughout Iraq fueled by Sunni-Shiite differences. However, while the Iraqi Having a Kurd as President, in addi - Thus since the virtual retirement of Constitution stipulates that the tion to playing a neutral role as the present Iraqi President, other President must be elected by between Sunni and Shiite political Kurdish names have been frequent - Parliament and that he must then parties had the additional advan - ly put forward, from the ranks of the appoint a Prime Minister, the result tage, for those who feared a split KDP and the PUK. of the elections influence that choice between the KRG and the Iraqi of a future head of the cabinet. Nuri Federal government, of maintaining Thus, Roj Nuri Shaways, a member Maliki is the relative victor of the a Kurdish presence and involve - of the KDP Political Committee who elections but he does not have an ment in the Central Government. is also Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, overall majority and will have to Since no leading administrative announced on the Kurdish radio sta - form alliances to form a coalition position had been given to a Kurd, tion Nuwa that “ several political lines government. However, he has alien - the lack of a Kurdish President and parties ” (without identifying ated so many of the Iraqi factions (as could only serve to accentuate the them) had asked the Kurdish well as the Kurds) so that many pre - political and administrative distanc - Region’s President in office to suc - dict that giving him a third term of ing of the Kurdistan Region, espe - ceed Talabani as Iraqi President but office could lead to the country cially since Nuri Maliki has stopped that Masud Barzani would only breaking up. As he would be unable paying the wages of Kurdish civil accept this position on certain condi - to do anything if faced with a veto servants thus encouraging Masud tions — essentially those covering from the Kurds and a major part of Barzani to talk about independence. an increase in Presidential powers. the Sunni Arabs, he will have to be reconciled with both — which the While the Presidency that the KRG However the KDP finally preferred very opposite of the policy of retalia - claims, in its communiqué, to be “ a putting forward Hoshyar Zebari, at tion he has been conducting against right due to the people of Kurdistan ”, the moment Iraqi Foreign Minister, Erbil and the bloody reprisals car - there is no basis in the Iraqi who would be a more consensual ried out in the Sunni Arab Province Constitution for making this auto - candidate than Barzani, particularly of Anbar, that is in virtual state of matic since it was the result of an from an Iraqi point of view. revolt. consensual agreement between the political factions following the over - Thus, at any rate is the view of The Kurds have, so far, tended to be throw of Saddam Hussein. The rival Mahmud Othman, a veteran of the “ king-makers ” of Iraqi politics. Arab movements have, hitherto pre - Kurdish politics and a member of Today, however, Masud Barzani has ferred to have a Kurd in this post, the Baghdad Parliament in the let it be understood that they might whose role was to arbitrate in their Kurdish Alliance.