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

• : 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 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 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 , 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 Parliament in the let it be understood that they might whose role was to arbitrate in their Kurdish Alliance. He announced well not take part in the next gov - conflicts. Zebari’s possible candidature on the ernment. This divorce, already a fact Iraqi FM radio on 12 May, with KDP at administrative level could then The Kurdistan Region is, further - approval. However the agreement become not just political but also more, demanding that the every of the PUK would be needed, since institutional: “ all the options are on the Iraqi President (who is elected by it also has its own candidates. Al- table. The time has come for final deci - the Baghdad Parliament) should Musama Adel Murad, a member of sions to be taken. We are not going to also be approved by the Kurdish the PUK Central Council retorted wait another decade and go through Parliament in Erbil. This has that as the KDP already has the all this again. If we boycott the pro - aroused the fury of the other Iraqi Region’s Presidency, it couldn’t cess , we will boycott everything” political movements. claim to have that of Iraq as well. (the parliament and the govern - ment) according to a Reuters report Apart from the superficial reactions The governor of Kirkuk, Najmaldin of 13 May. • 4 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 350 • May 2014

KURDISTAN REGIONAL GOVERNMENT: KURDISH OIL IS COMING ONTO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET PLACE On 13 May 2014, the Turkish Kurdistan’s oil through the new the Iraqi Oil Ministry against Minister for Energy, Taner pipeline. , the KRG attacked it in Yıldiz, announced at a regional an official communiqué as a conference on energy taking The revenue from these sales “behaviour incompatible with estab - place in , that the oil were considered by the KRG as lished and accepted practices ”, transported and stored at part of the Iraqi budget which’s which “ endanger Iraq’s capacity Ceyhan was ready for sale. constitutionally allocated to for exporting oil and its diplomatic them, but the Kurdish position in the world ” as well as its “Our storage tanks at Cehan for the Government added that it was relations with world markets. oil coming from North Iraq are now “open to any negotiation ” with The Iraqi Ministry is also full. There is nothing to prevent Baghdad. It would undertake to accused of acting in breach of their sale. This oil belongs to the the United Nation to pay 5% in the 2005 Constitution and of Iraqis and they are the ones selling compensation what Iraq owed international laws since, as the it ”. following the invasion of Kuwait Kurdistan Region points out and that this contribution would Article 110 does not give this Taner Yıldiz also asserted that be deposited in a separate Ministry any powers regarding “responsible officials from Baghdad, account. the exploration, extracting, pro - Erbil and Turkey were overseeing ducing and exporting of Kurdish the sales ” and that the money From the Iraq side, Nuri Maliki’s hydrocarbons. On the contrary, would be deposited in the State of Laws List publicly Articles 112 and 115 of this Turkish State Halk-Bank. He expressed its astonishment at the Constitution give these powers stated that there were 2.5 million absence of any reaction not just to the KRG. barrels stored there, that is the of the international community full capacity of the tanks and but also from the other Iraqi par - Indeed, he KRG points out that, indicated that the oil would ties. This was expressed by a according to the Constitution, probably be sold to Italy and member of the coalition, Qasim the Federal Government has the Germany. al-Araji: right and obligation to share the oil revenues from oil fields Some time earlier the KRG had “It is surprising that the political exploited prior to 2005 and that already announced that its oil blocks and parties that rejected the the exports only came from would be sold in the course of idea of a third term of office for Nuri more recent oil wells. The May. Masud Barzani had Maliki have not adopted any stand Region thus has the right to described this decision as “ a regarding the fact that Kurdistan receive payment directly from political decision ” and openly said has started exporting and selling its sale of its hydrocarbons and it was a “ reprisal ” against the oil without the approval of the recalls that, hitherto it had vol - Central Government’s bud - Federal Government. This exporta - untarily applied the same sys - getary “ punishment ” that, since tion is, nevertheless, contrary to the tem of sharing for all its wells, the beginning of the year, had position of the Shiite religious par - those before or after 2005. deprived the civil servants in the ties (vigorously opposed to Kurdish Region of their pay. Maliki) who affirm that the oil Finally the Kurdish Government belongs to the Iraqi people ”. more directly targeted the Iraqi “We will continue to produce oil, Oil Ministry (and, behind it the pump it up and sell it. If they It Iraqi Government itself was Minister in charge of all Energy (Baghdad) persist in escalation we not slow in reacting by announc - issues, Deputy Prime Minister will do the same from out side ”. ing legal proceedings against Hussein Sharistani, the most Turkey and BOTAS, the national obstinate adversary of any pro - On 23 May, the KRG officially company that manages the jects to achieve energy self-suffi - announced that the first ship - pipeline and had transported the ciency for Kurdistan). In fact ment of Kurdish oil (1 million Kurdish oil, evaluating the loss it Erbil accused the Ministry of barrels) had left Ceyhan for had suffered at being over 250 presenting the situation on the shipment to the European mar - million dollars. nature and extent of the exports kets and that this was just the to the Federal Government in a first sale. It would be followed Commenting on the “ call for biased and even untruthful man - by many more to so as to sell international arbitration ” filed by ner. It was omitting to mention n° 350 • May 2014 Information and liaison bulletin • 5•

that the bulk of the Kurdish oil less 5% due to the fund for com - Federal Government were to revenues were collected directly pensating Kuwait. He also criti - continue to block these wages, by SOMO, the State agency cized the stand adopted by the KRG would levy what was responsible for selling Iraqi oil. Washington: The Secretary of needed from the money earned This agency, furthermore, was State, Jen Psaki, had indeed, stat - from its oil to ensure the wages attached to the Ministry and that ed that the USA did not support of its civil servants. the profits had, hitherto been these exports being made with - paid to the Iraqi State. out the central government’s approval, while the US had not As for threats of legal proceed - The Kurdistan Government reaf - said a word to criticize the Iraqi ings at international level with firmed its determination to enjoy attitude about sharing the rev - which Hussein Sharistani has its Constitutional rights regard - enues and freeze of salary pay - threatened the Kurdish region as ing the direct reception of the oil ments to the Kurdish Civil ser - well as Turkey, the Erbil govern - revenue. Thus, on 26 May, vants. ment spokesman, Safeen Muayad Tayeb, spokesman for Diyazee, pointed out, ironically, the Kurdish Alliance To sum up, the position of the that as Kurdistan was (still) part Parliamentary group in Kurdish government is that of of Iraq, the latter could not start Baghdad, pointed out that the returning to the real provisions legal proceedings before interna - money from the exported oil of the Constitution, which allo - tional courts with one of its own would be used to pay the Civil cated 17% of the overall Iraqi regions as it was only one of the Servants in the Kurdish region, budget to Kurdistan. If the country’s internal issues.

PARIS-ROME: MASUD BARZANI HAS THREE OFFICIAL MEETINGS n 22 May Masud him. According to the official ifying the exact nature of this Barzani, President of Elysée communiqué, President stage; even though, in the pre - the Kurdistan Region, Hollande “ expressed France\s sent climate, the Kurdish riposte O began a diplomatic concern at the degradation of securi - could go from a Confederal sta - tour of Europe, begin - ty in Iraq. He only hoped that the tus to a referendum allowing ning with Paris and then Italy to electoral process under way would complete independence should discuss, officially and in general, run its course with full transparen - Nuri Maliki persist in wanting to bi-lateral relations between these cy and observance of Constitutional lead a third government. countries and Kurdistan. He commitments. would, in particular, be tackling Falah Mustafa also reported that the issue of the crisis between The Head of State furthermore President Barzani had clearly the Kurds and Baghdad came to expressed his support for the forma - stated to François Hollande as allow the KRG’s voice and point tion of a government of reconcilia - well as to senior French leaders of view in this conflict to be tion in Iraq, in a spirit of unity that that the Kurds had “ other heard… would allow all the communities to options ” should Baghdad fail to be fairly represented and meet the change its policy towards the It was a just timing accident that challenges facing the country. Kurdistan Region. Masud Barzani’s visits coincided with Turkey’s offering of He finally stressed France’s deter - “It was fully stressed that the Kurdish oil for sale on the inter - mination to strengthen its links Kurdistan Region had done its best national market, the great with the Kurdistan Region in the but that it was not possible to con - annoyance of Iraq, which imme - framework of Iraqi Federal institu - tinue in this way and that, we had diately threatened Ankara with tions ”. several concrete alternatives for the legal proceedings. future ”. From the Kurdish side, the man - On 23 May, Masud Barzani was ager of the Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein, the Presidential welcomed at the Elysée Palace department, Falah Mustafa, Chief of Staff, nevertheless made by François Hollande. His previ - reported to the daily paper the point that the issue of inde - ous and first visit to France as Rudaw , that France had pendence had not been dealt with President of the Kurdish Region promised its “ support ” for the in the course of this meeting but was back in June 2010, when Region particularly in the Kurds’ that François Hollande had said Nicolas Sarkozy had welcomed “coming stage ”, but without spec - to Masud Barzani that “ whatever • 6 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 350 • May 2014

decision you may make, there should are continuing to suffer ”, added Minister Federica Mogherini stat - be an exchange of views between us ”. Mgr Rabban, who in particular ed that Italy had some 400 invest - condemned the corruption of the ment projects in the Kurdistan Masud Barzani then flew to Rome Iraqi political elites. Region under way and wanted to where he met Pope Francis for strengthen these links in the the first time on 30 May, though, “If you compare this with what is future: in 2009, and 2011 he had met his happening in Kurdistan, where predecessor Benedict XVI. there is considerable respect as “Our economic and trading relations between the communities (…) the are very good. We are trying to This time the meeting was due to Kurdish Region is exceptional. I improve them and increase them in cover the security situation and can’t say it is a paradise, but there the future ”. the asylum offered to the some we live in a freedom that is some - 30,000 Iraqi Christians who have thing palpable, where there are for - In the opinion of Falah Mustafa, sought refuge in Kurdistan. eign companies and plenty of shops there is, at international level, an … Those who want, can study, go increased interest in the Interviewed by Vatican Radio to university, those who want to Kurdistan Region and the atti - regarding this visit and what work here can do so ”. tudes of the governments represented to the towards the Kurds has changed thousands of threatened Masud Barzani then met the in this respect: Christians, Monsignor Rabban al- Italian Foreign Minister, Qas, the Bishop of Zakho- Federica Mogherini, to discuss “What we have feel, from a per - Amadiya, considered that this bi-lateral relations, the situation sonal and professional point of meeting was a “ help ” for these in Iraq and in Syria and the view, is that these journeys, of the Christians of Kurdistan. He question of the Christian President as of the Prime stressed that Kurdistan was “ the refugees in Kurdistan. Minister, are different from the exception ” compared to the rest of earlier ones. “ The way the interna - Iraq, where there was “ no stable During both these meetings the tional community sees Kurdistan is peace ” but, on the contrary, politi - Kurdish community was very different now and its greater pre - cal factions tearing one another much aware of the fact that at paredness to listen to us is different ”. apart and where no understand - both the Vatican and the Italian ing or collaboration reigned government, the Kurdish flag For his part, Fuad Hussein between, for example the Prime was being flown side by side with summed up the subjects tackled Minister and the leaders of other the Iraqi flag — a fact that Fuad during his series of meetings by parties: Hussein considered was a “ mes - revealing that the greatest part of sage to the people of Kurdistan that the meetings dealt with the pre - “There is no government (…) the outside world understood the sta - sent situation in Iraq, on the for - Nothing has been done about poverty tus of the Kurdistan Region. It is also mation of its next government — on the contrary. Many people a recognition of the identity f the peo - and of a possible step forward of have become impoverished and live in ple of Kurdistan and of its legal iden - the Kurds towards a referendum fear. These people have suffered and tity ”. ( Rudaw ) on independence.

SYRIA: LARGE SCALE MASSACRES AND KIDNAPPING OF KURDS BY THE ISIL

he Jihadist organisa - children, according to the ANF SIL with a car bomb, causing tion, the Islamic state news agency, close to the PKK, several victims. of Iraq and the Levant that said that the bodies of at According to a YPG source (the T (ISIL) has carried out least 15 people, including 7 chil - PYD armed wing) some ISIL raids against three vil - dren, had been found. troops that had been repulsed by lages around Serê Kaniyê (Ras the Kurds. Withdrew and so al-‘Ayn) and killed dozens of Thus Temad village, near Serê doing massacred several civil - civilians, including women and Kaniyê, was attacked by the I ians in at least two villages. n° 350 • May 2014 Information and liaison bulletin • 7•

CANNES: “SIMAV” OR “SILVERY WATERS” WARMLY APPAUDED AT THE FESTIVAL n Syria some Youtubers film some videos published on received through Facebook, the first and die every day while oth - Youtube and the on line message from this young woman, ers kill and film their acts . exchanges by chat and video with Simav, in which she told me she had “I In Paris I can only film the Wiam Simav who recounted daily decided to film things to avoid dying sky and show these Youtube life in wartime Syria from Homs and asking me for my advice. This pictures, guided by an unshakeable and Derma. It was filmed for three message was a moment of truth for me love of Syria . years using a DV camera or — I understood that his was an artis - This tension between my distance mobile phone. It has also includes tic opportunity that had been offered from my country and the revolution is violent scenes, particularly of tor - to us and, in the course of our born from a chance encounter. ture, carried out by the Syrian exchanging messages, when each one A young Kurdish film maker from forces and filmed by the perpetra - could have been the last, I understood Homs “chatted” asking “If you were tors themselves and posted on that the film was by both of us and, here in Homs what would you film? social networks as well as those through us both and Simav’s pictures, The film is the story of this sharing ”. carried out by the Jihadist militia. by the whole Syrian people ” (as inter - viewed in Le Monde ). This is how this documentary On 16 May, the day it was shown, filming the war in Syria live is pre - Simav Bedirxan joined Ossam Interviewed by Le Monde , Simav sented. “Simav”, Kurdish for Mohammed, who she was meet - Bedirxan expressed her desire “ to “Silvery water”, made a consider - ing for the first time, on the stage. return to Syria as soon as possible ” able impression at the Cannes Having left Syria via Turkey, it even if “ as a woman who did not Festival. It bears the name of one was only at the very last minute wear the veil and was a Kurd ” she of its joint authors: Wiam Simav that she succeeded in arriving at had never, before the war, felt at Bedirxan, 35 school mistress at Nice by plane to be present when home in Syria. “ I went to Aleppo, Homs, who filmed the war with her film was screened. bought a camera that I took into the means available in partnership Homs secretly. I contacted Ossama with the Syrian director, Ossama “This revolution was also made by and I set about filming without being Mohammed, 60 years old and in pictures. In an unprecedented manner able to stop. Even when sleeping I exile in France since 2011. it was a war of pictures and images held the camera. I think that if I have that mobilized both sides. As a film - survived it is thanks to that camera— “Simav” mingles some documen - maker, I had to record this fact. I it was like a beating heart and taries that Ossama Mohammed sought means of doing so for a long Ossama in Paris was the umbilical had brought with him from Syria, time till, in November 2011, I cord that connected me to life ”.

CULTURE: THE DEATH OF ABBAS KAMANDI bbas Kamandi, a the famous Kamkaran, who was 18 years he collected legends, Kurdish singer, poet his music and folklore teacher. proverbs, beliefs and riddlesand and painter, from the other oral traditions. A town of Sine (Sanandaj) He then worked for over thirty died in his hometown years for this radio station and He was the author of 150 songs, of on 22 May of a heart attack at the was also the author of several which he himself recorded about age of 62 while he was being treat - radio and television plays. He also sixty. His work was very popular ed in hospital for Kidney prob - managed his town’s House of cul - with the Iranian Kurds. He leaves lems. ture and literature. behind him a considerable written work, several collections of poetry, Born into a poor family, he had At the beginning of the Islamic four novels, and an anthology of never been able to enjoy higher Revolution, at a time when music the biographies of eminent public education but started writing at and stage arts were no longer figures of Sine and Kermanshah. the age of 16. Less than two years allowed because of religious bans, later, in 1970, he won a literary he concentrated more on the He also held and exhibition of prize in a competition organized anthropological and ethnological his paintings in 2012 in by Sine-Radio. It was then that he aspects of popular music, of which Suleimaniyah, where his songs met Hassim Kamkar, the father of he was a profound expert. This for were also popular, especially • 8 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 350 • May 2014

“Sabri given” that he had record - influences of Turkish and replied; “ No, it was I that influ - ed in a duet with the woman pop: “ Sometimes when I hear our enced Persian music ”. singer Shaheen Talabani. He also singers, you wouldn’t know performed publically with the whether their music was Kurdish, His funeral took place on 26 Kurdish Kamkaran group. Arabic or Turkish until they sing May at Sine, and thousands of the first words ” (quoted in Sine’s inhabitants, artists, musi - His main concern was to perpet - Rusaw ). cians and writers accompanied uate the Kurdish art of singing his corpse making a funeral pro - and its distinctive character When asked if he had been influ - cession to the rhythm of the daf, while also preserving it from the enced by Persian music he a traditional Kurdish drum. Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Samedi 3 mai 2014 Après les élections législatives, l'Irak face aux risques de partition

Le scrutin du 30 avril s'est déroulé dans un calme relatif; les résultats Analyse sont attendus pour la mi-mai

Bagdad Envoyé spécial fl £. «**! 1 es insurgés sunnites ont raté leurcible. Les élections législa¬ tives irakiennes du mercredi 30 avril, qu'ils avaient promis de perturber, se sont déroulées dans un calme inattendu. Seize person¬ ) , nes ont été tuées dans le pays, l'un , f*

des bilans journaliers les plus bas du mois d'avril. Dans là capitale > transformée en camp retranché, pas une seule attaque meurtrière n'a été recensée. «C'est une gifle pourle terrorisme, lescrutin a eu rai¬

son d'Al-Qaidaetdel'Etat islamique enlrak etauLevant [EIIL, un groupe ^"v^ ^ djihadiste à la pointe del'insurrec- tion sunnite]», s'est glorifié jeudi

1" mai le premier ministre Nouri

Al-Maliki. À la tête de la Coalition de l'Etat de droit, l'homme fort de l'Irak, un islamiste chiite de 63 ans, vise un troisième mandat consécutif, au le quartier sunnite d'Adhamiya, à Bagdad, à laveille des élections du 30 avril, lam duc hien pour « le monde» grand dam de la quasi-totalité de la classe politique, persuadée que son appuyé sur une majorité simple, unepossible guerre côté kurde.» fie. Pour l'instant, ces combattants style sectaire et brutal est à l'origine composée des partis chiites et de Dans l'Anbar, la grande province ne sont pas parvenus à s'établir de la remontée en flèche des atten¬ quelques ralliés sunnites et kurdes. sunnite de l'ouest, Fallouja et une au-delà de leurs bases de l'Anbar, tats depuis un an. Quelques heures A l'entendre, tous les maux qui partie de Ramadi sont aux mains sauf pour une brève période, dans après l'auto-satisfecit de M. Maliki, accablent l'Irak aujourd'hui sont la de l'insurrection. Si l'EIIL mène la ville de Souleïmane'Pak, dans les la publication des données compi¬ conséquence du gouvernement aujourd'hui le combat, l'initiative territoires disputés du nord. «Ces lées par les ministères de l'inté¬ d'entente nationale, formé en 2010 du soulèvement revient aux tribus régions sont des zones de non-droit, rieur, delà défenseet dela santé rap¬ et aussitôt paralysé, en raison- de locales, excédées d'être marginali¬ explique Arthur Quesnay, cher¬ pelait une sombre réalité: avec conflits incessants entre ses mem¬ sées par Bagdad. Le pouvoir central cheur de l'Institut français du Pro¬ 1009 personnes tuées dans des bres. Son modèleidéalrl'Etatméso- che-Orient basé à Erbil. La popula¬ attaques, le mois d'avril a été l'un potamieh, centralisé et autoritaire. Le modèle de tion sunnite y réclame pour l'ins¬ Ses adversaires, au contraire, ne tant un retourde l'Etat. Mais siMali¬ des plus sanglants depuis 2008, Nouri Al-Maliki, c'est l'année de sortie de la guerre civile. jurent que par le gouvernement ki est reconduit et qu'il lance une Un chiffre qui préfigureles dangers unitaire, la seule formule à même l'Etat mésopotamien, offensive contre Fallouja, les esprits de réconcilier l'Irak, selon eux. Ils pourraient se radicaliser. Ce serait menaçant l'Irak dans l'hypothèse centralisé oùle premierministre serait recon¬ attribuent les crises politiques des une catastrophe.» duit à son poste. «SiMaliki reste au dernières années au' fait que l'ac¬ et autoritaire Du côté kurde, la tension reste pouvoir, ilfaut craindre un éclate- cord de partage du pouvoir, qui a vive depuis que l'armée irakienne mentdupays », estimeun diploma¬ propulsé M. Maliki à-la tête du gou¬ n'a satisfait aucune de leurs reven¬ et les peshmergas (combattants te occidental. vernement, n'a jamais été appli¬ dications, exprimées dans des kurdes) ont été à deux doigts d'en¬ Les résultats officiels du scrutin qué. Le ministère de la défense n'a manifestations pacifiques début trer en guerre, fin 2012. En repré¬ ne seront pas proclamés avant la pas été attribué à un sunnite et les 2013, telles que la libération de pri¬ sailles à la décision d'Erbil de com¬ mi-mai. Mais comme aucune des promesses faites aux Kurdes ont sonniers, la révision de la législa¬ mencer à exporter du pétrole direc¬ listes n'est susceptible de rempor¬ vite été enterrés. tion anti-terroriste ou la suspen¬ tement, Bagdad a coupé les salaires terla majorité des 328 sièges du Par¬ Parmi celles-ci : le vote d'une loi sionde laloiqui exclut de lavie poli¬ des fonctionnaires dans les trois lement, cette annonce ne suffira sur les revenus pétroliers et l'orga¬ tique les ex-membres du parti provinces qui forment le Kurdis¬ pas pour connaître l'identité du nisation d'un référendum sur les Baas, celui de Saddam Hussein. tan. «L'entourage de Maliki estime prochain premier ministre. Une «territoires disputés », des régions Outre l'EIIL, qui recrute beau¬ que le Kurdistan est en train dépar¬ longue période de tractations entre en lisière du Kurdistan irakien, qui coup d'étrangers et prône un djiha- tir, que c'est inéluctable, que ce sera partis risque de s'ouvrir, comme sont revendiquées parErbil, capita¬ disme transnational, à cheval sur le Cachemire de l'Irak», confie un après les législatives de 2010, le de la région autonome du Kur¬ l'Irak, la Syrie.et le Liban, la rébel¬ diplomate. Les forces centrifuges quand M. Maliki avait damé le distan. «Maliki veut un gouverne¬ lion armée est menée par deux qui agitent le pays risquent de s'ac¬ pion, au bout de neuf mois d'intri¬ ment à sa main, alors que l'opposi¬ autres factions, qui puisent dans le célérer d'autant plus que, durant gues, à son rival laïque Iyad Allawi, tion veut une véritable coalition, réservoir des anciens militairesbaa- les prochains mois, toute l'énergie pourtant arrivé en tête. Cette fois- décrypte un expert étranger. S'il sistes : Ansar Ai-Islam, une milice du pouvoir sera consacrée à la for¬ ci, le premier ministre sortant parvient à sesfins, ilfaut craindre salafiste nationaliste, et la mation d'une nouvelle coalition. ambitionne de former un cabinet un accroissement du terrorisme et Naqshbandiya, une confrérie sou- Benjamin Barthh Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti Turquie: Libération de 2 soldats turcs enlevés par le PKK, attentat manqué dans l'Est

Istanbul, 2 mai 2014 (AFP) cette zone d'un poste militaire turc. Par ailleurs, une puissante bombe a explosé jeudi au passage d'un convoi mili- dEux mILItAIrEs turcs, enlevés il y a cinq jours par des séparatistes kur- taire, sans faire de victime, ont rapporté les médias. des dans le sud-est de la turquie, ont été libérés tard jeudi, a-t-on indiqué de source de sécurité locale. L'incident s'est produit à Tunceli (Est) et le PKK est blâmé par les autorités locales. Les deux militaires, qui étaient en bonne santé, ont été remis à des représentants d'un parti politique kurde légal de Lice, la ville aux abords de laquelle ils avaient Le gouvernement islamo-conservateur turc a engagé en 2011 des discussions été kidnappés le 26 avril, a-t-on précisé de même source. avec Abdullah Öcalan afin de mettre un terme à un conflit qui a fait plus de 45.000 morts depuis 1984. L'enlèvement survient après la mise en garde lancée par le fondateur du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK, illégal), Abdullah Öcalan, qui purge une peine de Le PKK a décrété un cessez-le-feu unilatéral il y a un an et commencé le retrait prison à vie, via un communiqué confié à son avocat, sur la possibilité d'un retour de ses combattants vers leurs base du nord de l'Irak. Mais ce mouvement a été à la violence. interrompu, les Kurdes jugeant qu'Ankara n'avait pas respecté ses promesses.G Le rapt des soldats visaient, selon les ravisseurs, à dénoncer la construction dans

Les Kurdes revendiquent la présidence de l'Irak

Erbil (Irak), 4 mai 2014 (AFP) La succession de cet homme, respecté par de nombreux Kurdes et dont le rôle de médiateur dans les crises politiques a été salué au-delà de sa communauté, LEs KurdEs ont revendiqué dimanche la présidence de l'Irak, occupée fait craindre la possibilité de perdre la présidence, alors qu'il sera difficile aux traditionnellement par un membre de leur communauté mais qu'ils pour- Kurdes de trouver un candidat ayant l'aura de M. Talabani et que certains lead- raient perdre après les élections législatives de mercredi dernier. ers sunnites ont déjà commencé à faire campagne. La présidence fédérale est "un droit pour le peuple du Kurdistan", a martelé la La présidence du Kurdistan irakien réclame dans son communiqué que tout can- présidence de cette région autonome du nord de l'Irak dans un communiqué. didat soit approuvé par le Parlement de la région, une exigence qui risque de Selon un accord non écrit mais accepté de facto par les trois principales commu- provoquer la colère des politiciens arabes. nautés irakiennes, la présidence revient à un Kurde, le Premier ministre est chi- Si la charge présidentielle est avant tout symbolique, elle constitue pour les ite et la présidence du Parlement est donnée à un sunnite. Kurdes une reconnaissance de leur place en Irak après des décennies de mar- La Constitution irakienne ne rend néanmoins pas obligatoire la distribution des ginalisation et de violences. Des dizaines de milliers de Kurdes ont été tués du postes à la tête de l'Etat selon ces critères religieux ou ethniques. temps de Saddam Hussein, notamment dans des attaques chimiques. Président depuis 2006, le Kurde Jalal Talabani, soigné en Allemagne depuis La question de la présidence pourrait accentuer les tensions entre Bagdad et le décembre 2012 à la suite d'une attaque cérébrale, est arrivé au terme de ses Kurdistan irakien, qui s'opposent déjà au sujet du pétrole, de revendications ter- deux mandats et ne peut pas se représenter. ritoriales et de la répartition du pouvoir.G

2 mai 2014

Un quart de siècle plus tard, qu'est devenue cette région attaquée à l'arme chimique ? Irak : Halabja, sur les Quelles sont les conséquences sur le long terme d'un tel massacre ? Comment vivent aujourd’hui les survivants et leurs descendants ? C'est avec traces d'un massacre ces questions en tête que nous nous sommes rendues à Halabja. Nous avons découvert que tous les habitants de 2 mai 2014 cette ville kurde, située à 250 kilomètres au www.france24.com nord-est de Bagdad, ont été touchés d'une façon ou d'une autre par le bombardement. Dans l y a 25 ans, Saddam Hussein a orchestré l’un chaque maison, on garde des pommes en sou- Ides plus grands massacres du XXe siècle. venir des disparus. Chacun a en mémoire des Pendant la guerre Iran-Irak (1980-1988), le histoires plus tragiques les unes que les autres. régime de Bagdad accuse les Kurdes de trahison ous avons rencontré des survivants de et de collaboration avec l’armée iranienne. En Nl'opération Anfal. Ils portent encore les stig- représailles, le 16 mars 1988, la ville d'Halabja, mates du massacre. Cancers, problèmes respira- au Kurdistan irakien, est bombardée à l’arme toires et dermatologiques sont le lot quotidien chimique. En quelques heures, 5 000 personnes des habitants de la région. Nous avons aussi sont tuées. Aujourd’hui, les séquelles de ce mas- survolent la zone pendant cinq heures et larguent des bombes chimiques contenant un côtoyé des victimes indirectes, ces enfants nés sacre sont encore prégnantes. Nos reporters se avec des malformations, ou d’autres tombés sont rendues sur place. mélange de gaz moutarde et de neurotoxiques Tabun, Sarin et VX. Un épais nuage blanc, puis malades après avoir découvert une fosse com- L'opération Anfal menée sous l’ordre d'Ali Hassan jaune s'élève. Une odeur écœurante de pomme mune… Il y a enfin ces bombes qui n'ont pas al-Majid (surnommé "Ali le Chimique"), le cousin se répand. Les habitants, pris au piège, s'effon- explosées et que les agriculteurs retrouvent par de Saddam Hussein, a détruit la ville d'Halabja et drent les uns après les autres. L’attaque chim- hasard dans leurs champs… anéanti une grande partie de sa population. Le ique tue jusqu’à 5 000 personnes, en majorité "GénocIde" ? 16 mars 1988 à partir de 10 h 45, les chasseurs- des femmes et des enfants, et en blesse des mil- Aucun psychologue, aucun médecin spécialisé bombardiers Mig et Mirage de l'armée irakienne liers d’autres. n'est pourtant présent dans la région. ➥

2 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➥ Les victimes se rendent en Iran, pays frontal- yeux. Seul le tribunal spécial irakien et la cour crimes contre l'humanité" et "recel". Ils deman- ier, pour consulter et s'endettent pour être d'appel de La Haye ont avancé le terme de dent une enquête sur le rôle de plusieurs person- soignés. Depuis plusieurs années, un centre spé- "génocide" en 2007. nes et sociétés françaises susceptibles d'avoir cialisé pour accueillir les victimes est en construc- ertaines entreprises occidentales sont par rendu possible ce massacre à l'arme chimique. tion à Halabja. Cailleurs accusées d’avoir fourni des armes Outre la condamnation d’éventuels complices, les victimes d'Halabja souhaitent que la justice Aujourd'hui, les Kurdes veulent faire reconnaître non conventionnelles à Saddam Hussein. les aide sur un plan médical et économique. H le massacre d'Halabja comme un "génocide". La L’année dernière, le 10 juin 2013, vingt Kurdes Par FRAnce 24 communauté internationale, qui soutenait l'Irak d'Irak ont déposé au tribunal de grande instance contre l'Iran au moment des faits, a fermé les de Paris une plainte contre X pour "complicité de

2 mai 2014 « Je me fiche de savoir qui est président, tant que c’est un Kurde » www.lorientlejour.com 2 mai 2014 (AFP) Président depuis 2006, Jalal Talabani est arrivé au ouleimaniyeh (Irak) — Les Kurdes terme de ses deux mandats Sirakiens pourraient perdre la présidence et ne peut pas se représen- de l'Irak au lendemain des élections législa- ter. La succession de cet tives, un poste symbolique mais important, homme, respecté par de qui maintient le lien ténu entre leur région et nombreux Kurdes et dont le Bagdad. rôle de médiateur dans les Selon un accord non écrit mais accepté crises politiques a été salué de facto par les trois principales commu- au-delà de sa communauté, nautés irakiennes, la présidence revient à un fait craindre la possibilité Kurde, le Premier ministre est chiite et la de perdre la présidence. présidence du Parlement est donnée à un sunnite. lences. Des dizaines de milliers de Kurdes de ces postes aille à un Kurde", souligne Président depuis 2006, Jalal Talabani, ont été tués du temps de Saddam Hussein, Aram Shekh Muhammed, candidat aux lég- soigné en Allemagne depuis décembre 2012 dont des milliers dans des attaques chim- islatives de mercredi sous les couleurs de à la suite d'une attaque cérébrale, est arrivé iques. Goran. "Il est important que les Kurdes au terme de ses deux mandats et ne peut pas aient des droits". se représenter. "Pendant des années, le président a été un Arabe, et nous avons été oppressés", Pour Michael Knights, chercheur au La succession de cet homme, respecté déclare Aram Abdulkarim, un membre des Washington Institute for Near East Policy, par de nombreux Kurdes et dont le rôle de peshmergas --les forces de sécurité kurdes-- "si les Kurdes n'ont ni l'un (la présidence) ni médiateur dans les crises politiques a été rencontré à Souleimaniyeh et qui juge essen- l'autre (la tête du Parlement), ce serait un salué au-delà de sa communauté, fait crain- tiel que le fauteuil présidentiel soit occupé gros problème, et un signe que les Arabes dre la possibilité de perdre la présidence. par un Kurde. retombent dans les anciennes habitudes Il sera en effet difficile pour les Kurdes "Je me fiche de savoir qui est président, anti-Kurdes". de trouver un candidat ayant l'aura de M. tant que c'est un Kurde", renchérit Wahid Une déconvenue qui viendrait s'ajouter Talabani, au moment où l'Union patrio- Hamedamin, un homme âgé vêtu du cos- à la querelle déjà profonde entre Bagdad et tique du Kurdistan, son parti, jadis un des tume traditionnel kurde, qui vivait autrefois la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien, deux plus importants de cette région dans un village du Kurdistan cible de l'une qui s'opposent au sujet du pétrole, de reven- autonome du nord de l'Irak, est en perte de des attaques chimiques de Saddam Hussein. dications territoriales et de la répartition du vitesse. - Querelle - pouvoir. Et certains leaders sunnites ont déjà S'il est quasi-certain que le poste de chef La région se plaint depuis longtemps de commencé à faire campagne pour réclamer ne pas recevoir les 17% du budget fédéral le poste. du gouvernement restera aux mains des chi- ites, le Premier ministre sortant Nouri al- qui doivent lui être alloués, et accusent Pourtant, selon Qoubad Talabani, l'un Maliki ayant de bonnes chances d'être Bagdad de payer en retard les sommes qu'il des fils du président et responsable kurde de reconduit, la situation est plus floue pour les veut bien leur verser, considérant le gou- premier plan, avoir un Kurde à la tête de sunnites et les Kurdes. vernement fédéral comme responsable des l'Etat est nécessaire pour "recréer un Irak difficultés budgétaires et des retards dans le qui inclut tout le monde". Une fois les résultats des législatives paiement des salaires. publiés -- ils ne sont pas attendus avant "C'est un poste très important, et c'est un plusieurs semaines -- le Parlement doit élire Le président irakien, doté de pouvoirs poste que les Kurdes voudraient garder, un le Premier ministre, le président et le prési- limités, ne pourra probablement pas remédi- poste que l'Union patriotique du Kurdistan dent de la Chambre à la majorité des deux er à ces problèmes, même s'il est Kurde. voudrait conserver", ajoute-t-il. tiers. "Mais cela mettrait un Kurde à la tête de Si la charge est avant tout symbolique, A Souleimaniyeh, certains sont prêts à l'Irak au sein de la Ligue arabe et sur la elle constitue pour les Kurdes une recon- accepter de perdre la présidence en échange scène internationale", rappelle M. Knights. naissance de leur place en Irak, après des du poste de président du Parlement. décennies de marginalisation et de vio- "Cela reste essentiel pour nous que l'un

3 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 1, 2014 Former US diplomat warns of possible 'grave mistake' in Syria Ryan Crocker, former US ambassador to Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, warns against a regime change plan that would depose the Alawite power structure in Syria and advises the Obama administration to contain the fighting by backing US regional allies, but not to intervene militarily.

Author Barbara Slavin May 1, 2014 www.al-monitor.com

yan Crocker, a distinguished former US ambassador to Lebanon, RSyria and Iraq, told a Washington audience May 1 that US military intervention would likely not produce a better outcome in Syria and that the Barack Obama administration should focus on a “post-Assad” but not a “post-Alawite” future for that war-torn country. “We would be making a grave mistake if our policy were aimed at flip- ping the tables and bringing a Sunni ascendancy in Damascus,” said Crocker, who experienced the pitfalls of US military involvement in Lebanon in the 1980s and in Iraq in the past decade. The United States Ryan Crocker, then-US ambassador to Afghanistan, speaks would have no assurance, he said, that a Sunni government would be during an interview at the US Embassy in Kabul, Sept. 14, an improvement on that of Bashar al-Assad and the probability would 2011. (photo by REUTERS/Rafiq Maqbool) be that such a government would be “dominated by the worst of the worst” religious extremists. Crocker, who spoke along with several other regional experts at the given Russian opposition — but could influence Syrian Alawites down Council on Foreign Relations, said the United States should focus on the road to pull away from Assad, Crocker said. shoring up Syria’s neighbors, providing more assistance to refugees Pillar suggested that the Obama administration was right to focus on and displaced Syrians and seeking to influence Syria’s ruling Alawite achieving a nuclear agreement with Iran and trying to defuse the minority to, over time, eventually jettison Assad. Ukraine crisis with Russia. “If you can successfully conclude this This post-Assad but not post-Alawite strategy could more easily win [agreement with Iran], more possibilities will open up” regarding Syria, buy-in from the Syrian government’s main external backers — Russia he said. “A few months from now, Ukraine won’t be more intense.” and Iran — though Crocker suggested that outside powers alone could sked by Al-Monitor if Iranian-Saudi rapprochement might also be not end the fighting and that the conflict would go on for many more useful, as it was in ending Lebanon’s civil war in 1989, Crocker said years until the combatants are exhausted. A the “sheer exhaustion of the participants” and the fact that Syria was The UN estimates that more than 140,000 Syrians have been killed victorious in shoring up its influence in Lebanon “ended that phase of over the past three years and 9.3 million others are in need of assis- the civil war. … Syrian forces were running the show. That is probably tance. It has appealed to the Syrian government to permit unfettered how this [the Syrian civil war] will end because of what happens on the access to deliver humanitarian aid as demanded by a UN Security ground, not because of some grand Saudi-Iranian bargain,” which Council resolution in February — a resolution that the Syrian govern- Crocker thought is unlikely. ment has not implemented. Despite frustration among US Sunni allies, such as Saudi Arabia, at the Born in Washington state, Crocker said that as a westerner, he was unwillingness of the United States to intervene more forcefully in Syria, accustomed to forest fires and that the Syrian war resembled a west- the US public has shown no interest in even limited military intervention ern fire. in Syria as evidenced by the congressional debate last fall over cruise Such fires cannot be put out but can be contained, he said. “No reason- missile strikes to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons. The able intervention by us will make things better and we could make it evolution of the Syrian opposition into one riddled with al-Qaeda ele- worse.” ments has made many Americans unsure of the wisdom of trying to remove even a regime as brutal as Assad’s. aul Pillar, a former CIA expert on the National Intelligence Council Pfor the Near East and South Asia, largely concurred with Crocker’s Crocker said those advocating military intervention underestimate the minimalist recommendations for US policy. However, Charles Dunne, extent to which this is an existential struggle for Syria’s Alawite commu- director of the Middle East and North Africa programs at Freedom nity and other minorities within the country. He pointed to the massacre House, suggested that limited US military intervention for humanitarian in Hama in 1982, when Bashar’s father, Hafez, bombarded the city to purposes as well as more assistance to the externally based Syrian exterminate the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and in the process killed opposition could have an impact on the Damascus government. 15,000 civilians. The panelists appeared to agree that one potentially fruitful avenue “This regime has been preparing for what is unfolding now for the last was preparing dossiers on individuals alleged to have committed three decades,” Crocker said. After Hama, “they knew a day of reckon- crimes against humanity for possible submission to the International ing would come. … Americans barely remember Hama but no Sunni or Criminal Court or another tribunal. Alawite will ever forget it.”N In fact, Stephen Rapp, head of the State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, has been compiling such information for the last two Barbara Slavin is Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor and a years against both the Syrian regime and members of the Syrian oppo- senior fellow at the Atlantic Council where she focuses on Iran. On sition. On April 30, the House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a res- Twitter: @BarbaraSlavin1 olution from Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, urging the Obama administration to instruct US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power to seek the creation of a Syrian war crimes tribunal. That appears unlikely now — especially

4 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 2 May 2014 Iran’s Kurdish activists See ‘No Sign of Change’ Under New President By FUaD HaQIQI “Instead of ‘Front’ they suggested 2 / may / 2014 ‘Party.’” http://rudaw.net He said that despite permis- Members sion granted to other political of the espite the optimism that follo- groups in the country, he and his Kurdish Dwed the election of moderate colleagues have accepted the United Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, ministry’s conditions to drop both Front. Kurdish activists say they have words, in exchange for official Photo: seen “no real sign of change so recognition. Rudaw far.” “The replacement of the title Rahim Farahmand, a promi- would not affect our political opi- nent Kurdish political campaigner nions. We just want to work in Iran, said that Iranian officials within the laws for political par- But Tahir Khido, a university schemes. They maintain also that would not grant permission to any ties.” student in Tehran, noted that the the Front should keep its original grouping that has the word He said that his group has party suffers from a “lack of poli- name. But many others have cho- “Kurd” in its name. suggested several other names tical agenda and organization.” sen a more “realistic approach” “The Iranian Ministry of without the objectionable names, “I think the Front should within the Front and say they Interior does not recognize our but that the ministry has not res- regroup itself from head to toe,” should “carry on despite set- group as a ‘Front’ and had issues ponded. he said. backs.” with the word ‘Kurd’ in the title,” The Kurdish United Front The Front has five councils in Farahmand said that President he said. was founded in 2005 in Iranian four Kurdish provinces, and one Rouhani seems to be a reformist, Farahmand and a group of Kurdistan. Bahaaddin Adab, a in Tehran. “But I sense that his immediate Kurdish activists filed an official representative from the province “The Front has no transparent surrounding blocks his reforms.” request last year for permission to of Sanandaj, was a leading figure and detailed structure,” Khido “We still hope for an official engage in political work, without in creating the front. said. “Even in terms of political permit,” Farahmand says. much success. Rahim Farahmand, who agenda, it should have adopted a “Nonetheless, even without it, we “They have asked us to drop heads the group, said the Front more coherent program.” carry on with our political and the word ‘Kurd’ and replace it has been effective despite severe Some in the Front say they social activism.” I with ‘National,’” Farahmand said. criticism directed at it. should assume stronger national

May 11, 2014

perty in the city next year. “They are rich in oil and gas and mine- Kurdish tourism board woos rals, the region is lovely and visitor numbers will only grow,” said Peter Blackburn, the Gulf Arabian investors president and chief executive of the Cristal Group. Sananda Sahoo The properties there expect 70 per cent May 11, 2014 of the visitors to be business travellers and www.thenational.ae the rest leisure. Hilton is scheduled to open its first two raq’s Kurdish tourism board is courting hotels in Iraq in Erbil next year. IArabian Gulf residents as it looks to attract The Dubai developer Emaar is working US$4 billion in foreign investment to the on a $3bn mixed-use project. Called region. Downtown Erbil, it will eventually have resi- “We want to show the people here that dential and commercial areas, hotels and we are ready to receive tourists and invest- malls, and is expected to be ready in 2017. ment,” said Mawlawi Jabar Wahab, the head Damac Properties has had a tougher of the general board of tourism for the time. The Kurdish government cancelled its Dh55bn project in 2010 after the company Kurdish region. Mawlawi Jabar Wahab, the head of The region’s tourism sector received failed to start work during the global financial the general board of tourism for the crisis. $3.2bn in foreign investment last year, he Kurdish region, says they are ready to said, and the figure is expected to rise by 15 “We want to attract 7 million tourists by receive tourists and investment. Mona per cent in the current year. 2025 and make Erbil a global destination,” Al Marzooqi / The National About 3 million tourists visited the Mr Wahab said last week. Kurdish region last year, up 26 per cent on a He led a delegation to the Arabian Travel year earlier. region, out of its planned 13 in the Middle Market in Dubai that concluded on Thursday, Residents of Lebanon, Turkey and the East and Africa, in two years. It is opening the first for the tourism board. With a budget UAE are among the major investors in the the 95-room $13 million luxury Cristal Erbil of $100m this year, the board is also making region, according to Mr Wahab. Hotel in June. Another 198-room $25m the rounds of other international travel exhi- Abu Dhabi-based Cristal Hotels and Cristal Grand Erbil is expected to launch in bitions, such as ITB Berlin in March and Resorts looks to have three hotels in the 2016, along with a 156-room rebranded pro- World Travel Market London in November, to drum up support. G

5 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 7, 2014 Syrian Kurd leader urges Turkey to join fight against jihadists After prolonged tensions, relations between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds are showing signs of a thaw.

www.al-monitor.com Amberin Zaman Salih Muslim, the co- 07 May 2014 chairman of the Democratic Union order crossings to Turkey controlled by the largest Kurdish militia group Party (PYD), poses dur- Bknown as the People’s Protection Units (YPG) were long sealed by the ing an interview in Turkish side. But the restrictions have been eased for the delivery of huma- Marseille, southern nitarian relief. Officials from the self-administered Syrian Kurdish region France, Dec. 1, 2013. called Rojava traveled to Ankara in March, where they met with Western (photo by BERTRAND diplomats and held back-channel talks with the Turkish government. They LANGLOIS/AFP/Getty also meet regularly with UN officials based in the southern Turkish city of Images) Gaziantep to coordinate aid efforts. This wouldn’t be possible without Ankara’s blessing. The shift reflects growing acceptance in Ankara that the YPG is a dominant force on the ground and points to future engagement on the political level. Al-Monitor: Who are these elements within the Turkish state? In April, contacts between Ankara and the YPG took a further unexpected turn when a convoy of some 18 Turkish military vehicles, including tanks, Muslim: These are people within the deep state who don’t want peace crossed into Syria through the YPG-controlled Kobane gate to resupply between Turkey and the Kurds, who are hostile to the Kurds and who also the Tomb of Suleiman Shah. One of the main reasons that Turkey has shut act under the guise of Turkish nongovernmental aid organizations to pro- out the YPG is that it is closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party mote their radical Islamist world views. And it’s obvious who they are. (PKK). Yet, it is unthinkable that Turkish troops could have passed through Kobane without consulting them first. According to unconfirmed reports, I'm repeating my call on Turkey to join forces against these terrorists who radical Islamist fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) are our common enemies, enemies of Syria and enemies of the free and disrupted the Turkish convoy’s progress and forced it to return to Turkey democratic world. via a longer route through the Jarabulus crossing that is under its control. Al-Monitor: In a previous interview you called on the Turkmen to join But the Turkish convoy rotated the troops and delivered its supplies. forces against ISIS. Did they respond? ISIS has been vying with the YPG and rival Syrian opposition factions for Muslim: We are acting together in areas where Kurds and Turkmens live control of areas running along the Turkish border. It reviles Turkey’s lea- within close proximity. Mostly around Afrin. A new agreement was reached ders as infidels and has threatened to overrun the Tomb of Suleiman Shah, between the YPG and the Turkmen forces there, uniting them under the which is under Turkish jurisdiction. In short, ISIS is an enemy of Turkey and umbrella of a newly formed group called Shams Shemal, or the Northern the YPG alike, which ought to mean that Turkey and the YPG ought to be Sun. joining forces against it. Al-Monitor: You mentioned that there was “an ISIS that is controlled Salih Muslim agrees. The co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party by the Assad regime.” So is the regime using ISIS to squeeze (PYD), which is the political wing of the YPG, spoke to Al-Monitor from Rojava? Moscow this week. Here are excerpts from the hourlong interview that I Muslim: Just look at what has been happening in Raqqa [province] conducted via Skype on May 5. recently. Just the other day a convoy of 50 ISIS vehicles drove past two Al-Monitor: Is it true that Turkish troops consulted with the YPG regime units stationed along the road to Direspiye to reinforce their troops before crossing into Syria? fighting against us. There was less than a kilometer [0.62 mile] separating Muslim: Yes, there was contact and the transiting of the Turkish convoy them, yet the regime did nothing. Doesn’t this tell it all? The regime sup- was mutually agreed to. The YPG took all necessary measures to ensure ports ISIS. And this disproves the lie that we are collaborating with the its safe passage to the Tomb of Suleiman Shah. But then it seems ISIS regime. We are not. We are fighting the regime. intervened and the convoy was forced to return via Jarablus. The details Al-Monitor: Will the Rojava Kurds be taking part in the presidential of what exactly transpired remain murky. elections? You were quoted by the Iranian media as saying your Al-Monitor: ISIS remains one of the biggest threats to Rojava, and administration would allow balloting to take place under the supervi- the YPG accuses Turkey of supporting ISIS. Is Turkey still supporting sion of the regime. ISIS in its fight against the YPG? If so, how can we explain the hos- Muslim: Either way, the Kurds will not participate. We saw what the past tile stance ISIS espouses against the Turkish government, especially elections were like. They are no more than an exercise in pledging alle- in the social media? giance to the caliph. You either accept him [Assad] as your caliph or you Muslim: In the same way al-Qaeda has become a global brand, so too don’t. We don’t. has ISIS. Everyone affixes the label to suit his or her own agendas. Al-Monitor: Getting back to your relations with Ankara, there Everyone has its own ISIS. The [Syrian] regime has its ISIS; Saudi Arabia appears to be a thaw. Aid convoys are being allowed to cross has its ISIS. They are continuing to fight against us, particularly around through YPG-controlled border gates. Can we expect you back in Kobane. But we are inflicting heavy losses on them; fear has crept into Turkey any time soon? their eyes. Increasingly, they resort to suicide bomb attacks or IEDs Muslim: Who knows? It is true that pressure has been easing somewhat. [Improvised Explosive Devices]. Aid convoys and people are allowed to cross twice a week — on Mondays To return to your question as to whether Turkey supports them, as you and Thursdays — via the Mursitpinar crossing to Kobane. Just the other know, the Turkish government has declared ISIS to be a terrorist group. day, there was a terrible car accident in Kobane. Four people who were cri- ISIS is fighting Syrian opposition factions. such as the Islamic Front, Ahrar tically injured were instantly allowed into Turkey for treatment. And our offi- al-Sham, which are supported by Turkey. But there are certain elements cials have been meeting with the United Nations people in Gaziantep to within the Turkish state who continue to collaborate with ISIS, and when I coordinate relief efforts. Right now, Sinam Mohamed, who is the co-chair- say ISIS, I am referring in particular to the Chechen fraction. woman of the Rojava People’s Council, is in Gaziantep talking to a

6 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

a the UN and, naturally, in one way or another, Turkish officials are collaborating with the regime. involved in the talks. Sinam came through Afrin, not Kobane. Muslim: If the opposition parties expect to share power without lifting a All of this marks a change, but we want bigger and lasting changes. Why, finger, without working for the people, just on the strength of external sup- for instance, is Turkey continuing to dig a trench near the border area with port, this is totally unrealistic. They were given a chance under the Hewler Afrin? What is the purpose of this? Turkey has to recognize and accept [Erbil] Agreement [uniting all the Syrian Kurdish parties under the that Rojava is here to stay and that it is as much in Turkey’s interest as in umbrella of the Kurdish Supreme Council set up under Barzani’s sponsor- ours to normalize ties. Peace with Rojava will have a positive impact on ship in 2012] to take part in the administration. But they were lazy. Simply the [Kurdish] peace process within Turkey because we are all the same lazy. They wanted power to be handed to them on a plate. They did people. These borders are artificial. And no matter how many trenches nothing for the people and now they want us to undo everything, to scrap you dig, the Kurds will remain united. our elected councils, our agreements with the Arabs, the Armenians, the Al-Monitor: You say the Kurds are united, but your relations with the Syrian Orthodox Christians with whom we are sharing power and to start Iraqi Kurds and particularly with Massoud Barzani, the leader of the from zero. This is utterly unreasonable. Still, we say we are willing to work Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and president of the Kurdistan together. Our doors are open to everyone. And the Iraqi Kurds are our Regional Government (KRG), are terrible. brothers. Mr. Barzani is our brother. But they are accusing us of collabo- rating with the regime and in doing so they are legitimizing attacks against Muslim: Indeed, and it is very difficult to understand why. They, too, are us by ISIS. This is an insult to the memory of our martyrs. N digging trenches [along the border areas under the KDP’s control.] They should be with us morally, economically and militarily. Instead they are digging trenches. You cannot even carry a bag of rice across the border Amberin Zaman is an Istanbul-based writer who has covered Turkey for The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Voice of any more. What is the reason? America. A frequent commentator on Turkish television, she is currently Turkey Al-Monitor: They say you have usurped power in Rojava by force, correspondent for The Economist, a position she has retained since 1999. On that you are sidelining the other Kurdish parties and that you are Twitter: @amberinzaman

6 May 2014 Iranian Kurdish Group Shifts Policy, Seeking Democratic autonomy rudaw.net between PJAK and Iran in 2011, 6 May 2014 both sides have clashed along the border in the past few years and RBIL, Kurdistan Region— PJAK fighters have claimed res- ELeaders of the Party of Free ponsibility for killing a number of Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) said Iranian border guards. recently that they pursue a new PJAK leaders urge the Iranian approach in their struggle for government to reciprocate the Kurdish rights in Iran, by making group’s initiative and address the changes to the leadership system plight of the country’s Kurdish and their political agenda. population. The group is to form the “KODAR calls on Iran to Democratic Community and a engage in dialogue for the solu- Free Rojhelat (KODAR), adopt a tion of the Kurdish question, other system of co-chairmanship and a democratic issues in Iran and special focus on women’s rights announce its preparation for ope- and democratic autonomy for ning to democracy,” read the sta- Iranian Kurds. A group of PJAK fighters playing volleyball in the Qandil tement. Massoud Manaf, an Iranian Mountains. Photo: AFP Roje believes that PKK’s Kurdish journalist says that given hand can be seen behind these PJAK’s close connections with changes within the PJAK, saying “Taking into account changes Kurdish analyst Mamand the Kurdistan Workers Party that the PKK is interested in crea- on the regional and global level Roje believes that PJAK leaders (PKK), changing the leadership ting a system of self-rule in and particularly in Kurdistan, and have realized that they wouldn’t system isn’t surprising. Iranian Kurdistan modeled after the sensitive stage the Kurdish be able to maintain the party in “All the PKK organizations what it has already achieved in people are going through, we Eastern Kurdistan through armed have the co-leader system,” said Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). need change in the internal sys- struggle alone. Manaf. “PJAK's is an attempt “But the PKK cannot copy tem of our party and the approach "PJAK knows it cannot towards giving women more par- and paste the model of Rojava in of our struggle in Eastern control Eastern Kurdistan through ticipation in the decision making Eastern Kurdistan, because eas- (Iranian) Kurdistan," read the sta- arms, so it seeks to make an active processes.” tern Kurdistan has its own parties tement. political atmosphere,” said Roje. According to Manaf, who clo- and leaders,” Roje told Rudaw. PJAK was founded a decade “For this they need a process, sely follows PJAK affairs, the Roje said that PJAK is an ago by a group of Iranian Kurds they started from Europe by hol- group will appoint a woman co- influential party in Iranian under the leadership of ding a conference and now they leader. Kurdistan and it boasts many fol- Abdulrahman Haji Ahmadi. It is take the second step by holding a In a statement, PJAK said that lowers, but that other Kurdish believed that PJAK has close ties conference in Qandil to reshuffle these moves are a response to groups wouldn’t accept a new with the PKK and both groups are the leadership of PJAK,” he changes taking place in the region system imposed on them. I and a way to prepare for future based in the Qandil Mountains added. challenges facing the party. along the Iran-Turkish border. Despite a ceasefire reached

7 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 7 May 2014 Iran and the Kurdish regional government to build two pipelines

Anadolu Agency tion work was delayed due to resignation Turkey's south-eastern Mediterranean coast 07 may 2014 of the Iranian oil minister, Rostam Qasimi. but Iraqi oil has not yet been exported to www.dailysabah.com With Iran's oil refineries in the western international markets. city of Kermanshah, Akrayi said that Iran Iran could supply gas to Europe if des- IRBIL, Northern Iraq — Iran is close was ready to buy crude oil from the Kurdish ired - depty min. to constructing a crude oil pipeline as well as regional government. a a natural gas conduit to Iraq's autonomous Iran is ready to export natural gas via a "Iran will supply the oil and gas that we Kurdish north, according to Kurdish pipeline or in liquefied natural gas form to need. We expect that the [Kurdish] delega- Regional Government officials in Irbil, the European countries, the country's Deputy tion and Iranian officials will come to a region's capital. Oil Minister for International Affairs Ali conclusion." Majedi said Wednesday. Iran and Kurdish Regional Government The Kurdish regional government cur- officials joint negotiations continued Sending the gas with the Trans Anadolu rently continues to transfer 25,000 tonnes of Wednesday on the oil pipeline and gas pipe- Pipeline project, which will carry Azerbaijani oil per day from Haji Homaran, Bashmak line projects between two sides, Abullah natural gas to Europe, is the most cost-effec- and Perwizhan border gates to Iran, Akrayi, Kurdish official responsible for tive choice, Majedi said to the official Iranian Afghanistan and Armenia overland. Iranian Affairs, told the Anadolu Agency. news agency IRNA. The Kurdish government wishes to The first pipeline will carry crude oil Underlining that an agreement on natu- decrease oil prices by transferring oil and gas from the Kurdish region to Iran. Iran will ral gas supplies with Europe would be a win- via pipeline instead of overland, with the aim refine and dispatch back the oil. The natural win deal, Majedi added that such an agree- of increasing the volume. gas project is aimed at transferring Iranian ment would also help Europe to reduce its gas to cities such as and Irbil. In November 2013, Turkish and Kurdish dependency on gas from Russia. regional administration officials signed an Akrayi said talks for the two projects Iran currently holds world's second lar- agreement that would enable Kurdish oil to began last year but the start of the construc- gest proven natural gas reserves. " flow from Kirkuk to the port of Ceyhan on

7 May 2014

Turkey, “despite the different views and ideas within the HDP.” Senior PKK Leader Says Group According to Ahmet Alis, a historian from Bogazici University and an expert on No Longer Seeks a Kurdish State Turkey’s Kurds, with this step rudaw.net Karasu said his group is see- BDP deputies hope to appeal to 7 may 2014 king to solve the Kurdish question the whole of Turkey, not just the through a process of democratiza- country’s Kurdish southeast RBIL, Kurdistan Region – tion in Turkey. where the BDP is strong. EMustafa Karasu, a senior lea- “This is a strategic project and “Until now, the BDP had no der of the Kurdistan Workers’ we need to change our previous strength outside the 15 Kurdish Party, said that the PKK has aban- strategy,” he said. provinces in the southeastern part doned its policy of seeking a Karasu hailed the recent mer- of the country. If they continued Kurdish state and is now aiming ger of some parliamentarians of as BDP, they would not be able to for democratic rule in the Kurdish the Peace and Karasu: ‘Now, we are work- reach out to the rest of Turkey,” regions and focusing on the work (BDP) into the People’s ing for a democratic life and Alis told Rudaw. of MPs in the Turkish parliament. Democratic Party (HDP) as an finding our fate in freedom, Karasu said that if armed “Previously, we had a view to important move. without establishing a state.’ struggle had failed to establish a creating a national state, but we "We've decided deputies to be Photo: DIHA Kurdish state, “then a political abandoned it,” the Dicle News represented under the HDP group struggle is a necessity, and that is agency quoted Karasu as saying. in parliament by transferring the ment during the August 2014 pre- how we must understand the He said that, despite his BDP deputies to the HDP,” HDP sidential elections. HDP.” He added that the HDP is party’s leftist ideologies, its lea- co-chair Ertugrul Kurkcu told the BDP Chairman Selahattin far removed from the many leftist ders had always believed in esta- official Anadolu Agency last Demirtas and deputy Sirri Sakik groups that have always tried to blishing a national state. month, adding the decision was would also reportedly go under “organize the masses to their own “But in the end we realized taken after the March 30 local the HDP umbrella following un end.” that it was wrong,” he said. “Now, elections in Turkey. upcoming BDP congress. According to Karasu, the we are working for a democratic He said that deputies from Karasu said that the HDP can HDP plans two assemblies of life and finding our fate in free- both parties would act jointly become the democratic represen- several hundred members to dom, without establishing a under the HDP umbrella in parlia- tative of Kurdish ambitions across represent and run the affairs of the state.” Kurdish areas of Turkey. I

8 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 8, 2014 an Explosion and a Blockade, and a Syrian Pact Is in Limbo

By aNNE BaRNaRD and HWaIDa SaaD who fled to a Damascus suburb, said in a tele- May 8, 2014 phone interview that the first truck had been stopped by insurgents, emptied and forced to BEIRUT, Lebanon — A deal to evacuate go back. “Our men in the village were wat- insurgents from the Old City of Homs in cen- ching what was happening” through binocu- tral Syria hit a snag on Thursday when rebels lars, he said. “They saw the armed group quar- in Aleppo Province refused to allow all of a reling.” humanitarian convoy to enter two villages But in an indication that other aspects of they had blockaded, as called for under a pact the deal were moving forward, Mr. Awad said between the government and the rebels, oppo- insurgents had released 13 of the 63 civilians sition activists and a pro-government televi- abducted from a bus months ago. sion channel reported. State television said that insurgents had The problems came as insurgents in the freed at least 40 women and children in northern city of Aleppo set off an enormous Latakia Province after killing numerous civi- explosion that leveled the historic Carlton lians there last year in villages populated by Hotel, facing the city’s ancient citadel, where the Alawite minority, to which Mr. Assad government troops had been billeted. Clouds belongs. The massacre was documented by of dust and debris towered above the citadel’s Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad Human Rights Watch. ramparts, underscoring the insurgents’ vow to looked for survivors in the debris of the In Aleppo, the Islamic Front declared that continue the fight and their ability to carry out Carlton Hotel in Aleppo, leveled by insur- the attack on the hotel, by fighters who tunne- damaging attacks despite retreating from gents. Credit George Ourfalian/Reuters led underneath it, had killed 50 soldiers and Homs. was a response to the indiscriminate bombing The Islamic Front, the insurgent coalition whose members have expressed anger at any- that has killed hundreds of civilians in the pro- that claimed responsibility for the blast, also thing short of total defeat for the insurgents. vince in recent months. The front, an Islamist controls territory where the aid convoys were He said that a similar evacuation deal was in coalition that includes many groups that broke blocked from entering the villages of Nubol the works for the last rebel-held neighborhood off from the Western-backed Free Syrian and Zahra. Its members are among those who in Homs, Hay al-Waer, an area of high-rises on Army, said the attack was a prelude to a have objected to the deal on the grounds that the city’s outskirts. Some 200,000 people in “large-scale operation” meant to secure terri- rebels should make no compromise with the the neighborhood, half of them displaced from torial gains. government. elsewhere, remain under a government A state television reporter was shown in The government was preventing the last blockade and shelling. front of what was left of the hotel: a hill of busload of fighters from leaving Homs’s Old Saying a process of reconciliation was large stone blocks where just the tops of palm City until the aid was allowed to reach the vil- underway, Mr. Barazi and state television cor- trees, which once stood in the hotel courtyard, lages, the Lebanese television channel Al respondents were careful to describe those poked through. He said that soldiers had been Mayadeen reported, leaving the completion of departing as gunmen or fighters, not terrorists, posted there but that there was no sign of res- the deal in limbo. Several hundred fighters as official news media have typically called cue activity. SANA, the state news agency, did remained in the Old City after nearly 1,000 the entire armed opposition. not mention casualties, but said that the “enor- left on Wednesday for insurgent-held areas in With Mr. Barazi on state television was mous attack” had destroyed historical sites northern Homs Province. Scores of prisoners Yacoub El Hillo, the senior United Nations and that explosives had been detonated “under and hostages held by rebels in Aleppo and official in Syria, who praised the deal as a way archaeological buildings.” Latakia Provinces have been released. of calming the conflict. United Nations vehi- The Carlton was built as a hospital in the The problems on Thursday highlighted the cles accompanied the departing insurgents and era of Ottoman rule before World War I. challenges of carrying out a deal that requires the aid convoy, along with the Syrian Arab According to residents, government forces cooperation from far-flung, disconnected Red Crescent. had lived there for two years, using it as a base insurgent groups. The accord, which provides Ahmad al-Ali, a member of a local for sniper and mortar attacks and to hold posi- for rebels to leave the blockaded Old City with government committee in Homs, told state tions in the citadel. Insurgents, too, operate in their weapons and hand over the symbolic ter- television: “We won. We are standing here in Aleppo’s sprawling medieval Old City, dra- ritory to the government, has been seen as a the heart of Homs, and all the unwanted are wing government bombardment that has seve- turning point for both sides after a nearly two- leaving the town.” rely damaged the area. The United Nations has year standoff that has reduced fighters and Some opponents of the government have called on all sides to stop bombing historic civilians in the center of Homs, once called the described the deal as a way of pushing people sites and using them as bases. “city of the revolution,” to eating grass. opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, dispro- The tactic of tunneling under opponents’ Despite the hitches, several more busloads portionately Sunni Muslims, out of Homs, and fortifications has a nearly 900-year pedigree in of rebels arrived in northern Homs and could have expressed concern that the demographic Aleppo: When Crusaders besieged a Muslim- be seen, in videos posted online, smiling and makeup of the diverse city, Syria’s third lar- held castle there in 1131, the premature col- hugging in apparent relief. The governor, Talal gest, is being altered. lapse of a siege tunnel killed their leader, Barazi, toured a damaged square just outside It was unclear why the convoy to the Count Joscelin I of Edessa. the Old City with television cameras, vowing Aleppo villages had failed. Some reports said In video images posted on YouTube, the against a backdrop of blackened buildings, that insurgents had wanted to allow in only a Islamic Front showed what it said was a simi- “When the armed men leave the Old City of few trucks, but that the government had refu- lar attack this week on a government outpost Homs, we will rebuild the city in no time.” sed to let the convoy go farther unless all 12 in Idlib, southwest of Aleppo. The images sho- Mr. Barazi did not address the presence of trucks were allowed. wed a huge blast in which the group said 35 increasingly pro-government militias, some of Jamal Awad, a local official from Zahra government soldiers had died.

9 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

7 mai 2014 Irak : Le spectre de l’éclatement 7 mai 2014 n’avaient aucune présence dans tement du pays. La Constitution Jean-Frédéric Légaré-Tremblay le pays. de 2005, rédigée sous la hou- www.ledevoir.com lette des Américains, est lacu- Bon nombre d’actes de violence naire et défectueuse. Plus de 50 Même si les premières sont le fait de groupes mafieux lois devaient la compléter, mais et criminels. Les enlèvements aucune n’a pour l’instant été élections législatives en avec demande de rançon sont promulguée. Parmi celles qui Irak depuis le retrait des monnaie courante. Il y a aussi font cruellement défaut : les lois Américains en 2011 se sont en toile du fond une lutte de sur les partis politiques, sur la plutôt bien déroulées le 30 pouvoir dans un contexte de Cour suprême fédérale, sur le Nouri al-Maliki avril, elles ne peuvent sectarisme politique exacerbé. pétrole et le gaz et sur le Conseil occulter le fait que le pays Les milices liées aux différents de la fédération. va mal. En plus du regain partis religieux se livrent à des de violence, l’État est l’un assassinats ciblés. Sans oublier S’ajoute à cela une gestion cala- La structure fédérale est incom- le conflit historique arabo-per- miteuse des affaires de l’État, plète. Le système est devenu, des plus corrompus de la faisant de l’Irak l’un des États planète et sa gestion est san, renouvelé et aggravé par le dans l’opinion publique, syno- clivage religieux sunnite-chiite. les plus corrompus de la pla- nyme de partition du pays. Sa calamiteuse, au point que C’est l’impact local de l’affronte- nète. Un système de détourne- portée demeure floue : parle-t- le spectre de l’éclatement ment des ambitions hégémo- ment des biens publics est orga- on d’une fédération ethnique plane désormais sur le niques de l’Iran et de l’Arabie nisé entre les différentes fac- (Arabes-Kurdes), confession- pays, affirme Harith al- saoudite, en plus de celles de la tions au pouvoir. Les Irakiens nelle (sunnites-chiites) ou terri- Dabbagh, spécialiste des Turquie. ont perdu espoir dans la capa- toriale (18 gouvernorats) ? Pour systèmes juridiques des cité du gouvernement à gérer la l’instant, il n’y a qu’une seule pays arabes au CERIUM. Le premier ministre Nouri al- reconstruction et à assurer les région, le Kurdistan, qui jouit Maliki brigue un troisième services de base. d’un statut privilégié. Or les mandat, qu’il a de très crises s’accumulent entre avec plus de 9500 civils tués bonnes chances d’obtenir Selon la nouvelle Constitution, Bagdad et le Kurdistan dans des l’an dernier et déjà 4000 cette (les résultats seront connus à l’essentiel du pouvoir exécutif dossiers comme l’exploitation année, la violence est au plus la mi-mai). Or, les critiques à est entre les mains du premier du pétrole et les revendications fort depuis 2008. Qu’est-ce son égard fusent de toutes ministre. Il est le vrai chef de territoriales. Et les sunnites, qui qui l’attise ? parts. Qu’est-ce qu’on lui l’exécutif, le commandant en se sentent opprimés par un gou- reproche ? chef des forces armées et le res- vernement à dominance chiite, Au début, il y avait le mouve- ponsable de la politique géné- commencent à réclamer un sta- ment de résistance contre l’oc- Installé par les Américains rale de l’État. On dénote dans la tut semblable. cupant américain. Aujourd’hui, parce que faible et facile à dernière campagne une mobili- il s’agit davantage d’une guerre manier, Al-Maliki est sation massive de l’appareil Il n’y a pas de projets transcen- menée par des combattants aujourd’hui l’homme fort de d’État pour assurer sa réélec- dant les lignes communautaires extrémistes majoritairement Bagdad. Il est accusé par ses tion. et s’adressant à l’ensemble de la étrangers voulant instaurer un détracteurs d’utiliser la force population irakienne. Le pays État islamique en Irak. pour exclure ses opposants, On craint de plus en plus un n’est plus conçu que sous forme L’intervention américaine a museler la presse et diriger une éclatement de l’Irak. Est-ce de communautés, de clans, de ainsi transformé le pays en ter- police secrète qui procède à des envisageable ? confessions et de factions. rain de prédilection du djihad ; enlèvements, des tortures et des JJJ avant, ces mouvements assassinats ciblés, notamment Ces problèmes font effective- contre les sunnites. ment planer le spectre de l’écla-

"Nous allons tenter d'aborder les problèmes avec Téhéran par la voie du dia- Un groupe kurde logue", a indiqué à l'AFP le leader du groupe, Rizan Javid. d'opposition appelle "Nous adressons un appel à la République d'Iran pour débuter un dialogue, et nous sommes prêts au dialogue", a dit M. Javid, ajoutant que les précédents Téhéran au dialogue appels au dialogue n'avaient pas reçu de réponse. Khoran (Irak), 6 mai 2014 (AFP) La plupart des membres de Kodar ont combattu dans les rangs du PJAK, le prin- cipal mouvement kurde de lutte armée contre le régime de Téhéran. Les autres dEs LEAdErs d'un groupe d'opposition kurde qui a combattu les forces cadres du PJAK doivent annoncer dans les jours prochains s'ils rejoignent le nou- iraniennes ont annoncé la formation d'une nouvelle organisation et appelé veau groupe, a-t-il dit. au dialogue avec téhéran. Des affrontements réguliers ont opposé le PJAK, un groupe considéré comme Ces leaders du PJAK (Parti pour une vie libre au Kurdistan), basé dans le nord "terroriste" par Téhéran, aux forces iraniennes, ces dernières ripostant par des de l'Irak, ont tenu lundi une conférence de presse dans le village de Khoran, situé bombardements contre les bases arrière du parti en Irak, dans les zones montag- dans une zone montagneuse, pour annoncer leur nouveau groupe. neuses près de la frontière entre les deux pays.G Ils ont appelé cette nouvelle formation "Organisation de la société libre et démoc- ratique pour l'est du Kurdistan" (Kodar).

10 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 8 mai 2014 Turquie: libération de trois journalistes détenus depuis 2006 pour "terrorisme"

Le Monde.fr avec AFP | Parti des travailleurs du 08.mai.2014 Fusun Erdogan Kurdistan (PKK). et deux autres Les libérations de jeudi « journalistes ont rois journalistes turcs, nous ont redonné de l'espoir été libérés, le 8 condamnés à la prison à per- pour notre campagne qui vise à T mai, en atten- pétuité, ont été libérés, jeudi 8 décriminaliser la presse en dant leur procès mai. Fusun Erdogan, fondatrice Turquie, mais il nous faut main- en appel. et directrice de publication de la tenant continuer le combat pour radio alternative Radio libre, ceux qui restent encore derrière les barreaux », a réagi le prési- Bayram Namaz et Arif Celebi, de cinq ans la durée maximale de comme un dent de la FEJ, Mogens Blicher l'hebdomadaire Atilim, avaient détention provisoire précédant nouveau durcissement de la poli- Bjerregaard. été emprisonnés en novembre un procès. Les prévenus ayant tique d'Ankara à l'égard de la Ankara réfute les accusations 2013 pour « terrorisme ». fait appel de leur condamnation presse. La Turquie demeure le d'autoritarisme à l'égard de la La justice turque les accuse et déjà passé plus de cinq ans pays avec le plus grand nombre presse. « La diffusion des jour- d'appartenir au Parti commu- derrière les barreaux, ils ont de journalistes emprisonnés : naux en Turquie atteint cinq mil- niste marxiste-léniniste ainsi pu sortir de prison en selon la Fédération européenne lions d'exemplaires [par jour]. (TKP/ML), illégal en Turquie, et attendant un prochain procès. des journalistes (FEJ), après les Les trois quarts d'entre eux sont d'avoir tenté de « renverser l'or- libérations de jeudi, 32 profes- hostiles à l'AKP [Parti de la jus- dre constitutionnel par la vio- TRENTE-DEUX JOURNA- sionnels de la presse y sont tice et du développement, au lence ». LISTES ENCORE DERRIÈRE encore emprisonnés. La plupart pouvoir] », a plaidé jeudi son Les trois journalistes ont, en LES BARREAUX sont détenus pour leurs liens porte-parole, Huseyin Celik. I fait, bénéficié d'une nouvelle loi, En novembre, leur condam- présumés avec des groupes votée en mars, qui réduit de dix à nation avait été considérée proches des rebelles kurdes du

9 mai 2014

«Le bilan sera La confrérie Gülen subit lourd, et la commu- nauté va entrer dans la colère d'Erdogan une période de www.lefigaro.fr repli» Ahmet Altan, un économiste Par Laure Marchand proche de la conférie. le 09/mai/2014

e premier ministre turc il n'y a pas une seule preuve qu'il Lréclame l'extradition de son ait commis un crime.» ancien allié Fethullah Gülen, exilé Chasse aux sorcières à tous les en Pennsylvanie. Les proches de niveaux de l'État cet influent imam dénoncent une « campagne de lynchage » contre À défaut de pouvoir toucher la leur communauté religieuse. tête pensante de ce réseau aussi puissant qu'occulte, un procureur La discrétion est une de ses carac- d'Ankara vient d'ouvrir une téristiques. Signe de l'intensité de enquête à son encontre et la chas- Un manifestant anti-Erdogan montre une affiche représentant la guerre engagée avec le gou- se à ses partisans s'intensifie en le premier ministre turc avec Fethullah Gülen, son ex-allié vernement islamo-conservateur, Turquie. Après des milliers de contre les militaires, en décembre 2013 à Istanbul. la confrérie de Fethullah Gülen a limogeages au sein de la police et fait une entorse à son précepte. de la justice, une cinquantaine de Mustafa Yesil, un des représen- devraient au moins l'expulser», a- ligne sur Internet de conversa- hauts fonctionnaires ont été con- tants de cet influent imam exilé t-il insisté dans une interview à la tions enregistrées clandestine- gédiés des ministères début mai, aux États-Unis et qui compte des célèbre émission américaine ment et qui le mettent en cause des directeurs d'institutions millions d'adeptes, a dénoncé «la «Charlie Rose». directement. Depuis, Recep publiques remplacés, et le chef du campagne de lynchage» conduite Tayyip Erdogan n'a de cesse de gouvernement s'est félicité que par le premier ministre turc contre Le chef du gouvernement turc est déclarer qu'il veut «éliminer cette l'ensemble des sympathisants de la communauté religieuse. Cette persuadé que le leader de la con- structure parallèle» à l'État. «La la confrérie à l'intérieur de son déclaration publique intervient frérie, son ancien allié, est à l'orig- demande d'extradition de M. cabinet aient tous été identifiés. après que Recep Tayyip Erdogan ine des enquêtes pour corruption Gülen est scandaleuse, mais il Quel contraste avec le pacte con- a réclamé la semaine dernière lancées à la fin de l'année contre s'agit juste de déclaration pour son clu ces dernières années entre l'extradition du leader musulman son entourage. Il le soupçonne électorat, réagit Mustafa Yesil. Recep Tayyip Erdogan et qui vit en Pennsylvanie. «Ils aussi d'être derrière la mise en Mais elle ne m'inquiète guère car Fethullah Gülen pour mettre ➙

11 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➙ fin au pouvoir politique de structures de l'État ne rassasie pas remettre d'une tentative de désta- disposition, des terrains cédés à l'armée. Recep Tayyip Erdogan qui a bilisation. Selon les médias, les des universités sont repris, promis de frapper le réseau au institutions publiques ont retiré 4 énumère Mustafa Yesil. «Erdogan Parallèlement à l'enquête visant portefeuille. La fermeture annon- milliards de livres turques de a dit qu'il ne fallait pas nous don- Fethullah Gülen, les procureurs à cée des «dershane» va représenter l'établissement de finances ner la plus petite goutte d'eau», l'origine des raids anticorruption un coup dur, car ces établisse- islamiques en quelques jours. rappelle-t-il, sourire en coin. de décembre font à leur tour l'ob- ments privés de soutien scolaire jet de procédures judiciaires et très prisés en Turquie représentent «Les sociétés ont désormais peur Face à cette guerre, «le bilan sera 425 inspecteurs, selon le min- une rentrée d'argent majeure pour de passer de la publicité dans les lourd et la communauté va entrer istère de l'Intérieur, sont mobilisés la confrérie. Contrôles fiscaux et médias» du nouvel ennemi public dans une période de repli, pronos- pour traquer les fonctionnaires réglementaires se multiplient dans numéro un, de peur d'être à leur tique Ahmet Altan. Mais elle a soupçonnés d'être responsables les entreprises réputées pro- tour dans le collimateur gou- déjà été confrontée à ce type de des échanges téléphoniques Gülen. La société minière Koza vernemental, souligne Ahmet difficultés avec l'État, elle sur- piratés. s'est ainsi vu retirer des permis Altan, économiste proche du vivra, continuera à travailler, la d'exploitation. Asya Bank, proche mouvement. Les municipalités patience est inscrite dans son Mais cette purge à l'intérieur des du Hizmet, tente, elle, de se récupèrent des locaux mis à sa âme.» I

13 mai 2014 Dans un café du nord de l'Irak, l'histoire du pays en vitrine

http://www.elwatan.com le 13.05.14 AFP Mam Khalil, 76 ans, le 12 mai mmobiles dans leurs cadres, Saddam 2014 à Erbil, la I Hussein, un rebelle kurde et le dernier capitale de la roi de l'Irak observent les clients d'un café du région autonome Kurdistan irakien, dont les murs couverts de kurde du nord de photographies racontent l'histoire du pays. l'Irak, devant les Les clients viennent boire du thé ou du galeries de photos masté, une boisson à base de yaourt servie retraçant l'his- avec des glaçons, et fumer des cigarettes toire du pays qui dans ce petit café d'une allée du marché tapissent les murs couvert d'Erbil, la capitale de la province autonome du Kurdistan irakien. Mais une fois assis sur les banquettes recouvertes de tapis qui courent le long des murs, il leur est pratiquement impossible de s'adosser sans toucher un cadre photo, tant maisons, de meilleures conditions de vie, de Mam Khalil lui-même apparaît sur cer- le café en est tapissé du sol au plafond meilleures voitures, de meilleures rues, de tains clichés, notamment sur une photogra- vouté. meilleures femmes", résume Mam Khalil phie en couleurs prise il y a plus de soixante "Je n'aime pas l'argent, mais j'aime les dans un grand sourire. ans. Il avait alors les cheveux noirs, et une photos", explique le propriétaire, un vieil - Fayçal II et Saddam Hussein - ébauche de sourire sur le visage. homme vêtu de noir, petite moustache grise Mais son café donne un aperçu de l'Irak Ayant dû abandonner l'école à la mort et foulard noir et blanc sur la tête, qui d'il y a quelques années, ou quelques de son père, en 1948, il est embauché répond au surnom affectueux de "Mam" - décennies. quelques années plus tard dans un café. Il "oncle", en kurde. Ici, Fayçal II, dernier roi d'Irak renversé commence à accrocher des photos aux Mam Khalil est tombé amoureux de la en 1958, inspecte la garde royale. Là, Mulla murs, au grand dam de son patron qui photographie dans sa jeunesse. Mustafa Barzani, rebelle et leader kurde, "détestait ça" - mais le laisse faire à cause Collectionnant les clichés, il a transformé père de l'actuel président de la province, de son ardeur au travail. petit à petit son café en une véritable pose à côté de son fusil. Un peu plus loin, En 1967, quand il rachète l'établisse- galerie qui retrace l'histoire de l'Irak à tra- moustachu et souriant, Saddam Hussein ment, il peut enfin accrocher autant de vers la monarchie, la dictature et, enfin, la serre et brandit la main de Barzani, une photos qu'il y a de place sur les murs, cou- fragile démocratie actuelle. image probablement immortalisée après un vrant presque chaque centimètre carré. A l'instar du pays, la ville d'Erbil a connu accord de paix conclu en 1970 entre Bagdad Si aucun de ses quatre enfants ne de grands changements depuis que Mam et les Kurdes. compte reprendre l'affaire, Mam Khalil n'ex- Khalil a commencé sa carrière de collec- Des personnages de l'histoire plus clut pas que quelqu'un d'autre veuille pour- tionneur. Dans sa jeunesse, elle ne comptait récente, voire de l'actualité, peuplent aussi suivre la tradition après sa mort. qu'une citadelle, qui surplombe encore le les murs du café, comme ces hommes poli- D'ailleurs, il continue à l'enrichir: quand marché, et quatre quartiers, se souvient-il. tiques kurdes et arabes photographiés à il est fatigué de répondre aux questions, Mais l'argent du pétrole l'a transformée l'occasion d'un passage dans le café. Mam Khalil réclame un tirage d'une des pho- en une ville moderne, avec de meilleures Certains sont identifiés par une légende, tos prises pendant l'entretien. Une nouvelle infrastructures et des immeubles modernes mais d'autres ne sont connues que de Mam photo pour les murs du café. étincelants. Khalil, ou ont été oubliés dans les méandres N N N Aujourd'hui, il y a "de meilleures de l'Histoire.

12 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

Middle East Report N°151 — 8 May 2014 Flight of Icarus? The PYD’s Precarious Rise in Syria

http://www.crisisgroup.org the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkarane Kurdistan, Middle East Report N°151 / 8 May 2014 PKK), outlawed as a terrorist organisation by the EU and Erbil/Brussels, U.S. and long active over the border in Turkey. The PYD is EXECUTIVE SUMMARY in practice an ideological, organisational and military part of this leftist group, of which the umbrella organisation is in ith the Syrian regime and opposition locked in a see- theory the Union of Communities in Kurdistan (Koma Wsaw battle, Kurdish forces have consolidated control Ciwakên Kürdistan, KCK). It benefits ideologically from the over large portions of the country’s north. Their principal prestige of Abdullah Öcalan, the movement’s long-time players, the Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekîtiya leader; and with the PKK’s backing, the YPG has become Demokrat, PYD) and its armed wing, the People’s the immediate region’s strongest military force, one whose Protection Units (Yekîneyên Parastina Gel, YPG), now dom- success in fending off jihadi militants is perhaps the single inate three large, non-contiguous enclaves of Kurdish- most important reason for the Kurds’ waxing fortunes. majority territory along the Turkish border, over which the PYD proclaimed in November 2013 the transitional admin- Ironically however, these same factors, crucial to the PYD’s istration of Rojava (Western Kurdistan). Kurdish gover- success, are also its Achilles heel. First, its PKK heritage nance is unprecedented in Syria and for the PYD, an off- has encumbered the party with a rigid, authoritarian cul- shoot of the Turkish Kurdish insurgent movement PKK, ture and vague program that are out of sync with popular from which it draws ideological, organisational and military expectations. Heavy-handed governance prompts at best support. But it is unclear whether this is a first step toward grudging acquiescence from a constituency whose younger stability and the Kurdish aspiration for national recognition, generation, particularly, appears to aspire to something dif- or merely a respite while the civil war focuses elsewhere. ferent. Syrian Kurds have since the 1980s constituted up to The PYD alone will not determine the fate of Syria’s north, one third of the members of the PKK, whose past bombings but it could greatly increase its chances by broadening its and murders of civilians have rendered the insurgency a popular appeal and cooperating with other local forces. pariah in Western capitals; affiliation with it blocks efforts to gain international legitimacy. For all its successes, the PYD’s rise is in no small part illu- sory, attributable less to its own prowess than to its links econdly, suspected collaboration with the regime has with other regional forces. Perhaps most important is its de Staken a toll on its popularity. The Damascus authorities facto alliance with the regime, which handed territories have maintained a light albeit firm presence in PYD-con- over to it while continuing to give material support to those trolled areas, reportedly acting mostly beneath the surface. territories. The party’s gains also flow from its backing from Even as they relinquished control over certain state

13 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

assets (notably administrative and security buildings) to are unlikely to be realised by the PYD forsaking its natural the PYD, they have maintained their hold on, and continue allies for a partnership of convenience with the same regime to disseminate, state resources without which the Rojava that long denied them. What all peoples of northern Syria project would wither. need, Kurdish and non-Kurdish, is a common strategy for dealing with both Damascus and the minority communities Thirdly, the PYD’s competition for dominance with would-be in the region. This would require that the PYD: allies, most importantly the Kurdish Democratic Party of , the president of the Kurdistan Regional lG decrease its heavy reliance on its own military and Government in Iraq, has created popular disenchantment the regime and instead broaden its support base among and fatigue; this has left room for regional powers – notably both Kurds and non-Kurdish populations, as well as the Turkey and Iran – to manipulate the various sides in pursuit more pragmatic strands of the Syrian opposition; of their own interests. Barzani is on good terms with Ankara Gl prepare, jointly with its support base, a strategy to and Washington, so the PYD has few allies other than replace the regime as a service provider and ensure the Damascus, Iran and, to an extent, the Nouri al-Maliki-led government in Baghdad. region’s access to resources; and Gl diversify relations with foreign powers to diminish hese challenges raise questions about the depth and their ability to exploit communal tensions in their own Tdurability of the Rojava project. For PYD supporters, it is interests. the kernel of future Kurdish self-rule. For detractors, it is an empty shell, a tool of the regime. It is hard to identify a way Bringing northern Syria together would be no mean task, forward for Rojava. Its dependence on the regime alienates but the reward could be as great as the mission is difficult: constituents, yet any step toward Kurdish partners and emancipation from a regime that someday is likely to turn other actors risks jeopardising its dominance on the ground brutal attention back to the country’s north. by undermining relations with Damascus. !!!

Kurdish rights – not to mention longer-term local stability –

7 May 2014

Sulaimani governor, because of alleged ties with the former Baath PUK, Gorran agree on regime. “There is no way that we agree to have a Baathist occupy the post of governor of Sulaimani. We have Cooperation, Dialogue evidence that he and his father were rudaw.net and other administrative posts with members of the Baath party," said 7 may 2014 everyone, including PUK," Hama Mala Bakhtyar, a senior leader of Saeed Hama Ali, former Kurdistan the PUK. ULaIMaNI, Kurdistan Region MP, quoted Gorran's leader Tensions between the two rival SRegion – After a week of ten- as saying in the meeting with parties have been high since the sions and mutual accusations Bahaddin. PUK lost its standing as Kurdistan’s immediately following last The former Yekgirtu leader second-largest party in Kurdish week’s provincial elections, the mediated between the rivals over legislative elections last September. Change Movement (Gorran) and the last two days, meeting senior Gorran, which was born after brea- Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leaders of Gorran and the PUK, king away from PUK in 2009, took (PUK) have reached a prelimi- who reportedly have decided to second place in the September Votes are counted in nary agreement on finding a open a new page to keep the secu- polls. Sulaimani after last mechanism to work together in rity of Sulaimani intact. Over the weekend, tensions bet- Wednesday’s elections. the city of Sulaimani. Rudaw sources said that ending ween the two rose after Sulaimani Photo: Rudaw The announcement came after the media war was one of the out- security forces controlled by the Salahaddin Bahaddin, former leader comes of the mediation, aimed at PUK arrested six Gorran election of the Islamic Union (Yekgirtu), lowering tensions in Sulaimani city. "Gorran and PUK agree that the observers, accusing them of attemp- stepped in as mediator between the In the meantime, a well-placed tensions should not get out of ting to tamper with ballots at a pol- two rival groups, both of which source told Rudaw that, in control and the situation should be ling center in Sulaimani at gun- claim Sulaimani as a stronghold. Bahaddin’s meetings, “emphasis resolved through understanding," point. Gorran dismissed the charges Meanwhile, it was reported was placed on the peace of Tofiq said. as "unfounded." Tuesday that Gorran head Sulaimani, and ways of transferring According to the preliminary The Gorran observers were Nawshirwan Mustafa and Hero power peacefully." results of last Wednesday’s provin- released on bail, after being shown Ibrahim Ahmed, a senior leader of According to Ali, the PUK has cial polls, Gorran has won over “confessing” on the PUK television the PUK, had instructed their par- demonstrated it is prepared to start a 350,000 votes, while the PUK trails station. After being freed, they said ties to avoid inflammatory reports dialogue and cooperation to end with more than 253,000 votes in their television statements had been and tone down rhetoric against each tensions with Gorran. Sulaimani. made under severe threats and other. Fahmi Hama Tofiq, the chief of The PUK, which has controlled torture. I "Nawshirwan Mustafa has said staff of the former Yekgrtu leader, the local administration of that they would negotiate on the also reaffirmed that Bahaddin had Sulaimani since 1991, has already posts once the official results would met first with Mustafa and then with warned it would not accept Gorran's come out to form provincial council Ahmed. candidate, Haval Abu Bakir, as

14 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 1, 2014

‘democratic autonomy’ and ‘democratic confed- eralism’ — which does not preclude the PYD Are Syria’s Kurds from being a tight organization that critics con- demn as dictatorship.

headed toward autonomy? The PKK’s past commitment to an independent Kurdistan carved out of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Kurdish Syria following Iraqi precedent Syria, while moderated in recent years, jars with the Iraqi Kurdish parties’ acceptance of self- Comment by Gareth Smyth government within international borders, and May 1, 2014 their efforts to calm the fears of Turkey and Iran www.executive-magazine.com over Kurdish autonomy by arguing Kurds should achieve their rights peacefully. nyone who witnessed events in Iraqi Kurdistan in the 1990s will feel déjà vu Wariness of the PYD is seen especially in the A as events in Kurdish Syria unfold. After KDP, whose leaders recall the PKK’s attacks in Saddam Hussein withdrew from northern Iraq in the 1990s from northern Iraq on Turkish forces, 1991, due partly to a United States ‘no fly’ zone, which prompted Turkish military intervention the Kurds carved out a de facto autonomy that and led Ankara to garrison troops inside Iraq. eventually became today’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in a federal Iraq. Even with Ocalan mellowing in a Turkish jail Syrian Kurds waving a Kurdish flag since capture in Nairobi in 1998, his Kurdish opponents will have read February’s interview Could this happen in Syria? So far, the similari- and image of Abdullah Ocalan in in Vatan, the Turkish newspaper, with Cemil ties are striking. Like fellow Baathist Saddam, Aleppo Bashar al-Assad withdrew his forces, in 2012, in Bayik, a PKK founder. “Whoever wins in Syria will gain a place in the Middle East, and even in a move calculated to conserve military strength, KNC have edged closer to the opposition Syrian the world,” he said. “For the Kurds to win there, as well as sow discord among opponents and National Coalition while the PYD leans toward or to lose, will impact all of Kurdistan.” alarm regional governments with Kurdish popu- the regime. What distinguishes the situation in lations. In neither case was withdrawal total. As Syria is the PYD’s close links with the PKK, the The PKK last year declared a ceasefire in their in Iraq, the government in Damascus still pays Kurdistan Workers Party, which fought for near 30-year conflict in which at least 40,000 some civil servants, and indeed Assad’s securi- decades in Turkey in the name of pan-Kurdish died, but some commanders have threatened ty remains in the main Kurdish city of Qamishli. nationalism embracing Kurds of all countries. renewed violence unless Prime Minister Recep The PYD’s contacts with the Assad regime have Erdogan moves to ease restrictions on the As in 1990s Iraq, there are two rival Kurdish their roots before 1998 when Hafez al-Assad Kurdish language and accepts a degree of parties, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and insisted PKK leader Abdullah “Apo” Ocalan Kurdish autonomy in continuing talks with the the Kurdish National Council (KNC). And as in leave the country (under threats from Turkey). Iraq, they want autonomy but have taken tacti- PKK. A return to war would alarm the Iraqi KRG, which has attracted considerable Turkish cal decisions reflecting political complexities The PYD denies “operational links” to the PKK investment and sees Turkey as an export route around them. Indeed, Iraqi Kurdistan suffered but makes no secret of being part of the Group for a targeted oil production of 2 million barrels civil war from 1994 to 1997 between the of Communities in Kurdistan (KCK), a cross- a day by 2019. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the border grouping of parties following Ocalan’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), when the ideology that also includes Pejak (the Free Life At a popular level, Iraqi Kurds welcome devel- parties played on shifting alliances between Party of Kurdistan), which operates in Iran. Tehran, Ankara and Baghdad. opments in Syria, and their leadership recog- nizes its example of autonomy has inspired PYD fighters and party events, including funer- Kurds elsewhere. But Iraqi Kurdish officials are In Syria, the PYD and KNC have not as yet als, display Ocalan’s picture and PKK symbols, watching Syria carefully, fearing the growing traded blows, which may reflect the strength of including a red star recalling the party’s origins strength of the PYD could jeopardize the KRG’s the PYD. They have, however, a different atti- as a Marxist group. In addition, PYD terminolo- balancing act.G tude to others in the Syrian maelstrom. The gy reflects the PKK, including Ocalan’s ideas of

May 13, 2014

The announcement suggests the long-running dispute between Iraqi Kurdistan's regional government and the central government in Baghdad Turkey to Sell could be close to a resolution, although there were no announcements from Baghdad or Arbil. Turkey had previously refused to sell the oil while the two administra- Kurdish Oil on tions worked out a deal over the distribution of revenues from sales but the storage facilities at Ceyhan were close to reaching their 2.5m barrels capa- city. Global Markets Baghdad has been locked in a spat with the autonomous region over www.ibtimes.co.uk the Kurds' right to export the oil without going through Baghdad. Kurdistan has been autonomous since 1991 but it relies on good rela- By Nigel Wilson tions with Baghdad in order to receive its share of the national budget. May 13, 2014 The bitter dispute led to the central government refusing to pay Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) workers earlier this year and has urkey's Energy Minister has said Turkey was ready to sell Kurdish oil to delayed approving the annual budget. Tinternational markets from its export hub of Ceyhan. Iraq's Oil Minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi has said he expected a deal to "Our storage tanks in Ceyhan for Northern Iraqi oil are now full. There be reached soon. is not any obstacle for the sale. This oil belongs to Iraqis and they are the Baghdad wants to boost its exports to Ceyhan in Turkey to more than ones who will sell that," Taner Yildiz was quoted as saying by Turkish news- a million barrels a day by building a second pipeline to the city. paper, Today's Zamam, in Istanbul. "We are building a pipeline in Iraq," Luaibi told Reuters in April. "I Officials from Baghdad, Arbil and Turkey will oversee sales of Kurdish believe the daily oil flow will exceed 1 million barrels a day when that line oil from Ceyhan and revenues will be channelled to the country's state- is completed. I hope it happens this year." ! owned Halk Bank, he added.

15 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 11 May 2014

OPInIOn in the past year and are now running at 1,000 per month, the highest seen since the waning days of the sectarian civil war in late 2007. The establishment of a secure territorial base for Will Iraq fall apart? ISIL in Deir al-Zour, al-Raqqa and Aleppo provinces in Syria is mirrored by their expand- national identity remains resilient, but Maliki's ing presence in the governorates of Anbar, re-election could strain it to breaking point. Nineweh and Salah al-Din on the Iraqi side of the border.

SpIllover FroM SyrIA Scott Field 11 May 2014 ISIL has not only held the major Sunni city of http://www.aljazeera.com Fallujah for the past four months, but now has its sights set on control of oil facilities near the city of Kirkuk, the epicenter of a string of long- e've heard it all before - Iraq is on the simmering territorial disputes between the W brink of disintegration. Sectarian ten- Kurds and Baghdad. Should growing Kurdish- sion and violence is spiking, al-Qaeda is run- Arab tensions lead to clashes along this heav- ning amok through the country and the Kurds ily armored "trigger-line", further opportunities are threatening to break away. The post- for ISIL penetration could open up. This could Saddam political architecture has brought not help widen the already growing ethnic and democracy, but a new authoritarian strong- sectarian fault-lines in the country that under- man in the form of Nouri al-Maliki. As Iraq While Syria is arguably beyond the point mine its integrity. emerges from new elections and the complex of no return, Iraq is not there yet, writes process of coalition-building is set to begin, Field [AP] In the end, it may be external powers - princi- all these claims are being recycled afresh. pally Iran - that have the decisive say in whether Iraq continues its dangerous descent But this time, there are more reasons than would pay in a region mostly opposed to the under Maliki, or struggles back onto the path usual to be alarmed. During Maliki's second move. of inclusive politics. Tehran's intervention in term in power, two clear trends have emerged 2010 was critical to anointing Maliki for a sec- that give these claims new urgency: Declining But if, as seems clear, the Kurds are assuming ond term. But recent signals from inside Iran, levels of trust and cooperation among the that another term of Maliki would lead to Iraq's coupled with the discontent in Najaf and the political elite, and a worsening security situa- break-up anyway, they might calculate they Sadr camp, suggest that they may be skittish tion, both of which are fast approaching critical have less to lose by seizing the initiative and about supporting him for a third. red lines. Were he to be returned to power - moving sooner rather than later. which at this stage seems a distinct possibility rom the outset in 2003, Iran has been care- - it could provoke a major political crisis and a mong the Shia, Moqtada al-Sadr has war- Fful to "back every horse in the race" in Shia further escalation of violence. In a worst-case Aned of a popular revolt if Maliki is re-elec- Iraq. It therefore has options to replace Maliki scenario, it could even spell the eventual dis- ted, and the influential clerics of Najaf are if it deems his policies too risky to its core inte- integration of the country. reported to be at their wits end in dealing with rests of stability, territorial integrity, and pre- him. The revered Ayatollah Sistani recently venting the resurgence of a militarily powerful The first trend, a collapse of political trust and broke his customary silence to warn that elec- Iraqi neighbour. unwillingness to cooperate any further with toral fraud may be taking place, a thinly-veiled Maliki, was on full display during a recent high- reference to the determination of Shia reli- But even with the best of intentions, it cannot level discussion convened by the Middle East gious authorities to ensure Maliki isn't re-elec- be over-emphasised that the Syrian civil war Institute in Erbil. Frustrated by a stalled reform ted. All concerned in Iraq seem to have shows no sign of ending in return to the status agenda and failed negotiations on the all- concluded that another four years of Maliki's quo ante of a unitary Syrian state. The tide of important hydrocarbons law, politicians of authoritarian policies would fatally weaken the Levantine political fragmentation that is spilling every stripe have been further alienated by democratic integrity of the country. into Iraq could help sweep it over the political Maliki's insistence on centralising power, with- precipice it is now perched on. It is true that holding appointments to key ministries and And yet, for all that, Maliki still might win. The national identity remains resilient, and that a consolidating his personal control of an advantages of corrupt authoritarian incumben- deliberate ethno-sectarian Balkanisation of increasingly securitised state. cy, affording him total control of the security both Syria and Iraq is a political non-starter. forces and privileged access to state coffers, Both Sunni and Kurdish leaders, while still will- tilt the playing field heavily to his advantage. But a glance at the current lines of control in ing to bargain with their Shia counterparts in Moreover, the rise in physical insecurity and Syria also makes it clear that the men with general, no longer believe they can do busi- sectarianism on his watch has seen the break- guns on the ground are currently creating ness with Maliki. The result has been a decline down of previously strong crosscutting elec- something disturbingly similar to just that. of state legitimacy in Sunni-dominated west- toral alliances, splintering the political land- While Syria is arguably beyond the point of no ern provinces, opening the door for Sunni scape and complicating the task of building a return, Iraq is not there yet. But the outcome of tribesmen and the cross-border al-Qaida- voting block that could oust him. And, in the this election may determine if indeed, in the linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant time-honoured tradition of protection rackets, words of KRG's Barzani, "Iraq is breaking up." (ISIL), to seize and hold territory. It has also Maliki can present himself as the cure for the prompted the opening moves in some high ills of Kurdish separatism and Sunni extrem- Scott Field is a Visiting Scholar at the stakes brinksmanship by the Kurds, who have ism that he himself has done so much to Institute for International Studies, signed oil contracts independently of the cen- inflame. At the very least, the process of ham- University of California, Berkeley. tral government and suffered painful budget mering out the next governing coalition is like- cuts in retaliation. ly to be very long and contentious. It will guar- The views expressed in this article are the antee a prolonged period of political uncertain- author's own and do not necessarily A bolt For Independence? ty for Iraq at a moment when the crisis in reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy. neighbouring Syria demands just the opposite. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani has often warned Spillover from Syria is exacerbating the sec- of making a bolt for independence, but is usu- ond negative trend threatening Iraq, that of ally assumed to be bluffing because of the worsening security. Casualties have doubled high political and economic costs the Kurds

16 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 12, 2014 Iraqi Kurdistan gambles on oil and Baghdad's benevolence Iraqi Kurdistan is demanding control of its oil, and officials say they're willing to risk losing their share of the federal budget to get that. Problem is they can't afford it.

By Cathy Otten, May 12, 2014 http://www.csmonitor.com People in a taxi (l.) Sulaimaniyah, Iraq wave flags of Iraq's President raqi Kurdistan is risking the loss of its Jalal Talabani of Ishare of Iraq's national budget to secure the Patriotic Union greater independence and the right to of Kurdistan (PUK) manage its own oil. before the country's Although oil exports could net the parliamentary elec- Kurdistan Regional Government a healthy tions in revenue stream, for now it cannot plug the Sulaimaniyah, gap if Baghdad continues to withhold the 17 Iraq, April 28, 2014. percent of the national budget that it pro- Yahya vides to Kurdistan every year. That revenue Ahmad/Reuters makes up the largest chunk of the Kurdish region's budget, even though the Kurds say they regularly receive much less than pro- mised. Baghdad began withholding that money ran high. Massoud Barzani, president of the decision making in Iraq, then we must in January, and the KRG has already had to Iraqi Kurdish region, compared Baghdad's think about other options," he says. delay paying public sector workers' wages – budget withholding to the 1988 gassing of Maintaining leverage April's paychecks still haven't arrived, and the Kurdish town of Halabja by Saddam Kurds might find themselves with some some workers have gone on strike. Officials Hussein. Five thousand Kurds were killed leverage if, as some predict, Mr. Maliki's say they will have to dip into savings. in a single day, and the trauma still reso- party doesn't win enough votes on its own The Kurds, spread across Turkey, Iran, nates strongly. to secure a third term. In 2010 the Kurdish Iraq, and Syria, have long faced persecution “I consider the suspension of Kurdistan coalition backed Maliki’s second term, and and clamored for greater independence in Region [financial] dues as a declaration of could be asked to do the same again this each country. They have been most success- war, and maybe even a crime greater than time. ful in Iraq, where they achieved semi-auto- the chemical bombing of Halabja,” he said uad Hussein, chief of staff to Mr. nomous status. Now KRG officials are in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper. FBarzani, says that post-election negotia- demanding the right to sell oil without the After a Kurdish guard reportedly killed tions to form a new government will force a central government's permission. a prominent journalist in Baghdad, Prime resolution of the budget issue. But Baghdad insists that oil must still Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that “blood "You can’t negotiate and not pay wor- be funneled through the State Oil can only be expiated by blood.” kers – this issue will be solved," he says. Marketing Organization and has vowed n the sleepy polling stations throughout “We must not have links between what we legal action against any buyers. For now, IKurdistan, pro-independence sentiment are doing on [the] oil issue and the payment Kurdistan's oil exports are sitting in the among Kurds was firm. The region does not of the employees of Iraqi Kurdistan. What southern Turkey port of Ceyhan, waiting for want to get dragged into the violence that the Iraqi government has done was illegal. buyers. has engulfed the rest of Iraq, and younger The federal government is not allowed to Their financial dependency on Baghdad Kurds have grown up learning Kurdish ins- cut budget. These are two different issues.” has left the Kurds stuck. But Baghdad has to tead of Arabic, further weakening ties. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister be careful about how it uses that power, “I’m not happy with Maliki because I’m Nechirvan Barzani recently stated that says Richard Mallinson, a geopolitical ana- Kurdish. If we let Maliki go on in this style Kurdistan would be able to pay future sala- lyst at Energy Aspects. If it punishes the he will be a dictator like Saddam Hussein,” ries without Baghdad, and that it would go Kurds too harshly, it risks triggering a surge says Sam Amini, an English student origi- ahead with oil exports. But many experts of support for independence, regardless of nally from a small town near Halabja. His are skeptical it can survive financially on its the financial ramifications. father was part of the Kurdish own. “The Kurdish Regional Government armed forces who fought a guerrilla war If the dispute is not solved, “there will (KRG) position has strengthened in the last against Hussein. be very serious economic problems in year, but they still depend on budget trans- His family is feeling the pinch because Kurdistan,” says Kamal Chomani, a fers from the federal government, and oil his parents' salaries have been delayed, but Kurdish journalist and political observer. export revenue would not be enough to he still backs separation from Baghdad. “If the KRG goes ahead with [selling oil] via replace this entirely in the first couple of “Kurdistan should be independent," he Turkey without Baghdad's permission, but years," he says. “So Baghdad has an impor- says. "If you look at democracy in cannot provide enough money for the tant financial lever, but the more heavily Kurdistan, step by step it’s going towards a region from oil sales, then this is a serious this is used the more incentive the KRG will new future.” problem.”" have to push for greater autonomy.” Shorsh Haji, a lawmaker in Baghdad for the Kurdish anti-corruption Change party, NATIONALISM BuRNS believes on working with Iraq for now. But, “when we reach a stage that our rights are In the run up to Iraqi national elections not recognized, and we don’t have a say in on April 30, Iraqi and Kurdish nationalism

17 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

May 13, 2014 Kurds could opt out of next Iraqi government: president that decision," Barzani said. "If by cutting By Ned Parker and Isabel Coles the budget and blackmailing us they think (Reuters) - May 13, 2014 the Kurds will not continue asking for their legitimate demands, they are wrong." RBIL, Iraq, - The president of Iraqi The Kurds say they are constitutionally AKurdistan, Masoud Barzani, said Iraq entitled to export oil on their own terms, had been led in an authoritarian direction and more than 2 million barrels have by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and already flowed through the new pipeline threatened to end the oil-rich autonomous into storage tanks at a Turkish port. region's participation in the federal govern- Baghdad has threatened dire conse- ment. quences if exports go ahead without feder- Iraq held elections on April 30. The al consent, but Barzani said there was no results have yet to be announced but going back. Kurdish support is crucial to Maliki's "The political decision has been made Masoud Barzani, President of the that we're going to sell oil independently," ambitions for a third term. The incumbent Kurdistan Region in Iraq, attends a ses- premier's rivals, both Shi'ite and Sunni, he said. "We will continue producing the sion at the annual meeting of the World are hoping Barzani and the Kurds will oil, pumping it out and selling it. If they Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos help them thwart Maliki's bid to stay in continue escalating, we will also escalate office for four more years. January 24, 2014. REUTERS from our side." Barzani said Kurdish parties would arzani made clear that the Kurds could meet as soon as the results of the election hold a referendum on independence if must now work out how to ensure B were officially announced, expected in the Baghdad pushed them too far, repeating a Baghdad keeps any promises it makes if next few days, to decide how to proceed in threat he has made in the past. the Kurds agree to share power again. negotiations over the government forma- "If they don't like us to be with them, Barzani declined to go into the details tion. they should tell us and we will take anoth- of how the Kurds planned to guarantee The talks could drag on for months er path as well," he said. "We are going to their demands are met, but he said he and Barzani declined to give any more have a referendum and ask our people. would be seeking more than paper guar- details of the Kurds' position but said the Whatever the people decide". antees. political situation in Iraq was unsustain- Maliki may seek to exploit divisions Barzani conceded Maliki was not solely able and one option would be to fully with- among the Kurds themselves to weaken to blame for Iraq's troubles, but said as draw Kurdish participation in the govern- their bargaining position in Baghdad, by prime minister and commander in chief of ment unless there was the prospect of courting the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan the armed forces he ultimately bore the change. (PUK), which is seeking to reassert itself responsibility. "All options are on the table," Barzani after political setbacks. "There was no partnership, and it was told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "It Some Kurdish officials worry that the totalitarianism," said Barzani of gover- is time for final decisions. We are not going PUK, which has shared power with nance in Iraq under Maliki over the past to wait another decade and go through the Barzani's own Kurdistan Democratic Party four years. "He is the number one respon- same experience again. If we boycott the (KDP) since the region gained autonomy sible for it. He was capable of not allowing process, we will boycott everything (parlia- could threaten to break ranks and join the whole process to go in that direction." ment and the government)." with Maliki in order to regain leverage at "The authorities in Baghdad want to uch a move would be the first of its home. control everything ... It is not acceptable to kind for the Kurds, who have been a But Maliki is also facing a challenge in S us. We want to be partners; we don't want partner in the national government since the Sunni heartland province of Anbar, to be subjects." the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and where his army has been waging war since arzani emphasized repeatedly his dis- would put added strain on the country's the start of the year, when tribal fighters pute with Maliki, who once fought already fraying federal unity. B and Islamist insurgents overran several against deposed dictator Saddam Hussein There are about 5 million Kurds in towns. alongside the Kurds, was "not personal", majority Arab Iraq, which has a population Maliki's critics, including Barzani, said he had changed since becoming Prime of more than 30 million. Most Kurds live accuse him of going on the offensive Minister. in the north of the country, where they against Iraq's Sunni minority to whip up "The Maliki that we knew before being run their own affairs, but remain reliant support among his own Shi'ite base as in power was different than the Maliki who on Baghdad for a share of the national security deteriorated across the country, has been in power," he said. budget. damaging his credentials. The Kurds eventually lined up behind "To ignite a war in order to achieve ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE Maliki after the last election in 2010, help- political gains is a catastrophe," Barzani Despite the hostilities, some Kurdish ing him win a second term, persuaded by said. "I do believe it (the situation in officials admit in private a deal could be promises to share power and settle the Anbar) ended up like that. Maybe in the reached with Maliki, if only to buy time status of territories disputed by Arabs and beginning it was a different story." while their region, no longer believing in Kurds. Asked whether he was concerned the an alliance with Baghdad, pulls away. However, the Kurds say those promises offensive in Anbar could set a precedent The Kurds are already moving towards were broken and the deal unraveled for dealing with similar problems in other economic independence, and late last year almost as soon as the government took parts of the country, Barzani said: "In any finished building an oil pipeline to Turkey office. Relations between the two sides rap- country, if they pursue that strategy, that that could in theory make them self-suffi- idly deteriorated thereafter and are now means the end of that country." cient, further riling Baghdad, which characterized by deep mistrust. "That will be the end of Iraq, and that slashed funding to the region in revenge. Barzani then threw his weight behind is the most dangerous issue." Ë "Those who cut the budget of an unsuccessful attempt to unseat Maliki Kurdistan are going to pay the price of with a vote of no confidence in 2012, and

18 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 10 mai 2014 Ces Français en quête de l'eldorado kurde Développement.Le Kurdistan irakien, région autonome assise sur un tas d'or noir, connaît une croissance surprenante. Des dizaines de pionniers tentent actuellement l'aventure.

dre à une véritable indépendance. Un pipeline a déjà été construit avec la Turquie, un autre est en projet. Seule l'intransigeance du Premier ministre irakien empêche encore les Kurdes d'ex- porter à leur propre compte. « Mais ce n'est qu'une question de mois », assurent, de concert, Total et le Consulat français. En attendant, la région prospère grâce à ses conces- sions... et à la contrebande. Les con- structions se multiplient. De grands squelettes de béton se dressent le long des routes, futures tours d'habitation, de bureaux ou complexes hôteliers. « Les demandes sont énormes », com- mente-t-on chez Lafarge, qui possède sur place trois cimenteries.

Symbole de la frénésie consumériste qui s'est emparée du pays, les centres com- Erbil (Irak), avril dernier. Environ 300 Français, comme Léon, Sylvie et leur fils Oram, sont merciaux poussent comme des venus chercher fortune dans la capitale du Kurdistan irakien, où une place est nommée champignons. A Erbil, un immense François-Mitterrand en souvenir de la première guerre du Golfe. (LP/Victor Point.) Carrefour (7 000 m 2 de surface de vente, 250 employés) trône depuis deux ans au sein de l'un d'entre eux, qui presque une anomalie. La croissance y abrite d'autres enseignes comme est forte (9,5 % de 2011 à 2012), les Victor Point | 10 mai 2014 Mango, de Facto ou Yves Rocher. A infrastructures bien développées, les www.leparisien.fr Sulemanieh, deuxième ville du pays, il coupures de courant rares... Et, est même prévu l'érection d'un centre surtout, la région est sûre : à peine En arrivant ici, je pensais rester commercial sur trois étages en forme deux attentats ces sept dernières cloîtrée, entourée de barbus et de... tour Eiffel ! Hormis cette copie « années. Les redoutables peshmergas de terroristes. » Lorsque son mari, clinquante, et une place François- (nom des militaires kurdes) et les cadre chez Lafarge, lui annonce il y a Mitterrand à Erbil, en souvenir du rôle Asayesh (les services secrets) gardent un an et demi qu'il a une opportunité joué par la France en 1991, lors de la les frontières et quadrillent le territoire de carrière au Kurdistan irakien, première guerre du Golfe, la présence avec une main de fer. Florence Didiot s'inquiète. Dans hexagonale reste assez discrète. Une Kurdistan irakien, elle entend d'abord quinzaine d'entreprises sont implantées L'une des plus grandes réserves de Irak et ce que ce pays renvoit : des sur place, une cinquantaine de bureaux pétrole du monde attentats quotidiens, des milliers de de liaison, et environ 300 Français, morts et de kidnappings. .. Dix-huit dont beaucoup de binationaux. Tel « C'est simple, on est plus en sécurité mois plus tard, pourtant, cette Corse à Léon, 48 ans, revenu s'installer au ici qu'à la gare RER de la Défense », l'enthousiasme débordant a remis sur Kurdistan irakien en septembre après lance un cadre de Total. Par la fenêtre, pieds une école française. Devenue avoir été, pendant presque dix ans, il pointe du doigt le sud : « A 60 km de vice-présidente de Dialog, association réfugié politique à Lyon. Sa femme, la capitale (NDLR : Erbil), à Kirkouk, il d'amitié franco-kurde, elle ne tarit plus Sylvie, qui enseigne le français dans n'y a pas un expatrié. » La multina- d'éloges sur le Kurdistan irakien, un une université kurde, et leur fils, Oram, tionale française avait une excellente pays « très ouvert ». 8 ans, l'ont accompagné. Après raison de revenir au nord de l'Irak : les quelques mois, Sylvie partage l'enthou- Kurdes sont assis sur l'une des plus Cette région autonome -- depuis 2005 -- siasme de Florence Didiot : « C'est un grandes réserves pétrolifères du monde. mais non indépendante, qui abrite 5 pays où tout semble possible. » J millions d'habitants, aux confins de Réserves revendiquées par Bagdad, l'Iran, de la Turquie et de la Syrie, est mais que le gouvernement d'Erbil compte bien s'approprier pour préten-

19 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti LA MONTAGNE Portrait* Zîrek MARDI 13 MAI 2014

cent inent n t r.gt-cinq. nue fa se ier.\ e ne cennai-

;rc pes Ce rei

ccnr.aî: ri- s i e.M:f, -Pen s avec y : nçrud dans

f'fSicir.^c. t ise que s t notion Su

temps. Te S que la Qire. Pense

que tu es ni s UT il ne tu JS

deu\ S ras. .. ( tout (e i * .\\. monde. -J'e :s fa date de t J

nuiMUnCi' ce (Ce de a mort. t- Q'ensc que Ki t ter fa n ieft, tu as inverse le s -t a a centrait mi

aSitu. -Te pense s.

qve Ukfr en nsèfr.e K ^ co n.lia ère

cenne un h W» v r.tirr.ent fc -£.

FILM. Pari(s) d'exil, de et avec Zirek. demain soir au Rio, à SWEET HOME. Thé kurde et sucreries orientales en compagnie REFUGE. " C'est ici que je me pose, le soir, avec mon thé ou un

Clermont-Ferrand i'hoio df* du chat de la maison. verre de vin blanc.

APATRIDE Le comédien Zîrek a posé ses valises près de Montaigut-le-Blanc et présente son film au Rio Un peu de son Kurdistan en Auvergne

Il ne connaît pas sa date de vaux, Costa-Gavras (Eden naissance ; il a quitté son à l'ouest) ; continué le pays il y a plus de 30 ans, un ' théâtre, travaillé pour une pays qui n'existe plus : le télévision kurde. . . Kurdistan turc Zîrek est En Auvergne, l'artiste est apatride... et en passe de hébergé par une amie devenir auvergnat clermontoise rencontrée à Paris. Il quitte parfois le Véronique lacoste-Mettey village pour Clermont en [email protected] covoiturage (il ne conduit AChazoux, sur les pas). Zîrek ne sait pas s'il hauteurs de Mon- pourra, un jour, retourner taigut-Ie-BIanc, Zîrek 'Sf'^ dans son pays. Sa famille, a trouvé une patrie. Le ha¬ il la retrouve une fois par

meau, qui ne compte que an au Kurdistan d'Irak. À quelques âmes, une poU Chazoux, celui qui est ar¬ gnée de maisons et 24 rivé avec juste un petit sac ânes est devenu son pays m^M, à dos, prend le temps de à lui. « Ce serait sympa de '.< -iW-VV '* servir du thé kurde et des se retrouver au Kurdistan sucreries orientales. Ici, de Chazoux ! », lance-t-il pour cet apatride, le tout naturellement fi"-*" temps s'est arrêté. Quand on arrive au pied de ce plateau avec vue sur SÉANCES la verte campagne envi¬ ronnante, on comprend §8 1 Au Rio. Demain soir à pourquoi^ « J'ai eu un 20 h 30, 178 rue Sous-les- choc ! », avoue le cinéaste ' Vignes en présence du qui a posé là ses valises il réalisateur. Le film sera à y a à peine deux mois et l'affiche samedi, dimanche se demande quand il en et lundi, www.cinemale- repartira. « Ici, ma vie est rio.com kurde à 100 %. Je revis '* V mon enfance ». À pied, il descend acheter sa ba¬ SON LIVRE guette de pain en passant par les petits chemins. Il Pense que...

Ainsi s'intitule le livre de SES DATES Zirek. Extraits de ces phrases qui, toutes,

Naissance commencent par « Pense

Pour entrer à l'école, que ». Ahmet Zîrek a dû Patrie produire un acte de naissance. « Mais les «... le pays où tu es né n'existe pas sur les Kurdes n'avaient pas de cartes ». papiers ! ». Au bureau <»: '« d'État civil, son père a PERTURBANT. « Ici. ma vie est kurde a 100 ^ . Je revis mon enfonce - i-ho-']s ,e-\ Froid décrété qu'il était né le «... étant enfant tu 10 juillet 1957. pouvais entrer nu dans la caresse en passant l'âne quartier où il vit depuis 32 Tous les soirs au télépho¬ folie, la mort ». Des mots Départ neige. Maintenant, tu as

Platon et « sa compa¬ ans. ne avec son père, il racon¬ durs qu'il a consignés Après le coup d'État de froid 165 jours par an ». gne » ; parle aux chats Toutes ces années séparé te sa vie là-bas, ses émo¬ dans un livre, Pense que..., 1980, Zîrek, président tions, ses surprises. À son où il raconte comment il Langue d'une association dans sa langue natale... de ses terres, il les raconte retour, le scénario est bou¬ est devenu « apatride au «... pour fêtre exprimé artistique est considéré : Ici, cet apatride, qui a dû dans Pari(s) d'exil, qu'il clé et Zîrek se lance dans pays de Victor Hugo. Je n'y dans ta langue comme « terroriste ». Il fuir la Turquie en 1980 re¬ présentera, demain mer¬ la réalisation. « En neuf aurais jamais pensé ! ». maternelle, tu es part se réfugier chez les trouve un peu de chez lui, credi, au cinéma Le Mo à mois, le film était prêt ». On l'a vu dans « plein de emprisonné ». Kurdes d'Iran puis de Arrivé à Paris en septem¬ Clermont (voir par Sorti en mai dernier au petits rôles » mais sa ren¬ Syrie. bre 1982 avec 10 dollars ailleurs). Exil Saint-André-des-Arts à Pa¬ contre essentielle a été en poche, l'artiste de thé⬠Zîrek avait promis à son «... quand ib font chassé Arrivée ris, il y est resté huit mois. avec le réalisateur Yîlmaz tre considéré comme père de lui envoyer Alan, de chez toi, tu n'as pas Le 2 septembre 1982, Il a reçu un Silver Award Gûney sur le tournage du « terroriste » en Turquie son fils, « pour qu'il tou¬ eu le temps de dire Zîrek atterrit à Orly sans (deuxième prix) au 33' Mur (en sélection à Can¬ né peut plus retourner che la terre ». Le garçon a adieu ». papiers. Il a déchiré dans Festival du Film interna¬ nes l'année après la palme dans son pays. « Je suis alors 13 ans. II ne parle l'avion son faux passeport tional du Caire. pour Yol en 1982). Le ci¬ Kurde devenu un vrai Parisien », pas la langue et prend « Ce qui m'a sauvé, c'est néaste est mort trop tôt marocain. Depuis, il est « Pense que tu es ajoute celui qui a fait sien l'avion pour un voyage la comédie », dit celui (en 1984 à 47 ans). Zîrek a réfugié apatride. kurde ». » le Conti, bar de l'Odéon, initiatique de cinq jours. _pour qui l'exil, « c'est la tourné avec Lucas Bel-

20 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 13 mai 2014 Gouvernement irakien: les Kurdes vers la sortie?

Par Le Figaro.fr avec Reuters Kurdes semble nécessaire à la la table", a déclaré le président le 13/mai/2014 reconduction du chef du gou- kurde, interrogé lundi par vernement, qui brigue un troi- Reuters. "Les autorités de sième mandat. Ses adversaires Bagdad veulent tout contrôler assoud Barzani, président chiites comme sunnites comp- (...) Ce n'est pas acceptable pour mdu Kurdistan irakien, a tent sur le revirement de nous. Nous voulons être des accusé aujourd'hui le premier Massoud Barzani. partenaires, pas des sujets. "Le ministre Nouri al Maliki de Selon lui, les partis kurdes se moment est venu de prendre des dérive autoritaire et a menacé de réuniront dès l'annonce des décisions définitives. Nous n'al- rappeler les représentants de la résultats, prévue d'ici quelques lons pas attendre une nouvelle Le Kurdistan, peuplé de cinq région autonome qui siègent jours, pour décider de la marche décennie ni revivre cette expé- millions d'habitants et riche en dans son gouvernement. à suivre en ce qui concerne la rience. Si nous boycottons le hydrocarbures, est associé au Les résultats des élections formation du prochain gouver- processus, nous boycotterons gouvernement national depuis législatives qui se sont déroulées nement national. tout", gouvernement comme la chute du régime de Saddam le 30 avril n'ont pas encore été "Toutes les options sont sur parlement, a-t-il ajouté. Hussein en 2003. I communiqués mais l'appui des

14 mai 2014 Kurdes assassinées à Paris: le tueur présumé soupçonné d’avoir voulu s’évader (AFP) 14 mai 2014 Fidan Dogan et Leyla Saylemez au Centre d’information kurde (CIK) à Paris le 9 janvier 2013: mer Güney, un Turc mis en règlement de comptes interne à la Öexamen pour l’assassinat mouvance kurde dans un début 2013 à Paris de trois mili- contexte d’ouverture de pourpar- tantes kurdes, est soupçonné par lers de paix entre le Parti des tra- la justice française d’avoir projeté vailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) et son évasion, a appris mardi l’AFP Ankara, acte du mouvement turc de sources concordantes. d’extrême droite des «Loups Il a été mis en examen le 7 mai Gris», assassinat politique, voire pour sa participation à un grou- crime crapuleux ou différend présente comme un proche fin 2011, gagnant la confiance de pement formé en vue de la prépa- personnel. d’Ömer Güney. ses membres. Les militants ration d’une évasion avec usage Sakine Cansiz était une figure Ce dernier le lui aurait remis le 17 kurdes auraient par la suite d’armes ou de substance explo- historique du PKK, considérée janvier 2013, avant son arresta- découvert qu’il était «issu d’une sive, a affirmé une source judi- comme proche de son chef histo- tion, en lui demandant de le «ren- famille proche de l’extrême droite ciaire. rique Abdullah Öcalan. dre public s’il lui arrivait quelque nationaliste turque». Ce projet est apparu après une Mais aux yeux des militants et chose». Les trois hommes y évo- Les policiers français se sont inté- rencontre début janvier au parloir des sympathisants de la cause quent l’assassinat à venir des ressés à son itinéraire, en particu- de sa prison entre Ömer Güney et kurde, l’assassinat politique com- trois militantes. lier avant son arrivée en France et un homme installé en Allemagne mandité par les services turcs ne Au moment de la diffusion de cet durant son séjour en Allemagne. où les enquêteurs se sont rendus, fait aucun doute. enregistrement en début d’année, Ils tentent de retracer les nom- ont précisé des sources proches le service de renseignement turc, breux échanges téléphoniques du dossier. Entendu à plusieurs reprises par la juge d’instruction, décrit le MIT, avait de nouveau démenti vers la Turquie d’un homme qui Des éléments semblant accréditer comme insaisissable par ceux qui toute implication dans ce crime. Il disposait de nombreuses cartes ce projet d’évasion ont été retrou- l’ont cotoyé, Ömer Güney nie avait dénoncé «une opération SIM, y compris turques. Il avait vés dans le téléphone portable de toute implication. Mais la diffu- destinée à mettre en cause» ce ainsi été contrôlé fin 2012 aux cet homme, selon une de ces sion sur internet il y a quelques service «qui a joué un rôle impor- Pays-Bas en possession de telles sources. Pour s’évader, Ömer mois d’un enregistrement a fragi- tant dans le processus de paix cartes. Güney envisageait de se servir lisé sa position, selon des sources kurde». Les enquêteurs ont également d’une arme, y compris contre des proches de l’enquête. Selon le procureur de Paris, déterminé que, la veille des assas- représentants des forces de l’or- Güney avait été désigné par le sinats, Güney avait photographié dre, a-t-elle poursuivi. - LE démEntI dEs sErvIcEs tUrcs - PKK comme le chauffeur et l’ac- les fiches des adhérents d’une Son avocat, Xavier Nogueras, compagnateur à Paris de Sakine association kurde du Val-d’Oise. Un homme s’y adresse à deux s’est refusé à tout commentaire. Cansiz, l’une des victimes. interlocuteurs, présentés comme Ankara et le PKK, en lutte armée Plusieurs hypothèses ont été évo- des agents turcs. Selon un avertis- Le PKK a toutefois démenti que contre les forces turques depuis quées pour expliquer les assassi- sement diffusé au début de l’en- M. Güney était l’un de ses mem- 1984, ont engagé un processus de nats par balles, décrits par les registrement, il aurait été mis en bres, expliquant qu’il avait fait de paix qui marque aujourd’hui le enquêteurs comme de véritables ligne par un internaute qui se l’entrisme dans la mouvance pas.N exécutions, de Sakine Cansiz, kurde francilienne à partir de la

21 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 13 May 2014

traying stereotypical roles - an ignorant man from the countryside who speaks Turkish Kurdish voices grow with a heavy accent, for example - for comic relief, according to Ozgur Cicek, a PhD can- didate at Binghamton University who stronger through film conducts research on Kurdish cinema in Turkey. Kurdish filmmakers are using cinema to broach sensitive top- y making their own films, Kurdish direc- ics in turkey, but major challenges persist. Btors are using the medium to bring Kurdish issues to the forefront of Turkish society. "It is part of their own way of repre- Jillian Kestler-d'Amours senting themselves within their own reality," 13 May 2014 Cicek said. But access to Kurdish cinema www.aljazeera.com remains limited in Turkey, Cicek said, as the films are rarely shown in mainstream thea- izgin Mujde Arslan knew it was only a tres. Cicek, who teaches film at a handful of W matter of time. Turkish universities, explained that her stu- dents are often shocked by what they see in When she watched the final cut of her docu- Kurdish films. mentary film, "I flew, you stayed", the 32- year-old Kurdish director said she had no "When they see that this Kurdish director is doubt the Turkish police would soon be at not a terrorist… they start to understand that her door. Then, in February 2012, two Kurdish directors are using film to bring things are maybe not the way they were months before her film would have its public their community’s stories to a larger audi- taught, [and] things are not the way the premiere, they were. ence in Turkey [EPA] mainstream media has revealed," she told Al Jazeera. "There is a counter history that is "I had to be brave because it was my heri- represented with those films." tage; it was my life. I had to tell this story," said. "It's a deal between all of us, to stay said Arslan, who was released shortly after But what exactly makes a film Kurdish? silent and not ask many questions." being arrested and interrogated. With approximately 25 million Kurds spread espite her arrest, Arslan is among a new The story was that of her father, a member of out across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, the generation of Kurdish directors in Turkey the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a D Kurdish population in the Middle East has that are using film to bring their community’s Kurdish resistance group designated a terro- diverse cultural traditions, dialects and expe- stories to a larger audience. rist organisation by Turkey, the European riences. These differences also extend to the Union and the United States. In the film, Turkey's Kurdish minority currently numbers films Kurdish directors are making. Arslan is looking for his grave and seeking between 12-15 million and is largely concen- In the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, 14 trated in the country's eastern region of movie theatres were opened last summer, Anatolia, and in Istanbul, home to about showcasing Kurdish and international films. When they see that this Kurdish direc- three million Kurds. For decades, films that Kurdish directors are producing various tor is not a terrorist… they start to told stories from a Kurdish perspective had types of films - short films, documentaries, understand that things are maybe not been nearly absent from Turkey’s film scene. and feature-length films - across the Middle the way they were taught, [and] things Restrictions on Kurdish-language music East, and in the diaspora. are not the way the mainstream media were lifted in the early 1990s in Turkey - after has revealed. being banned for decades - as the Turkish - Ozgur Cicek, PhD candidate and government prepared for its bid to join the researcher on Kurdish films in Turkey European Union. Kurdish films quickly follo- wed suit and began to take more promi- nence. answers to questions about their relations- Considered to be one of the earliest Kurdish hip. films coming out of Turkey, Mem u Zin, "I didn't want to lie any more. I wanted to tell based on the Kurdish fairytale of the same everyone that he is my father. I wanted to name, was directed by Umit Elci and shot in make peace with his existence. It was really 1991. Told through a Romeo and Juliette- hard for me," Arslan told Al Jazeera. "It was style love story, the film describes Kurds' lon- The international success of directors like a really tough childhood because, as you can ging for a homeland. Kurdish-Iranian Bahman Ghobadi helped guess, it wasn't easy to be his daughter in The first Kurdish film festival in Turkey was propel the Kurdish film industry [EPA] Turkey." held in 2009 in Diyarbakir, the largest Her arrest was part of a widespread govern- Kurdish-majority city in eastern Anatolia. ment crackdown on individuals with suspec- That same year, the widely-acclaimed film According to Devrim Kilic, a Kurdish PhD ted links to the Kurdistan Communities Union Min Dit (The Children of Diyarbakir) was student in film studies at La Trobe University (KCK), which Turkey believes to be the screened during the Antalya Golden Orange in Australia and editor of kurdishcinema.com, urban wing of the PKK. Film Festival. the common denominator in Kurdish films is Arslan now lives in London, where she is "If a film in the Kurdish language can take the presence of Kurdish protagonists. completing a PhD on Kurdish cinema and part in national competition in Antalya, this Originally from the town of Dersim (Tunceli in teaching script-writing courses. She is also means that we have done the right thing. Turkish), in eastern Turkey, Kilic told Al working on her next feature film, which will This move also paves the way for young film- Jazeera that seeing Kurdish characters eventually be shot in Turkey's eastern makers from Diyarbakir to have a future in speaking Kurdish on screen is an emotional Kurdish region. She said that writing from the sector," Kurdish-German director Miraz experience for many people in the commu- London gives her a sense of freedom that Bezar said at the time. doesn't exist in Turkey today. nity. Before that, Kurdish characters appeared Until recently, the Kurdish language ➤ In Turkey, censorship "keeps you quiet", she every so often in Turkish films, primarily por-

22 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➤ was banned in Turkey (using the letters screenings and fimmaking are relatively new "Most of the Kurdish films and documenta- Q, W and X was illegal), and Kurdish human phenomena, first emerging in the early ries that got critical acclaim in festivals rights issues remain difficult, if not impossi- 2000s. nationwide or internationally are produced ble, to broach publicly for fear of arrest or "The city was still under the rule of military not by people living in Diyarbakir, or the other reprisals. Some of these restrictions control and the cultural and artistic events Kurdish cities, but [by] Kurdish directors have been eased by Turkish Prime Minister and environment was quite dead in the entire living in Istanbul," she explained, pointing to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as part of his efforts southeast region," explained Ovgu Gokce, a lack of funding, equipment and film instruc- to build confidence in the peace process bet- project coordinator at the Diyarbakir Arts tion in Turkey’s Kurdish region. ween his government and Abdullah Ocalan, Centre, which was established in the city in Still, she said that increased cooperation bet- the imprisoned head of the PKK. 2001. ween Kurdish directors and artists in Turkey, "[People] used to cry. It was the first time t the outset, the centre - a branch of the Iraq, Iran and Syria was a positive develop- they saw their language being spoken AIstanbul-based Anadolu Kultur network - ment that she hoped would continue. through the TV," Kilic said. organised workshops, screenings, and art "That’s something important," Gokce said, "The Turkish government had been trying to exhibitions, with a particular focus on film "in the sense that the Kurdish people, tell the Kurdish people that they don’t exist… and literature. The centre moved to a smaller although they don’t necessarily speak the If you think about the psychological effect of office in 2010, and has since focused on same dialect or come from the same histori- this, the Kurdish culture - Kurdish music and workshops for youth and cross-cultural artis- cal background… [have] more and more Kurdish cinema - is bringing back that self- tic exchanges. interest and will to make more connections esteem to the Kurdish people. They can A recent project, called Bak: Revealing the with other Kurdish societies in the region." stand up and say they are Kurdish and they City through Memory, trained youth aged 18- HHH are proud of it." 26 from the cities of Batman, Canakkale, In the major Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, film Diyarbakir and Izmir in film and photography.

20 May 2014

will make it de facto.” The Iraqi Election Referendum on federalism, Commission is unwilling to conduct an election or a referen- confederation, or independence issue dum on Kurdish national ambi- tions. Therefore, the Kurds have no choice but to establish their back on table in Iraqi Kurdistan own commission. Mohammad Haji, head of May 20, 2014 political relations of the Change By Nawzad Mahmoud Movement (Gorran), confirmed rudaw.net that the referendum was one of the issues discussed at the meeting. ULaIMaNI, Kurdistan “We said if we don’t reach any Sregion 'Iraq',— After years of agreement on the disputed issues experience with Baghdad, the issue we will go back to the parliament of referendum is back on the table and the people,” he said, noting among Kurdish leaders. the many disputed with Baghdad. At a meeting with Kurdistan Handren Mohammed, the Region President Massoud head of the Erbil branch of the Barzani last week, all political Iraqi election commission, said parties agreed on a referendum that establishing the Kurdistan that could allow people to choose A rally in Erbil against Baghdad’s policies. Photo: Rudaw election commission is very easy, whether they prefer federalism, citing the decision in 2004 to form confederation, or independence. the Iraqi commission that was for- But, since the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, said ment approves the law, the com- that he introduced the idea of mission can be formed in a month med within months. Election Commission is not esta- According to Mohamed, if the blished yet, the referendum might conducting a referendum at the and we can conduct the referen- meeting, “so that Iraq will unders- dum,” Mahmood added. Kurdistan parliament can approve be delayed to after the formation the law by the end of this month, of the new Iraqi government. tand if it sidelines the Kurds in the Political leaders and observers future, what options are available believe that the results of the refe- the referendum can be held in In their first meeting after the September. Iraqi legislative elections, the to Kurds.” rendum are very predictable, and Mahmood said that the people will vote for indepen- In 2012, the Kurdistan Kurdish parties are sending a new Parliament held two discussions political message to Baghdad. Kurdistan parliament should dence. seriously tackle the issue of Mahmood is also confident over the Kurdistan election com- One of the participants of the mission law and approved four arti- meeting told Rudaw: “If Baghdad approving the law that would set about the results of the referen- up the Kurdistan election commis- dum. He said that, with the results cles of the law but disagreements is not ready to meet our demands, over the members of the commis- the Kurds approach other ways to sion. “That is the parliament’s real of the referendum, Kurdish lea- sion resulted in deadlock. I achieve the demands.” task, not the minor issues,” he ders can then tell Baghdad that, Mohammed Haji Mahmood, said. “People want independence, but secretary of the Kurdistan “I am sure that if the parlia- we choose confederation and we

23 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

in KUrdistan, Birth rates lower than in www.ekurd.net rest of iraq May 8, 2014 erbil: The UN Population Division predicts that 2014 will be the peak birth News in brief : year, expecting that 139 million babies will be born -- more than in any single year in the history of the world. After this the number of yearly PUK rejects change (gorran) candidate: he births will steadily decline, according to UN estimates, even as the world population continues to rise. Iraq is still cranking out more babies than is a former Baathist the rest of the world. Iraqi women have 4.5 children, compared to a glo- May 4, 2014 bal average of 2.5, as reported by a 2011 Unicef survey. This is the slêmanî: A leader in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) announced on second-highest fertility rate in Western Asia, where only Yemeni women Sunday, that his party does not accept for the head of Change list, Haval are having more children.Within Iraq, women in the Kurdistan Region Abu Bakr to take the position of governor of Slêmanî [Sulaimaniyah]. The have a lower average (3.1). The most populous governorate, Slêmanî, has official of the public body in the political bureau of PUK, Mala Bakhtiyar the smallest fertility rate by far (2.3), while women in the northern Dohuk said in a televised interview, that his party will have a decisive stand if the region have the most children (3.9). Dr. Jamal Ameen, statistics professor mentioned candidate would be imposed as reality according to the elec- and a senior advisor at the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) tion results. Bakhtiyar pointed out that his party would not allow it to pre- Ministry of Planning, explains why families in Slêmanî are so much smal- serve the prestige of the province, describing the candidate, Haval Abu ler...rudaw.net Bakr as “a former Baathist.” Bakhtiyar stressed that if this candidate would be imposed on them, they will not be bound by his decisions. Since 6 isis jihadists Killed in clashes in KoBanê the Iraqi parliamentary elections and provincial council elections of Kurdistan, media affiliated to PUK launched an attack on the candidate of May 10, 2014 Change movement to take over the post of Governor of Slêmanî, accu- Kobane: ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Sham) jihadists continue to suffer sing him that he was a member of the party of the former regime of a heavy defeat in clashes with Syrian Kurdistan's People's Protection Saddam Hussein, which is the dissolved Baath Arab Socialist Party. sha- Units (YPG) as they continue to attack the autonomous Kobanê Canton of faaq.com Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). Six members of ISIS Islamic-jihadists were killed in clashes with YPG forces in the village of Teelik located 30 km to the Kobanê city. According to the information obtained, clashes in the village assad does not accePt KUrdish aUtonomy, broke out as YPG fighters launched an operation against the positions of BUt will not allow attacK on KUrds Islamic-jihadists in the town of El-Şiyox from where gang groups carry out May 5, 2014 their attacks against the Kurdish region. At least 6 jihadists were killed and many others were wounded in the YPG operation. On the other A Kurdish member of the Syrian Parliament said the Syrian President hand, severe clashes took place between ISIS gangs and YPG forces Bashar al-Assad is against the Kurdish autonomy in Syrian Kurdistan that around the villages of Camis, Melûh El-Qemer, Bîr Kino and Sosik village Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has announced last year but he located in the eastern side of Kobanê last night. A large number of jiha- will not allow its forces to attack the Kurdish regions in the country. Omar dists were reported killed in clashes that lasted till morning. In the mean- Oseh said Assad has opened a Kurdish language course in Damascus time, ISIS gangs continue to launch attacks against the Gire Sehid Xabur government and is ready to discuss the rights of the Kurds with al Kurdish to take control of which they have carried out expansive attacks recently. parties, calling it a PYD mistake to declare democratic autonomy adminis- Islamic-jihadist groups deployed in the Sebet village are reported to be tration in Syria Kurdish regions and Patriotic Council to join Syria opposi- launching attacks against the Gire Sehid Xabur with heavy weapons and tions. He asked the Kurds in the country to take part in the upcoming pre- mortars. firatnews.com sidential poll in Syria and vote for Assad as the political situation in the state has changed and he now has accepted the rights of the Kurds. Assad is thousands of times better than extremist Islamic leaders and Muslim syrian KUrdish Police rePortedly Prevents Brotherhood, he said, warning about Syria falling into the hands of the Pro-Barzani Party leader to enter syrian extremist groups, Free Syria Army, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Answering a question about the security of the polls, Oseh said the government is able KUrdistan to provide security in 80 percents of the region. kurdpress.ir May 10, 2014 qamishlo: The local Syrian Kurdish police affiliated with Kurdish daUghter of tUrKey's Pro-KUrdish BdP Democratic Union Party (PYD) does not allow Saud Malla, the leader of newly founded Kurds Democratic Party in Syria (PDKS) which affiliated co-mayor Killed in syrian KUrdistan with Iraqi Kurdistan's KDP party, to enter Syrian Kurdistan region May 7, 2014 (Rojava), Rudaw TV said in a report. According to the report Malla was diyarbakir, turkey: Helin Demirkol, daughter of co-chair of Diyarbakır's planned to enter Jazeera canton through Darbibsi border pass way but Çermik Municipality, Haşim Demirkol, has been killed in clashes between the Kurdish forces refuted to allow him to enter the canton, stating that Kurdish YPG (People's Protection Units) forces and ISIS (Islamic State of arrest warrant has been issued for the official and he is better to go back Iraq and Syria) jihadists in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava). BDP (Peace and to Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The official, however, has stressed he is deter- Democracy Party) mayor's daughter will be laid to rest Wednesday. 25- mined to go to Syria and continue his political activity in Qamishlo, the year-old Helin Demirkol joined YPJ (Women's Protection Units) ranks country’s biggest Kurdish city. Malla and the PDKS are affiliated with from Amed (Diyarbakir) following the announcement of mobilization Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani. PDKS was form a month against Islamists targeting the Syrian Kurdistan territory. According to the ago in Erbil. Four old parties of al-Party, Freedom (led by Mustafa information obtained, Helin Demirkol was killed in clashes with ISIS Jome’a), Freedom (led by Mustafa Aso) and Union Party merged to form Islamic-jihadists in the Girê Sevê region in south Kobanê on 5 May. Four the new party. kurdpress.ir | Ekurd.net YPJ members, three YPG members and four people -who have recently taken up arms and joined YPG ranks- were killed in severe clashes that maliKi sets conditions for KUrdistan erupted after thousands of Islamists launched an expansive attack against the mentioned region on 3 May. 43 Islamists were killed and one salaries was captured alive after YPG forces launched a retaliatory offensive on 5 May 10, 2014 May morning. Helin Demirkol whose body was delivered to Amed Baghdad: The Iraqi Central Government refuses to send Kurdistan region Tuesday will be laid to rest at Yeniköy Cemetery Wednesday...dicleha- governmental employees‌' salaries and Nouri al-Maliki, Iraqi Prime ber.com Minister, says if the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) agrees ⇒

24 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

⇒ to export 100,000 barrels of oil, Baghdad will send the KRG‌'s Iraqi security forces on the country’s border with Syria arrested Sunday employees‌' salaries. Some Kurdish media have reported that the 27 Syrian Kurds that were trying to enter Iraq illegally through the nor- Federal Movement will send KRG‌'s salary, but according to information thern province of Nineveh, Rudaw TV said in a report. Nineveh governor sources, Baghdad has not issued such a decision. Maliki has told the and security officials have confirmed the report and said the border Kurdish ministers and representatives in Baghdad that he will not send guards are monitoring every attempt on border with Syria that is entan- salaries until KRG agrees to send 100,000 barrels of oil each day through gled in a civil war since 2011. Meanwhile an Iraqi Kurdish official SOMO. A trusted source within Iraqi Council of Ministers has informed Abdulqader Shangali announced negotiations are under way to release KNNC that Kurdish ministers and representatives have asked Maliki to the Syrian Kurds, expressing his hope that Iraq will only fine and then free send employees‌' salaries to eliminate the economic crises and delays in them. Answering the question if it was possible that Baghdad will hand salary in the Kurdistan region...knnc.net the arrested Kurds to Damascus government, Shangali said he wished it would not happen and Baghdad would release them. kurdpress.ir KUrdistan mPs call for local candidate to fill cUltUre joB othman: iranian inflUence is Bigger than May 10, 2014 america's on the iraqi government tehran: Even though Kurdistan MPs have proposed seven local candi- May 12, 2014 dates who could head the Ministry of Culture in the province, there have Baghdad: The independent MP, of Kurdistan Alliance, Mahmoud Othman been rumours that the position may go to someone from outside the confirmed that "The Iranian influence on the Iraqi political decision is province. ILNA reports that someone from outside the province is to be more than U.S. influence. He said "The visit of Gen. Lloyd Austin, com- appointed to the helm of the Ministry of Culture in Kurdistan, and this has mander of U.S. Central Command, came to discuss the security and poli- drawn serious criticism from the province’s MPs. The head of the tical situation in Iraq , with Iraqi officials , and solve it," pointing out that" Kurdistan MPs Society has announced that they are not willing to coope- the American influence exists on the Iraqi political arena, but the Iranian rate with any non-local deputy minister in Kurdistan, saying it is not rea- influence is more than the U.S. on the Iraqi government , and the Turkish sonable to appoint an outsider to a role that requires familiarity with the influence exists on some of the parties as well."...ninanews.com local culture. While MP Hamed Ghadermarzi expressed support for most of President Rohani’s inclusivity policies in employing local labour in Kurdistan, he would not agree with the appointment of a non-local can- didate to the Culture Ministry’s top job in the province. In the 2013 pre- america intervenes on the line of iraqi sidential election, 82 percent of eligible voters in Kurdistan took part, and BUdget crisis about 72 percent reportedly voted for Hassan Rohani. The Rohani admi- May 14, 2014 nistration has made widespread efforts to promote local hiring in leader- ship roles, especially in government positions. radiozamaneh.com erbil: The Ministry of Finance and Economy in Kurdistan Regional Government (KRC) announced that an American diplomat delegation that represents that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in iranian government rejects talKs with Erbil, visited the headquarters of the ministry to be informed closely on economic and financial conditions and not sending the budget cri- PjaK sis by Baghdad to Erbil. According to the ministry statement, said that May 10, 2014 the U.S. delegation included both economic advisor at the U.S. tehran: Iran’s Deputy chairman of the Committee on National Security embassy in Baghdad , Robin Matewman and chief economist at the and Foreign Policy Mansour Haqiqat Pur rejected negotiations with the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil Ieron Cosmear , noting that the delega- Kurdish Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) and said they should be tion met with the Deputy Finance Minister of Kurdistan, Rashid Tahir taken to court and put on trial. He also claimed that independence of “. The statement added that the U.S. delegation put in the start of the Iran’s Kurdish region is merely a dream and that the Kurdistan Region of meeting, the goal of its visit in order to see the economic and financial Iraq will never be fully autonomous. PJAK recently announced a new sys- conditions and the differences between the federal government and tem for the Kurdish inhabited areas of Iran called Kodar System and the regional government of not sending the budget and salaries of asked the Iranian Government for negotiations. In response to PJAK’s wil- employees of the region. The statement added that Tahir highlighted lingness to negotiate with the Iranian government, Pur pointed out that: problems , pointing to a lack of commitment to the Constitution and “PJAK is a terrorist political party and has committed crimes; Iran will not Baghdad government’s use of the budget as a pressure on the negotiate with them. They have to be judged in a private court, and we region...shafaaq.com will not allow them to ask for their rights by changing their name.”...bas- news.com isis islamic-jihadists execUte KUrds in anti-massoUd Barzani Protest held in syria diyarBaKir in tUrKey's KUrdish region may 18, 2014 May 11, 2014 aleppo: Members of the Al Qaeda offshoot the Islamic State of Iraq and amed: Dozens of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) held a protesting Sham (ISIS) claim to have hanged two alleged members of the Kurdistan rally against Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani in the Workers’ Party (PKK) in Deir Hafer in Syria’s Aleppo Province, on May 16. Turkey's southeastern Kurdish city of Diyarbakir [Amed], Ilkehaber said in Images of the hanging were posted by ISIS supporters on social media a report. The protesters carried banners and shouted slogans against sites. It is unclear whether the two men were members of the PKK-affilia- Barzani for the region’s decision to dig trench on its border with Syrian ted People’s Defence Units (YPG) or Kurdish civilians. ISIS has in past kid- Kurdistan region. “The killer of own people” and “traitor” read some of napped and executed Kurds in the provinces of Aleppo, Raqqah and the banners against Barzani. The protests were, however, blamed in Hasakah on charges of belonging to the PKK. Some of them were civilians, social media and by many political and social activists, with Socialism and while others were YPG-fighters. YPG is one of the biggest challenges for Freedom Party Leader Sinan Cift Yurk releasing a statement and denoun- the former Al Qaeda-affiliate ISIS in northern Syria. The Syrian Kurdish figh- cing the way Barzani was called in the rally. kurdpress.ir | ekurd.net ters have been trained by PKK rebels, who have carried out an on-going battle against their NATO-member Turkish hosts for decades. iraqi Border gUards arrest 27 syrian basnews.com KUrds May 12, 2014

25 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 20, 2014 KdP closes 8 pro-PKK offices in iraqi Kurdistan region

may 20, 2014 PCDK http://www.ekurd.net party branch in Slêmanî, dUhoK, Kurdistan region 'iraq',— The security forces of Iraqi Kurdistan rul- Kurdistan ing Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP launched operations targeting represen- region, tatives of the Kurdish National Congress (KNK), as well as many the offices Iraq. and members of many other organizations earlier Monday in three major Photo: cities in Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Many people are reported to have been Archive/I taken into custody. HA According to information now available, the operations took place in three cities – Hewlêr [Erbil], Duhok and Zakho – and targeted, among others, rep- resentatives of the KNK, members and offices of the Kurdistan Democratic The KDP also lashed out at Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) for Solution Party (PCDK), of Dicle News Agency’s Hewlêr bureau, the Rojava following “totalitarian policies” in Syrian Kurdistan. Welat Newspaper, the Patriotic Youth Center, and the Organization of Free Releasing a statement the KDP politburo blamed the PYD for expelling pro- Women of Kurdistan (RJAK). Many were arrested and a large number of doc- KDP party leaders and officials from Syrian Kurdistan and warned the policy uments were seized. will lead to the destruction of the Syrian Kurdish region. The PYD is monop- At least 25 people were taken into custody in the operation which targeted olizing power and has been resorting to arrests and evictions of political the offices of KNK, Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PÇDK), Dicle News activists and members of opposition parties; particularly members of the Al Agency (DIHA), Roja Welat daily, Patriotic Youth's Center, Kurdistan Free Party, close to the KDP, and Kurdistan Democratic Party in Syria (KDPS), an Women's Institution (Saziya Jinên Azadixwazi Kürdistan) and Weşana Roja offshoot of the KDP led by Massoud Barzani. Welat Magazine. The statement further said the Kurds living under PYD rule are in less KdP denies access from maxmur camp to erbil [hewlêr] humane conditions than those living under Bashar al-Assad. KDP further said that the party expresses its utmost sympathy for the Syrian Kurds and the As a follow-up of Monday's operation against the KNK, PÇDK, RJAK, Patriotic members of the Al Party in Syrian Kurdistan. Disputes between the PYD and Youth's Center and Roja Welat daily, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is the KDP has increased in the recent weeks after Kurdistan Region dug a denying access from the Maxmur Camp to Hewlêr on Tuesday. trench on its borders with Syria Kurdish regions and the PYD shut down the Hundreds of people on their way to work from Maxmur Martyr Rustem Cudî offices of pro-KDP parties and expelled some politicians linked with the party Camp to Maxmur have not been allowed to enter the city on Tuesday. The from Syrian Kurdistan. public security (Asayish) forces hindering the entrance are reportedly telling The security operations follow an ongoing dispute over the KDP’s decisions people to leave there, warning that their entrance in Erbil will not be to dig a border trench between Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan and to allowed. close the border crossings to Syrian Kurdistan's refugees, amid accusations Following Monday's raids in Duhok and Zakhoo in the morning and in Erbil in that the KDP is working together with Turkey’s AKP government against the the afternoon, the KDP has had the offices of the raided institutions closed revolution in Syrian Kurdistan. today. The raids also follow the decision taken a number of days ago to proclaim the It grabs attention that the KPD operation against pro-Kurdish institutions PCDK illegal after it organized a demonstration in front of the KRG’s parlia- came after the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party (PÇDK) demanded that ment to remember the massacre committed in Hewlêr by KDP forces in light be shed on the disappeared at a press conference it held outside the 1997. parliament at the 17th anniversary of the Hewlêr massacre. Many Kurdish organizations accuse the KDP of working together with Turkey KnK condemns operation against Kurdish institutions in iraqi in imposing the embargo the Syrian Kurdistan. KDP leader and Iraqi Kurdistan region Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani accompanied Turkish Prime Minister Brussels-based Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) has released a statement Erdogan at a political rally in Diyarbakir earlier this year. strongly condemning the raids and detentions carried out by Massoud The KDP has decided against recognition of the newly autonomous Syrian Barzani's KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) in the Hewlêr, Zakho and Duhok Kurdistan's cantons. However the PUK,www.Ekurd.net a member of the cur- cities of Iraqi Kurdistan on 19 May. rent Kurdistan government KRG, has claimed to recognize the cantons. Most KNK said "the only reason for this attack is political", and called attention to main Iraqi Kurdish parties had recognized the autonomous Syrian Kurdistan the fragile process the Middle East and Kurdistan is currently going through. administration, except the KDP. The statement read that; "Historic opportunities have been generated for The leaders of four small Syrian Kurdish parties, affiliated with Iraqi Kurdistan Kurds stronger than ever today, including the opportunity for national unity. Region President Massoud Barzani, and which opposite the ruling PYD party Attacks against national institutions do however stand as dangerous and a in Syrian Kurdistan, have met in Erbil on April 3, 2014 and merged the back step." Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syriawww.Ekurd.net (KDPS) (Al Party), the Underlining that the attack against KNK representative goes contrary to Kurdistan Union Party and two factions of the Kurdistan Freedom Party national interests and serves only enemies, KNK condemned vehemently the (Azadi) and established a new party PDK-S. attack against Kurdish institutions, and urged the KRG to immediately aban- Political experts say Massoud Barzani, sees Syrian Kurdistan as potential don this policy and to release all Kurdish politicians detained in the opera- political competition. tion. Syrian Kurds declared their own autonomous Kurdish region (Western The KDP operation against Kurdish institutions has also been condemned by Kurdistan, Rojava) in November 2013. the Kurdish Democratic Society Congress in Europe (KCD-E) and the Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, firatnews.com | rojavare- Federation of Kurdish Associations in Germany (YEK-KOM). port.wordpress.com | Ekurd.net | kurdpress.ir | Agencies KdP lashes out at syrian Kurdistan's Pyd for “totalitarian” policies

26 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 12, 2014

presence” in the 1990s under pres- sure from the PUK, so as not to provoke Iranian attacks into Iran plays a complex northern Iraq. After the KDPI split in two in 2006, its support appeared to ebb away to Pejak. ejak’s close relationship with game with the Kurds Pthe Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which fought a two- By Gareth Smyth, geography were relatively easy to Sistani, Iraq’s senior Shiite cleric. decade struggle against Turkish May 12, 2014 fortify – and imposed a draconian But Iran was now anxious to forces until a cease-fire last year, www.dailystar.com.lb version of Islamic law. support the Shiite-led order complicates the mix. On the one A senior PUK official told me emerging in Baghdad where the hand, Pejak’s intermittent attacks one look at the map would reveal Iraqi Kurds played a generally on Iranian forces sparked a major n 1993, northeast of Halabja in Ansar al-Islam must have Iranian supportive role. Iranian offensive in the Qandil Inorthern Iraq, I saw a pickup support, especially in moving Tehran recalibrated its efforts mountains inside northern Iraq in truck coming the other way along fighters along the border in fight- in northern Iraq, and relations 2011, and led to Pejak declaring a a mountain road. It was driven by ing the PUK. When I interviewed with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership, truce. a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Sheikh Sadiq Abdul Aziz, the whose rule was consolidated in But on the other hand, some Guard. It was no great surprise. deputy IMK leader, in Halabja in the Kurdistan Regional in the Turkish media allege Amid the detritus and scars of the February 2003, he said the young Government, became more for- Iranian intelligence – especially 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, the bor- men of Ansar al-Islam were “liv- mal. Trade expanded. the Quds arm of the der was porous and a variety of ing in an imaginary world” hav- Nawsherwan Mustapha, then a Revolutionary Guard led by armed men were moving around. ing “learned to act like Osama bin senior PUK official, told me in Qassem Soleimani – liaises close- Tehran was keen to keep a Laden from the Internet and tele- early 2005 that Iran was no longer ly with the PKK in Qandil, and is hand on the Iraqi Kurdish parties vision.” backing Ansar al-Islam. “We can especially concerned to help the who had managed de facto auton- ut for many Ansar al-Islam draw certain conclusions from the PKK offshoot in Syria, the omy since Saddam Hussein had Bmilitants, some of whom had fact that the border area [with Democratic Union Party, which withdrawn his forces in 1991. fought in Afghanistan, the struggle Iran] is quiet,” he said. stands aloof from the Syrian There were also Peshmerga guer- was anything but imaginary. For But at the same time, Kurdish opposition and maintains a rela- rillas of the Kurdistan Washington in early 2003, waging autonomy in Iraq stirred interest tionship with Iran’s ally President Democratic Party of Iran slipping the “war on terror” and preparing among Iran’s own 7-8 million Bashar Assad. into Iran to keep their struggle for the invasion of Iraq, Ansar al- Kurds, and Iran’s deepest concern Iran’s Kurds remain less than autonomy alive. Islam’s real or alleged links to Al- with Kurdish issues had always enthusiastic citizens of the High in the Hawraman Qaeda were a Godsend. Colin been its own population. Islamic Republic. This is a volatile mountains, the “almond villages” Powell, the secretary of state, Within Iran, Kurds were situation in an area where its his- of Biyara and Tawella had once made dramatic allegations of an watching Iraqi Kurdish television tory of relations with Ansar al- been places of summer picnics for Ansar al-Islam poison and explo- stations and celebrating the elec- Islam shows Iran the dangers of families from Halabja, 35 km to sives center at Biyara, and of an tion of a Kurd, Jalal Talabani, as having its fingers burned after the southwest, and the larger city Iraqi agent in its leadership. president of Iraq. But for Iranian stoking others’ fires. of Sulaimaniyah, 95 km west. But Iran was wary. It looked for- Kurds, Mohammad Khatami’s Of those who voted in last the almond trees, like the build- ward to Saddam’s removal but reformist administration had year’ presidential election in Iran’s ings, had not survived years of was uncomfortable over delivered nothing in recognizing Kurdistan province (smaller than battles between Iran and Iraq and American troops so close to the Kurdish language, including the mainly Kurdish region), 70 between Iraq and Kurdish guerril- home, and so opted for a level of in education. Kurds felt they were percent opted for Rouhani. This las. Remaining villagers relied on tacit cooperation with discriminated against in govern- was way above the 51 percent in United Nations food supplies as Washington. ment jobs and investment, and favor across Iran. But it would be they waited the five or six years it In March 2003, U.S. cruise they resented the heavy presence a mistake to see this as an enthu- would take the newly planted missile strikes on Tawella and of the army and Revolutionary siastic endorsement. almond trees to bear fruit. Biyara vaporized bunkers where Guard. Last October, a Pejak attack Halabja – known internation- jihadists manned machine-guns. urnout was low in Kurdish killed five members of the ally for the March 1988 Iraqi But it still took an uphill three-day Tareas as Mahmoud Revolutionary Guard, and when chemical attack in which some ground attack by PUK Ahmadinejad won the 2005 presi- the Iranian authorities subse- 5,000 Kurdish civilians died – was Peshmerga directed by U.S. spe- dential election evoking overtly quently executed a number of already a stronghold of the cial forces and supported by U.S. Shiite themes, especially the antic- Kurdish activists, Abdul Rahman Islamic Movement of Kurdistan, helicopter gunships, to overcome ipated return of the 12th imam Haji Ahmadi, the Pejak leader, and while the mainly Sunni Ansar al-Islam. from occultation. The reformist stressed the group would resume Kurds were never natural allies of Some Ansar fighters crossed candidate Mostafa Moein made and intensify its armed struggle if the Shiite authorities in Tehran, the border, but many perished as little headway with a campaign such executions continued. the following years brought Iran closed it off. One villager that included posters of people in Ahmadi contrasted Rouhani’s Iranian support for Islamic gave me a gruesome account of ethnic, including Kurdish, dress. efforts to “beautify his regime’s groups in this part of Iraq, largely how one jihadist, his leg severed, However successful image abroad” with “the most to keep pressure on the Patriotic bled to death because Iranian Ahmadinejad’s populist Shiism heinous domineering means of Union of Kurdistan, the Iraqi guards wouldn’t let him through. was in much of Iran, it reminded repression inside the country.”J Kurdish faction controlling this Survivors would regroup and the mainly Sunni Kurds of what half of northern Iraq. Ansar al-Islam, or its offshoots, many felt was their second-class Gareth Smyth has reported from the While IMK made peace with carried out some of the worst status. Slowly a new Kurdish Middle East since 1992, and was chief the PUK, a militant offshoot atrocities in the early years of the group, Pejak, extended an armed Iran correspondent of The Financial called Ansar al-Islam in 2001 Iraqi insurgency. Attacks on campaign launched in 2004, step- Times in 2003-2007. He wrote this com- took control of the almond vil- Shiite civilians included killing a ping into a void left by the KDPI mentary for THE DAILY STAR. lages – which given the local senior aid to Ayatollah Ali al- which abandoned its “armed

27 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

^m» Un pays en guerre depuis trois ans

Zones contrôlées par : Zones disputées n° 1228 du 15 au 21 mai 2014 fj~ l'armée régulière l'opposition Jggg Territoires disputés l'Etat islamique en Irak ""'* entle le ré?.ime les kurdes et les rebelles et au levant (EEIL)

(situation en février 2014) C1 Pourquoi TURQUIE Assad ne peut Lattaqu

pasgagner

Alors que le président syrien engrange les succès militaires, la moitié du territoire lui échappe, ses moyens militaires et ses ressources financières se tarissent

SOURCES : -THE WASHINGTON POST". et la majorité des Syriens lui est hostile. ^FRONTLINE". "DER SPIEGEL".

au reste du monde que la guerre antichars avancés. Selon cer¬

Now. Beyrouth nemi et en reconquérant tout le en Syrie était loin d'être termi¬ taines informations, la Maison-

pays. En voici quelques raisons. née. En bref, le régime d'Assad Blanche envisagerait sérieusement

Ily a deux ans, beaucoup pré¬ La première tient à la perte de n'a pas suffisamment d'effectifs de leur fournir aussi des mis¬

disaient la chute imminente contrôle du territoire. Les rebelles pour reprendre la majorité des ter¬ siles sol-air portatifs. Ce type

du régime Assad. Tandis tiennent encore de grands pans ritoires perdus, et il en sera pro¬ de missiles, nommés Manpads

qu'une part grandissante du terri¬ de la Syrie, notamment dans le bablement toujours ainsi. [Man portable air defense systems,

toire syrien échappait au contrôle Nord, où les régions kurdes ont Autre problème : les finances systèmes de défense aérienne

du régime, on aurait pu croire que ' échappé à l'emprise d'Assad. De du régime. s'assèchent. Assad portatifs], peuvent abattre les

les forces rebelles finiraient par même, les organisations djiha- est désormais très dépendant hélicoptères du régime ainsi que

occuper Damas. Ce ne devait plus distes liées à Al-Qaida contrôlent de l'Iran et de la Russie, qui lui des avions volant à basse altitude.

être qu'une question de temps. aujourd'hui de larges zones, dans fournissent les moyens dont il a Ils contribueraient à limiter les

Mais les chances de survie du le nord et le nord-est de la Syrie. besoin pour poursuivre la guerre. effets dévastateurs des bombar¬

régime semblent bien moins incer¬ Même si la situation militaire Malheureusement pour le régime, dements menés par Assad contre

taines depuis qu'Assad a annoncé demeure incertaine, on peut affir¬ une bonne partie des activités éco¬ les forces d'opposition.

sa- candidature pour un nouveau mer sans grand risque d'erreur nomiques qui rapportent est située Enfin, les Etats-Unis dispose¬

mandat de sept ans. Grâce à l'aide qu'une'bonne moitié de la Syrie dans les régions du Nord qu'il ne raient d'un centre de comman¬

du Hezbollah libanais, son allié de est aux mains des rebelles. contrôle plus. Parmi ces actifs,- il dement secret en Jordanie, dirigé

longue date, Assad a remporté une y a les ressources en pétrole et en par des officiers occidentaux et

série de victoires. Il a en particulier Les finances. Vient ensuite gaz, qui pour l'essentiel sont main¬ arabes, qui a intensifié l'entraîne¬

reconquis plusieurs zones d'Alep .la question des effectifs. Même tenant aux mains des rebelles. Si ment des rebelles modérés dans et de la région avoisinante, tout avec le soutien du Hezbollah, l'ar¬ la Syrie n'a.jamais été un grand le sud de la Syrie, ainsi que les

en repoussant les rebelles loin de mée d'Assad continue à manquer producteur de pétrole, le pays approvisionnements en armes.

Damas. Peut-être plus important de moyens. Ses offensives sont ' a tout de même extrait environ Certes, le soutien accru des Etats1

encore, Assad est parvenu dans capables de vaincre les rebelles 339 000 barils par jour en 2011, Unis ne permettra pas à l'oppo¬

une large mesure à récupérer la lors de batailles comme celle ce qui a rapporté des milliards de sition de renverser Assad, mais il

région de Qalamoun, dans le sud- de Qalamoun, mais la zone des dollars au régime Assad. Cette lui donnera une meilleure capa¬

ouest de la Syrie, et a reprendre combats ne cesse de se déplacer. source de revenus n'existe pra¬ cité de résistance.

la ville de Homs. Cela revient àjouer au chat et à la tiquement plus. Si l'Iran a sou¬ Enfin, et peut-être est-ce l'as¬

Une fois qu'Assad aura atteint souris avec les rebelles. De fait, au tenu le régime Assad à coups de pect le plus important, la démo¬

ce but, la route entre Damas et moment précis où l'armée d'Assad milliards de dollars, les Iraniens graphie de la Syrie joue très

Homs sera rouverte, si bien que reprenait enfin le contrôle de la eux-mêmes connaissent des dif¬ nettement en défaveur d'Assad-.

les territoires alaouites [de la côte région de Qaiamoun, une offen¬ ficultés financières. La minorité alaouite, qui consti¬

méditerranéenne] seront de nou¬ sive djihadiste lancée à partir de tue l'épine dorsale du régime (y

veau rattachés à Damas. Le prési¬ la Turquie a fait une percée dans "Assistance létale". Qu'en compris ses unités militaires les

dent syrien reprend confiance. Il les territoires alaouites. Lattaquié, est-il de l'aide américaine ? Après plus aguerries), ne représente que'

affirme que le conflit est désormais principal port du pays, était dès bien des débats, il semble que le 10 à 12 % de la population syrienne,

"à un tournant" et que le gouver¬ lors à la portée des roquettes gouvernement Obama fournisse alors que les rebelles, essentiel¬

nement "est en train de gagner la rebelles, et les djihadistes s'em¬ une "assistance létale" [c'est-à- lement sunnites, forment envi¬

guerre contre le terrorisme". Malgré . paraient d'une partie, petite mais dire des armes] à l'opposition ron 60 à 70 % de la population.

les récents succès d'Assad, il est symbolique, de la côte méditerra¬ syrienne, et selon de nombreux Autant dire qu'Assad a la démo¬

fort peu probable que le régime néenne de la Syrie. Si bien qu'on témoignages, des armes sont effec¬ graphie contre lui.

arrive à gagner la guerre, du moins a pu voir des images de rebelles tivement parvenues aux rebelles Joshua Cohen

au sens classique, en écrasant l'en qui priaient sur le sable, rappelant modérés, notamment des missiles Publié le 28 avril

28 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

LE FIGARO jeudi 15 mai 2014

A

'/.. Mer Noire -A Istanbul - ^* ~

Effffll s Ankara

£ r: TURQUIE ml3i

$. > I \ .

Mer Méditerranée

M. Erdogan a donc promis une « une À la recherche d'un proche, une femme regarde le corps d'un mineur mort remonté à enquête approfondie ». la surface par les secouristes, mercredi à Soma. Mais il a-tenté de mettre l'accident sur

le compte de la fatalité, citant en exemple

les accidents au Royaume-Uni au XIXe

siècle ou celui de Courrières, dans le Pas- En Turquie, la de-Calais, en 1906. «Les accidents au travail arriventpartout dans le monde » a- t-il déploré. Surtout en Turquie, en fait. L'Organisation internationale du tra¬ tragédie minière vail la classe au troisième rang mondial des pays ayant le taux le plus élevé de mortalité au travail. 1235 personnes ont perdu la vie dans le cadre de leur emploi l'an dernier selon le député de l'opposi¬ vire au scandale tion, Arkan Akçay. C'est la face sombre du décollage économique -turc de la dé¬ cennie qui vient de s'écouler. Les accidents miniers à cause de politique conditions de sécurité défaillantes sont très fréquents et en augmentation ces dernières années. Le parlementaire as¬ sure que l'immense majorité des 5000 La mort de presque 300 personnes dans accidents du travail recensés dans le dis¬ trict de Samo en 2013 ont eu.lieu dans une explosion déclenche une polémique des mines. Hier, un travailleur était éga¬ lement bloqué au fond d'une mine clan¬ sur la sécurité dans les mines de charbon. destine dans la région de la Mer Noire suite à un effondrement.

Il y a deux semaines pourtant, les dé¬ Istanbul où des milliers de personnes putés du Parti de la justice et du déve¬ LAURE MARCHAND convergeaient vers la place de Taksim. ISTANBUL loppement (AKP), au pouvoir, ont refusé Les syndicats ont appelé à la grève géné¬ une commission d'enquête, demandée rale ce jeudi pom- protester contre cette par l'ensemble des partis de l'opposi¬ CATASTROPHE Les trois jours de deuil catastrophe minière. tion, sur la sécurité dans les mines du national décrétés et l'annulation de tou¬ En fin de journée, le bilan s'élevait déjà pays. Celle où s'est produit le drame ali¬ tes les compétitions sportives ce week- à 274 morts. Il risquait de s'alourdir dans mentait d'ailleurs leurs craintes car les end ne suffiront pas à masquer le scan¬ les hemes à venir tant les chances de re¬ accidents recensés s'}' succédaient à une dale politique qui se dessine derrière la trouver des mineurs eri vie se réduit. Le cadence inquiétante. plus grande catastrophe de l'histoire court-circuit dans un transformateur Dans une interview au quotidien minière de la Turquie et à calmer la colè¬ qui semble être à l'origine de l'explosion Hiimyeten 2012, Alp Giukan, le PDG de re qui grossit. Le premier ministre turc a s'est produit mardi après-midi et la mort Soma Holding, se félicitait d'y avoir été pris à- partie par des habitants à son' par- asphyxie d'éventuels survivants est drastiquement réduit les coûts de pro¬ arrivée mercredi après-midi à Soma, désormais la plus grande crainte. Au duction : divisés par plus de cinq, de¬ dans l'Ouest du pays, où s'est produit moins 132 personnes étaient toujours- puis que l'exploitation était gérée selon l'accident. Recep Tayyip Erdogan a bloquées dans les galeries à plusieurs « les méthodes du privé ». dû se réfugier momentanément centaines de mètre de profondeur, selon Les syndicats mettent en cause la dans une supérette . les autorités. proximité de la maison mère avec le Dans la soirée, des manifestants appe¬ Accidents fréquents gouvernement.' Qui fournirait, selon laient à la démission du gouvernement eux, les sacs de charbon distribués gra¬ dans plusieurs villes du pays. Les forces Déjà confronté à une fronde sans précé¬ tuitement à la population par le parti de Tordre ont violemment dispersé des dent au printemps dernier, le gouverner islamo -conservateur en périodes élec¬ rassemblements et ont procédé à des di¬ ment a bien conscience du risque politi¬ torales. zaines d'interpellations, notamment à que. Le drame a réveillé la colère sociale.

29 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

îtMmât Jeudi 15 mai 2014 En Syrie, le régime cible les hôpitaux dans les zones aux mains des rebelles

our la première fois depuis le cï*^-J Ê£ début du conflit en Syrie, un

rapport met en lumière,

dates et chiffres à l'appui, l'entrepri¬ se de destruction du système de

santé syrien mise en par le

régime Assad, dans lé cadre de sa

stratégie d'éradication de l'insur¬

rection. Publiée mercredi 14 mai

. par l'ONG américaine Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), cette étu¬ de dénombre 150 attaques, perpé¬ il trées entre mars 2011 et mars 2014, ,t contredes structures ou des profes¬ sionnels du système médical 4 :\ * v syrien. Etayée par des sources mul¬

tiples et notamment des vidéos,

l'enquête démontre que ces -> assauts, responsables de la mort

d'au moins 468 médecins, infir¬ .* *

miers, brancardiers et pharma¬

ciens, ont été commis à 9 o % par les y'*" i

forces gouvernementales.

Le rapport ne prétend pas à l'ex-

haustivité. Ses auteurs, qui n'ont .

pas pu corroborer de nombreuses

allégations d'attaques, notam¬

ment contre les cliniques de fortu¬

ne mises en place par l'opposition, Dar Al-Chifa, à Alep, bombardé à plusieurs reprises par l'aviation syrienne en 2012. j manzano/afp subodorent que le nombre total de

coups portés au réseau de santé Le rapport de PHR s'articule emparés des quartiers orientaux. Askar et Ansari. Selon PHR, de tous syrienest largement supérieuraux autour d'une carte interactive, par- La banque de sang de la ville a été les établissements de santé de l'est

150 cas dûment recensés. L'intérêt ticulièrementinstructive. La locali¬ l'une des premières structures d'Alep, seuls quatre centres de peti¬

du travail de PHR réside dans le fait sation des attaques, leur chronolo¬ médicales visées. Puis l'hôpital te enfance et cinq cliniques spécia¬ qu'il lève toute ambiguïté sur la gie, les cibles visées et les armes Dar-Al-Chifa, l'un des principaux lisées en traumatologie sont enco¬

politique de la terrebrûlée adoptée employées racontent la graduelle de cette métropole de 2,5 millions re en activité.

. de manière délibérée par les autori¬ intensification du conflit syrien et Le diagnostic n'est pas moins tés de Damas. Vingt hôpitaux ont la descente aux enfers d'un pays L'étude de Physicians dramatique dans la banlieue de étébombardés à de multiples repri¬ tout entier. C'est au début de Fan- Damas/une autre place forte de la ses, jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient obligés née 2012, à Homs, alors que là révo¬ for Human Rights rébellion, soumise à des frappes de fermerleurs portes. Le fait qu'au lution se militarise peu à peu et dénombre quasi quotidiennes. Vingt-quatre moins vingt-quatre des bâtiments qu'une partie de la ville bascule du des quarante-quatre cliniques de la touchés soient situés à l'écart côté des rebelles, que l'armée 150 attaques, région et trois des six hôpitaux d'autres constructions prouve, syrienne commence à bombarder perpétrées entre mars publics sont hors service. Le camp selon l'ONG américaine, « le carac¬ les hôpitaux. En janvier, février et de réfugiés palestiniens de Yar-

tère intentionnel » des attaques. mars de cette année, plusieurs 2011 et mars 2014 mouk, assiégé par l'armée syrien¬

« Ce qui se passe.en Syrie est du d'entre eux sont touchés par des ne, ne compte plus qu' une pharma¬

-, jamais-vu, explique Susannah Sir- tirs d'obus et de roquettes, notam¬ d'habitants, a été bombardé. Une cie en activité, alors qu'il en abritait kin, la directrice du département ment à Baba Amro, l'un des bas¬ première fois en août, une deuxiè¬ plus d'une centaine avant la guerre.

international de PHR. On sait tions de la révolte. me en octobre et une troisième en Le rapport impute dix attaques

qu'en temps de conflit la neutralité Cette politique s'est amplifiée à novembre. Même acharnement aux brigades rebelles, la première des structures.de santé est souvent Alep, à partir de juillet 2012, date à sur les hôpitaux Omar-Ben-Abde- d'entre elles ayant été commise en violée. On l'a constaté, par exem¬ laquelle les anti-Assad se sont laziz, Zahi-Azrak, Jaban, Kadi- mars 2013, signe de la lente radicali- ple, à Sarajevo, au Darfour ou en sation de l'opposition.

Somalie. Mais la manière systéma- . M. Fabius accuse Damas d'utiliser des armes chimiques PHR appelle à l'entrée immédia¬ tique avec laquelle le régime syrien te de convois humanitaires dans

bombarde ses hôpitaux et tue ses Le régime syrien a réutilisé des déclaré lors d'une conférence de les secteurs tenus par la rébellion,

médecins est unique dans l'histoire armes toxiques, en violation de presse, à Washington. A la sortie en application de la résolution

des trente dernières années.» l'accord sur le démantèlement de son entretien avec le secrétai¬ 2139 du Conseil de sécurité des

Selon les décomptes de PHR, au de son arsenal chimique, a affir¬ re d'Etat John Kerry, M. Fabius Nations unies, restée quasi-lettre

mois de mars 2014, près de la moi¬ mé, mardi 13 mai, à Washington, est par ailleurs revenu sur les morte depuis son vote en février.

tié des hôpitaux syriens et 93 % le ministre français des affaires frappes contre la Syrie prévues à L'ONG réclame aussi la saisine de

des ambulances du pays avaient étrangères, Laurent Fabius. l'été 2013 et qui avaient été annu¬ la Cour pénale internationale,

été endommagés, détruits ou mis « Nous avons au moins 14 élé¬ lées par le président Barak Oba- pour éviter que les violations des

hors service. « Il s'agit d'une viola¬ ments qui montrent que des ma : «Nous le regrettons parce lois de la guerre perpétrées par le

tion flagrante des conventions de armes chimiques (...) ont été utili¬ que nous pensons que ça aurait régime Assad ne deviennent « une

Genève et d'un crime contre l'hu¬ sées, notamment du chlore, changé beaucoup de choses, à nouvelle norme ». m

manité», accuse Mme Sirkin. depuis le 25octobre 2013», a-t-il beaucoup d'égards. » Benjamin Barthi

30 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Dimanche 18 - Lundi 19 mai 2014 CANNES : Mille et une images de Syrie, et un miracle

Wiam Simav Bedirxan

et Ossama Mohammed -F-

ont réalisé leur film, l'une à Homs, l'autre à Paris.

PHILIPPE QUAISSE/PASCO POUR « LE MONDE ):

n.»

1 «ïi*»i / I

Omar filmé par Wiam Simav Bedirxan, à Homs. bedir xan

les amis restés au pays lui décon¬ Durant les onze mois qui sui¬ Jamais « séance 'spéciale » Eau argentée, seillent d'utiliser son billet de vent cette première prise àe n'aura donc à ce point mérité son Syrie autoportrait retour. Le cinéaste s'installe alors à contact, Ossama Mohammed nom. D'abord, le film est un incon¬ Paris. consacre tout son temps à deux testable chef-d' Ensuite, il Sélection officielle En février 2012, alors que nous choses essentielles. Il répond à vient de Syrie, pays dont le marty¬ Séances spéciales le rencontrons pour évoquer avec Simav et discute avec elle des par¬ re, toujours en cours sous nos lui le mouvement de résistance tis pris du film. Il collecte égale¬ yeux qui se détournent, est une Vendredi 16 mai, 17 heures et artistique et populaire à l'oppres¬ plaie vive qui entaille l'humanité ment sur YouTube le maximum des poussières, salle du tout entière. Son auteur, Ossama d'images du conflit, de toutes origi¬ Soixantième. On y donne sion, Ossama Mohammed est un Mohammed, 60 ans, réfugié à nes et de toute nature, réfléchit à la un film nommé Eau argentée, homriie mis à vif par la langueur Paris depuis 2011, l'a côréalisé à dis¬ manière de les sélectionner et de Syrie autoportrait. Les «(réalisa¬ de l'exil, vibrant corps et âme pour tance avec une Syrienne de Homs teurs, tapis dans la pénombre des la révolution en cours. les organiser. de 35 ans inconnue de lui, Wiam On retrouve ces deux maté¬ marches qui mènent à la salle, Deux ans plus tard, quelques Simav Bedirxan, qui a filmé le quo¬ riaux distincts dans le film, dont il attendent qu'onles appelle sur scè¬ jours avant le début de ce Festival tidien de la ville assiégée depuis faudrait tout de même bien dire ne. Lui est replet, une barbe grise de Cannes, nous le retrouvons trois ans. Et voici que la récente red¬ un mot. Car si l'histoire qui l'a fait mange son visage aux yeux brû¬ durement accablé par le cours de dition de la « capitale de la révolu¬ lants, il porte une chemise blan- l'Histoire syrienne, mais en même naître est bouleversante, le film, tion », quelques jours avant le Fes¬ che; Elle est d'une beauté vulnéra¬ temps heureux d'avoir pu mener joyau noir extrait du désastre, ne tival de Cannes, rend soudain pos¬ ble et fiévreuse, semble au bord de à bien son combat personnel : « Cet¬ l'est pas moins. Deux périodes y sible leur rencontre. La jeune fem¬ l'épuisement, a jeté une étole rou¬ te révolution s'estfaite aussipar les sont lisibles, retraçant l'évolution me,, très affaiblie, a été conduite chronologique du conflit. ge sur sa robe noire. Ils se tiennent images. Elle a été, de manière inédi¬ jusqu'en Turquie, et a atterri ven¬ La première partie est, comme comme des enfants, les visages te, une guerre des images qui a dredi matin à l'aéroport de Nice disent les Anglo-Saxons, unfound tout proches. Elle est blottie dans mobilisé les deux camps. En tant pourprésenter le film dans l'après- ses bras, il l'enlace, lui caresse que cinéaste, je devais en prendre footage, un pur film de montage midi. collecté dans les archives aléatoi¬ paternellement les cheveux. Dans acte. J'ai longtemps cherché, jus¬ Cette histoire magnifique, par¬ la salle, où des spectateurs avertis qu'au jour où j'ai reçu, à la Noël res de YouTube, qui retrace les ce qu'à la fois tragique et miracu¬ connaissent leur histoire, l'émo¬ 2011, parFacebook, lepremiercour¬ débuts fervents de la protestation leuse, pourrait faire l'objet d'un tion n'est pas moins intense. I) rier de cette jeunefemme, Simav, puis le durcissement d'un conflit film hollywoodiendont on stigma¬ faut dire que ce couple, voici enco¬ dans lequel elle me disait qu'elle qui tourne rapidement à la barba¬ tiserait l'invraisemblance. Elle est rie. Le cinéaste ne s'interdit pas d'y re quelques heures, n'avait jamais avait décidé defilmerpour ne pas pourtant telle que le hasard et la été mis en présence. mourir, en. me demandant des montrer le pire : des images de tor¬ nécessité l'ont rendue possible. conseils. Ce messagea étépourmoi ture prises par les sbires du pou¬ Tout commence à ce même Festi¬ voir pour terroriser l'ennemi. L'auteur, réfugié un moment de vérité, j'ai compris val de Cannes, le samedi 14 mai que c'était une opportunité artisti¬ Il y a cette pensée profondé¬ à Paris depuis 2011, l'a 2011. Ce jour-là, alors que le conflit que qui nous était offerte et aufur ment enracinée chez Ossama monte en puissance en Syrie, Ossa-. Mohammed que le cinéma peut côréalisé à distance et à mesure que nous échangions, ma Mohammed est invité par la chaque message pouvant aussi tout montrer et, partant, tout sau¬ avec une Syrienne Quinzaine des réalisateurs à parti¬ bien être le dernier, j'ai compris que ver, jusqu'aux images de l'abjec¬ ciper à un débat portant sur le ciné¬ tion. Il y a cette idée, aussi, que tou¬ d'Homsde35ans lefilm, c'était nous deux, et à tra¬ ma sous la dictature. Tempéra¬ vers nous deux et les images de te image enregistrée, quel qu'en inconnue de lui ment lyrique au verbe de feu, il n'y Simav, le peuple syrien tout soit l'auteur, doit être inscrite mâche pas ses mots, au point que entier. » dans ce film, qui veut témoigner

31 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

de ce que fut - dans la joie et dans présence en absence, Simav (« eau essentiel: «Je suis partie à Alep le sang, dans l'espoiret dans l'aban¬ argentée ») qui donne son nom à acheter une caméra que j'aifait Simav, enfermée don, dans l'héroïsme et dans l'infa¬ ce film dont on aura compris qu'il entrer clandestinement à Homs, mie - la grande tragédie collective à Homs, qui filme est le tombeau de la souffrance j'ai contacté Ossama, etje me suis syrienne. Ainsi s'explique son inci- syrienne, le cri des morts sans voix mise afilmer sanspouvoir m'arrê- enfants vivants pit: «C'est unfilm de mille et une qui nous regardent désormais au ter. Même en dormant, je tendis la et enfants morts avec fond des yeux. caméra. Je crois que si j'ai survécu, images prises par mille et un Simav qui grimpe enfin, soute¬ c'estgrâce à cette caméra : elle était Syriens etSyriennes, et moi. » Ainsi la même douleur nu par son partenaire, sur la scène comme un c qui battait, et se comprend, d'emblée, l'enchaî¬ et la même tendresse du Festival de Cannes, et le couple, Ossama à Paris était le cordon nement des deux premières suffoqué d'émotion, qui n'a la for¬ ombilical qui me reliait à la vie. » séquences : la naissance d'un bébé ce de rien dire, devant une salle qui Diffusion sur Arte au mois de sep¬ par temps de guerre, aussitôt sui¬ nitude, et l'horreur et la beauté. n'a pas la force de lui répondre. tembre, et sortie salle sérieuse¬ vie du corps recroquevillé d'un Film baudelairien donc, qui s'em¬ Moment rarissime, même à Can¬ ment envisagée par le producteur adolescenthumilié et torturé dans pare de l'informe (le chaos voyeu- nes. Serge Lalou au vu de l'émotion can¬ une cave. Que raccordent ces deux riste de YouTube, la barbarie de la Passée en quelques heures du noise.* images ? La nudité des corps, le répression) et l'élève à un haut Jacques Mandelbaum dénuement humain, le désir d'un degré de célébration cinématogra¬ carnage syrien à la promenade can¬ film total,- enlevé de la naissance à phique. noise, la jeune femme, exténuée, Film syrien d'Ossama Mohammed la mort, de l'innocence à l'ignomi¬ Le deuxième temps du film se nous accorde pourtant quelques et Wiam Simav Bedirxan (lh32). nie. fixe dans Homs assiégée. Fin de la instants. Rien d'évident. D'autant Sortie'en salles.non .communiquée. Et c'est la seule facture de ce guerre de mouvement, début de que la jeune femme est absolu^

film - telle une grande rêverie élé- l'enlisement, isolement de la résis¬ ment désarmante. Son seul désir,

giaque et carnassière, écarquillée tance, faim et massacre organisés, dit-elle, est «de retourner au plus de beauté et d'horreur - qui rend bombardements quotidiens, préfi¬ vite en Syrie », son seul message en tolerable ce parti pris. La voixblan¬ guration du tableau final d'apoca¬ venant à Cannes aura consisté à

che du cinéaste, les .cartons chapi¬ lypse. Ici éclate unautrefilm, nour¬ clamer «le droit pour chaque trés, les fondus au noir, les coupes ri des seules images de Wiam Syrien d'habiter sa terre en paix».

du son et les décharges de cou¬ Simav Bedirxan. Simav n'a été militante d'aucun leurs, lès effets de fragmentation Simavenfermée à Homs, quifil¬ parti, ne s'est engagée dans aucun et de décomposition, les failles de me enfants vivants et enfants combat. Elle qui « en tantque fem¬

l'encodage numérique, la musi¬ morts avec la même douleur et la me, en tant que non voilée et en

que déchirante de Noma Omran, même tendresse, Simav qui conti¬ tantque Kurde » n'a jamais trouvé tout ce qui en somme attaque l'in¬ nue Rembrandt et Soutine dans sa place dans la société syrienne,

tégrité de l'image, et lui permet ces animaux écorchés au regard n'a cherché qu'à se rendre utile

paradoxalement de montrer, sans qui vrille, Simav. qui se fait le bras aux victimes.

l'obscénité qui s'attache à cette plé- armé du cinéaste-poète devenu Filmer lui est ainsi devenu

International Jîirtu jjorkfinies TUESDAY, MAY 20, 2014

Reported Syria deaths rise by 10,000 in just weeks

deaths. provided rare estimates of the toll BEIRUT, LEBANON Journalists, aid workers and others among pro-government forces: cur¬ trying to gather and verify information rently 61,170 Syrians, including 37,685 Rights group puts tally face multiple barriers, including bom¬ from the military and 23,485 from pro- at 162,000 victims bardments, battles and kidnappings, as government militias. well as the combatants' efforts to sup¬ The observatory also said that it had across 3-year conflict press unfavorable information. Social tallied 438 dead from Hezbollah, the media provide a flood of information ac¬ Lebanese militia fighting on the govern¬ cessible from afar, but also mix propa¬ ment side, which has not cited a figure BY ANNE BARNARD ganda with fact. for its own losses. And the observatory The death toll in the three-year Syrian The observatory's director, Rami Ab¬ said that 1,224 non-Syrian, pro-govern¬ conflict has risen to about 162,000, an in¬ dul Rahman, says that his group counts ment fighters had also died. Iraqi and crease of more than 10,000 in less than only deaths verified by two independent other foreign fighters, most of. them two months, according to ah antigov- sources: Mr. Abdul Rahman, a Syrian Shiite Muslims, have flocked to the gov¬

ernment monitoring group that is one of shopkeeper who lives in Coventry, Eng¬ ernment side,, much as foreign Sunnis the few organizations still trying to keep land, fled his country in 2000 after asso¬ have joined the insurgents, as the war

an exact count. ciates were arrested for political activ¬ takes on regional sectarian overtones* . The group, the. Syrian Observatory ism. He and his methodology have been The observatory said that 42,701 anti- for Human Rights, which is based in criticized by the Syrian government and government fighters had been killed, in¬ Britain and operates through a network also by the government's opponents, cluding more than 13,500 from jihadist of about 200 contacts across Syria, put something Mr. Abdul Rahman says he groups like the Nusra Front and the Is¬ the death toll at slightly more than takes as an indication that he is on the lamic State of Iraq and Syria, both of 150,000 at the beginning of April. It says right track. which are affiliated with Al Qaeda. It the current figure includes 53,978 civil¬ . At the same time, he says, no one can has also documented more than 2,000 ians, among them 8,607 children. claim to know "the entire reality.' ' deaths of people whose names and affil¬ The United Nations stopped updating Mr. Abdul Rahman says he' has con¬ iations could not be determined.

its Syria death toll early this year, citing tacts, among government supporters The conflict has also displaced nearly

the growing difficulty of verifying and the security forces, and has half the country's population.

32 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 15, 2014 Israel, U.S. import disputed crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan The Iraqi government has repeatedly said oil sales bypassing Baghdad are illegal and has threatened to sue any company involved in the trade.

By Julia Payne and towards even greater autonomy. Ron Bousso - Reuters | Tensions reached a new pitch this May 15, 2014 week after Kurdistan's president said Iraq had been led in an LONDON, - Israeli and U.S. oil authoritarian direction by Prime refineries have joined the gro- Minister Nuri al-Maliki and wing list of customers for crude threatened to end the region's from Iraqi Kurdistan, a region participation in the federal locked in a bitter struggle with government. the central government in The deals involve major interna- Baghdad that says the sales are tional commodity traders, inclu- illegal. ding Trafigura, one of the top The United States imported its three oil traders in the world, tra- first crude cargo from the region ding and shipping sources said. two weeks ago while at least four A spokeswoman for Trafigura have gone to Israel since January, declined to comment. ship tracking and industry sources said, after two were ship- The sales come as the KRG and America. simply stored, sources said. ped there last summer. Baghdad aim to complete long- The tanker Marinoula discharged Geneva-based trading company running negotiations over a pipe- The Iraqi government has repea- around 265,000 barrels of heavy Mocoh lifted Shaikan crude from line Arbil built to Turkey to cir- tedly said oil sales bypassing sour Iraqi Shaikan crude oil at Dortyol in Turkey on the Baltic cumvent the central government Baghdad are illegal and has the Oiltanking terminal in Commodore, which arrived in monopoly. threatened to sue any company Houston on May 1, shipping Ashkelon in Israel on Jan. 31, involved in the trade, yet Kurdish Arbil began pumping crude sources said and Reuters AIS market sources and ship-tracking crude and light condensate oil through to the Turkish port of Live ship tracking showed. showed. has been sold to several Ceyhan on the Mediterranean in The identity of the buyer was An official at the company said European buyers. Baghdad January but stopped short of sel- unclear as the terminal is connec- that "Israeli refineries are not refuses to sell oil to Israel, ling it, under the threat of budget ted to 23 refining, production necessarily using this crude," but echoing other Arab states. cuts from Baghdad. and storage facilities scattered declined to elaborate. Israel's Energy Ministry declined Storage tanks are now nearly full between the Gulf Coast and Trafigura sent a cargo of Kurdish to comment, saying that it does with 2.4 million barrels, trading Cushing, Oklahoma. crude to Israel on the Hope A not discuss the country's sources and shipping sources close to the The crude was loaded by trading tanker, which went first to of oil. matter said. Exports of this oil company Petraco at the Delta Ashkelon and then to Haifa bet- could start as early as later this A senior Iraqi oil ministry official Rubis terminal at Dortyol in ween Feb 10-15. month. said Baghdad had no information Turkey, one of two ports that The Kriti Jade loaded Kurdish on the sales but was investiga- Tracking Shipments export Kurdish oil, the sources crude in Turkey and then sailed ting. Iraqi Kurdistan began selling its said. The company declined to to Ashkelon on March 3 and then comment. "If these reports are correct, then oil independently of the federal Haifa a few days later, the dire consequences will be inevita- government in 2012 with a small At least four cargoes laden with sources and ship-tracking sho- ble," the Iraqi oil official said. trickle of condensate trucked Kurdish crude went to Israel wed. through Turkey, followed by two since the start of this year. "This is a seriously dangerous The second tanker, Kriti Sea, types of crude oil. Trading sources said that Israel's development. We have always picked up Kurdish oil around Oil Refineries Limited's (ORL) warned the region to stop smug- Baghdad says only its state oil March 5. The vessel then ancho- plant at Haifa ran some of it. gling Iraqi crude by trucks to company is authorised to sell red off Limassol, Cyprus but did Turkey...and now if this is proved Iraqi crude, but both sides claim Paz Oil Company, owner of a refi- not discharge crude. Petraco lif- true then they are going too far." the constitution is on their side nery near Ashdod, bought at least ted both cargoes. and with a crucial hydrocarbon two cargoes within the last 9 An official of Kurdistan's Instead it left still laden and law stuck in draft mode, there is months, traders said. Ministry of Natural Resources tracking was switched off bet- room to manoeuvre. said from the region's capital A spokesman for ORL said "ORL ween May 17-20 near the Israeli Arbil: "The Kurdish Regional A Turkish company called purchases its crude oil from diffe- coast. When it reappeared, still Government (KRG) has not sold Powertrans is the broker for the rent sources in accordance with close to Israel, the tanker was crude directly or indirectly to Kurdish government, selling the the refinery's needs and market empty. such destinations." oil via tenders to traders. Much of conditions." JJJ the crude has gone to Trieste, The stakes are high as A spokeswoman for Paz denied Italy while the condensate has Kurdistan's independent oil sales the plant had used Kurdish gone to France, Germany, the allow it to receive income outside crude. Netherlands and even Latin Baghdad's budget, pushing it Some Kurdish oil has also been

33 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 15 May 2014

better ties with the ethnic-Iranians (the Kurds) in Kurdistan region, Kurdish History and Language therefore instead of opening one consulate, Iran opened two consu- lates in Erbil and Sulaimani,” the according to Iran Draws KRG article stated. It went on to outline the A meeting numerous red lines that the Kurds Protest between must not cross in order to have Iranian and good relations with Iran. It clari- 15 may 2014 fied that the territorial integrity of rudaw.net Kurdish officials: Iraq is Iran’s main strategy, while maintaining ties with Erbil. ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Photo: DFR.KRG “If the Kurdish activities were The Kurdistan Region’s directed towards increasing their Department of Foreign Relations options and creating the atmos- (DFR) summoned Iran’s acting phere to secede from Iraq, then consul general in Erbil to answer Kurdish relations with Iran will for an article that appeared on a suffer. But the ties will become consular website, describing Iran The statement, posted last consul in Erbil. The DFR deman- stronger if the Kurds choose to as the “motherland” of the Kurds, week, also referred to the Kurdish ded an official clarification by the increase their strength within the calling the Kurdish language a Republic of Mahabad as the Iranian government. Iraqi framework and become true “dialect” and making other refe- “short-lived Communist govern- “These are not the policies or partners in the Iraqi central rences considered insulting to ment.” It added that, “some the stance of the Islamic Republic government,” said the article. Kurds. groups, which are considered of Iran,” said Bawafa. But the It also advised that the Kurds Mohsen Bawafa, Iran’s acting Kurdish extremists by the Iranian KRG demanded that he convey must refrain from talking about a consul general in Erbil, was sum- authorities, want to use the Erbil’s protest to concerned offi- united Kurdish homeland. moned by DFR head Fallah Kurdish Republic to construct cials in Tehran. According to the article, the Mustafa and spokesman Safin their own nation, culture, lan- A large portion of the article Iranian Kurdish parties have cau- Dizayee, to answer for the com- guage and history.” shed light on the bilateral ties bet- sed instability inside Iran, and ments that appeared in an article It also called the Kurdish lan- ween Iran and the KRG, illustra- urged the KRG to ban them. posted on the website of the guage a dialect: “Kurdish is not a ting Iran’s role in supporting and “Iran demands the banning of Iranian consulate in Sulaimani. language, but a dialect of the enhancing the struggle of the activities of the Kurdish political The article, which tells the many Persian languages, which Kurds for freedom in Iraq. groups from Iran, because these history of Iranian-Kurdish rela- has been created through mixing “The Iranian monarch stop- groups have caused instability in tions from a purely Iranian point Arabic, Turkish, and Persian lan- ped his support to the Kurds in the cities across the borders with of view, referred to the Kurds as guages.” Iraq, but the Iranian revolution in Iran, and if KRG prohibits these “ethnic minorities in Iraq, Turkey, The Kurdistan Regional 1979 has been a pivotal point in groups, then Iran will trust the and Syria,” while mentioning Iran Government (KRG) said Tuesday reviving the ties with the Kurds in Kurdistan region more.” I as “their true great house and that an official protest had been Iraq,” said the article. motherland.” conveyed to the acting general “In 1991, Iran wanted to form

18 May 2014

population of around 5.2 million, according to the latest estimates by the autonomous Kurdish administration in Northern Iraq. Top Kurdish Relations between Baghdad and the Kurdish administration have been strained for years. Bones of contentions include the annual state budget, oil exports MP demands Iraq and relations with the central government in Baghdad. The Kurdish region of northern Iraq is believed to have one of the largest untapped oil reserves in the world, with more than 45 billion bar- confederation rels of oil according to some estimates. Relations between Baghdad and the Kurdish In November 2013, the Kurdish administration signed an agree- administration have been strained for years ment that would enable Kurdish oil to flow to Turkey's port of Ceyhan. Baghdad opposed the agreement on the ground of bypassing the By Aref Youssef, 18 May 2014 country’s national oil company, State Oil Marketing Company, and vio- http://www.aa.com.tr lating Iraq’s constitution. For months, Irbil and Baghdad have been embroiled in a row over AGHDAD - A top Iraqi Kurdish lawmaker has urged the newly elec- oil revenues shares. Bted parliament to change the constitution to pave the way for the "There is a pressing need for a tangible political change," Tayfour creation of an Iraq confederation. said. "The new parliament must recognize the reality on the ground." "The House of Representatives needs to amend the constitution to Despite security concerns, more than 12 million Iraqis went to the allow a confederation because it is the ideal solution for Iraq's pro- polls on April 30 in the first parliamentary elections since the 2011 U.S. blems," Deputy Parliament Speaker Aref Tayfour said in a statement on withdrawal, registering an unexpected 60 percent voter turnout. Sunday. Official voting results are expected to be announced on May 25. "This [demand] is the right of the Kurdish people who have suffe- Incumbent Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is seeking a third J red for decades under successive totalitarian regimes," he added. term in office despite fierce opposition from many, particularly Sunnis. Kurds are Iraq's second largest ethnic group after Arabs, with a

34 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti KUrds state KirKUK annex to region a www.ekurd.net Precondition to attend in new iraqi government may 21, 2014 News in brief : erbil: The Iraqi Kurds have stated they will attend in the new government of the region if the northern province of Kirkuk is annexed to the autonomous self-ruling region, Wakh News agency said. Kurds believe agreement and iran arrests three KUrds over mahaBad cooperation is needed to form the new government, but Kurdistani Alliance BomBing will not attend in the new government unless the Article 140 is implemen- ted, Gas and Oil Law is ratified, Kirkuk and Khanaqin are annexed to the may 18, 2014 region and the postponed salaries of the Peshmarga forces are paid, a mem- mahabad: State says suspects linked to Kurdish separatists arrested in city ber of the Kurdish alliance Borhan Faraj told a news conference Tuesday. He where 12 died in 2010 attack on military parade. Iranian authorities have further warned about problems in forming the new government like the arrested three suspects over the deadly bombing of a military parade in troubles in forming former governments and reiterated considering the 2010, the state news agency has reported. The IRNA on Sunday said the demands of the Kurds and answering their requests are necessary for coali- arrests were made in the Kurdish city of Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan region tion and attending in the to-be-established government. kurdpress.ir (Rojhelat), where 12 spectators were killed and dozens injured in the September 2010 bombing. The report did not identify those arrested but said they were affiliated to Koumaleh, a Kurdish armed group which has syria Pro-KUrdish coUncil asKs been fighting Iranian forces for decades. Iran arrested several people shortly oPPositions to confirm KUrds’ rights after the attack, variously reporting that they were working with "Zionists", may 21, 2014 the United States and Baathists loyal to the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein. Mahabad was the capital of a short-lived Soviet-backed "Republic of The Syrian pro-Kurdish Patriotic Council asked the opposition coalition of the Kurdistan" in 1946, which was crushed within a few months. It was also the country to officially recognize the rights of the Kurds, Rudaw TV said in a centre of a Kurdish uprising shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian report. The chief of the council, Taher Safouk, said the opposition council of Syria should accept the right of the Kurds in the country and hold a multila- media have often reported clashes between the elite Revolutionary Guards teral conference to discuss the future of the war-torn state. He further and Kurdish fighters said to be members of the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan expressed his worry about the disputes and tensions between the pro- (PJAK)...aljazeera.com | ekurd.net Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) parties and the parties affiliated with Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani and asked the two sides to set- tUrKish soldiers Kill a woman on Border tle differences through dialogue. The Kurdish council was formed in Istanbul in 2013 and made accord with the opposition coalition of the country. 11 with syrian KUrdistan members of the Kurdish council then joined the coalition, among them al- may 19, 2014 Party Leader Abdulhakim Bashar and Salahadin Darwish. kurdpress.ir sirnak: A Kurdish women trying to cross the Turkish border with her family from the Derik area of Syrian Kurdistan was shot dead by Turkish troops yes- terday near Cizre. 28-year-old Saada Darwish was shot in front of her two some 200 KUrds execUted By iran Under young children and her father Medhat Darwish near the hamlet of Şabaniye, roUhani near Kuştepe village in the Kurdish Cizre district of Şırnak, as they tried to may 21, 2014 cross the border into Turkey at between 8.30 and 9 pm last night. The iranian Kurdistan: Some 200 Kurds in Iran have been executed since women's body was taken by ambulance to the morgue at the state hospital President Rouhani came to power almost a year ago. According to reports in Cizre. The woman's father, Medhat Darwish, explained what happened. since August 2013 when Rouhani came to power, the number of executions He said that his son-in-law had come to Turkey a few months ago after gang has increased and approximately 600 people from different ethnicities. attacks in Syrian Kurdistan. The family left Derik to join the children's father There are no accurate statistics regarding the number of executions in Iran and travelled to the border. 100 metres from the border soldiers at the because some of them are not carried out publicly. On October 8, the Uğurköy military post saw the family. Medhat Darwish said the family had International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran and the Iran Human Rights waved their arms at the soldiers, telling them they wanted to cross the bor- Documentation Center jointly called for an immediate moratorium on exe- der, but despite this the soldiers had opened fire from an armoured vehicle. cutions in Iran given the alarming rise in the use of the death penalty. firat- Darwish said his daughter Saada had been hit in the stomach and died and news.com that her body had lain on the ground until 11 pm as the soldiers had not allo- wed them to cross the border with the body...firatnews.com | diclehaber.com PKK asKs for negotiation with Barzani's KdP foreign investment in KUrdistan toPs 26 may 2014 $39B; more investor friendly law exPec- qandil: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has asked for negotiation with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Kurdistan president Massoud ted Barzani to settle differences between the two sides. Tensions between the may 19, 2014 PKK and Kurdistan Region’s ruling KDP fanned in the last weeks with protests erbil: Overseas investments in the Kurdistan Region have topped $39 billion, from both sides and slamming each other of betraying Kurds. PKK expelled and an investments law is being amended to make it more attractive to some pro-KDP party leaders and officials from Syria Kurdistan and the KDP in foreign investors, the head of the Kurdistan Investment Board said. Saman return shut offices of lines and groups affiliated with the PKK in the region Arab said that the board especially focuses on investments in industry, agri- and accused the PKK of smuggling and making rifts in Kurds. A Turkey parlia- culture, tourism and housing. "In the last two years, we have given the big- ment PKK-linked Deputy Malkiya Birtane and an accompanying delegation gest number of permits to investment in the industry, agriculture and tou- have paid visit to the KDP Ankara office and has demanded negotiation bet- rism sectors, followed by settlement, health, higher education, communica- ween the two sides to settle differences. “We hope the rifts will end soon tion and transportation,” Arab said. “Now, investment has exceeded $39.2 and the Kurds apply all their capabilities for cooperation, Birtane told repor- billion.” He said that the biggest industrial project included the iron factory ters after the meeting. Meanwhile a member of the PKK leading council and in Slêmanî, which is the biggest of its kind in the Middle East, and was ope- a founder of the party asked for negotiation in an article in ned last week. Arab said that the largest tourism project under development Ozgur Gundem daily. He wrote some issues have possibly angered the KDP but that does not mean shutting offices of political organizations. is the Safeen Tourism City in Erbil...rudaw.net kurdpress.ir

35 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

May 22, 2014 Kurds face presidential vote in gray zone

Saleh Muslim, the head of May 22, 2014 the PYD, has made a few By Marlin Dick intriguing statements in the www.dailystar.com.lb run-up to the polls, in terms of whether his party would People celebrate in Ras Al-Ain countryside as they announced “allow” them to take place. the members of the interim government of democratic self-admi- Syria’s Kurds are EIRUT: In one, earlier this month, nistered party, in the city of Amuda near Hasaka January 21, facing next month’s presi- B he said the polls would take 2014. (REUTERS/Rodi Said) dential election with a mix of place in areas where his PYD defiance, pragmatism and indif- has set up a self-governing ference. “Holding a presidential ical sides will likely declare zone, split into western, cen- The June 3 polls are election at this difficult time in “victory,” irrespective of what tral and eastern sections. expected to see President the country’s history is neither happens. In remarks to a Kurdish Bashar Assad easily defeat two a sound nor wise decision,” it “I don’t think Kurds, other news outlet, Muslim wel- lesser-known challengers, but added. than maybe Saleh Muslim’s comed the distribution of bal- in areas where the Kurdish Anti-regime news outlets people, will go out and vote, lot boxes by the government, PYD (Democratic Union have described the stances of but most Christians will,” he but the PYD chief added that Party) holds sway, the battle Muslim, his PYD, and the continued, describing the latter “Assad can deploy his troops will be over turnout, and spin- self-rule authority as the community as largely neutral, in Syrian Kurdistan, but only ning the events of election day height of pragmatism and hav- but liable to participate if he accepts Kurdish rights.” as a “victory.” ing it both ways – the authori- nonetheless. The outlet noted that The so-called Kurdish ty is described as leading a e agreed that the western Muslim predicted the regime areas of Syria – where Kurds “boycott,” but at the same areas of the Kurdish self- would manage to put out bal- H form nearly the entire popula- time it “allows” the regime to ruled areas were unlikely to see lot boxes in areas of Hassakeh tion, or the largest of several conduct pro-election rallies polls take place, because the and at the airport in Qamishli, main groups – stretch along and put up election parapher- PYD is at heart anti-Assad, where the Syrian army is the country’s 700-kilometer nalia in the city of Hassakeh, even though it is accused of deployed. But he declined to northern border. for example. being in league with the state whether the pollswould They range from fairly Mohammad Kheir Banko, regime. In addition, the general take place in a number of small pockets in the west to a Kurdish National Council atmosphere of anxiety over smaller, Kurdish-majority considerably larger swathes of representative to the opposi- daily life and anger because of areas to the west, the outlet territory in the east, but in the tion-in-exile National Council, the war prevails over much of said. latter areas Kurds are joined reiterated his group’s stand the Kurdish community. uslim also voiced his by Sunni Arabs as well as that the election was a “farce,” “There are thousands of expectation that Kurds Assyrian Christians. M but acknowledged that in Kurds who left rural who do take part “are likely While the Kurdish political cities such as Hassakeh and Damascus, where they were not to vote for Assad because scene is fragmented into a few Qamishli, polling stations working before the war, and they are currently busy with dozen political parties and would be established and vot- ended up in Qamishli as their own elections [in the self- movements, the PYD – a ing would take place. refugees. The city of Qamishli rule areas].” branch of the PKK based next “But in the western towns, gets about one hour of elec- The governor of Hassakeh door in Turkey – is the domi- such as Amouda, Derbasieh tricity a day, and job opportu- province – where Qamishli is nant militarily force on the and elsewhere, I think it nities are scarce, while prices located – has said the elections ground, through its militia the would be stupid if the regime are skyrocketing,” Akko said. in Kurdish-controlled areas YPG (People’s Protection tries to distribute ballot boxes, “There’s a sense of general were a certainty, and thanked Units). where it doesn’t have a mili- despair, and a distinct lack of the Kurdish population for In 2012, regime forces tary presence. The public enthusiasm about taking part what he said was its full sup- pulled out of many Kurdish won’t accept the idea,” he told in an election carried out by port for the electoral process. areas, leading to a de facto The Daily Star. this regime.” But the self-governing takeover by the PYD, but the Massoud Akko, a Syrian- Both men said that several authority – which is dominat- regime continues to enjoy a Kurdish journalist who left the hundred thousand Syrian ed by the PYD – this week strong presence in the city of country for security-related Kurds have fled the country, stated that the elections were a Hassakeh and a lesser but con- reasons and is now based in mainly in the direction of mistake because they would centrated military and security Norway, said several factors Iraqi Kurdistan next door, only “prolong the country’s presence in the Kurdish-major- are leaving people unenthusi- meaning an even lower num- crisis, and increase the pace of ity city of Qamishli, in the astic about the coming poll – ber of overall voters. the daily murder of Syrians.” extreme northeast. one in which the various polit- Since many of them ⇒

36 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

⇒ did not exit through legal who do so fearing the conse- in league with the regime was ty, close to the PYD, who indi- crossing-points, they are ineli- quences of staying away. an oversimplification. cated that while the party had gible to vote, according to the “You have the non-Kurds, “The party is pragmatic, officially criticized the elec- election law. and a group of them will turn and it does not want to engage tion, in a decision many peo- An observer of Kurdish out. You have the state in an open war with the ple are calling a “boycott,” the politics, who requested employees, who are obliged to regime. Otherwise, its other PYD is in fact letting the pub- anonymity, said that come do so,” he said. main concern is the growing lic decide whether it should election day, certain segments he PYD, the observer con- influence of Islamists,” he show up on election day. J of the population would turn Ttinued, was operating said. out to vote, such as people based on a simple list of priori- The observer cited sources ties, and the notion of its being within the Kurdish communi-

21 May 2014 Kurds Agree on Unity Against Baghdad, But Not Without Tensions rudaw.net bargained with Baghdad, for By HEVIDAR AHMED example the PUK has bargained 21 may 2014 with Maliki,” he reportedly said. President Barzani meeting with political groups: Photo: KRP That was apparently a refe- RBIL, Kurdistan Region – rence to a 2012 effort by Barzani EKurdish parties last week to engineer a “no confidence” removed based on the demand the person they agree on is not agreed to form a united front vote against Maliki in Baghdad, by the PUK,” said a political as important for them,” Barzani over issues with Baghdad, but which was apparently blocked leader who was present at the said. officials who attended the talks by Jalal Talabani, the now ailing meeting but did not wish to be He added that, while Iran reported mutual suspicions Iraqi president and head of the identified. may back Maliki for a third among the political groups, PUK. Without naming any politi- term, the United States does not. saying that the Patriotic Union of Adnan Mufti, a PUK polit- cal party, Abdullah also confir- He also affirmed that the Kurds Kurdistan (PUK) had refused to buro member who was present med that one group had opposed must not insist on retaining the agree that violating the Kurdish at last week’s meeting, rejected that phrase being written into the Iraqi presidency, currently held consensus would be a “red line.” that Talabani’s move had resolution. by the ailing Talabani. In a meeting with Kurdistan amounted to bargaining. “The The Kurdish groups are gir- “If the Kurds did not get that Region President Massoud PUK does not bargain,” he said, ding for battle with Maliki, who post, then the Shiites will not Barzani, the parties had agreed leading to a slight exchange of is ready for a third term as prime accept the Sunnis to take it on a common stance and politi- words with Mirani. minister following the April 30 either,” Barzani said. “The cal rhetoric in negotiations with Balen Abdullah, the secre- polls – something the Kurds say Kurds must not insist on kee- Baghdad over Kurdish constitu- tary general of the Kurdistan they will not back. ping the post of the Iraqi presi- tional rights, the president’s Labor Party, confirmed the argu- Maliki, who became the dent,” he added. office said in a statement. ment between the KDP and Iraqi PM for two successive The issue of Kurdish inde- A representative of a PUK, but added that, “The dis- terms with the Kurdish support, pendence and a referendum that Kurdish party at the meeting cussions were not tense and the and despite his ongoing disa- would make it happen were not said that everything was discus- atmosphere of the meeting was greements with the Kurds, within the agenda of the mee- sed in an open and “transparent” normal.” recently sent a “six-page letter” ting, but participants said manner, and that Kurdish groups The greater disagreement to the Kurdish groups, in which Barzani spoke about it at length agreed to form a united commit- apparently came during the wri- he calls on them to form a majo- and with passion. tee for negotiations with ting of the meeting’s final reso- rity government with him. “He was very enthusiastic Baghdad. But he said there were lution, when the PUK reportedly In the meeting, President about this issue,” one participant still suspicions among the rejected a phrase describing any Barzani stressed that the Kurds reported. “Barzani said that if groups. break from a Kurdish consensus must not show any leniency we did not reach an agreement For instance, Fazil Mirani, as crossing a “red line.” towards a third term for Maliki. with Baghdad, then a referen- head of the Kurdistan “The PUK committee said But he acknowledged that dum should take place. But the Democratic Party’s (KDP) polit- that this phrase was not needed powerful and neighboring Iran PUK said that we should not buro, called on the groups not to because they said that we men- may have the last say over the rush about this matter.” I “bargain” with Baghdad or with tioned unity among Kurds and issue. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. that there was no need to create “What matters for Iran is the “Some Kurdish groups have doubts. Finally, that phrase was unity of the Shiite household,

37 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

IRIS -Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques — 19 mai 2014 Les minorités au cœur de la crise syrienne

19 mai 2014 Le régime de Bachar al-Assad, voulant www.affaires-strategiques.info alors camoufler son caractère népotique au profit de la communauté minoritaire Par LCL. Kamal KAMAL, Officier de l’armée alaouite, chercha à promouvoir l’idée de terre libanaise, stagiaire de la 21e promo- nationale à travers le slogan « ma commu- tion « Ceux de 14 » à l’Ecole de guerre nauté est la Syrie ». Mais en opposition avec cette volonté affichée, il modifia arti- ficiellement la cartographie des régions administratives de l’Etat afin que chacune Facteur peu considéré, la guerre civile d’entre elles soit sous l’autorité d’une com- syrienne a profondément modifié la munauté qui lui était fidèle. Jouant sur démographie de ce pays. En effet, aux l’aspect religieux ou les caractères eth- oppositions traditionnelles et lisibles niques, voir sur les facteurs sociaux, il entre communautés, s’est substituée une situation complexe s’assurait ainsi de la soumission de ces régions à son pouvoir. de morcellement ethnique et religieux. Ce phénomène résulte Utilisant la maxime « diviser pour régner », cette instrumentalisation à la fois des actions du régime syrien, des exactions des du communautarisme durant la guerre civile ne fit qu’accroître les mouvements d’opposition mais également des pays oppositions, scinder les communautés et accroissait les malheurs régionaux et occidentaux qui ont alimenté cette guerre. Or, du peuple. cette désorganisation communautaire de la Syrie est un fac- teur potentiel de déstabilisation de toute la zone du Moyen- L’opposition armée, l’horreur, moteur du morcellement Orient. Les analystes ne peuvent encore conclure sur les con- communautaire séquences de ce phénomène en raison de son caractère trop récent et encore instable. La portée de ces changements est De l’autre côté, les différents mouvements d’opposition armée ont telle qu’ils pourraient modifier les équilibres géopolitiques de rivalisé de cruauté : représailles contre les partisans du régime, con- la région. tre de « mauvais croyants », assassinats de sang-froid, lynchages, tortures, enlèvements de moines et moniales pacifiques pour Les minorités dans L’etat syrien obtenir des rançons ou faire du chantage… Pire, l’ONU mentionne de véritables épurations ethniques et la destruction par le feu de La Syrie est un pays d’Asie de l’Ouest, au carrefour du bassin maisons et d’églises chrétiennes. Mais ces exactions ont également méditerranéen et du centre du monde arabe. En raison de cette concerné des populations chiites, et alaouites. Parmi ces derniers, position au croisement de différentes civilisations, le peuple syrien les limites de l’horreur furent franchies : des enfants brulés, démem- accueille sur son territoire de nombreuses minorités. Pourtant, en brés… Certains combattants de l’opposition allant jusqu’à manger le première approche, la situation parait simple : les Arabes représen- cœur de leurs victimes… Dans cette stratégie de la terreur, même tent 90% de la population et les Kurdes 10%. Mais, à mesure que les sunnites favorables au régime ne furent pas épargnés. Comble l’on descend dans l’analyse de la composition de ce peuple, la myr- de l’atrocité, ces hommes filmèrent leurs exactions pour les mettre iade d’ethnies et de religion apparait. La Syrie, qui abrite quelque 20 sur internet. La spirale de la division et de la haine contribuait à l’é- millions de personnes, est composée de 68 à 70% de musulmans clatement des repères communautaires. sunnites arabes ; de 9 à 11% d’Alaouites arabes, de 8% de chré- tiens arabes et arméniens, orthodoxes, maronites ou catholiques ; Une déstabilisation de l’extérieur qui alimente les divisions de 8% des sunnites kurdes ; de 2 à 3% des Druzes arabes ; de 1% chiites arabes et autres ; de moins de 1% de sunnites circassiens ; Drapés d’arguments démocratiques et humanitaires, certains pays de moins de 1% d’autres minorités Kalesideh, Ismaïlien et de régionaux et occidentaux ont également alimenté cette guerre civile plusieurs milliers de Juifs. Ce caractère hétéroclite va être accentué en finançant les groupes d’opposition et en les soutenant par la four- par le conflit syrien jusqu’à donner aujourd’hui parfois l’impression niture d’armes et d’équipements. De véritables portes d’entrée vers d’avoir éclaté en une myriade de groupuscules aux identités et la Syrie furent négligemment laissées ouvertes pour que tous les « revendications complexes. djihadistes » du monde puissent nourrir cette guerre civile. Ce « lais- sez-faire laissez-passer » est assez paradoxal, car l’ONU comme La stratégie du régime syrien dans la guerre civile, un para- les Etats-Unis classent ces organisations dans la catégorie terror- doxe de gouvernance : promouvoir une unité de façade tout en iste comme étant des ramifications directes ou indirectes d’« Al- favorisant les divisions en secret Qaïda », (Etat Islamique d’Irak et du Levant « EIIL », le front al- Nosra, les phalanges Abdallah Azzam …). A court terme, ces Les protestations syriennes ont commencé pacifiquement le 15 extrémistes ont alimenté les horreurs de la guerre. Mais à long mars 2011. Le pouvoir syrien mésestima ces premiers événements terme, tout porte à croire qu’une partie reste en Syrie. En effet, nom- en dépit des révolutions arabes voisines qui avaient déjà, pourtant, breux sont ceux qui ont obtenu la nationalité syrienne auprès des renversé de puissants régimes du monde arabe. Mais après une institutions dans les mains de l’opposition. Mais surtout, la plupart période de six mois, les événements se précipitèrent. Une scission des pays d’où ils viennent ont mis en place des lois pour condamn- majeure au sein de l’armée syrienne vit le jour : l’armée syrienne er fermement ces « salafistes » à leur retour au pays. Ce libre fut créée et se mit à défendre les villes de l’opposition. Les phénomène modifiera encore la démographie. Mais, surtout la manifestations pacifiques s’étaient muées en guerre civile avec présence de ces combattants fanatiques entretiendra les ➤ toutes les horreurs que cela impliquait.

38 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➤ oppositions entre les différentes communautés et empêchera graphique. Les chrétiens du Liban, hier majoritaires se sentent tout retour à la paix sur le long terme. menacés et craignent des violences qui les obligeraient à fuir à l’é- tranger. Et surtout, l’arrivée de nombreux sunnites s’opposant aux des communautés au morcellement démographique chiites pourrait pousser le Liban dans une deuxième guerre civile. G- Pour l’Irak, qui fait face quotidiennement à la violence entre mil- A la suite de ces événements la démographie syrienne n’a plus rien ices sunnites et chiites, la chute du régime d’Assad pourrait générer en commun avec ce qu’elle était avant le début des événements. Elle l’arrivée de milices armées qui alimenterait la violence et plongerait a subi des modifications fondamentales dans la répartition géo- le pays dans le chaos définitif. graphique. Comme démontré précédemment, la population syrienne G- Le royaume de Jordanie fait également face à un afflux massif est aujourd’hui morcelée. Elle est passée d’une structure commu- de réfugiés syriens à hauteur de 750 000 personnes. Comme au nautaire lisible à un morcellement anarchique difficile à analyser sur Liban, en Jordanie le nombre de réfugiés syriens a dépassé le tiers lequel viennent se greffer des mouvances « salafistes » venues de de la population. l’étranger. G- Enfin « Israël » craint que la Syrie devienne un regroupement mondial de « djihadistes » capables de former des terroristes pou- Durant les combats, les populations ont fui les zones de conflit. vant agir sur son territoire notamment avec des armes chimiques Aujourd’hui la Syrie compte 6 millions de réfugiés sur son territoire qui pourraient tomber aux mains des « salafistes » ou de membres tandis que 3 millions se sont déplacés à l’extérieur du pays. Suite à du « Hezbollah ». ces mouvements d’une ampleur sans précédent (presque 50% de la population s’est déplacée), de grandes villes se sont vidées, unique- des perspectives sans lendemain ment occupées par des combattants. Les agglomérations et villages se sont reconstitués en fonction, non plus de la communauté d’orig- L’arrêt des hostilités par le dialogue entamé à Genève 2 est évide- ine, mais plutôt sur la base de la loyauté ou de l’opposition au régime ment souhaitable entre le pouvoir et l’opposition. Même si cela sem- en place. ble peu probable, ces derniers pourraient décider de partager le pou- voir. Toutefois ceux qui signeraient, auraient-ils réellement la capac- La situation se complexifie encore depuis que des groupes rebelles ité et l’autorité pour faire cesser les hostilités ? Il est raisonnable d’en se battent entre eux. Cette situation devient souvent assimilable au douter ! Moyen-âge occidental : de petits chefs dominent temporairement de parties du territoire, des groupes s’allient pour mieux se trahir ensuite Une autre solution serait en apparence la division de la Syrie en trois au gré des circonstances ce qui crée des motifs pour de nouvelles Etats : Alaouites, Sunnites et Kurdes. Mais, comme mentionné haines et divisions... précédemment, les divisions dépassent de beaucoup le simple car- actère ethnique. L’émergence d’un autre Kurdistan libre entrainerait Un morcellement communautaire qui fait courir des risques aux de facto une guerre d’indépendance du Kurdistan. Une guerre pour pays voisins. un Etat sunnite à cheval entre l’Irak et la Syrie serait alors également envisageable… Dans ce contexte, les différentes communautés chi- Face au morcellement des communautés, aux flots de réfugiés, au ites, appuyées par l’Iran, chercheraient également à protéger leurs surarmement, les pays régionaux courent tous un risque plus ou intérêts. Le conflit irait alors de « Charybde en Scylla ». moins grand de déstabilisation : G- Pour la Turquie, la question kurde pourrait revenir au premier La dernière situation la plus probable, pourrait être le statuquo, c’est- plan avec un Kurdistan indépendant en Irak et des Kurdes armées à-dire, la poursuite de la guerre civile au détriment des peuples, des en Syrie. minorités et de la stabilité de la région. G- Concernant le Liban, l’afflux de plus de 900 000 réfugiés syriens Ë Ë Ë sur son territoire s’ajoutant à plus de 400 000 palestiniens déjà présents, modifie profondément le « rapport de force » démo-

19 mai 2014 Le conflit en Syrie a fait plus de 162 000 morts www.liberation.fr Plus de 60 000 combattants loyalistes tués depuis 2011 lus de 162 000 personnes ont été tuées en Selon l'OSDH, les violences ont tué 42 701 PSyrie depuis le début du conflit en mars combattants de l'opposition, dont plus de 13 2011, selon un nouveau bilan fourni lundi 19 500 jihadistes du Front Al-Nosra et de l'Etat Des Syriens aident une femme blessée mai par l'Observatoire syrien des droits de islamique en Irak et au Levant (EIIL). En lors de combats à Alep, le 18 mai 2014. Des Syriens aident une femme blessée lors de l'homme (OSDH). Un précédent bilan de face, 61 170 membres des forces du régime combats à Alep, le 18 mai 2014. (TAMER AL- l'OSDH, communiqué début avril, faisait état sont morts, dont 37 685 soldats et 23 485 mili- HALABI / ALEPPO MEDIA CENTRE / AFP) de 150 000 morts. Cette organisation, dont le ciens. siège est situé au Royaume-Uni, s'appuit sur Le conflit en Syrie a débuté en mars 2011 est entrée dans sa quatrième année sans qu'au- un vaste réseau de militants et de sources avec une révolte populaire pacifique contre le cun belligérant ne prenne véritablement le médicales et militaires. Dans son bilan, elle régime de Bachar Al-Assad, qui s'est heurtée dessus sur le terrain, a par ailleurs fait plus de fait état exactement de 162 402 morts, dont à une répression sanglante et s'est progressi- neuf millions de réfugiés et de déplacés. Soit plus de 53 978 civils, parmi lesquels 8 607 vement militarisée. Cette guerre d'usure, qui près de la moitié de la population syrienne.N enfants.

39 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 20 mai 2014 Pour former une coalition, Maliki s’attelle au puzzle irakien ANALYSE N Le Premier ministre sortant a remporté les législatives mais doit trouver des alliés kurdes, sunnites et chiites pour réunir une majorité. Et obtenir l’aval de l’Iran et des Etats-Unis.

www.liberation.fr les milices. Maintenant, je peux Barzani, le président du gou- Jean-Pierre PERRiN «homme fort». En l’absence me promener à une heure du vernement régional du Envoyé spécial à Bagdad d’un prophète, les Irakiens s’at- matin.»«C’est lui seul qui a mis Kurdistan, a fait savoir qu’il ne 20 mai 2014 tendent à des mois de fin au règne des milices. Au rejoindrait pas Maliki s’il marchandages difficiles à un moins, nous lui devons ça», n’obtenait pas une loi sur le pét- moment des plus dramatiques : renchérit Yonadam Kanna, un role (au profit de l’entité kurde) es reproches qui lui sont les insurgés ont infiltré des député du petit parti assyrien et un cadre pour négocier le Lfaits sont nombreux et faubourgs du nord de Bagdad. (chrétien). statut de la ville pétrolière de accablants : accaparement du Bénéficiant de soutiens dans Kirkouk. D’où la possibilité pouvoir, sectarisme, échec à certains quartiers sunnites de la S’il est si difficile de bâtir une d’une alliance anti-Maliki qui enrayer la spirale de violence - capitale, ils pourraient en prof- coalition, c’est d’abord parce réunirait les Kurdes et les for- plus de 3 500 morts depuis le iter pour lancer une campagne que l’Irak est séparé en trois : mations chiites vaincues, dont début de l’année -, incapacité à de terreur au cœur de la ville, les chiites, les sunnites et les les sadristes (28 sièges) et le reprendre la ville de Fallouja (à qui ressemble déjà à un camp Kurdes. Il faut donc que le futur Conseil suprême de la révolu- 60 km de Bagdad) aux rebelles retranché tant les forces de sécu- Premier ministre aille chercher tion islamique en Irak (29 sunnites, ce qui a provoqué la rité sont omniprésentes. des alliés dans ces trois commu- sièges), naguère le parti chiite le fuite de quelque 420 000 per- Pourtant, cette menace qui pèse nautés, sans mécontenter les plus important d’Irak, qui a sonnes, corruption massive de en permanence sur la sécurité partis qui figurent dans sa pro- aujourd’hui mordu la poussière. son administration… Pourtant, explique en partie la popularité pre coalition. «N’oublions pas selon des résultats provisoires de Maliki, qui passe pour être les facteurs externes, insiste Al- En fait, il s’agit plutôt d’une publiés lundi, c’est une belle un «homme fort», voire un dur, Kenani, le député sadriste. Pas partie de poker menteur. En victoire personnelle qu’a obte- même s’il n’a toujours pas lancé de Premier ministre qui n’ait effet, on voit mal comment ces nue le Premier ministre (chiite) l’armée à la reconquête de reçu l’aval de l’Iran, ni l’accord différentes listes, qui sont sortant Nouri al-Maliki, en Fallouja et de la tumultueuse des Etats-Unis. Après, il lui faut arrivées loin derrière la coali- quête d’un troisième mandat, le province d’Al-Anbar, qui avait convaincre les sunnites, donc tion de Maliki, pourraient béné- premier depuis le départ des déjà donné bien du fil à retordre l’Arabie saoudite et les pays du ficier d’une légitimité suffisante forces américaines, fin 2011. à l’armée américaine. «Mais on Golfe, qui ont une influence pour gouverner. Néanmoins, le peut lui reconnaître d’avoir blo- importante sur eux.» Enfin, il y marchandage pour obtenir des Avec au moins 94 sièges, il qué la guerre civile dans les a les Kurdes, qui pèsent aussi ministères et des postes impor- devance largement ses adver- années 2006-2007. Sans lui, il y sur la formation de la coalition. tants pourrait durer des mois. saires des autres listes chiites, aurait un chaos qui aurait per- «Si les Kurdes disent clairement sunnites et kurdes. Mais la par- duré des dizaines d’années, qu’ils ne veulent pas de Maliki, Sans doute Téhéran pèsera-t-il tie n’est pas encore gagnée pour relève Ihsan al-Shemari, pro- alors nous ne le rejoindrons pas. lourdement sur l’issue des trac- autant : le Parlement comptant fesseur de relations interna- Avec les Kurdes, nous avons un tations. Avant les élections, 328 sièges, il lui faut à présent tionales à l’université de passé de lutte en commun [du ouvertement ou secrètement, les forger une coalition avec cer- Bagdad et président du Centre temps de Saddam Hussein, dirigeants des partis chiites s’y tains partis vaincus. Soit un tra- de réflexion politique. Certes, il ndlr]. Mieux vaut perdre Maliki sont rendus, y compris Maliki, vail de titan. Car, comme le sug- y a encore des voitures piégées, que perdre les Kurdes», assure- sans parler des visites régulières gère l’un de ses adversaires des villes comme Fallouja et t-il. de responsables iraniens. Après politiques, le député Amir al- une partie de Ramadi qui sont huit ans d’occupation améri- Kenani, du courant de Moqtada entre les mains de l’insurrec- Poker menteur. Or, ces Kurdes, caine, c’est aujourd’hui ce al-Sadr (un jeune religieux radi- tion, mais rien de comparable à qui ont obtenu 62 sièges, sont à voisin qui apparaît comme le cal chiite, qui s’était soulevé un 2006-2007, où il fallait revenir eux seuls une équation com- principal mentor du Premier temps contre les Américains), chez soi avant 14 heures, où pliquée, d’autant plus qu’ils ministre. Et donc le vrai vain- «le vrai problème, en Irak, c’est l’on ne pouvait pas sortir dans la avancent, certes masqués, mais queur des élections. N de bâtir une coalition. Pour y rue après 16 heures, où nous à petits pas quand même, vers arriver, il faudrait un prophète». étions coincés entre Al-Qaeda et l’indépendance. Massoud

40 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

LE FIGARO lundi 19 mai 2014

150 La guerre

Kurdistan oubliée de IRAN SYRIE

Ramacli d jft a

Faloudja qui Bagdad

IRAK menace l'Irak ; au ai in Bassora» | :,i\tiu!.j"/i

Sans attendre les résultats des législatives du 30 avril, l'armée iraldenne a relancé « Lès combattants de l'EIIL se sont en¬ l'offensive contre le réduit islamiste. traînés pendant des années dans le désert. Ils ont maintenant des missiles Sam-7

. équipés de nouvelles batteries venues de

Syrie», affirme Anwar, qui retourne

chaque semaine à Faloudja voir ses pa¬

rents, qui ne veulent pas quitter leur lo¬ la coupe des djihadistes, qui imposent, GEORGES MALBRUNOT gis. Peu importe qu'Ayman al-Zawahiri, gmalDrwiotijfllefigaru.fr via leurs tribunaux, la vision la plus ri¬ le chef d'al-Qaida, leur enjoigne de ne 'ENVOYE SPÉCIAL À BAGDAD goriste de la charia. Interdiction de fu¬ plus aller combattre en Syrie : « La mer dans la rue. Plus aucun homme ne branche irakienne d'al-Qaida le considère peut servir une femme dans un magasin. comme un traître, elle brouille même ses MOYEN-ORIENT Anwar a dû se résou¬ « Des femmes sont enlevées pour obliger messages Internet», relève un expert dre à faire sortir sa femme et ses deux les hommes de leur famille à combattre étranger, familier de Faloudja. jeunes enfants de Faloudja: «C'était l'armée », accuse Hamid al-Haïs, le chef Les djihadistes protègent les banques devenu trop difficile pour eux, ils avaient de la sécurité de la province d'al-Anbar. et prélèvent l'impôt révolutionnaire peur », confesse cet Irakien qui a passé Anwar, qui s'est fait arrêter récem¬ auprès de la population alentour. « Gla¬ sa vie dans la cité rebelle, prise en te¬ ment par les djihadistes, leur trouve ce à des intermédiaires, ajoute Anwar, ils nailles entre les radicaux islamistes, qui néanmoins quelques mérites. « Us me ont de quoi acheta: des médicaments au la contrôlent depuis quatre mois, et l'ar¬ soupçonnaient d'avoir livré des informa¬ marché noir à Bagdad. » De quoi tenir le mée régulière, qui menace de lancer tions aux Américains en 2004. lis m'ont siège. D'autant qu'en face l'armée est l'assaut pom- les en déloger. inteirogé pendant deux jours, avant de sur la défensive. Elle a encore tenté ré¬ À 60 kilomètres seulement à l'ouest me relâcher. » Il connaissait Abou Wa- cemment de rentrer dans la ville, via de Bagdad, une nouvelle guerre déchire lid, mi de leurs émirs. Cet ancien de la ce bastion de la résistance antiaméricai¬ l'université, mais sans succès. « Les- Garde républicaine de Saddam Hussein ne du milieu des années 2000. Plus Américains n'ontpas réussi à écraser Fa¬ a vu son aura grimper en s'évadant de la aucun journaliste, niême Irakien, n'ose loudja en 2004. Comment Maliki seul prison voisine d'Abou Ghraïb, aujour¬ s'aventurer dans « la ville aux mille pourrait-ily arriver ? », s'interroge Ah¬ d'hui fermée. On le voit sur une vidéo mosquées », que les djihadistes enten¬ med al-Zayadee, un responsable du décapiter de sang-froid des camion¬ dent transformer en capitale d'un vaste parti chiite Sciri à Bagdad. « L'arméen'a neurs syriens alaouites, la minorité à la¬ émirat qui s'étendrait des portes de Ba¬ pas le savoir-faire tactique pour y mener quelle appartient le président Bachar el- gdad au désert syrien, à mille kilomètres uncombatderue, maisonpar maison, car Assad, que d'autres membres de l'EIIL plus à l'ouest. tout a été miné, prévient un expert mili¬ affrontent de l'autre côté de la frontière. . En quatre mois, plus de 70 000 fa¬ taire occidental. Et elle ne peut pas, non Entouré d'anciens officiers de l'armée milles ont dû quitter Faloudja, sous la plus, bombarder massivement, car il y de Saddam Hussein et de quelques pression conjuguée des bombarde¬ étrangers, dont un Tchétchène verni ments sporadiques de l'armée et des d'Ouzbékistan, Abou Walid assiste exactions perpétrées par les djiha¬ S Ç Les Américains n'ont Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi, le chef de distes. N'y demeurent que les plus pas réussi à écraser l'EIIL, qui va et vient entre l'Irak et la pauvres et les membres des tribus qui Faloudja en 2004. coopèrent de gré ou de force avec les Syrie. Dans l'ensemble des provinces Comment Maliki seul rebelles de l'État islamique en Irak et smmites, les combattants de l'EIIL ne au Levant (EIIL), soit plus que 150 000 seraient guère plus de 4 000. Mais à Fa¬ pourrait-il y arriver ? f «j loudja, ils sont aidés par les partisans personnes sur les 400 000 qui y vi¬ AHMED AL-ZAYADEE. UN RESPONSABLE vaient avant les violences. d'un influent leader local, Cheikh Ab¬ DU PARTI CHIITE SCIRI À.BAGDAD « Finish, l'État irakien à Faloudja ! », dallah Janabi, et des membres des tribus aurait des dizaines de milliers de morts. » sourit Yasser dans son bureau à Bagdad. que la politique antisunnite du premier Quatre mois après le coup de force de Les écoles ont fermé. La police a déserté ministre chiite Nouri al-Maliki a poussé chez les plus radicaux. l'EIIL, les hommes de Maliki se canton- la ville. Et ses habitants sont passés sous

41 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

lient ainsi à des manruvres tactiques. caine étudierait la possibilité de recourir C'était une opération très sophistiquée. » Plus grave, la troupe n'a guère le moral. à des drones d'attaques contre Faloudja. Quelques jouis après, suivant le mo¬

Face aux désertions, le premier ministre L'inquiétude monte, d'autant que, pour dèle de l'armée syrienne, l'aviation ira¬ a dû mobiliser des miliciens chutes, tan¬ la première fois, les insurgés ont pris le kienne a largué des barils d'explosifs sur dis que d'autres sont rentrés de Syrie, où contrôle d'un barrage sur l'Euphrate au Faloudja et ses alentours. Une informa¬ ils étaient allés prêter main-forte à B⬠. sud de Faloudja. L'instigateur de l'atta¬ tion étayée par des photos prises par les chai- el-Assad. Les djihadistes, selon une que serait un ancien baasiste responsa¬ insurgés, que Bagdad a toutefois dé¬ vidéo récente, en auraient égorgé vingt- ble de l'assèchement des marais du sud mentie. L'un de ces engins de mort a dé¬ truit la maison d'Anwar, qui, depuis, deux. de l'Irak dans les années 1980. « Regar¬ Selon plusieurs sources occidentales, dez les photos satellites, conseille un ex¬ enrage. « Quand vous voyez comment des agents du renseignement iranien pert étranger à Bagdad, on voit bien les l'armée irakienne se comporte, vous de¬ ont également été dépêchés auprès de inondationsprovoquéesprès de l'aéroport venez salafiste. C'est pire que du temps Maliki, tandis que l'ambassade améri par l'ouverture des vannes du barrage. des Américains ! »

le FIGARO lundi 19 mai 2014

Les djihadistes veulent contrôler des territoires

Alors-que plus de 80 % des bulletins de à- investir la ville, il leur resterait à re¬ La grande ville de Mossoul, au nord,

vote ont été dépouillés, la reconduction prendre le contrôle d'autres territoires où les terroristes ont choisi de mainte¬

de Nouri al-Maliki au poste de premier leur échappant dans l'ouest de l'Irak. nir mie présence de l'administration

ministre fait craindre une nouvelle at¬ Dans les provinces sunnites, l'armée pour mieux la racketter et financer

taque contre Faloudja. « Nous n'atten¬ n'est plus présente que dans certaines leurs basses ceuvresj fait figure d'ex¬

dons plus que l'ordre du commandement bases. Le contrôle des axes routiers est ception. « La population est terrorisée,

général de l'armée », affirmait récem¬ au c de la bataille. Les djihadistes constate un diplomate, mais il y a tou¬ ment le général Badil Bardawi, patron parviennent à établir des barrages sur jours la police et l'État irakien que l'EIIL

des forces spéciales. Mais quand bien F autoroute Rutba-Ramadi, ville à ponctionne. »

même les unités d'élite parviendraient 80 km à l'ouest de Faloudja dont cer¬ tains quartiers sont aux mains de l'État « Une infrastructure terroriste

islamique depuis janvier. Un peu plus à massive »

l'ouest, la route d'exportation du pé¬ À 150 km de l'autre côté de la frontière

trole, à partir de la raffinerie de Beiji avec la Syrie, le contrôle d'une partie du jusqu'à Rawa, n'est pas davantage sé¬ territoire offre un repli aux djihadistes.

curisée la nuit. Bref, djihadistes et an¬ Empruntant des passages clandestins,

ciens saddamistes coalisés avec un ou les rebelles s'mfiltrent la nuit, phares

deux autres groupes rebelles sont capa¬ éteints, à bord de pick-up bourrés d'ar¬

Se multiplient ainsi les foyers terro¬ temps encore l'armée va-t-elle pouvoir ristes que l'État est contraint de déserter garder le poste frontière d'al-Qaïm ?

et où la population épaule désormais les C'est précisément pour couper tout

djihadistes, comme dans les provinces lien avec la Syrie que Nouri al-Maliki a

de Diyala et Salaheddine, Nikolai Mla- lancé en novembre une vaste opération i denov, l'émissaire de FONU à Bagdad, militaire antidjihadistes. Mais ses sol¬ décrypte la stratégie des djihadistes: dats ont échoué à isoler leurs ennemis « Leur but est de contrôler des territoires. dans un triangle frontalier près de Ha- Pour cela, ils ontbesoin de rendre l'appa¬ A\ ditha. Les djihadistes ont pu cheminer reil gouvernemental inopérant. Ce qu'ils © : avec leurs armes et leurs équipements font en attaquant des maires, des géné¬ jusqu'à Faloudja et Ramadi. « Cela a raux et d'autres représentants de l'État: coïncidé avec le démantèlement des Puis, ils allument des conflits sectaires en campements de protestation sunnites or- s'enprenant auxprocessions chiites ou en A donnépar Maliki en décembre et l'aires- attaquant les marchés pour que les gens tation d'un important dignitaire sunnite, ne se sententplus en sécurité. Ce qui obli¬ ce qui a fait basculer la situation», ge les forces de sécurité à s'y déployer. poursuit l'émissaire de l'ONU à Bagdad. Des djihadistes célèbrent leur prise de L'EIIL enprofite alorspour les attaquer et Alors que le premier ministre cher¬ guerre, un véhicule des forces de sécurité prendre le contrôle de cei tains villages en che à monter lés tribus smrnites contre Irakiennes, le 30 mars, à Faloudja. y hissant le drapeau noir djihadiste. » les djihadistes, la menace terroriste se rapproche de Bagdad. Les insurgés at¬ taquent sporadiquement la ville à la ro¬ quette. Trop faibles pour en prendre fà&nçsas s'foxfiltrent d& Syrie en Irak contrôle, ils peuvent toutefois paraly¬ ser la capitale en coupant les axes de Au moins deux djihadistes français djihadistes, salafistes ou combattants communication qui y conduisent. de l'Armée syrienne libre, qui tous sont passés récemment de Syrie « Nous ne sommes plus confrontés à une en Irak pour épauler l'État Islamique leur reprochent de nombreuses guêtre civile comme en 2006, analyse en Irak et au Levant (l'EIIL). Ils ont été exactions.contre la population. Nikolaï Mladenov, mais à un combat repérés par des messages laissés Quelque 300 Français mèneraient . contre une infrastructure tenoiiste mas¬ la «guerre sainte » en Syrie, contre sur Twitter. Jusqu'à maintenant, sive, qui existe en Irak depuis des an¬ le régime de Bachar el-Assad. la plupart des combattants étrangers nées. » m G. M. (À BAGDAD) en Syrie étaient accaparés Mais pour affronter les miliciens

par la guerre qu'ils livrent aux côtés chiites qui reviennent en Irak

des plus radicaux des Insurgés pour aider l'armée de Nouri al-Maliki,

contre les autres factions, l'EIIL a besoin de recrues. g. m.

42 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 22 mai 2014

Trois agriculteurs qui avaient été enle- vés à l’aube ont été retrouvés décapités Kirkouk : voiture piégée dans la province de Kirkouk. Les sept autres victimes ont péri dans des attaques contre un magasin de boissons dans les provinces de Ninive et Salaheddine, toujours dans le nord de l’Irak. alcoolisées, 7 morts Ces violences sont survenues alors que le pays est endeuillé quotidiennement par http://www.directmatin.fr L’attentat, qui a également fait 17 bles- des attaques et des attentats qui tuent en AFP, 24 mai 2014 sés, a touché dans la soirée le quartier de moyenne 25 Irakiens chaque jour, un Wasati, dans le sud de Kirkouk, une ville niveau proche de celui de 2008, lorsque le u moins sept personnes ont été tués mutli-communautaire que se disputent le pays sortait à peine d’un conflit confes- samedi par l’explosion d’une voiture gouvernement central et la province auto- A sionnel sanglant, après l’invasion améri- piégée stationnée devant un magasin de nome du Kurdistan irakien. caine de 2003. boissons alcoolisées à Kirkouk, dans le En outre, dix personnes ont été tuées Les violences ont déjà fait plus de 3.700 nord de l’Irak, ont indiqué des sources samedi dans d’autres violences, selon des morts cette année. médicales et de sécurité. sources de sécurité et médicale.

La Turquie a commencé à exporter le pétrole du Kurdistan irakien (ministre)

ankara, 23 mai 2014 (aFP) tions si elles ne sont pas dûment approuvées par le gouvernement La Turquie a commencé à livrer le pétrole du Kurdistan irakien sur les central irakien, et nous sommes marchés internationaux, a annoncé vendredi son ministre de l'energie. inquiets de l'impact que pourraient "Les livraisons ont débuté à 22H00 heure locale (19H00 GMT) hier (jeudi, NDLR) avoir celles" en cours, a déclaré la depuis le port de Ceyhan" (sud), a indiqué Taner Yildiz à la presse vendredi. porte-parole du département d'Etat Jen Psaki lors d'un briefing. "C'est l'Irak qui vend et produit le pétrole et c'est l'Irak encore qui gérera les ventes futures", a souligné le ministre. "Notre inquiétude la plus immédiate concerne la stabilité de l'Irak", a-t- Cette annonce intervient alors que les autorités kurdes et le gouvernement irakien elle ajouté. se livrent depuis plusieurs mois une bataille sur le contrôle des exportations de brut: Bagdad estime que le pétrole appartient au pays tout entier, tandis qu'Erbil "L'Irak fait face à la situation la plus veut traiter directement avec des compagnies pétrolières. difficile. Nous avons été clairs en disant qu'il est important pour toutes les parties d'agir pour aider le pays à avancer et éviter tout ce qui pourrait exacerber encore Les exportations via la Turquie, qui interviennent après les élections législatives davantage les divisions et les tensions", a-t-elle insisté. du 30 avril en Irak à l'issue desquelles la coalition du Premier ministre chiite Nouri al-Maliki est arrivée en tête, pourraient provoquer un regain de tensions entre les Les réserves de pétrole et de gaz de l'Irak sont parmi les plus importantes au Kurdes et le gouvernement central de Bagdad. monde. En 2013, le pays a produit en moyenne 3 millions de barils par jour, selon l'Agence internationale de l'Energie (AIE), fournissant à l'Etat 95% de ses Les Etats-Unis se sont inquiété jeudi d'une possible déstabilisation du pays. revenus. "Notre position de longue date est de ne pas apporter notre soutien aux exporta-

22 mai 2014 Nouvelle preuve dans l'affaire des trois Kurdes assassinées Thibault Raisse L’enquête, restée quasiment au apparu sur un blog allemand et 22 mai 2014 point mort depuis son incarcéra- récupéré par la brigade crim- www.leparisien.fr tion quelques jours après les inelle du Quai des Orfèvres, faits, vient de connaître un coup présente une conversation entre UN TRIPLE ASSASSINAT d’accélérateur. Un enreg- deux hommes non identifiés politique en plein Paris com- istrement sonore anonyme par- mais qui ne font pas mystère de Problème d’authenticité mandité par les services secrets venu en février à la juge antiter- leur appartenance au MIT, les Selon les experts, la comparaison turcs ? Le scénario, digne d’un roriste Jeanne Duyé vient d’être services secrets turcs. Le premier entre la voix de cet homme et film d’espionnage, prend corps. expertisé. Selon les conclusions explique au second son « plan » celle du suspect incarcéré « a Omer Güney, un Turc francoph- des spécialistes, la voix de pour éliminer les trois mili- conduit à des résultats large- one de 31 ans, est l’unique sus- l’homme qui y décrit par le tantes, parmi lesquelles Sakine ment plus probables dans l’hy- pect de l’exécution par balles de menu les assassinats à venir est Cansiz, figure montante du pothèse d’une identité de voix trois militantes indépendantistes très probablement celle du mis PKK, le parti indépendantiste […] plutôt que dans l’hypothèse kurdes dans un local associatif en examen. kurde en guerre contre l’Etat d’une différence de voix » . ⇒ en janvier 2013. Ce document de neuf minutes, turc.

43 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

⇒ Cette avancée n’est pas pour avocats d’Omer Güney. Les entrant et sortant du local au cellule d’isolement de la maison autant synonyme d’enquête deux conseils n’hésitent pas à moment du crime, Omer Güney, d’arrêt de Fresnes. Des condi- bouclée. « Une large probabilité remettre en cause « l’authenticité atteint d’une grave tumeur au tions de détention « incompati- n’est pas une certitude, sans de cet enregistrement apparu à cerveau, a toujours clamé son bles avec son état de santé qui ne compter que les technologies un moment clé de la procédure, innocence et nié tout lien avec cesse d’empirer » , clament ses actuelles permettent de manip- soit un an tout juste après les les services secrets turcs. Il est avocats, qui ont déposé un uler facilement des voix » , faits » . soupçonné d’avoir préparé une recours contre ce placement. Ë rétorquent Mes Anne- Sophie Arrêté grâce à des images de tentative d’évasion début mai et Laguens et Xavier Nogueras, les vidéosurveillance le montrant est, depuis lors, placé dans une

29 mai 2014 Les Kurdes irakiens menacent de convoquer un référendum sur l'indépendance

www.lefigaro.fr d'être justement représentées», Georges Malbrunot souligne le communiqué dif- 29 mai 2014 fusé par l'Élysée après la ren- contre entre les deux hommes. Une rencontre facilitée par la relation historiquement bonne La réélection attendue entre les socialistes français et de Nouri al-Maliki à les Kurdes irakiens, à laquelle la tête de l'Irak suscite ne participait pas l'ambassa- deur d'Irak en France. l'ire du président de la Barzani refuse que le chiite région autonome Nouri al-Maliki soit premier kurde, Massoud ministre pour la troisième fois. Il lui reproche ses dérives «Bagdad veut tout contrôler. Ce n'est pas acceptable. Nous Barzani. autoritaire et sectaire. Bagdad voulons être des partenaires, pas des sujets», a récemment «veut tout contrôler. Ce n'est déclaré Massoud Barzani (ici le 23 mai 2014 à l'Élysée après un assoud Barzani ne cesse pas acceptable. Nous voulons entretien avec François Hollande). Crédits photo : BERTRAND Mde le répéter à ses interlo- être des partenaires, pas des GUAY/AFP cuteurs: si jamais Nouri al- sujets», déclarait récemment le Maliki est reconduit au poste président de la région auto- de premier ministre d'Irak, le nome kurde, ajoutant que «le ment autonome kurde. En ministre. Avec 95 députés, président de la région auto- moment était venu de prendre vertu de la Constitution adop- Maliki a besoin de s'allier avec nome kurde du Nord convo- des décisions définitives». tée en 2005, qui favorise les d'autres formations pour obte- quera un référendum sur l'in- Sans attendre, quitte à Kurdes, grands vainqueurs de nir une majorité dans un dépendance du Kurdistan, alourdir leur contentieux avec la guerre menée par les Parlement qui compte 328 quitte à faire imploser la fragile Bagdad, les Kurdes ont com- Américains contre Saddam sièges. mosaïque de l'ancienne mencé d'exporter, il y a une Hussein, Bagdad reverse 17 % Mais Barzani refuse toute Mésopotamie. semaine, via la Turquie, leur des recettes budgétaires aux prolongation du premier Un mois après les élections pétrole sur les marchés inter- Kurdes. «Ils ne peuvent pas à ministre chiite au pouvoir. législatives qui ont vu la liste nationaux. Dans la foulée, le la fois recevoir de l'argent du Méfiant à l'égard de ce dernier, de Maliki arriver en tête, pouvoir central a réagi en budget central et vendre pour Paris estime qu'il convient de Barzani, qui vient d'être reçu à déposant plainte contre eux-mêmes le pétrole», s'in- rassembler l'ensemble des l'Élysée par François Ankara devant la Chambre de digne un proche de Maliki. communautés pour relever les Hollande, mobilise actuelle- commerce internationale à À travers ses menaces, nombreux défis auxquels est ment des soutiens en Europe. Paris. Démarche jugée «illégi- «Barzani cherche à exercer des confronté l'Irak, le premier En froid avec Bagdad pour son time» et «vouée à l'échec» par pressions sur Maliki», observe d'entre eux étant l'insécurité alignement sur l'Iran et la Massoud Barzani. le chercheur au CNRS (900 morts par mois environ). Syrie, Paris partage certaines Bref, après des mois de ten- Hosham Dawood, basé en Inquiets des velléités indépen- des inquiétudes des Kurdes sions larvées, le torchon, plus Irak. Pour l'heure, les Kurdes dantistes kurdes, les États- irakiens. que jamais, brûle entre Bagdad auraient sans doute plus à per- Unis, de leur côté, n'ont pas François Hollande a et les Kurdes. Ces derniers dre qu'à gagner, s'ils déci- hésité à tancer leurs alliés, «exprimé son soutien à la affirment avoir besoin de ren- daient de se lancer dans une ravis d'avoir bénéficié d'une I constitution d'un gouverne- trées d'argent pour compenser aventure indépendantiste. tribune en France. ment de réconciliation en Irak, la réduction des fonds que le Barzani sait qu'il reste «le dans un esprit d'unité permet- gouvernement central alloue faiseur de rois» pour la dési- tant à toutes les communautés depuis janvier au gouverne- gnation du prochain premier

44 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

May 21, 2014 Tony Hayward, Ex-BP CEO, Gets His Life Back as Kurdish Pipeline Opens

By Brian Swint May 21, 2014 www.bloomberg.com

RBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq',— Erbil, the regional E capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, has all the trappings of an oil boom- town. It bristles with construction cranes. Land Cruisers and Range Rovers with tinted windows ply the busy streets. Oil workers and briefcase-bearing foreigners crowd into the Divan Erbil Hotel’s piano bar. At the foot of the 8,000-year-old Citadel -- which claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited town in the world -- currency traders Photographer: Sebastian Meyer/Bloomberg Markets in the central market swap dollars, Euros and Turkish liras for Iraqi A rig drills into Kurdistan's rich Taq Taq field, where produc- dinars out of glass boxes on the sidewalk. Shoppers flock to Erbil’s tion is expected to increase as more and more oil flows through Family Mall, which features stores such as French hypermarket the new pipeline operator Carrefour SA (CA) and Spanish clothing chain Mango. With the opening of a new oil pipeline this year, the boom is getting rels a day in 2014 could jump to 1 million barrels by 2015 and twice a boost, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its June issue. that much by 2019. For 5.2 million Kurds in an area roughly the Crude that used to be transported by truck across the rugged, size of Switzerland, the influx of foreign investment and rising oil- mountainous terrain of the three northern provinces known as Iraqi related income promises an improving standard of living as the rest Kurdistan began flowing in stages through the pipeline in January. of the country remains mired in sectarian violence. The conduit, built by the Kurdistan Regional Government, or KRG, The KRG’s Ministry of Planning forecasts that the economy will runs about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Khurmala, southwest of grow 8 percent a year through 2016. Since the KRG began selling Erbil, to the Turkish border, where it connects with an existing link oil contracts to foreign investors in 2007, per capita gross domes- to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Oil that sells for about $70 a tic product in Kurdistan has soared; it hit $5,600 in 2012, up from barrel domestically could fetch $100 or so in world markets. $800 10 years ago. SOaRInG GDP The boom has also benefited oil exploration companies, especially The KRG said in October that an average output of 400,000 bar- those that placed early bets. Beginning with the 1980 to 1988 ➼

45 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➼ Iran-Iraq War, the development of natural resources across all of Iraq, including the north, was virtually on hold for more than two decades. FRaCTIOuS LEaDERSHIP That’s because a series of full-blown conflicts and internecine clashes preoccupied first Saddam Hussein and then the fractious leadership in Baghdad that followed his ouster by U.S. and U.K. coalition forces in 2003. Since then, almost daily clashes in the south have pitted the Shiite majority that dominates Iraq politically today against the Sunni Photographed in London, Tony Hayward, the CEO who left the oil minority that held sway under Hussein. In the north, the popula- giant BP after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf tion is overwhelmingly Sunni and relatively free of sectarian strife. of Mexico, joined forces a year later with British financier Nathaniel In fact sheets for foreign investors, the KRG says that no coalition Rothschild to acquire a Turkish firm already operating in Kurdistan. soldiers have been killed and no foreigners kidnapped in Iraqi Photographer: Daniel Stier/Bloomberg Markets Kurdistan. Todd Kozel, chief executive officer of Hamilton, Bermuda–based Gulf Keystone Petroleum (GKP) Ltd., came to Iraqi Kurdistan three years after the 2003 invasion. Kurdistan. The firm, renamed Genel Energy Plc (GENL), says it’s “If you were an oilman in 2006, with oil in your blood, you just had poised to raise production at Taq Taq and other fields to 70,000 to be here,” he says, sipping Johnnie Walker Black Label at the barrels a day this year from 44,000 in 2013. On May 8, Hayward Divan. was named chairman of Glencore Xstrata Plc (GLEN), the mining company that is also one of the world’s biggest crude traders. HIGHLy REwaRDED ‘FROnTIER TyPES’ Pittsburgh-born Kozel, 47, says he saw opportunity in a land where high risk would be highly rewarded. And it was. Since Gulf Since 2011, four big oil companies -- Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Keystone discovered oil at Iraqi Kurdistan’s Shaikan field in 2009, Corp., Hess Corp. and Total SA (FP) -- have followed 30 or so its market value has grown to about 1 billion pounds ($1.66 billion) smaller players into Iraqi Kurdistan and signed exploration deals. from about 50 million pounds. Hayward, whose career straddles oil majors and minors, says the pattern is a familiar one. The first foreign exploration firm to come to Kurdistan -- in 2004 - - was Oslo-based DNO International ASA. (DNO) Chairman Bijan “There are lots of entrants early on, the real frontier types,” Mossavar-Rahmani says in his London office that DNO plans to Hayward says in his London office. “Then the big guys arrive, and increase output from its Tawke field to about 200,000 barrels a there’s consolidation. If you’re a little guy, you have to get there day this year from about 125,000 in 2013, showing how compa- early.” nies will hike production when their oil can be sold at higher world- The oil boom is transforming a part of Iraq that ethnic Kurds throu- market prices. ghout the South Caucasus and Middle East consider their home- Former BP Plc (BP/) CEO Tony Hayward came to Kurdistan after land. Unlike Kurdish enclaves in Iran, Turkey, Syria and Armenia, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico Iraqi Kurdistan is self-ruled, having gained autonomous status in cost him his job as BP’s chief executive -- in part because of a a 1970 agreement with the central government in Baghdad. string of public relations fiascoes that included his saying “I would CHanGInG RELaTIOnS like my life back” to a group of reporters while touring an oil- Though it defers to the government on most external affairs such slicked beach in Louisiana. as treaties and membership in international organizations, the In 2011, Hayward joined forces with British financier Nathaniel KRG has its own parliament, issues its own visas and has its own Rothschild to acquire a Turkish firm already operating in army, the Peshmerga, meaning “those who confront death” ➼

46 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➼ in Kurdish. Oil is also changing relations between Iraqi Kurdistan and the central government in Baghdad. They’ve been tense for decades -- never more so than in the closing days of the war with Iran, when Hussein’s forces launched a chemical attack on the Kurdish city of Halabja, kil- ling as many as 5,000 people in retaliation for collusion between Kurdish and Iranian fighters. In 1991, at the end of the first Gulf War, the U.S. and its allies esta- blished a safe haven in Iraqi Kurdistan enforced by a no-fly zone. While the no-fly zone effectively created a buffer between the Kurds and their masters in Baghdad, accelerating economic development in the north, the north-south dispute over oil carried on. Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization maintains that it has exclu- sive rights to the sale of Iraqi Kurdistan’s oil, whether it flows through the new pipeline or through pipelines outside of Iraqi Kurdistan. ‘SaFE, SECuRE’ unanSwERED QuESTIOnS Hayward, who visited southern Iraq as the head of BP from 2007 to In December, the KRG agreed to work with the central government 2010, says he was impressed by the contrast between Erbil and in Baghdad in determining how to distribute revenue from Kurdistan Baghdad when he first traveled to the north in 2011. oil exports, though a lot of questions remain unanswered, according “The thing that really struck me was the amount of development that to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in a note published on April 29. was taking place,” Hayward says of Erbil. “It felt safe, secure and “The resource base is too big for a solution not to be found,” analysts prosperous.” led by Hong Kong–based Neil Beveridge wrote. Oil is also helping to change the relationship between Turkey and The new pipeline, fully in KRG territory, should make it easier for Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdistan to overcome central government resistance and get its oil Beginning in the 1980s, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known by its to market, says Gareth Stansfield, a senior associate at the Royal Kurdish acronym, PKK, began an armed struggle against the Turkish United Services Institute, a London-based research organization. government. Turkey was wary of Iraqi Kurdistan as a staging area for “If the Kurds are able to pump the amounts of oil they’re promising, PKK paramilitaries seeking to establish an independent Kurdish then this is a fundamental geopolitical game changer,” Stansfield nation in and around northern Iraq. says. “It gives the Kurds economic independence from Baghdad.” GEnOCIDaL aTTaCKS ‘waSTInG TImE’ In 2003, Turkey, though a NATO member, refused to allow U.S. Many Iraqi Kurds want more than that: Almost 60 percent of those troops to invade Iraq from the north through Turkish territory partly surveyed supported statehood in a 2012 poll by the Kurdistan out of concern the invasion would, in toppling Hussein and a regime Institute for Political Issues. that had oppressed the Kurds, promote Kurdish independence “We’re wasting our time trying to deal with Baghdad,” says Davan movements. The PKK and the Turkish government agreed to a Yahya Khalil, a Kurdish writer who grew up in an internment camp cease-fire in March 2013, easing tensions. when Hussein was in power. “It’s better to call for independence “Turkey’s been a big help,” Gulf Keystone’s Kozel says. “All our dril- today.” ling rigs come through there.” Iraq ranks fifth in the world in proven oil reserves -- 150 billion bar- Iraqi Kurds -- fearing their enemies, distrustful of neighboring govern- rels, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2013. ments, victims of Hussein’s genocidal attacks -- are used to doing The KRG says Kurdistan alone -- comprising less than a 10th of Iraqi whatever they can to determine their destiny, Hayward says. territory -- holds 45 billion barrels. If the autonomous region were a “It’s clear as the Kurds get more and more production and infrastruc- country, its reserves would rank it 10th in the world, after Libya, ture, they’re just going to do their own thing,” he says. “As they like according to BP. to say, ‘We have no friends but the mountains.’” While oil production has soared in the north, slower output in the war- Kurdistan has made Kozel a wealthy man. Gulf Keystone, which torn south has kept Iraq-wide production low: Only in recent months operates almost exclusively in Iraqi Kurdistan, has paid him a base has output reached 1979 levels of 3.62 million barrels a day, accor- salary of $675,000 since 2008, with varying bonuses. By 2011, his ding to OPEC. total compensation had soared to $22.2 million, according to com- COmPLEx BuREauCRaCy pany reports. The hassles of dealing with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Baghdad ‘BIGGEST RISK’ government compound sluggish production in the south, says Paolo Relaxing in the Divan’s piano bar on a February evening, Kozel, who Scaroni, CEO of Eni SpA, Italy’s biggest oil company. Eni is one of started his first oil company when he was 21, reflects on how far he several large companies, including BP and Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Gulf Keystone have come. (RDSA), operating in the south. “Our biggest risk when we entered here in 2006 was logistics,” he “We’re suffering from a lot of complex bureaucracy,” Scaroni says. says. “We imported literally every single thing we needed -- equip- Eni had planned to invest $7 billion this year in developing its oil busi- ment, people, products.” ness in the south; it will end up spending only $3 billion, he says. He says it wasn’t a gamble everybody was willing to take. In the north, it’s a different story. Genel has been shipping crude to “I guess I was just a bit less risk averse than most,” he says. Turkey by truck, with 700 tankers rolling out of its Taq Taq field every day. With the new pipeline expected to be fully up and running later The same could be said for other investors who came early to this this year, the company says it’s poised to take advantage of the new corner of Iraq -- and whose bets on Kurdistan are also paying off. transportation capability by increasing production. I I I The KRG’s Ministry of Natural Resources says its goal is to transport 300,000 barrels a day by the end of the year via the pipeline, shifting a sizable portion of exports away from tanker transport, not to men- tion pipelines controlled by the government in Baghdad.

47 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

Iraq's Maliki wins at least 94 parliament seats in national election

By Ahmed Rasheed and Isra' al-Rube'ii BAGHDAD - May 19, 2014

PRIMe MInIsteR nouri Maliki won the largest share of Iraqi parliamentary seats in last month's national elec- tions, dealing a blow to shi'ite, sunni and Kurdish rivals who opposed his serving a third term. Preliminary results on Monday showed Maliki won at least 94 seats, far more than his two main Shi'ite rivals, the movement of Muqtada Sadr, which picked up 28 seats, and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), which won 29 seats. The size of Maliki's victory, with 1,074,000 votes for his list in Baghdad alone, will make it much harder for any of his opponents to argue he is not the choice of the country's Shi'ite majority. It is particularly important to him because his government is figh- chosen from within the Shi'ite majority - what they refer to as the ting a war with armed Sunni groups, including the Islamic State of National Alliance. Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which holds territory in Syria and holds sway around central Iraq. In the weeks since the April 30 election, as news leaked of Maliki's anticipated victory margin, ISCI and the Sadrists' best hope His supporters' celebratory gunfire was heard in central Baghdad appeared to be pressuring the prime minister to choose a succes- late Monday afternoon. sor from his State of Law coalition. Maliki picked up 92 seats on his formal State of Law blocs, and But Monday's results make it highly unlikely Maliki will feel any another two seats through minority candidates affiliated with him need to step aside. Smaller Shi'ite parties, whom ISCI and the who ran their own campaigns. Sadrists sought to woo are already lining up behind the prime Kurds gained a total of 62 parliament seats, while Sunnis won at minister. least 33 seats between their two main coalitions. A secular bloc, "The will of the voter imposes a certain reality on the ground," said headed by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, took 21 seats. Ammar Tuma, a leader of the Fadila (Virtue) party, which picked Final results are expected in the coming weeks after the electoral up six seats. "We have to respect the will of the people." commission rules on complaints of voter fraud and irregularities. Maliki's Sunni and Kurdish rivals, who have indicated their readi- The federal court then certifies the results. ness to stand with ISCI and the Sadrists against Maliki, are unsure "Maliki's position is strong," said former national security adviser, if their potential Shi'ite allies will buckle. Muwafak al Rubaie, a candidate on Maliki's political slate, who "Things will change when negotiations begin," said one current emphasized the prime minister's experience as commander in Sunni lawmaker, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The chief. National Alliance will choose him." "Because of Syria and regional polarization, security will be very If ISCI and the Sadrists choose to break from their Shi'ite political important for the next four years." partners, it is far from certain they could cobble together a ruling Maliki will now start a period of bargaining to see if he can bring coalition with Sunnis and Kurds, who remain a fragmented oppo- on board his Shi'ite rivals, who have rejected his candidacy. sition. The government is formed as a package deal with the 328-mem- Despite a strained relationship, the Kurds are far from committed ber parliament approving the president by a two-thirds majority. to pushing Maliki out. The president of the Kurdistan Regional He then asks the prime minister to form his cabinet. It could take Government, Masoud Barzani, criticized Maliki while speaking to anywhere from three months to the end of the year, one member Reuters last week, but cautioned the Kurds would wait to see the of Maliki's list said. electoral results. If a two-thirds majority cannot be reached, political parties argue Barzani has stressed the Kurds would want as the price of their that the parliament could approve the president by a simple majo- participation in any government iron-clad guarantees on the pas- rity, ending any effort to block a new government from being for- sage of a national oil law, a timeframe for resolving the status of med. disputed territories in northern Iraq, and a resolution to budget disputes. Maliki's critics accuse him of leading the country to ruin. They say that four more years will turn the government into a despotic Barzani has threatened the Kurds could boycott the national regime and risk Iraq's breakup. government and parliament if their demands are not met. They fault him for his prosecution of his war on ISIL in western In private, some Kurdish officials say they are willing to accept Anbar province that has raged for five months, displaced over Maliki for another four years, if it buys them time to advance their 420,000 Sunnis and failed to put a dent in violence around the long-term dream of an independent Kurdistan. G country. ISCI and the Sadrists have made clear they want a prime minister

48 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

May / June 2014 Issue How the Kurds Got Their Way Economic Cooperation and the Middle East's New Borders

was nearly torn apart by suicide bombings By Marina Ottaway and David Ottaway and sectarian militias after the 2003 U.S. From our May/June 2014 Issue invasion, and the violence has spiked recent- http://www.foreignaffairs.com ly, particularly in Anbar Province. Less dra- matic but still important, Jordan maintains an uneasy balance between its native population and Palestinian refugees, the latter of which T he surge of ethnic and sectarian strife in have long made up the majority of the coun- Syria and across the Middle East has led try’s population. a number of analysts to predict the coming breakup of many Arab states. This potential But something else is happening in Iraqi upending of the region’s territorial order has Kurdistan. This semiautonomous region has come to be known as “the end of Sykes- Traffic signs in Arabic, English, Kurdish, achieved new prosperity through cross-bor- Picot,” a reference to the secret 1916 Anglo- and Turkmen in Kirkuk, December 2, 2010. der economic cooperation, which other French agreement to divide up the Middle (Ako Rasheed / Courtesy Reuters) enclaves and even countries in the region Eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire could seek to emulate. Iraqi Kurdistan has into British and French zones of control. enjoyed de facto self-government since 1991, Because the European treaties that created to export both countries’ oil after splitting when the United States imposed a no-fly new Arab states in the aftermath of World apart in 2011. Economic cooperation is not a zone in northern Iraq following the first Gulf War I upheld the outlines of that agreement, cure-all in any of these places. But it does War. That alone makes it an exception in the Sykes-Picot became the convenient short- allow states to come together in new ways Middle East, along with its ethnic distinction hand for the map that colonial powers rather than risk falling apart. from the rest of the Arab world. U.S. protec- imposed on the region, one that has remained tion could have encouraged Kurdistan to essentially constant to the present day. LINES IN THE SAND declare its independence from Iraq, upsetting the existing territorial order. Instead, the With bloodshed from Aleppo to Baghdad to The Arab states that emerged after World War Kurds chose to pursue their own economic Beirut, it is indeed tempting to predict the I have always struggled with their heteroge- interests within that order. violent demise of Sykes-Picot. But although neous populations, uncertain national identi- the worst fighting is spilling over borders and ties, and deep internal fissures. They have After the 2003 invasion, Iraqi Kurdistan wel- pushing some countries, such as Syria, existed for almost a century, and vested inter- comed the U.S. military occupation, and toward fragmentation, there is another force ests have developed around the preservation before long, it was a direct beneficiary. Iraq’s crossing national lines and even realigning of their national borders and institutions. But new constitution, passed in 2005, confirmed national relationships: trade. New transna- ethnic, sectarian, and tribal divisions still Kurdistan’s special status by creating a feder- tional zones of economic cooperation are linger, as conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, al system that granted the Kurdistan Regional making Middle Eastern borders more porous, Syria, and Yemen so clearly demonstrate. Government (KRG), based in the city of but in a way that does not directly challenge Erbil, a large degree of self-rule over the existing states. Instead, mutual economic Those divisions are starkest in Syria, where provinces of Dohuk, Erbil, and interests, especially in the oil and gas indus- Damascus has lost control over large swaths Sulaymaniyah. It also gave Iraq’s 15 other tries, may signal a softer end to Sykes-Picot. of its territory since civil war broke out fol- provinces the option of attaining similar sta- lowing President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal tus. Yet despite the federal system enshrined New transnational zones suppression of peaceful protests in March in Iraq’s constitution, Baghdad has still done of economic cooperation are 2011. Syria’s Kurds have declared their own everything it can to curb Kurdish autonomy autonomous region in the northeast. A num- making Middle Eastern bor- and to prevent other provinces from demand- ber of radical Islamist groups fighting the ing autonomy as well. ders more porous. government have seized much of the coun- try’s east and proclaimed their dreams of The bone of contention between Baghdad building a Sunni Islamist state, governed by and Erbil is control over the region’s oil and Islamic law, that would control parts of Syria gas. Baghdad insists that all oil revenue must This dynamic is most apparent along the bor- and Iraq. Some observers even speculate that flow to the central government, which will der between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan, the Alawites, the esoteric offshoot of Shiite then distribute it to Kurdistan’s three where oil deals in recent years have directly Islam to which Assad belongs, will seek to provinces and Iraq’s other provinces. On the challenged Baghdad’s claims to exclusive develop their own rump state along the basis of its population, Kurdistan is supposed control of Iraq’s natural resources and where Mediterranean coast, under the protection of to receive 17 percent of Iraq’s total oil rev- Turkish and Kurdish leaders have talked Hezbollah, Iran, and Russia, reviving a enue. But the KRG contends that after trade instead of war. Economic cooperation is statelet that existed under the French mandate Baghdad deducts payments to oil companies emerging as an alternative to political vio- during the 1920s and 1930s. and Kurdistan’s share of the country’s lence elsewhere, too. Cyprus, Greece, and expenses for national defense and foreign Turkey are discussing shared oil and gas Syria’s Arab neighbors have problems of affairs, Kurdistan receives only 10–11 per- pipelines despite their disagreements. So are their own. Lebanon has remained bitterly cent. Sudan and South Sudan, which have reluc- divided along sectarian and religious lines tantly accepted the need to cooperate in order ever since its brutal 1975–90 civil war. Iraq The KRG first sought financial ➩

49 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➩ independence under Saddam Hussein, decided instead to build a new pipeline, what it receives from Baghdad, which was signing oil exploration contracts with small from the Taq Taq oil field, in central $12 billion last year. energy companies in 2002. But after the Kurdistan, to the Turkish border, where it enactment of the new constitution, it pushed would connect with the Ceyhan line -- a Undeterred by Baghdad’s protests, Iraqi for deals with more urgency, even though it direct challenge to Baghdad’s claim of sole Kurdistan and Turkey have continued strik- was unclear whether it had the legal author- control over Iraq’s oil. ing deals and deepening their energy ity to do so. The constitution states that the alliance. Last November, Kurdistan’s prime central government has exclusive control KURDISH BONANZA minister, Nechirvan Barzani, and Turkey’s over existing oil fields, but it leaves vague prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has jurisdiction over new ones. To this The KRG could not go it alone, however; it announced new agreements for the con- day, the central government asserts its rights needed the cooperation of its northern struction of a second oil pipeline to carry over both old and new oil reserves; Erbil neighbor, Turkey. After some hesitation, the Kurdish heavy crude to Ceyhan and a gas claims the right to sign contracts for any new Turkish government agreed to allow the new pipeline to supply power plants in Turkey. fields in its territory. Kurdish pipeline to link up to its Ceyhan According to leaked reports, Turkey initially line. But more important, Ankara also plans to buy 353 billion cubic feet of The United States tried to settle the dispute agreed to deposit Kurdish oil payments into Kurdish gas a year -- and eventually twice between Baghdad and Erbil through a new a Kurdish bank account in Turkey, rather that much. national hydrocarbon law, but the two sides than into Iraq’s national account in New could not agree. Instead, in 2007, the York, where all other Iraqi oil payments go. GO YOUR OWN WAY Kurdish parliament passed its own law reg- ulating oil and gas contracts in the region, The Turkish government’s support of the Cooperation between Ankara and the KRG permitting generous production-sharing KRG’s quest for financial independence was represents a direct challenge to Baghdad’s deals with foreign companies. a surprising shift, since it had long opposed hopes of preserving a centrally controlled autonomy for Iraqi Kurdistan as a dangerous Iraq. The Kurdish-Turkish pipelines and Dozens of foreign companies, such as the precedent given Turkey’s own large Kurdish energy agreements reflect a different vision Anglo-Turkish company Genel Energy, population, which has ongoing, unsettled, for Iraq, characterized by strong regional China’s Addax Petroleum, France’s Total, and often violent disputes with Ankara. autonomy and permeable boundaries. Of Norway’s DNO, and Russia’s Gazprom, Turkey had also sought to maintain good course, the KRG has not been pursuing its rushed in to establish a stake in what Tony relations with both Baghdad and Erbil, but economic interests in a vacuum: Baghdad’s Hayward, the former CEO of BP, described the country needed new, cheap supplies of demonstrated inability to use its oil revenue in 2011 as “one of the last great oil and gas oil and gas for its rapidly growing economy. to reconstruct Iraq -- severe electricity short- frontiers.” By 2012, even major U.S. oil Turkey, as its energy minister, Taner Yildiz, ages still plague most of the country -- companies, such as Chevron and said in an interview with an Iraqi Kurdish helped push Erbil to go its own way. ExxonMobil, had sealed exploration and news agency last December, could not “sit production agreements directly with Erbil, idly by.” Late last year, Kurdistan started Which vision prevails will have profound openly challenging Baghdad -- and the shipping oil to Ceyhan, with plans to reach implications for the future of Iraq and the Obama administration, which, despite one million barrels a day by the end of 2015. wider region. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- Washington’s established support for Iraqi Kurdistan, with its relative security and sta- Maliki’s attempt to maintain central authori- Kurdistan, has opposed the deals, fearing bility, also represented a far more favorable ty over Iraq’s provinces has reignited ethnic that oil disputes within Iraq could threaten climate for Turkish businesses than did the and sectarian violence, which in turn has the country’s stability. Those major U.S. oil rest of Iraq. By 2012, 70 percent of all trade raised doubts about whether Iraq can hold companies joined five smaller U.S. firms -- and investment between the two countries itself together. Indeed, an effort by Baghdad was concentrated in Kurdistan, even though to block Kurdish-Turkish cooperation could its population represents only one-sixth of easily backfire, provoking the KRG to Iraqi Kurdistan will soon Iraq’s total. declare Kurdistan’s independence. be earning enough from its Not surprisingly, the prospect of Iraqi Ultimately, neither side wants that outcome. oil exports to replace what Kurdistan exporting its own oil to Turkey Baghdad doesn’t want to lose Kurdistan and it receives from Baghdad. sparked strong protests from Baghdad. its oil, and Kurdistan isn’t ready to face the Insisting that it recognized that the oil challenges of independence, including a belonged to all Iraqis, as the constitution short-term loss of oil revenue; damage to states, the KRG promised to pass 83 percent Kurdish relations with Turkey, which Hess, HKN, Hunt, Marathon, and Murphy - of the revenue on to Baghdad, in keeping prefers to deal with a semiautonomous - and over 40 companies from Canada, with the current revenue-sharing formula region rather than an independent Kurdish China, Norway, Russia, and various Arab developed as part of ongoing budget negoti- state; and a long, costly process of obtaining and Asian countries in tapping into a ations. But Kurdish authorities have also international recognition. But the standoff Kurdish bonanza estimated by industry made clear that they will deduct from hasn’t stopped Baghdad from raising the experts to amount to 45 billion barrels of oil Baghdad’s share the $50 billion in arrears stakes, withholding funds allocated to and 99 trillion to 201 trillion cubic feet of that they claim they are owed. Erbil has also Kurdistan in the national budget and threat- gas. threatened to deduct compensation for dam- ening lawsuits against the KRG, the Turkish ages inflicted on Kurdistan by Saddam prior government, and any company helping Despite this windfall, the KRG still needed a to 1991, which the KRG estimates at $380 export Kurdish oil without its permission. way to get Kurdistan’s oil and gas to the billion. The latter threat is mostly rhetorical; The Iraqi oil minister, Abdul-Kareem international market. Erbil could have nevertheless, it is clear that Baghdad will not Luaibi, even told reporters in January that if pumped it through an existing pipeline -- receive its entire 83 percent share anytime Turkey facilitates the export of Kurdish oil, northern Iraq’s main crude oil export line, soon. The central government could of “it is meddling in the division of Iraq.” For connecting the Iraqi city of Kirkuk with the course retaliate by cutting off all oil pay- now, according to Yildiz, more than one mil- Turkish port of Ceyhan, on the ments to Kurdistan. But by the time Kurdish lion barrels of Kurdish oil sent to Ceyhan Mediterranean. But Baghdad controls the oil exports reach 450,000 barrels a day, per- since December are being held in storage Iraqi side of that line and would therefore haps as soon as the end of this year, there until the dispute can be resolved. Time have controlled the oil revenue. So the KRG Kurdistan will be earning enough to replace appears to be on the KRG’s side, ➩

50 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➩ however. Oil and gas will eventually find Altogether, nearly half of Iraq’s 18 provinces attempts to resolve disputes between Greece their way to market; after all, foreign compa- are either already semiautonomous, such as and Turkey over the divided island of nies have been drilling in Kurdistan for years the Kurdish ones, or mulling plans for semi- Cyprus, signs of hope emerged in 2011 with without Iraq’s consent. autonomy of their own, in line with the Iraqi the discovery of a huge natural gas field in constitution. southern Cypriot waters. The cheapest export If Baghdad eventually accepts Kurdistan’s route would carry the gas through a pipeline growing financial autonomy and economic THE PRIZE from the island’s Greek Cypriot south to its cooperation with Turkey, it would amount to Turkish-administered north, where it would a nonviolent but significant weakening of the The emergence of transnational zones of eco- continue on to Turkey and connect with the old Sykes-Picot order. Although the central nomic cooperation as an alternative to state recently approved Trans-Adriatic Pipeline, government would still control much of disintegration is not limited to Iraqi which will run through Greece and Albania Iraq’s oil, it would in effect be conceding the Kurdistan and Turkey. As part of Erdogan’s to Italy. Although Greek Cypriot and Turkish fact that a centralized state with rigid borders vaunted “zero problems with neighbors” pol- officials are still only discussing the possibil- no longer reflects current economic and polit- icy, which has taken a hit in recent years ity of the Cyprus pipeline, Greece and Turkey ical realities. By attracting more foreign (along with the prime minister’s political are already working together on the Adriatic investment and exporting more oil and gas, standing), Turkey’s favorite diplomatic tool pipeline despite their long-standing feud over Iraqi Kurdistan would, over time, drift further has been free trade. Before the 2011 uprising Cyprus, among other issues. away from Baghdad. in Syria, Turkey had opened up its border with its southern neighbor, which runs from Meanwhile, relations between Sudan and Baghdad, of course, has good reasons to fear Syria’s Alawite-dominated Mediterranean South Sudan remain acrimonious in the after- that outcome. Not only does it risk losing coast to its Kurdish northeast. Turkish border math of South Sudan’s independence in 2011 control over Kurdish oil, but a thriving, towns became shopping centers for Syrians following more than 20 years of civil war -- autonomous Kurdistan with close links to living within driving range of them and tran- but the neighbors will have to cooperate over foreign states could also become a model for sit hubs for Turkish trucks carrying goods to their sizable oil reserves sooner or later. other Iraqi provinces that are unhappy with the Gulf. Turkey lifted visa requirements for Three-quarters of the two countries’ oil the central government’s corrupt and author- Jordanian, Lebanese, Moroccan, and comes from landlocked South Sudan, which itarian rule and interested in controlling their Tunisian nationals, and the Turkish and depends on Sudan’s pipeline to Port Sudan own hydrocarbon resources. Syrian cabinets held a few joint meetings. for export. Unwilling to pay Sudan’s high Ankara even lined up agreements to set up an transit fees, however, South Sudan stopped Take Nineveh, a northern, Sunni ambitious free-trade zone with Jordan, oil production in January 2012, inflicting Arab–majority province just west of Erbil. Lebanon, and Syria. enormous economic harm on both countries. Like most Sunnis, Nineveh’s leaders initially But last September, common sense prevailed: opposed Kurdish autonomy, which they saw Critics dubbed this policy “neo- the two sides compromised, allowing South as a first step toward national breakup. But Ottomanism,” a veiled attempt by Turkey to Sudanese oil exports to resume and opening the prospect of oil discoveries in their restore its old dominance in the Middle East. up their shared border to the free passage of province and the example of Kurdistan are There was indeed a measure of imperial arro- people and trade. changing their view. Nineveh’s governor, gance to the Turkish plans, and self-interest Atheel al-Nujaifi, has spent several years and a desire for cheap energy have driven It is impossible to predict the long-term out- fighting the central government to obtain Ankara’s policy toward Iraqi Kurdistan. Yet come of the forces threatening the Middle funds earmarked for his province that are that policy is also a response to the violent East’s regional order. States wracked by war stuck in Baghdad’s bureaucratic maze. ethnic and sectarian forces threatening to and infighting, such as Syria, could in fact Nujaifi would welcome an independent destabilize Arab states, where, despite nearly break up. And states that pursue a coopera- source of revenue. In October 2011, when a century of institutionalized borders and tive economic agenda aren’t guaranteed suc- ExxonMobil signed exploration contracts national identities, such divisions have never cess: trade policies and efforts at economic with the KRG for six oil fields in Kurdistan, completely gone away. cooperation could fall victim to the same two of which are located in a disputed border nationalist forces that have driven Arab poli- area with Nineveh, Nujaifi immediately Even with those hostilities, ethnic and sectar- tics for decades. But the promise of econom- denounced the deal. By June 2012, however, ian enclaves could still mimic Iraqi ic associations across borders could limit the he had changed his tune, arguing that Kurdistan’s solution, seeking autonomy and possibility of both the restoration of central- Nineveh should talk directly to ExxonMobil cooperation within a wider economic zone ized, authoritarian states and states’ violent and the KRG about joint exploitation of oil in while remaining nominally within the old fragmentation into smaller ethnic or sectarian the contested territory. Nujaifi also argued national borders. War-torn Syria could follow enclaves. that Nineveh should follow the lead of its this model, whenever the fighting stops and Kurdish neighbors and transform itself into a Syrians begin to consider how they will live The United States, for its part, should recog- semiautonomous federal region. Despite a together again. The likelihood of restoring nize this new prospect. Washington fears that provincial council’s vote earlier this year in the old, highly centralized Baathist state upsetting the existing territorial order would favor of this change, Baghdad has blocked seems slim, given the pockets of control only breed more conflict and chaos. Although the process. rebels have established across the country. there are good reasons to be alarmed by the But the consequences of Syria splintering nightmare in Syria, trying to prevent territori- Several other Shiite and Sunni provinces are into nonviable statelets would be dismal. A al change may only encourage more frag- also considering steps toward autonomy. more promising, federal formula, based on mentation -- just the outcome the United Shiite-dominated Basra Province, the center the better parts of Iraq’s constitution, would States is seeking to avoid. But the oil now of Iraqi oil production, with an estimated 60 embrace some kind of autonomy for Kurds in traveling across the Kurdish-Turkish frontier percent of the country’s 141 billion barrels of the north, Sunnis in the east, and Alawites represents an alternative: forging new eco- proven oil reserves, has sought to break away along the coast, all of them merged into a nomic zones that straddle borders and tran- from Baghdad since 2008; its provincial cooperative regional economy. scend old hostilities. J council has voted numerous times to press the issue. Anbar, Diyala, and Salahuddin, all This kind of solution, based on economic MARINA OTTAWAY AND DAVID OTTAWAY are Sunni-majority provinces, voted to declare cooperation, could also provide a way out of Senior Scholars at the Woodrow Wilson their autonomy from Baghdad in late 2011 other conflicts in the eastern Mediterranean International Center for Scholars, in Washington, D.C. and early 2012, but Maliki rejected the calls. and North Africa. After decades of failed

51 Revue de Presse-Press Reviezv-Berhevoka Ça ê-Rivista Stam a-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

îzMmàt

Mercredi 21 mai 2014

un troisième mandat de M. Maliki, au pouvoir depuis 2006, préfigure Pour ses adversaires, Victoire électorale étroite un retour à la dictature. Ce front anti-Maliki, très dispa¬ untroisième mandat pour le premierministre rate, risque d'avoir les plus gran¬ de M. Maliki, des difficultés à faire émerger en au pouvoir depuis irakien, Nouri Al-Maliki son sein un candidat au poste de premier ministre. Il peut en revan¬ 2006, préfigure un che exiger, pour prix de son rallie¬ Le parti du chefdu gouvernement se prépare ment, que l'Etat de droit désigne . retour à la dictature à de longues tractations en vue d'une coalition un candidat autre que M. Maliki. Plusieurs noms de compromis cir¬ que islamique et les Etats-Unis culent, comme ceux de Tarek pourraient avoir intérêt à privilé¬ gier une solution de continuité. ictoire en demi-teinte pour sans Former une large coalition. Najefn, le directeur de cabinet du Mais la situation sur le terrain premier ministre, ou Khaled le chiite Noûri Al-Maliki. Pour ce faire, il devra rassembler pourrait troubler les calculs des Al-Attiyah, le vice-président du Selon les résultats provisoi¬ toutes les formations chiites, mais uns et dés autres. Handicapés par Parlement, un sadriste rallié. res des élections législatives ira¬ aussi s'attirer aussi le soutien de l'éparpillement de leurs listes et Tout porte donc à penser que les kiennes de la fin avril, publiés lun- partis sunnites, voire kurdes. les violences dans l'Anbar qui ont négociations post-élections vont diig mai parla commission électo¬ Or la plupart de Ses adversaires empêché certains d'entre eux de une nouvelle fois s'éterniser. Pour rale, le premier ministre sortant ont juré de faire barrage à sa recon¬ voter, les sunnites sortent affaiblis peut espérer décrocher un troisiè¬ duction au poste de premierminis¬ contrer les man visant à du scrutin. La piètre performance l'évincer, M. Maliki pourra faire me mandat d'affilée. Crédité de tre. Cette position est partagée aus¬ de leurs représentants pourrait valoirson très bon score personnel. 92 sièges, l'Etat de droit, la coali¬ si bien par Moqtada Al-Sadr que gonfler les rangs des radicaux, 721000 suffrages se sont portés tion qu'il dirige, distance large¬ par Massoud Barzani, le président notamment l'Etat islamique en sur son nom à Bagdad, le plus gros ment ses principaux concurrents. de la région autonome du Kurdis- Irak et au Levant, une milice djiha- résultat au niveau national. Tant du côté chiite - où le parti tani l'ex-premier ministre Iyad diste. «Les prochains mois en Irak La reprise des attentats et des Ahrar, du tribun Moqtada Al-Sadr, Allaoui, crédité de 21 sièges, et risquent d'être difficiles parce que attaques contre les forces de sécuri¬ n'obtient que 34 mandats - que du même AmmarAl-Hakim, un digni¬ beaucoup de gens ont perdu l'es¬ té, qui ont fait 3 500 morts depuis côté sunnite, où la formation arri¬ taire religieux chiite, proche de poir d'un véritable changement», le début de l'année, n'a pas entamé vée en tête, celle du président du l'Iran, dont là formation n'a obte¬ affirme le député sunnite Raad le crédit du premier ministre Parlement, Oussama Al-Nujaïfi, nu que 29 sièges alors qu'il en espé¬ Al-Dahlaki, cité par l'agence AP. auprès de l'électorat chiite. Celui-ci doit se contenter de 23 sièges. rait une quarantaine. Du côté du Kurdistan, des continue à le considérer comme un Avec seulement trois sièges de Tous rejettent surNouri Al-Mali¬ remous sont aussi à redouter. homme à poigne, seul à même de plus qu'en 2010 - époque où les ki la responsabilité de la flambée Durant la campagne, M. Barzanin'a confrérie soulèvement sunnite de tractations sur la formation du de violence des derniers mois, 2013, qui a débouché sur la prise de cessé de déclarer que le parti kurde gouvernement avaient duré qu'ils imputent à sa pratique du qui ferait alliance avec M. Maliki la ville de Fallouja, dans la province neufmois -, Nouri Al-Maliki va pouvoir, jugée sectaire et autoritai¬ serait un traître à la cause. Selon le de l'Anbar, par des milices tribales devoir cependant jouer serré. Son re. Même si les observateurs étran¬ quotidien irakien Al-Alam, les par¬ score est loin des prédictions de gers jugentl'hypothèse d'une frau¬ et djihadistes. Autre atout dans la tis kurdes se sont mis d'accordpour son entourage, qui tablait surenvi¬ de massive- improbable,, certains poche de M. Maliki, le soutien que briguer l'indépendance si le pre¬ ron 110 sièges. Contrairement à ce déçus de l'élection, comme lui ont accordé jusque-là Téhéran mier ministre conserve son pos¬ qu'il a martelé durant la campa¬ Ammar Al-Hakim, accusent le pre- et Washington. Engagés dans de te.» gne, le chef du gouvernement ne mierministre d'avoirmanipulé les rugueuses négociations sur le dos¬ B.Ba. pourra se maintenir au pouvoir résultats. Pour tous ces politiciens, sierdunucléaire iranien, la Républi-

HifËHiliK 19 mai 2014

Le conflit en Syrie a fait plus de 162 000 morts v ww«.liberation.fr Plus de 60 000 combattants loyalistes tués

depuis 2011

Plus de 162 000 personnes ont été tuées en Selon l'OSDH, les violences ont tué 42 701

Syrie depuis le début du conflit en mars combattants de l'opposition, dont plus de 13 unefemme blessée 2011, selon un nouveau bilan fourni lundi 19 500 jihadistes du Front AI-Nosra et de l'Etat lors de combats à Alep, le 18 mai mai par l'Observatoire syrien des droits de islamique en Irak et au Levant (EIIL). En Des Syriens aident une femme blessée lors de l'homme (OSDH). Un précédent bilan de face, 61 170 membres des forces du régime combats à Alep, le 18 mai 2014. (TAMER AL¬ l'OSDH, communiqué début avril, faisait état sont morts, dont 37 685 soldats et 23 485 mili¬ IIALABI I ALEPPO MEDIA CENTRE I AFP) de 150 000 morts. Cette organisation, dont le ciens. siège est situé au Royaume-Uni, s'appuit sur Le conflit en Syrie a débuté en mars 2011 est entrée dans sa quatrième année sans qu'au¬ un vaste réseau de militants et de sources avec une révolte populaire pacifique contre le cun belligérant ne prenne véritablement le médicales et militaires. Dans son bilan, elle régime de Bachar Al-Assad, qui s'est heurtée dessus sur le terrain, a par ailleurs fait plus de fait état exactement de 162 402 morts, dont à une répression sanglante et s'est progressi¬ neuf millions de réfugiés et de déplacés. Soit plus de 53 978 civils, parmi lesquels 8 607 vement militarisée. Cette guerre d'usure, qui près de la moitié de la population syrienne.* enfants.

52 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Ça ê-Rivista Stam a-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Vendredi 23 mai 2014 INTERNATIONAL | chronique

* V pas Alain Frachon

| | L'Iran et le martyre de la Syrie

La négociation s'articule autour d'une pro¬

Combien de crimes de guerre par semai¬ position centrale : en échange de là possibilité AU MEME ne en Syrie ? Chaque fois qu'un hélicop¬ d'enrichir de l'uranium à des doses (5 %) et MOMENT, tère du régime de Bachar Al-Âssad lâche dans des quantités limitées, sous strict contrô¬ un baril d'explosifs sur une école, un hôpital, le international,' Téhéran doit abandonner ou L'IRAN JOUE un immeuble d'habitation ? Chaque fois qu'un sérieusement reconfigurer toutes ses installa¬ À VIENNE chasseur bombardier tire un missile en pleine tions - toutes. Cette seule équation, selon les ville ? Chaque fois qu'un groupe de rebelles Occidentaux, permet de garantir que l'Iran ne UNE AUTRE islamistes assassine - quelque fois par cruci¬ prend pas le chemin de l'arme nucléaire. PARTIE, PLUS fixion -, enlève, torture ? L'attention médiatique oscille au gré de l'ac¬ Un « régime à deux têtes » DIPLOMA¬ tualité. La tragédie syrienne se poursuit au fil Les Occidentaux sont unis. Chinois et Rus¬ TIQUE des massacres: Sur les 23 millions de Syriens ses ne se désolidarisent pas de l'approche occi¬ que compte le pays, près de 10 millions sont dentale. Le délégué iranien, le ministre des réfugiés ; en trois ans de guerre, on compte de affaires étrangères, Mohammad Javad Zarif,

150 000 à 160 000 morts. Bachar Al-Assad « a entretient une atmosphère plaisante, dit un réussi le tour deforce de dépasseren nombre familier de la négociation. Mais il ne bouge de tués ceux déplorés lors de toutes les guerres pas. Il fait du surplace sur chacun des sujets israélo-arabes, tous camps confondus », note le les plus litigieux. politologue Frédéric Encel. Pour des raisons diamétralement opposées,

Entre le régime et ses opposants, ce n'est deux groupes sont hostiles à l'accord. D'un plus le statu quo. L'équilibré des forces com¬ côté, main dans la main, une bonne partie du mencerait à pencher en faveur de Damas. Le Congrès américain et l'actuel gouvernement

pouvoir central reprend lentement le contrôle d'Israël : ils ne font pas confiance à l'Iran. De de l'ouest du pays. Assad s'apprête à se faire l'autre, les durs de la République islamique, « réélire » à la présidence début juin- impostu¬ gardiens de la révolution et nucléocrates, plu¬ re endossée par son protecteur russe. Ce tour- tôt proches du Guide, l'ayatollah Ali Khame¬ nant en faveur du régime n'aurait pas été pos^ nei : ils ne font pas confiance aux Etats-Unis. La question qui se pose à Vienne est de sible sans le pays qui tient le rôle-clé dans le drame syrien : l'Iran. savoir quel Iran est à la table de négociation. La République islamique est le maître L'ADN de la République islamique est compli¬ d'ceuvre de l'évolution en cours. Elle encadre qué, au moins autant que ses institutions. Il y les forces syriennes. C'est elle qui a donné Tor¬ a la sensibilité nationaliste, pour laquelle le dre, aux troupes aguerries du Hezbollah liba¬ nucléaire est une question de statut : l'Iran nais d'entrer dans la bataille. Elle aussi, du fait veut sortirde son régime de paria, se libérer des liens qu'elle entretient avec le gouverne¬ des sanctions, normaliser ses relations avec ment de Bagdad, qui a sollicité les milices chii¬ les Etats-Unis, participer à l'économie globale. tes irakiennes pour qu'elles se joignent aux En caricaturant sûrement, on se risquera à combats. Elle, enfin, qui appuie financière¬ dire que le président Hassan Rohani représen¬ ment le régime de Damas -^ à coups de mil¬ te cette famille de la direction iranienne. liards de dollars, alors que l'économie iranien- Il y a l'autre, celle qui entretient - par convic¬ . ne peine sous le poids des sanctions. tion ou pour des raisons matérielles - la fibre Au même moment, l'Iran joue une autre révolutionnaire originelle : l'Iran est le chefde partie, plus diplomatique, mais qui pourrait file de l'islam chiite radical. Ambition messia¬ ne pas être sans lien avec la Syrie. Une nouvel¬ nique assumée, au prix de souffrances écono¬ le série de conversations vient de s'achever à miques, il a vocation à être la puissance pré¬ Vienne dans la négociation sur le programme pondérante au Proche-Orient et à s'opposer nucléaire de Téhéran. aux alliés des Etats-Unis dans la région. Cet

Les cinq membres permanents du Conseil Iran-là est plus expansionniste qu'en quête de de sécurité de l'ONÙ (Chine, Etats-Unis, Royau¬ reconnaissance. me-Uni, France, Russie) plus l'Allemagne veu¬ C'est celui qu'incarne Yahya Rahim Safavi, lent rééquilibrer le projet nucléaire iranien. principal conseiller militaire de Khamenei. Objectif: empêcher la République islamique Cité dans leFinancial Times (i4mai), Safavi de se doter de l'arme atomique. En contrepar¬ proclame là « victoire » de l'Iran en Syrie, et tie, l'Iran veut la levée de sanctions prisés pour . assure que la « ligne de défense avancée » de la République islamique se trouve au sud du ses violations répétées du traité de non-prolifé¬ Liban, à la frontière avec Israël ! Par Hezbollah ration nucléaire. interposé, l'Iran de Safavi prend des points Les nouvelles du front viennois sont mau¬ d'appui au Liban et en Syrie. Il n'a que faire des vaises : peu de progrès, sinon pas du tout. Les pourparlers de Vienne et encore moins de ce deux camps devraient se retrouver mi-juin. qui arrive au peuple syrien. Idéalement, ils souhaitent arriver à un accord Conclusion peu rassurante : la prolongation le 20 juillet. Dans cette affaire, le diable n'est du martyre de la Syrie dépend largement des pas seulement dans les détails, il est partout. jeux de pouvoir à Téhéran.

53 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

22 May 2014 PYD Leader: Our Fighters are a Bastion Against Jihadist Threat to Europe

By Harvey Morris happen? They will come to 22 may 2014 Europe,” said Muslim, whose son, Leader of rudaw.net Shervan, was killed last year in a Democratic clash between Kurdish fighters Union ONDON – Kurdish fighters in and al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. Party LSyria represent a bastion “No one is listening to us, but we (PYD), against foreign jihadists who pose continue knocking at the door. For Salih a future threat to Europe, accor- now, our only support is from Muslim. ding to the leader of the dominant Kurds in the diaspora.” Photo: AFP Democratic Union Party (PYD) in He said he had requested mee- Rojava. tings with, among others, the Salih Muslim, the PYD co- British Foreign Office. chairman, was speaking in The PYD leader’s warnings a doctrinaire spinoff from the gle (with the regime) and so knew London as part of a visit in which matched concerns expressed by militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party. the realities,” he said. “We were he was seeking to drum up sup- officials in Europe and the US It is also viewed with suspicion not prepared to be soldiers in port for the self-declared autono- about the potential jihadist threat. because of its alleged continued somebody else’s fight.” mous zones that have been set up France and Britain are among cooperation with the Bashar al- Muslim acknowledged the in the Kurdish regions of Syria. European countries that have Assad regime. support of ordinary people in the “We are fighting these taken action to try to deter their Muslim downplayed the Kurdistan Region who had helped Salafists, who mostly don’t accept young Muslims from going to PYD’s dominant role in Rojava their Syrian brethren but he was Kurdish existence,” Muslim told fight in Syria. Concerns about the and said the democratic project critical of the role of Massoud the Kurdish Society at London phenomenon of so-called “citizen there involved other parties, as Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic University’s School of Oriental jihadists” has also been raised by well as representatives of local Party, with which he was once and African Studies on Belgian, Dutch and German Arabs and other minorities in the allied. Wednesday. “We have no alterna- authorities. overwhelmingly Kurdish cantons. He claimed the KDP’s econo- tive because otherwise there However, these concerns have “What we are establishing in mic links with Turkey were for- would be a vacuum in which the not translated into Western sup- our area is part of the future cing it to pursue Ankara’s policy Salafists would control every- port for the PYD-led autonomy Syria,” he said. “We consider it a in the region. He accused the KDP thing.” project in Rojava, where the mili- model for all the Middle East.” of dispatching intelligence agents The PYD leader acknowled- tary wing of the movement has He rejected the claims of PYD to Rojava to undermine the auto- ged, however, that he was strug- been involved in clashes with cooperation with the regime. nomous regime there. gling to get the message across to jihadist groups that include the However, he said the movement Muslim said he was not oppo- European governments despite his Islamic State of Iraq and the had rejected requests from other sed to the Kurdistan Regional warning that European Muslims Levant (ISIS). opposition movements, including Government (KRG) in northern recruited into jihadist groups Western governments, on Islamists, before the start of the Iraq having relations with Turkey, could return from Syria to threa- good terms with Turkey and the three-year-old civil war to mount but “we are afraid of any agree- ten their home countries. Kurdistan Regional Government, an armed rebellion against ments that are against other sec- “If they beat us, what will have tended to regard the PYD as Damascus. tors of the Kurds.” I “We were already in a strug-

Iraqi Kurdistan defies Baghdad to load first pipeline oil sale

May 22, 2014 thursday, defying the Baghdad government, which claims By Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk (Reuters) sole authority over Iraqi crude and declares any indepen- dently sold oil as 'smuggled'. G Move likely to infuriate Iraqi government in The cargo of 1 million barrels of crude oil was being loaded on a tan- Baghdad ker in the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told Reuters on Thursday. G First 1 million barrel cargo being loaded at Ceyhan, turkey "Loading will be completed today," Yildiz said, declining to name the buyer. G tanker scheduled to sail later on thursday, The sale is likely to infuriate Baghdad, which has been at loggerheads buyer not identified (Adds sOMO reaction, back- with the autonomous Kurdish region over the sharing of oil revenues, ground) and denounced Turkey's courtship of the Kurds, warning that steps towards Kurdish economic independence could threaten Iraq's sove- AnKARA/IstAnBUL, - Iraqi Kurdistan started loading oil reignty. from its new pipeline for shipment from a turkish port on Baghdad has cut the region's share of the budget to punish it for a

54 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti a building the new pipeline, and oil sales can provide the Kurdistan Flows through the KRG oil pipeline have increased since early March Regional Government (KRG) with desperately needed independent while Iraq's federal oil pipeline, from the northern Kirkuk fields to income. Ceyhan, has been down, an industry source said. That freed up Flows through the pipeline started last December, but Ankara had Turkish capacity to handle the Kurdish flows. pledged it would wait for Baghdad and Arbil to resolve their diffe- "Because the Kirkuk line was not working, KRG was able to pump rences before allowing independent oil exports. around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) at times, which filled up the After five months of talks and little progress, however, tanks at storage tanks quickly," the source said. Ceyhan are now full with 2.5 million barrels of Kurdish oil, and KRG's new oil pipeline connects to the existing Iraqi federal pipeline Turkey decided there was no point in further obstructing exports, on the Turkish border. sources familiar with the sale said. The industry source said the flow in the KRG pipeline continued as In late 2013, Iraq's Oil Ministry instructed a U.S. law firm to pursue the export cargo was being loaded in Ceyhan. legal action against any buyer of Kurdish oil. Another source said the payments for the exports were likely to be Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) issued a statement deposited with Turkey's Halkbank. late on Thursday calling the loading of oil from Ceyhan "an illegiti- Iraqi Kurdistan began selling its oil independently of the federal mate deed of the Turkish authorities". government in 2012, transporting a small trickle of condensate and It said that both the Oil Ministry and SOMO "reserve the right to then, in 2013, small quantities of crude through Turkey by truck. take all legal measures against any company or entity" that loaded A Turkish company called Powertrans has acted as broker for the Iraqi crude from Ceyhan without Baghdad's approval. Kurdish government, selling the oil via tenders to traders. Officials in Arbil could not immediately be reached for comment. Last week, Reuters reported that Israeli and U.S. oil refineries had CRUDe FLOW COntInUes imported small cargoes of crude oil from the region. An official at the GAC shipping agency in Turkey confirmed that a The sales may have immediate political consequences as Iraq's tanker named United Leadership was loading piped Kurdish oil. incumbent prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, looks for partners to form Reuters AIS Live ship tracking showed the tanker had arrived in the next government after preliminary results from the April 30 elec- Ceyhan around May 20 and was berthed there. tion were announced last Monday. G

May 22, 2014

ORHAN MİROĞLU race. To form a new government, the KDP [email protected] and Gorran need to make an agreement. May 22, 2014 But apparently, there is no such an agree- ment yet. Gorran wants an important minis- try; but the KDP does not intend to hand the Disagreements between Pashmarga (armed Kurdish fighters) Ministry to another party. The KDP repre- sents a conservative-democrat political pro-Kurdish groups orientation whereas its rivals PKK/PYD, Gorran and the PUK are closer to a leftist- The raids in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)-affiliated institu- secular persuasion. Thousands of people tions and units in Arbil caused tension. died in conflicts between KDP-YNK and KDP-PKK in the 1990s. Before invading Iraq, the US pursued a ost of those who were detained were disagreements and clashes. Salih Muslim strategy of peace between the KDP and the Mreleased; but that this operation was was banned from traveling to Arbil. Physical PUK; and these two pro-Kurdish parties carried out by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional barriers were built to prevent travel from agreed to a peace ending the conflicts. In Government (KRG) shows that some pro- Syria to the KRG. So what happened that the aftermath, two different models of admi- Kurdish parties and groups affiliated with the the world and the Kurdish public now dis- nistration emerged in Sulaymaniyah and PKK and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), cuss the possibility of a clash between dif- Arbil. However, this setting was replaced by including the Kurdistan Democratic Solution ferent pro-Kurdish groups? A look at Arbil a joint government and administration Party (PÇDK) based in Arbil, will not be able and Sulaymaniyah reveals that there is an based in Arbil after the 2003 invasion. Now to perform their activities very comfortably indirect agreement and consensus among it appears that the KDP and the PKK still and that their activities and operations will Kurdish groups to alienate the Kurdistan have their bitter confrontation after two be strictly supervised and controlled by the Democratic Party (KDP). What is the rea- decades. government. However, until recently, there son for this state of disagreement and The following questions could be asked: was no obstacle to the operations and acti- potential clash, despite the fact that the Will the pro-Kurdish parties that have vities of the PYD and the PKK in the region. PKK and the PYD failed to gain any kind of never experienced any disagreement over In addition, KRG leader Masoud Barzani noteworthy result in the KRG and Iraqi elec- the past two decades clash and will this end used to encourage meetings between the tions? The confrontation between the PKK the domestic peace among the Kurds? PYD and other Syrian pro-Kurdish parties in and the KDP in Syria is the primary reason Will international actors take action to northern Iraq to devise a common pan- for this change. Secondly, the Iran factor deal with this problem and to prevent such Kurdish strategy in Syria. Salih Muslim and should be considered. Recent reports indi- a conflict? Or will Western actors remain other PYD figures were allowed to travel to cate that Iranian influence is growing in bystanders to a possible conflict? Arbil, from where they also used to take Sulaymaniyah, where the KDP received Will the Kurdish civil society and flights to Europe. There were also promising only 10 percent of the vote. Jalal Talabani's Kurdish intellectuals be able to prevent a discussions on unity and an alliance bet- Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and conflict between the KDP and the PKK that ween the Kurds. The parties were even Nawshirwan Mustafa's Movement for the Kurdish people do not want? considering organizing a pan-Kurdish confe- Change (Gorran) view the KDP as their I will discuss these questions tomorrow. rence to be hosted by Barzani. political rival. JJJ Then this process was replaced by Gorran came second in the election

55 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 24, 2014 As Al Maliki struggles to find support, Kurds seek an exit Hussein Ibish the approval of the authorities in May 24, 2014 Baghdad. And last week the Iraqi Kurds www.thenational.ae began independently exporting petroleum through Turkey’s Ceyhan port via a lthough his party won the most seats makeshift pipeline that became practical- Ain the recent Iraqi parliamentary elec- ly operational last December. tion, it’s not easy to see how Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki can form a new oth sides accuse each other of violat- governing coalition. And while attention is Bing the law and the constitution focused on developments in Baghdad, through these actions. But the Kurds are particularly the dynamics of a bitter inter- doing more than simply making a point. Shiite power struggle, events in the Now that they have crossed the Rubicon Nouri Al Maliki faces stiff opposition not of unilateral, independent oil marketing Kurdish north may have a more signifi- only from Kurdish and Sunni parties, but cant long-term impact. and exporting, there’s likely to be no turn- also from within the Shiite community. ing back, no matter what political and Khalid Mohammed / AP Photo Mr Al Maliki’s coalition has 95 seats, but financial agreements are reached with 174 votes are needed to secure a majori- Arab Iraqi leaders in Baghdad. This, of ty. Where the other 79 are going to come course, is why Erbil waited half a year from is distinctly unclear as Mr Al Maliki bolster Mr Barzani’s international creden- after it became technically possible faces stiff opposition, not only from tials – and therefore, by implication, the before taking this momentous step. Kurdish and Sunni parties, but also from KRG’s global diplomatic profile and within the Shiite community. prospects for eventual independence – Mr Al Maliki’s best bet for staying in the the Kurdish leader launched a blistering premiership may actually be striking a To form a governing alliance with the attack on Mr Al Maliki. “The authorities in deal with Kurdish leaders and enough Islamic Supreme Council in Iraq and the Baghdad want to control everything,” Mr Sunni politicians to form a majority in par- Sadrist Ahrar group – which are working Barzani complained. “It is not acceptable liament. But that potential coalition is also in close cooperation with each other and to us. We want to be partners; we don’t theoretically available to his Shiite rivals, could add 65 of the required extra votes, want to be subjects.” He described Mr Al and it’s not clear which of them may be thereby bringing Mr Al Maliki in easy Maliki’s governing style as “totalitarian- able to make a more effective and com- reach of a majority – the current prime ism”. Mr Barzani even threatened to “boy- pelling case to these key constituencies. minister would have to make some very cott everything” to do with national gover- And, despite the profound antagonism significant concessions. His Shiite rivals nance in Iraq. between them, it’s still possible that Iraqi are reportedly demanding the re-estab- Shiites might find a formula that allows lishment of the defunct National Alliance, rbil has several significant grievances them to unite in a coalition to form a new and in effect conditioning their coopera- Eagainst Baghdad in general and Mr Al government. tion with him on a relationship of equality Maliki in particular. The Kurds feel let in the government. down by Mr Al Maliki on the resolution of But whatever happens in Baghdad, by “disputed territories” especially the flash- beginning to unilaterally market and The trouble for Mr Al Maliki, though, is point city of Kirkuk. Along with many Iraqi export its own oil resources without the that his increasing political vulnerability Sunnis, Kurds have also been highly crit- consultation or approval of other Iraqis, appears to have created a zero-sum ical of the government crackdown in the KRG just took another major step equation with competing Shiite groups. Anbar province. towards independence. When he was They resent him and sense an opportuni- asked about the prospect of Kurdish inde- ty to cut him down to size. However, they, But disputes over oil contracts and rev- pendent statehood during his UK trip, Mr too, face the same dilemma: how to get to enue-sharing are almost certainly the Barzani did not mince words. a 174 majority with even fewer seats than greatest fault line. With negotiations over he has? a new mechanism for managing the After bitterly complaining about KRG’s energy resources and 17 per cent Baghdad’s and Mr Al Maliki’s behaviour, Mr Al Maliki knew this all along, and has share of Iraq’s national income at a total he bluntly said: “We are going to have a been hoping to build a new governing impasse, Baghdad has effectively frozen referendum and ask our people.” It would coalition around an alliance with Kurdish the capital transfers on which Erbil’s be folly to dismiss these stated Kurdish parties, in particular the president of the budget is deeply dependent. An enraged intentions as bluster or brinkmanship.J Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Mr Barzani said the withholding of this Masoud Barzani. Mr Barzani has, in money is “as bad as the gassing of Hussein Ibish is a senior fellow at the recent years, been emerging as not only Halabja [by Saddam Hussein] – if not American Task Force on Palestine, a colum- the key Kurdish leader in Iraq, but region- worse”. nist for Now Media and blogs at www.ibish- ally as well. And when it comes to Mr Al blog.com Maliki, he is playing distinctly hard to get. Kurdish deeds have been even stronger Indeed, both sides in the Iraqi Shiite than this hyperbolic rhetoric. Throughout divide are courting Kurdish support 2013, the KRG worked with the Turkish against each other. government and companies in a series of unilateral agreements and contracts that In a recent visit to London designed to theoretically required, but did not receive,

56 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

24 May 2014 Kurdish Cabinet Faces More Delays as Parties Discuss Ministers

26 May 2014 that out. rudaw.net Ali Abubakr, a senior leader of Yekgirtu, said that his party’s ULAIMANI, Kurdistan top demands are that the inco- SRegion – Eight months after ming administration must be “a the regional legislative elections, government of the people,” and the Kurdish parliament has named that “government departments Nechirvan Barzani to continue as need to be nationalized and the prime minister and Qubad rule of law must prevail." Talabani as his deputy. But so far, Yekgirtu, which won 10 of the only the Islamic Union of Kurdish parliament’s 111 seats, Kurdistan (Yekgirtu) has announ- has named the following candi- ced all of its candidates for minis- dates: Nasradin Omari for minis- terial portfolios. ter of labor and social affairs, Until now, the formation of Muhammad Hawdini as minister the next cabinet of the Kurdistan for organization and coordination KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (L) with his deputy, Regional Government (KRG) had between government and parlia- Qubad Talabani. Photo: Rudaw been hampered by the winning ment, Salahadin Ba Bakir for parties in last September’s elec- minister of electricity, Akram instances, ranches and tourism The PUK, which has 18 par- tions failing to agree on dividing Mohammadi as head of non- villages have been constructed liamentary seats, wants the prime ministries and key positions governmental organizations and over these lands. minister and his deputy to draw among themselves. Omar Muhammad as head of the The PUK, which has been up the government plan, which And now, nearly all of the board that controls Kurdish areas reeling under a leadership crisis would then be reviewed by party parties are busy in internal nego- that are separate from the for the past two years, likewise leaders. tiations to name their ministers Kurdistan Region. has failed to name its ministers, The reformist and former and other important officials. The Islamic league of largely due to wide divisions opposition party, Gorran, which Sources told Rudaw that the Kurdistan (Komal) said its nomi- among the current leaders. has 24 seats in parliament, has Change Movement (Gorran) and nations were incomplete, and that The PUK has been granted decided only on one of its minis- the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan it was still receiving CVs. the deputy speaker of parlia- ters. Sources told Rudaw that (PUK), rival parties that, respecti- Komal’s Tofiq Karim said that it ment’s chair, but internal rivalries Mustafa Said Qadir has been vely, came in second and third at was working for “a government have prevented a final decision on nominated as the minister of the polls, may not be able to of service and fighting corrup- who will occupy the post. Peshmarga. decide on their nominees even tion." A PUK source said there are Gorran still has to decide on next week. Komal has six seats in the two views within the PUK about candidates for the ministries of How to draw up the govern- Kurdish parliament and has been ministerial posts. One believes finance, religion and industry. ment plan is also an issue, with granted the agriculture ministry. that all incumbents should be "We have named only sources saying that some parties Many observers believe that the replaced, while the other says that Mustafa Said Qadir, but the are leaning toward establishing a party could face many tough the competent ones should stay. Gorran leadership will meet next joint committee to do that work, issues, especially with people and The source said that one person week to decide its candidates," while others want the prime some officials who have taken being considered to remain is said Sahaxawan Raud, a senior minister and his deputy to work over agricultural lands. In some health minister Rekawt Rashid. Gorran member. I

fils du président irakien Jalal Talabani, au poste de vice-Premier ministre", a indiqué Rebin Rasol, conseiller politique du GRK, à l'agence Xinhua. Irak : Barzani réélu M. Barzani, qui occupe son poste depuis janvier 2012, a été reconduit dans ses fonctions en remportant le soutien de 99 parlementaires sur les 100 Premier ministre de présents lors de la séance au Parlement, lequel est situé dans la capitale régionale d'Arbil, à environ 350 km au nord de la capitale irakienne Bagdad, et compte 111 sièges au total, tandis que pour sa part le vice- la région du Kurdistan Premier ministre a recueilli 78 voix, a précisé M. Rasol. En vertu de la loi en vigueur au Kurdistan, région semi-autonome située French.china.org.cn - Source: Xinhua, le 21-mai-2014 dans le nord de l'Irak, le président du GRK Massoud Barzani devrait deman- der à son neveu, le Premier ministre réélu, et à son vice-Premier ministre Mardi en Irak, le Parlement régional du Kurdistan a réélu à son poste le de former le nouveau gouvernement de la région, a ajouté M. Rasol. Premier ministre de région sortant Netchirvan Barzani et a élu son vice- Premier ministre, a fait savoir un responsable de la région. En septembre 2013, lors de l'élection du Parlement régional, le Parti démo- cratique du Kurdistan (PDK) dirigé par le président de la région Massoud "Le Parlement du Kurdistan a élu Netchirvan Barzani au poste de Premier Barzani a obtenu 38 des 111 sièges parlementaires.N ministre du Gouvernement régional du Kurdistan (GRK) et Qubad Talabani,

57 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti Iraq seeks arbitration against turkey on Kurdish oil sale May 23, 2014 -By Ahmed Rasheed and Isabel Coles ment. The inaugural sale is likely to put further strain on relations between G sale revenue heading to turkey's Baghdad and the region at a time when negotiations to form a new Halkbank government are getting underway. G Baghdad has already cut funds to the Kurds this year as punishment for turkish ministry says no word on their moves to export crude independently, throwing the region into arbitration yet economic crisis. G Kurdish crude cargo sold to The KRG said the oil revenue would be treated as part of the region's Mediterranean spot market-Yildiz share of the Iraqi national budget and vowed to comply with United Nations obligations by setting aside 5 percent of it in a separate account for reparation for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990. BAGHDAD/ARBIL, Iraq, - Iraq filed for arbitration against turkey on Friday to stop exports of oil from Kurdistan after The KRG said it remained open to negotiations with Baghdad, but ana- european markets bought the first load of oil piped from the lysts said the arbitration was likely to push the region further away. autonomous region. "Baghdad's legal challenge will likely accelerate the Kurdistan region's The move raises the stakes again in a long-running game of political movement towards full independence," said Jordan Perry, principal brinkmanship as Baghdad seeks to thwart Kurdistan's moves towards MENA analyst at Maplecroft. greater self-sufficiency. neW OILstReAM The request was filed with the Paris-based International Chamber of Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Friday the first cargo had Commerce and also targets Turkish state-owned pipeline operator been sold into the Mediterranean spot crude market: "This crude oil will BOTAS for its role in facilitating oil exports from Kurdistan without the possibly go to Italy or Germany," he said in comments broadcast on TRT Iraqi federal government's consent. television. "By transporting and storing crude oil from Kurdistan, and by loading The pipeline brings a new oilstream onto global markets, one which will that crude oil onto a tanker in Ceyhan, all without the authorization of compete with well-established sour grades. the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Turkey and BOTAS have breached their obli- The Kurdish crude in tanks at Ceyhan is a mixture of two grades, Taq gations under the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Agreement," the government Taq and Tawke, market sources said. The tanks contain a small amount said in a statement. of Kirkuk, which was left over in the pipeline when it was shut down at Both BOTAS and Turkey's Ministry of Energy said they had yet to the beginning of March. receive any information about the arbitration from either the ICC or the The stream is currently a medium sour grade. The oil in storage has an Iraqi government. API gravity of around 31.3 degrees with a sulphur content of about 2.7 Earlier on Friday the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said the percent, according to laboratory reports by a local shipping agent that tanker, carrying more than 1 million barrels of crude, was bound for were seen by Reuters. Europe, and that revenue from the sale would be deposited in Turkey's The grade is close to Iraq's Kirkuk grade, which has an API gravity of Halkbank. around 31-32 degrees and a sulphur content of around 2.0 percent to 2.5 Kurdistan finished building the pipeline to Turkey late last year and has percent. been using it to pump oil into storage tanks at Ceyhan, as well as expor- Russian Urals, the most traded sour grade in the Mediterranean market, ting smaller volumes by truck. has a much lower sulphur content than the Kurdish oil but its API gra- "This is the first of many such sales of oil exported through the newly vity is quite similar. Urals has a sulphur content of around 1.1 percent to constructed pipeline in the Kurdistan region," the KRG said in a state- 1.3 percent and an API gravity of around 30-31 degrees. G

Pétrole: les Kurdes jugent "illégitime" la plainte de Bagdad contre la Turquie

Bagdad, 25 mai 2014 (AFP) central avait connaissance de ces pratiques. Bagdad a pourtant qualifié à plusieurs reprises ces pratiques de "contrebande". LA région Autonome du Kurdistan irakien a jugé dimanche "illégitime" et "vouée à l'échec" la plainte déposée par Bagdad contre la turquie après Les autorités kurdes et le gouvernement irakien ont engagé une bataille pour le des exportations de pétrole kurde. contrôle des exportations de brut: Bagdad estime que le pétrole appartient au pays tout entier, tandis qu'Erbil veut traiter directement avec des compagnies Bagdad a déposé vendredi une plainte devant la Chambre de commerce interna- pétrolières. tionale (ICC, à Paris) contre la Turquie après qu'Ankara a annoncé avoir com- mencé à livrer sur les marchés internationaux du pétrole en provenance de la Selon Ruba Husari, du site spécialisé dans le pétrole irakien iraqoilforum.com, la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien. plainte de Bagdad "ne mettra peut-être pas immédiatement fin aux exportations, mais elle augmentera la perception du risque" et nuira à "l'environnement Le ministère kurde des Ressources naturelles a déclaré dimanche dans un com- économique dans la région du Kurdistan". muniqué que cette demande d'arbitrage est "vouée à l'échec" et "illégitime", et qu'il ne permettrait pas que des "menaces fantômes" du gouvernement de Les exportations via la Turquie, qui interviennent après les élections législatives Bagdad pèsent sur la politique d'exportation de pétrole du Kurdistan. du 30 avril en Irak à l'issue desquelles la coalition du Premier ministre chiite Nouri al-Maliki est arrivée en tête, pourraient provoquer un regain de tensions entre les Le communiqué a également prévenu que le ministère du pétrole, qui a déposé Kurdes et le gouvernement central de Bagdad. la plainte, était en train de "nuire potentiellement à l'industrie pétrolière et aux réserves de pétrole de l'Irak", ainsi qu'"aux relations entre l'Irak et la Turquie, et Les Etats-Unis se sont inquiétés jeudi d'une possible déstabilisation du pays. d'autres amis de l'Irak". "Notre position de longue date est de ne pas apporter notre soutien aux exporta- Le Kurdistan irakien "exporte du pétrole par camions via la Turquie et l'Iran depuis tions si elles ne sont pas dûment approuvées par le gouvernement central irakien, de nombreuses années", a ajouté le communiqué, affirmant que le gouvernement et nous sommes inquiets de l'impact que pourraient avoir celles" en cours, a déclaré la porte-parole du département d'Etat, Jen Psaki. I

58 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Xt3ïîondt

Vendredi 30 mai 2014 gée au sein de la nébuleuse qaïdiste. L'EIIL -souvent désignée par son acronyme Abou Bakr Al-Baghdadi, anglais, ISIS, ou arabe, Dai'sh - est la pire menace contre. Al-Qaida depuis sa fonda¬ tion dans les zones tribales pakistanaises le nouveau en 1988 par Oussama Ben Laden. Un enne¬ mi de l'intérieur.

Ben Laden Rendu célèbre par une décapitation

Les hostilités ont débuté fin mars 2013, Christophe Ayad lorsque l'Etat islamique en Irak a procla¬ mé sa fusion avec le Front Al-Nosra, Il n'existe que deux photos de lui, d'Abou Mohamed Al-Jolani, considéré floues et au format d'identité. Sur comme la filiale syrienne du groupe. Les celle diffusée par le FBI, il apparaît \ liens sont innombrables et anciens, tissés jouffluetmal rasé. Celle duministè¬ par une décennie de djihad en Irak. Mais il re irakien de l'intérieur le montre s'agitbeletbiend-uneOPAinamicale.il ne ^W^ un peu plus dégarni avec barbe fautpas longtemps à l'organisation syrien¬ naissante et moustache. En réalité, nul ne ne pour opposerun refus poli mais ferme. sait à quoi ressemble aujourd'hui Abou Chacun son pays, chacun son djihad. Bakr Al-Baghdadi, le chef de l'Etat islami¬ Dans son refuge pakistanais, Ayman que en Irak et au Levant (EIIL). Et pourtant, Al-Zawahiri, qui consacre l'essentiel de jamais avant lui un chefdjihadiste n'avait son temps à échapper aux frappes de dro¬ commandé autant de combattants, nes américains, comprend immédiate¬ contrôlé un aussi vaste territoire et dispo¬ ment la menace. Il donne raison au Front sé d'une telle manne financière. Même Al-Nosra, mais plus rien ne peut arrêter la Oussama BenLaden, au temps de sa splen¬ marche d'Abou BakrAl-Baghdadi. Zawahi- deurafghane ayant les attentats du 11-Sçpr ri a de bonnes raisons de s'en méfier : ce tembre, n'était pas aussi puissant. dernier ne lui a pas prêté allégeance dans Abou Bakr.Al-Baghdadi, dont les hom¬ .les mois qui ont suivi la mort de Ben mes sévissent des portes de Bagdad à la Laden. Un vieux contentieux, oppose banlieue de Damas, de la frontière de la Jor¬ l'idéologue égyptien et le jeune chef ira¬ danie à celle de la Turquie, est le « djihadis¬ kien. Baghdadi est un disciple d'Abou te invisible », un pouvoir sans visage, une deux seules photos Moussab Al-Zarkaoui. force s ans face. Personne ne peut dire qu'il al-Baghdadi, diffusées par le ministère de Ce Jordanien d'origine n'était qu'un l'a croisé, pas même les otages occiden¬ l'intérieur irakien et par le FBI. I cadre marginal d'Al-Qaida, un second cou¬ taux détenus par ses hommes en Syrie et APlUncredited teau. Installé dans le Kurdistan d'Irak dès qui ont eu la chance de réchapper de leur 2002, il est aux premières loges de l'inva¬ enfer. Jusqu'à son nom de guerre est un sion américaine l'année suivante. Il prend leurre : Abou Bakr fait référence au pre¬ n'a pas de passé militaire, a fait ses premiè¬ vite la tête du combat antiaméricain et mier calife et compagnon du Prophète, res armes dans le djihad après l'invasion frappe les esprits en décapitant de sa main Al-Baghdadi signifie tout simplement de américaine de l'Irak, dans l'un des petits entrepreneur américain Nicholas Berg Bagdad. groupes insurgés qui ont alors proliféré.

Alors que Ben Laden mettait un soin de . Une décennie plus tard, l'homme est à en mai 2004. L'autre spécificité de Zar- pop star au tournage de ses clips de propa¬ latête d'une dizaine de milliers de combat¬ kaoui, ce sont les massacres.de chiites, gande, Baghdadi fuit l'image. Alors que tants en Irak, plus de 7000 a 8000 en décimés par les attentats-suicides à répéti¬ Ayman Al-Zawahiri, le médecin égyptien Syrie. Ses troupes contrôlent une bonne tion, qui lui valent une certaine populari¬ qui a pris la tête d'Al-Qaidaaprès l'élimina¬ partie de la province d'Anbar (Falloujah et té enArabie Saoudite où le chiisme est trai¬ tion de Ben Laden en mai 2011, aime à dis¬ unepartie de'Ramadi) en Irak, ils poussent té comme une hérésie. Mais l'état-major serter des heures dans ses vidéos postées jusqu'aux portes de Bagdad, terrorisent d'Al-Qaida, en particulier Zawahiri, désap¬

sur Internet, lui ne parle pas. Ou à peine : les régions de Ninive (Mossoul) et Salahed- prouve cette stratégie qui risque de trans¬ on lui attribue une poignée de messages dine (Tikrit et Samarra). En Syrie, ils domi¬ former le djihad global enfitna (« discor¬ audio, sans certitude sur leur authentici¬ nent les provinces de Deir ez-Zor et Rakka, de ») intermusulmane. Zawahiri ordonne té'. Ce silence, cette absence nefont que ren¬ exploitentdes puits pétroliers près de Has- alors à Zarkaoui de mettre fin aux atten: forcer son mythe : ses actes parlent pour setchéet sont actifs dans les régions de Lat- tats antichiites. En vain. Finalement, le lui, sa cruauté tient lieu de discours, tis¬ taquié, Alep, Idlib, Hama, et même Damas. renégat est tué par l'aviation américaine sant une légende qui agite toute la djiha- Des volontaires affluent de partout en juin2006 dans la région de Dyala, celle dosphère, de l'Indonésie à la Mauritanie vers le pays de Cham, le nom islamique de dont Baghdadi est originaire. en passant parles banlieues européennes. la Syrie. D'Europe, d'Asie centrale, d'Aus¬ Al-Qaida en Mésopotamie est alors D'Abou BakrAl-Baghdadi, on sait seule¬ tralie, du Caucase, du Maghreb et du Golfe, repris en main par un « commissaire poli¬

ment qu'il est originaire de la province de ils viennent rejoindre le plus grand djihad tique» égyptien envoyé par Zawahiri: il Dyala, dansl'est de l'Irak, làoù Kurdes, chii¬ transnational jamais mené. Et ils choisis¬ s'agit d'Abou Hamza Al-Muhajer (Youssef tes et sunnites se déchirent dans une san¬ sent massivement l'EIIL plutôt que le Al-Dardiri de son vrai nom), qui exerce un glante mêlée à coups d'attentats-suicides Front Al-Nosra, pourtant .succursale offi¬ comagistère avec l'émir irakien.du grou-r et d'assassinats. On sait aussi que la cielle d'Al-Qaida en Syrie. pe. L'organisation, qui a fusionné avec plu¬ famille d'Àl-Baghdadi est issue du clan tri¬ Le drapeau - noiret frappé de la profes¬ sieurs autres groupuscules, est rebaptisée bal des Samarraï (de la ville de Samarra) et sion de foi - est le même, le discours, l'ob¬ « Etat islamique en Irak ». qu'il aime à rattacher sa lignée à celle des jectif aussi: instaurer un Etat islamique- L'objectif est d'autant plus ambitieux Husseini, les descendants du Prophète. menfpur, faisant observer la charia dans que le projet djihadiste en Irak est presque Dernière précision : Al-Baghdadi, qui a étu¬ son acception la plus rigoriste. Et pour¬ réduit à néant : .à,partir de fin 2006, Lar- dié à l'université islamique de Bagdad et tant, c'est une lutte à mort qui s'est enga

59 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

mée américaine recrute des tribus arabes les otages occidentauxdans la plus grande sunnites lasses de la férule d'Al-Qaida et discrétion. En mars 2013, ses positions de ses excès. En.avril 2010, Abou Hamza et sont suffisamment consolidées pour lan¬ l'émir irakien sont tués. Si bien qu'Abou cer son OPA contre le Front Al-Nosra et Bakr Al-Baghdadi reprend les rênes d'une revendiquer tout le pouvoir. organisation affaiblie, mais soudée, et ^'"W '' Abou Bakr Al-Baghdadi est obsédé par

aguerrie. l'expériènceirakienne et l'émergence des Ilya, entre Zawahiriet Baghdadi, un fos¬ milices Sahwa (sunnites anti-Al-Qaida). Il sé générationnel : le premier a connu le dji¬ fait donc place nette dans les zones qu'il hadafghan, le second s'estforgé dans le dji¬ contrôle : tous les opposants ou rivaux had irakien. L'Egyptien est un théoricien . potentiels sont éliminés. La cible principa¬ qui glose sans fin sur l'impact des révolu¬ le de Dai'sh: les rebelles laïques et les tions arabes oul'histoire des Frères musul¬ ^s£&È&*?*-*** --* ^flb. autres groupes islamistes. «Leurstratégie mans en Egypte ; l'Irakien est un praticien est la même que celle des staliniens pen¬ de la violence, dont il a fait son principal dantlaguerre d'Espagne, qui se sontdébar¬ argument de recrutement. Avec lui, l'Irak rassés de leurs concurrents anarchistes et Des combattants de l'EIIL brûlent des cigarettes devient une école de formation où se croi¬ trotskistes plutôt que combattre Franco », de contrebande à Rakka, en Syrie, le 2 avril. sent jeunes militants venus de partout, résume un diplomate. . Des combattants de l'EIIL brûlent des cigarettes attirés par l'ultraviolence. de contrebande à Rakka, en Syrie, le 2 avril. I Enfin, chaque leader est contraint par REUTERS sa situation. Zawahiri bénéficie-dé l'aura Abou BakrAl-Baghdadi fondatrice du11-Septembre, mais ne dispo¬ est le «djihadiste se d'aucun territoire sûr et vit hors du ment dans l'appareil sécuritaire. Le ter¬ monde arabe : il théorise le djihad lointain invisible», reau est favorable pour le discours anti¬ (contre l'ennemi occidental) pour impres¬ unpouvoir sans visage, chiite de Baghdadi. sionner les foules musulmanes. Baghda¬ Etrangement, le régime syrien, qui une force sans face. di, lui, a fait l'expérience de l'émirat de Fal- emprisonne et torture ses opposants à loujah : la prise de la ville par les insurgés Ses actes parlentpourlui, tour de bras, va relâcher un certain nom¬ en 2004 puis sa chute aux mains de l'US bre de cadres djihadistes détenus dans ses sa cruauté tientlieu Army. Pour mettre en son Etat isla¬ geôles. Pourquoi remettre dans.le circuit mique au çceur du monde arabe, il donne dediscours ces extrémistes qui vont logiquement la primauté au djihad proche, contre les retourner leurs armes contre- le régime ennemis immédiats, a commencer par les Pendant ce temps, l'armée de Bachar impie des Assad ? Parce que cela participe . musulmans qui s'opposent à son projet. Al-Assad épargne l'EIIL. Des proches du d'une « gestion » confessionnelle de la cri¬ La mort de Ben Laden, en plein « prin¬ régimedeDàmasvontjusqu'àrachèterdu temps arabe », a été le détonateur des riva¬ se, permettantde soudertoutes les minori¬ pétrolevenduparlesdjihadistes.L'EIILest- lités de succession. Il n'y a en effet pas de tés contrela.menace sunnite fondamenta¬ elle une «créature» des services d'Assad, raisonqu'Al-Qaidaéchappe, commetoute liste. Parce que, également, les services comme le clament les opposants laïques ? syriens, qui ont passé depuis 2003 leur organisation politique, aux querelles de « C'est aller trop loin dans le complotisme, temps à gérer, infiltrer, exfiltrer les djiha¬ leadership. Malgré son retrait de l'opéra¬ tempère Dominique Thomas, spécialiste distes en transit vers l'Irak, connaissent tionnel, lé milliardaire saoudien restait des mouvements djihadistes et chercheur parfaitementleurs « clients », quand ils ne l'incontestable «statue du comman¬ associé àl'Ecole des hautes études en scien¬ les manipulent pas à distance. Ils savent deur». A sa disparition, la jeune garde ces sociales (EHESS). D'abord, les djihadis- que l'objectif premier de certains d'entre dévoile son ambition. Abou Bakr tesrelâchéssontallésversd'autresgroupes eux est l'installation d'un califat appli¬ Al-Baghdadi en est le chef de file. que l'Etat islamique. Ensuite, il nefautpas quant strictement la.chafia, plutôt que Dès ses débuts à la tête de l'Etat islami¬ établir de causalités à l'envers dans un l'instauration de la démocratie au Proche- que en Irak, en mai 2010, il organise contexte de guerre trèsflou et mouvant. » Orient. 6oattaques simultanées faisant 110 morts Reste que des liens anciens continuent Les effets ne tardent pas à se faire sen¬ en un seul jour. A l'automne, il ordonne d'alimenter l'hypothèse d'une collusion tir. En janvier 2012, le Front Al-Nosra l'assaut de la cathédrale de Bagdad entre Damas et l'Etat islamique. Une cho¬ annonce sa formation sous l'égide d'Abou (46 morts parmi les fidèles). Le message se est sûre: «L'organisation a largement Mohamed Al-Jolani, un Syrien formé en est limpide : Al-Qaida n'est pas mort en recruté parmi les anciens bassistes ira¬ Irak. Sa témérité et son intégrité lui valent Irak, l'Etat islamique a pris la relève. Le kiens», comme le souligne Dominique un essor spectaculaire et de la sympathie départ des troupes américaines en décem¬ Thomas, et ces derniers ont gardé de soli¬ dans le grand public. Il ne cache pas sa bre 2011 et la politique sectaire du premier des relais à Damas. proximité avec l'Etat islamique, auquel il ministre chiite irakien, Nouri Al-Maliki, sert de poisson-pilote. Le groupe irakien font le reste. En humiliant et en oppri¬ fait son apparition surle théâtre syrien en mant les sunnites, Maliki a radicalise tou¬ son propre nom début 2013. te une communauté qu'il a poussée dans Le business des otages Contrairement au Front Al-Nosra, l'EIIL les bras des extrémistes. ne paraît pas rechercher la confrontation Début 2013, le contexte changé en Irak :

avec l'armée syrienne.mais se concentre le premier ministre chiite Nouri Al-Maliki L'étrange complicité plutôt sur la prise de contrôle des postes- apporte son soutien à BacharAl-Assad, car du clan Assad frontières afind'établinme continuité ter¬ il est lui aussi confronté à un soulèvement ritoriale avec l'Irak. Il prend possession sunnite dans la province d'Anbar, qu'il a Au printemps de la même année 2011, des territoires libérés par d'autres, tel un largement contribué à créeren opprimant la révolution éclate en Syrie. La popula¬ coucou. ARakka, première capitale de pro¬ cette communauté déchue depuis la chu¬ tion derriande plus de liberté et de justice vince débarrassée du régime, il frappe les te, de Saddam Hussein. Baghdadi y voit sociale, mais le soulèvement a. aussi des esprits en organisant l'exécution publi¬ l'opportunité d'installer son embryon relents confessionnels : la majorité sunni¬ que de soldats alaouites. Ailleurs, il s'em¬ d'Etatà chevalsurles deuxpays. Constam¬ te ne supporte plus la mainmise de la pare de dépôts d'armes de la rébellion et ment de part et d'autre de la frontière, il minorité alaouite, une branche dissidente tue au besoin certains de ses chefs, sans le est insaisissable. Le pétrole syrien et le rac¬ du chiisme dont est issue la famille Assad, revendiquer. Enfin, il vise les zones pétro¬ ket des. fonctionnaires irakiens lui assu¬ sur les postés à responsabilité, notam- lières, source de juteux trafics et « stocke » rent une manne importante, ainsi que le

60 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Quand, à la fin 2013, des groupes com¬ trafic d'antiquités provenant des zones me les Egyptiens d'Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis syriennes libérées. ou Ansar Al-Charia Tunisie et Libye com¬ Le business des otages se révèle tout mencent à se rapprocher de l'EIIL, Ayman aussi rentable. Il est pensé, exécuté avec Al-Zawahiri se range à l'idée d'une guerre détermination : de la fin 2012 à l'automne ouverte contre son rival. Pour lui, l'EIIL est 2013, l'EIIL s'empare d'une trentaine d'Oc¬ truffé d'anciens repris de justice qui cidentaux, journalistes et humanitaires manient le takfïr (« excommunication ») à surtout, dont Didier François, Edouard tort et à travers et effrayent les non-isla¬ Elias, Nicolas Hénin et Pierre Torres, en mistes par leur radicalité, alors que les juin 2013. La stratégie consiste à en pren¬ révolutions arabes ont montré que les dre le plus possible. Les Occidentaux sont populations ne sont pas toutes acquises considérés comme un butin, un attribut au fondamentalisme. de puissance. Les services de renseigne¬ Le chefd'Al-Qaida soutient donc discrè¬ ment occidentaux voient, effarés, la liste tement la grande offensive lancée, fin des otages s'allonger, sans aucune revendi¬ décembre, par les libéraux de l'Armée cation ou demande de rançon, dans un pre¬ Un milicien jihadiste dans une rue de syrienne libre et d'autres groupes rebelles mier temps. Quelle est la finalité de tout Falloujah, le 28 avril. 1 AP islamistes contre l'EIIL. Gêné, le Front cela: boucliers humains, monnaie Al-Nosra parle de trêve et de médiation, d'échange? Certains vont jusqu'à penser L'EIIL, qui a conscience de son environ¬ jusqu'à ce que l'envoyé spécial personnel que le projet était de mettre sur pied un nement géopolitique, s'attaque aussi aux de Zawahiri soit assassiné par l'EIIL. La Guantanamo à l'envers, un Abou Ghraib milices kurdes du PYD, qui ont pris le guerre est déclarée au sein d'Al-Qaida. . d'Occidentaux. L'idée a sûrement plu aux contrôle du Kurdistan syrien, s'assurant L'EIIL se retire d'Alep mais stabilise vite candidats européens au djihad, qui sont ainsi les bonnes grâces du gouvernement ses positions grâce à ses alliances tribales utilisés comme geôliers de leurs compaT turc, qui laisse passer armes et djihadistes dans les provinces de Rakka et de Deir triotes: Britanniques, Français, Belges atravers ses frontières, du moins jusqu'à ez-Zor. En Irak, le gouvernement Maliki sont venus jouer les « petites mains » du la fin de l'hiver 2014. Il prend soin aussi passe à l'offensive à Falloujah, sans succès. djihad de Baghdadi. d'entretenir son image de pureté radicale C'est plutôt l'EIIL qui menace la banlieue Les négociations commencent à la fin sur les réseaux sociaux, pour s'imposer de Bagdad en avril. de l'hiver 2014 et douze otages sont pro¬ comme la seule force réellement djihadis¬ En Syrie, l'EIIL repassera à l'offensive, gressivement libérés (trois journalistes te, accusant Al-Qaida de pactiser avec les prédit Jean-Pierre Filiu,professeurà Scien¬ espagnols, quatre journalistes français et démocrates. Le groupe publie même un ce Po, qui vient de publierune note pourla cinq humanitaires de MSF), contre ran¬ rapport annuel détaillé de ses activités Fondation Carnegie, « Al-Qaida est morte, çons.Tous témoignentdufanatisme et sur¬ militaires-le dernieren mai 2014-témoi- viveAl-Qaida ! » Et, tôt ou tard, l'EIILfrappe- tout du désir de reconnaissance de Dai'sh : gnant d'une structure hiérarchisée et ra en Occident. A ce jour, le FBI offre 25 mil¬ «Nous sommes comme un Etat, hein ! Tu as d'une centralisation de l'information. Il se lions de dollars pour la capture de Zawahi¬ vu comme on est bien organisés», ne ces¬ targue notamment d'avoir permis l'éva¬ ri et 10 millions pourcelle de Baghdadi. Les sent de leur répéter les geôliers, fiers de la sion de milliers de détenus djihadistes Américains se rendront bientôt à l'éviden¬ reconnaissance occidentale ainsi obtenue, dans l'attaque de huit prisons en moins ce : Al-Qaida, désormais, c'est l'Etat islami¬ surtout de la France, membre permanent que en Irak et au Levant. du Conseil de sécurité de l'ÔNU. d'un an en Irak.

H' « Y - 29 mai 2014

Massacre de civils

par l'EIIL au

syrien

29 mai 2014 www.actukurde.fr

DE NOMBREUX civils dont des femmes et des enfants ont été massacrés jeudi 29 mai par des bandes armées de l'Etat Islamique en Irak et au Levant (EIIL) à Serêkaniyê (Rass ai- tent plusieurs civils tués, jonchés sur le sol, dont parmi eux des Ain), au Kurdistan syrien. femmes et des enfants, tous des arabes instates dans ces villages après la guerre qui dure depuis plus d'un an. Des groupes armés de l'EIIL ont attaqué trois petits villages sans défense, à 15 km de Serêkaniyê, sur la frontière avec la Turquie. De Après le massacre, les combattants kurdes sont arrivés sur place et nombreux civils ont été sauvagement massacrés par ces groupes dans lancé une vaste opération contre des groupes armés qui ont commis les villages de Tileliyé, Tamade et Ovandjak. ces crimes contre l'humanité. De violents combats ont eu lieu dans ces zones frontalières. Les cadavres d'au moins quinze personnes dont sept enfants ont été retrouvés sur place. Des photos provenant de lieu du massacre mon

61 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

30 mai 2014 Quinze villageois kurdes tués par l'EIIL dans le nord de la Syrie

nouvelobs.com nord-est de Damas, dans la province de BEYROUTH (Reuters) -30-mai-2014 Hassaka où vivent la plupart des Kurdes de Syrie, au nombre d'un million environ. Un homme réconforte deux femmes 'Etat islamique en Irak et au Levant dans un village à majorité kurde du L(EIIL) a tué jeudi quinze habitants L'EIIL, groupe islamiste radical renié par le nord de la Syrie après une attaque de kurdes, dont sept enfants, d'un village du commandement central d'Al Qaïda en l''Etat islamique en Irak et au Levant nord de la Syrie, rapportent l'Observatoire début d'année, est engagé depuis six mois (EIIL) qui a fait jeudi 15 morts, dont syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH) et un dans une offensive contre les autres sept enfants. /Photo prise le 29 mai photographe indépendant. groupes insurgés en Syrie, qui a fait des 2014/REUTERS/Massoud Mohammed milliers de morts et continue d'affaiblir les (c) Reuters L'attaque s'est produite près de la ville à forces hostiles au président Bachar al majorité kurde de Ras al Aïn, à 600 km au Assad. Ë

30 mai 2014 Syrie : les ultra-radicaux islamistes kidnappent près de 200 Kurdes Les milices kurdes croisent le fer avec les islamistes depuis plusieurs mois depuis que les djihadistes ont voulu s'emparer des champs pétroliers du Nord et de l'Est.

Le Point.fr 30/mai/2014 Une dizaine de Kurdes ont été tués e groupe djihadiste le plus brutal de par des extrémistes LSyrie, l'État islamique d'Irak et du de l'EIIL dans un Levant (EIIL), a enlevé près de 200 Kurdes village près de Ras dans la province septentrionale d'Alep, a al-Ain, dans la affirmé vendredi l'Observatoire syrien des province de droits de l'homme (OSDH). "Les combat- Hassaké, dans le tants de l'EIIL ont kidnappé jeudi 193 nord de la Syrie. civils kurdes de 17 à 70 ans, du village de Massoud Qabasine dans la province d'Alep", affirme Mohammed/Reuters l'OSDH, une ONG basée en Grande- Bretagne dont les informations reposent sur un large réseau de sources civiles et militaires.

Selon le directeur de l'OSDH, Rami Abdel avec la branche officielle d'al-Qaida en se trouvent dans les régions à prédomi- Rahmane, les raisons derrière ces rapts Syrie, le Front al-Nosra et les autres mou- nance kurde. Alors que les Kurdes essaient "sont inconnues, mais ce genre d'actes se vements rebelles. d'élargir leur région autonome, l'EIIL veut produit souvent dans les régions sous con- établir sur ces territoires un État islamique trôle de l'EIIL". Né en 2006 en Irak et affil- Les milices kurdes croisent le fer avec à cheval sur la Syrie et l'Irak. (AFP) G ié à al-Qaida dans ce pays, l'EIIL a offi- l'EIIL depuis plusieurs mois depuis que les ciellement annoncé sa présence sur le ter- djihadistes ont voulu s'emparer des ritoire syrien il y a un an. Il est en guerre champs pétroliers du Nord et de l'Est qui

62 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

24 May 2014 Managing Kurdistan’s Natural Resources: The Canadian Model ning and decide to cut the equa- practiced in Canada, where oil- By Tessa Manuello lization transfers. That would be rich provinces tend to handle 24 May 2014 unfair and there would be a their revenue from natural rudaw.net huge fight.” resources and keep the federal Baghdad’s excuse for free- government in the loop about it. ONTREAL, Canada – zing Kurdistan’s budget was “Natural resource revenues MWith the Kurdistan that the region had taken charge are the jurisdiction of the pro- Regional Government (KRG) of its own oil sales, even though vinces, and those revenues fac- beginning its first large oil sales the lion’s share of the revenues tor into the equalization for- and working to advance its would go to the central govern- mula,” Canada’s finance minis- energy sector, while Baghdad ment, as stipulated in the consti- try told Rudaw in an email has been holding back the tution. interview. “No separate agree- region’s budget, Rudaw looked In response, Kurdish leaders ments exist with individual pro- at Canada as an example of how say they are working to offer vinces.” natural resources are managed at better public services in Canadians celebrating Canada Yet another similarity bet- federal and provincial levels. Kurdistan than the rest of Iraq, Day on parliament hill in ween the Kurdistan Region and The French province of despite their small budget, Ottawa, July 2012. Photo: Quebec is that in the 1970s and Quebec, which resembles which is vulnerable to black- Rudaw 80s, Ottawa got into a dispute Kurdistan and attempted to mail from Baghdad. with the oil province of Alberta, separate due to its cultural and According to Fafard, the where it tried to interfere with linguistic differences, still recei- federal government provides the and income generated from cus- oil and gas prices. ved more than 30 percent of the funding to the provinces in toms and trade. Baghdad also blacklisted all federal budget support for the order to provide the same stan- Unlike Baghdad, the oil companies that dealt with current fiscal year from the dards of services to their popu- government in Ottawa seems to Erbil and encouraged them to federal government in Ottawa. lation. take into consideration whether move to oilfields in Iraq’s south. The principle in Canada is “The federal government or not Quebec can fully fund “The government of Canada that money flows, for the most will transfer money to you to itself. wanted to influence the price at part, from the federal govern- allow you to offer more or less “Quebec does not have the which oil and gas was sold and ment to the provinces because the same basket of government ability to raise through its own wanted to have an influence on the federal fiscal capacity -- in services, assuming that you tax taxation system money com- where the resources developed, other words the federal capacity at more or less the same rate,” mensurate with its expenditures, to try to encourage oil compa- to raise money through taxes – he said. even though it has natural nies to spend less money in “is greater, more robust and The strain caused by resources, oil and gas, but also Alberta and more money elsew- stronger than the ability of most Baghdad’s attitude is not unique minerals and hydro electricity,” here,” said Fafard. provinces to raise money to the Kurdish government in explained Fafard. “People in Alberta, where through taxes,” Patrick Fafard, Erbil. Even in Canada’s much Erbil says that Baghdad’s the oil and gas was at the time Associate Professor of Public larger and richer provinces the demand for the Kurdish region the most developed, could not and International Affairs at the same could happen if the federal to produce 400,000 barrels of get world prices for their oil and University of Ottawa, told government stopped local bud- oil per day is not fair, while the gas if that oil and gas was sold Rudaw. gets. central government itself inside Canada. Needless to say, In January, tensions between “If the federal government creates endless political obsta- the people in Alberta fought Erbil and Baghdad reached new were to unilaterally stop, it cles for Erbil. back, just like the Kurds now,” highs when the government of would be a violation of the On the contrary, Canada he added. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al- constitution, it would be a cri- recognizes that, even though Fafard believes that “the Maliki suddenly decided to sis,” said Fafard. some provinces have natural government of Canada learned a freeze the autonomous region’s Kurdish leaders say that resources, they have not yet hard political lesson,” out of the monthly budget over political Maliki has no regard for the been able to exploit to the full dispute with Alberta. disagreements with the Kurds. constitution and that he is acting those resources, and therefore “Because Canada is a fede- But according to Fafard, that above the law, which Fafard qualify for a fair share of the ration, provinces literally own is not the case in Canada, where says is unlikely to happen in budget. the natural resources. That is to the budget would not stop “at Canada, because “Canada is a By way of reassuring say, any minerals or oil and gas the whim of the central govern- country where we take the rule Baghdad, the Kurdish govern- or any sub-surface wealth are ment.” of law very seriously.” ment proposes it would keep its literary owned by the provincial He said that federal-provin- The Kurdistan Region is 17 percent share of any oil and government,” Fafard said. I cial budget transfers are entren- entitled to 17 percent of Iraq’s gas sold and send the rest to ched in the Canadian constitu- annual budget, though Kurdish Baghdad. In this case, the cen- tion and take place through a authorities say that Baghdad has tral government would not have fair and transparent formula. always sent close to 11 percent. to worry about funding the three “The government of Canada The KRG has compensated for autonomous provinces. cannot wake up tomorrow mor- the loss by relying on its savings This sounds like the system

63 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 29 May 2014 A leap to Kurdish independence By beginning to sell its oil unilaterally Iraqi Kurdistan is taking a step towards breaking away from the rest of Iraq, writes Salah Nasrawi

weekly.ahram.org.eg continue despite opposition Issue No.1199, 29 May, 2014 from the federal government in Baghdad. It has said the oil revenues will he news that the self-ruled be deposited in a Turkish bank TKurdish region of northern after taking the region’s 17 per Iraq started sending cargoes of cent share from the Iraqi its oil to the international crude national budget, which the par- market last week was surprising. liament failed to endorse after The Iraqi Kurds have been Kurdish and Sunni lawmakers smuggling oil discreetly to boycotted the outgoing assem- neighbouring Iran and Turkey bly. It also promised to comply for years, and recently credible with UN obligations by setting reports suggested that the aside five per cent of the rev- region had sold oil to Israel and enue in a separate account for the United States. Kurdistan's Oil reparations for Iraq’s invasion of However, this new development Kuwait in 1990. may turn out to be the last straw arranged through Turkish bro- tionally recognised sovereignty. eyond the rhetoric, in the status quo reached kers. It has its own president, prime BKurdistan, which has been between Iraq’s Arab majority ith Iraq gripped in seem- minister, parliament and slowly and carefully charting a and the minority Kurds after the Wingly endless sectarian national flag. It also runs its path towards full independence, overthrow of the regime led by bloodshed and entangled in a own army, security forces and sees Iraq’s present chaos as former Iraqi president Saddam governmental crisis following intelligence services, and it bringing new opportunities to Hussein by the US-led invasion another inconclusive election operates its own airports and the table. By selling its crude of the country in 2003. last month, it was perfect timing border points. unilaterally, Kurdistan is esca- On Friday, the Kurdistan for the autonomous Kurdish The Region issues visas for for- lating its brinkmanship with Regional Government enclave to begin selling its oil on eigners and entry and residency Baghdad and is trying to gain announced that more than one the international markets in permits for Iraqis travelling more concessions on other dis- million barrels of crude, the first defiance of the central govern- from other provinces in the putes, mainly the future of the cargo of oil piped out of Iraqi ment. country. oil-rich-province of Kirkuk and Kurdistan, had been sold on other territories claimed by the The aim behind the well-calcu- Tensions over power and Kurds. European markets. The lated move seems to have been resource-sharing reached a new announcement came a day after to send a clear message to the pitch after the 30 April elec- With billons of dollars received Turkey disclosed that the ship- Iraqis, Iraq’s neighbours and the tions, which showed Al-Maliki from Iraq’s annual budget and a ment had started from the rest of the world that the path to in the lead to form a new gov- largely stable region in compar- Ceyhan Port in southern Turkey the long-awaited Kurdish inde- ernment. His re-election by a ison with the violence-ravaged where Iraqi oil is usually stored pendence from Iraq is now Shia alliance will guarantee rest of Iraq, the Kurdish region for export shorter than it has ever been more problems with the Kurds, has flourished in recent years. eports last week suggested before. and Kurdish president Massoud And with estimates of oil that at least four cargoes Barzani has warned that the reserves of 43.7 billion barrels R Even before the announcement and up to six trillion cubic laden with Kurdish crude had of the oil sales, Kurdish leaders Kurds will not join any govern- gone to Israel since January, ment headed by Al-Maliki. metres of gas, Kurdistan has a were repeatedly threatening to promising economic future while the United States had call for a referendum on he oil sales have raised the imported its first crude cargo ahead of it as an independent Kurdish self-determination if a Tstakes again, as Baghdad state. from the Kurdish region in May. host of disputes over territories had warned international com- Kurdish natural gas condensate and the distribution of power panies against buying Kurdish There is no guarantee this time has also been sold to Italy, and wealth were not resolved. crude and has threatened legal round that the old way of giving France, Germany, the the Kurds a dollop of state The Kurds have long accused action against any company Netherlands and Latin America. involved in “smuggling” Iraqi largesse as a way of keeping Shia Prime Minister Nuri Al- them on side can be successfully The key collaborator in the Maliki of authoritarianism and oil. Baghdad has also filed a galaxy of foreign countries that request with the Paris-based applied to keep them in a union the exclusion of their leaders that is increasingly becoming have facilitated Kurdish oil sales from power-sharing in Iraq. International Chamber of is Turkey, which has provided Commerce for arbitration undesirable to them. The Kurd’s Their leaders have vowed to confidence has been mirrored political and logistical support thwart any attempt by the cen- against Ankara to stop the to the Kurdistan Government’s exports of oil from Kurdistan. in their defiance of the Baghdad tral government to undermine government, and they are now efforts to export its oil inde- the powers they have gained Yet, Irbil has remained defiant pendently. The Turkish state- looking more upbeat in their since Saddam’s ouster in 2003. and has dismissed the Iraqi quest for national independ- owned pipeline operator move as a “hollow threat,” vow- BOTAS was the key to The Kurdistan Region is now all ence. but an independent entity, ing that exports from the Kurdistan’s efforts to export its Turkish port of Ceyhan would In their oil shipments and else- oil and the shipments were though it stops short of interna- where in their relationship ➨

64 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➨ with Baghdad, the Kurds give billions of dollars in com- One key element in this strategy ing in Kurdistan, Al-Maliki also now feel they have the upper pensation and provide jobs for is to learn from the opportuni- sparked another serious crisis, hand. some of the 200,000 Arabs who ties arising from the mistakes forcing the Kurds to press ahead will leave Kirkuk. committed by successive Iraqi with their unilateral oil sales. Over the last few weeks, Al- governments. Maliki has made some overtures Though the two moves were They will now be able to con- to the Kurds that have shown pre-conditions set by the Kurds Thanks to Saddam’s defeat in vince the world that by trying to his willingness to negotiate a for a settlement of the Kirkuk the 1991 war with the United thwart their exports of oil while deal over the new government dispute, the Kurdistan States over Kuwait, the Kurds cutting their allotments in the he wants to form following last Government has not yet reacted enjoyed autonomy in their budget, Al-Maliki has effective- month’s elections. to the two decisions which northern enclave that was ly declared economic warfare should be ratified by the parlia- declared a safe haven protected against the Kurds. On 20 May, his government ment. Its ambivalence probably by US and British warplanes. abolished measures taken by the The Kurds seem to have learned indicates that it intends to drive Saddam regime to resettle thou- The US and British govern- enormously from Al-Maliki’s a hard bargain, knowing that sands of Arabs from the south ments established a no-fly zone outlandish policy mistakes, and Al-Maliki is desperate to win a in Kirkuk after driving the over northern Iraq, forcing they are now prepared to exploit third term in office. Kurdish inhabitants out. Under Saddam to pull out from the the mayhem in order to embark the new decree some 400,000 It is for this reason that the Iraqi area. The move ushered in a on the last phase of their his- hectares of land will be given Kurds, who feel that they have new era of liberation for the toric undertaking to make their back to the Kurds and achieved a remarkable transfor- Kurds and allowed them to have dream of statehood a reality. Turkomans in Kirkuk. mation in their struggle for their own national government If the trajectory of Kurdistan’s autonomy by benefiting from for the first time in their history. Another decree last month independence has taken off of the political turmoil in Iraq and spelled out the return of all the By his arrogant and irrational late, it is because the Kurds’ bit- the Middle East more than they Arabs who had settled in Kirkuk ending of the dispute with the terness against Al-Maliki has did in their decades-long guer- during the Saddam regime to Kurdistan Government over the accumulated and the chance of rilla war, are now carefully craft- their areas of origin in central 2014 national budget, eventual- brokering a compromise with ing their strategy for full inde- and southern Iraq. The govern- ly leading to the freezing of him has been lost. pendence. ment has also said that it will salaries and other public spend- N N N

Kurdish militants kill Turkish state militia member as unrest grows

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, May 29,2014 Minister Tayyip Erdogan ahead of his expected bid for the presi- (Reuters) -By Seyhmus Cakan dency in an August election. Some Turkish media said the village guard was a member of the * Militants also kidnap Islamist politician Islamist Huda-Par political party, fierce rivals of the PKK. Security sources said armed PKK militants have also abducted * Unrest jeopardising peace process with Huda-Par's local representative in the Dicle district of neighbouring militants Diyarbakir province, Ercan Alpaslan, after setting up a roadblock * Success key to Erdogan ahead of presiden- and pulling him from his minibus on Wednesday evening. tial election A day earlier, rebels abducted a soldier during a protest that has forced the closure of highways across Diyarbakir. Security forces are continuing operations to find both men. KUrdISh gUErrIllaS shot dead a state-sponsored The PKK took up arms against Turkey in 1984 with the aim of car- militia member in southeast Turkey, the armed forces ving out a separate state in the southeast for the country's Kurds. said on Thursday, escalating tensions in the region after They have since moderated their demands, seeking increased poli- days of protests at the building of new military outposts. tical and cultural rights which were long denied. Two fighters from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) kil- The militants have blocked various points along country roads with led "village guard" Mehmet Ugurtay in his van on Wednesday in a trucks and cars seized over the past five days in protest at the primary school courtyard in the southeastern province of Mardin, construction of several new military outposts, used by the armed where he was due to pick up pupils, the army's general staff said. forces to maintain regional security. Village guards are armed and paid by the state, often acting in col- In Diyarbakir, an 11-day-old sit-down protest outside the city coun- laboration with the military, to help protect rural communities cil by families angry at the PKK's recruitment of their children dou- against PKK attacks. bled in size on Thursday to 45 families. "He was killed with one shot from a pistol. The separatist terrorist Erdogan has staked considerable political capital in peace efforts, group members then fled the scene of the incident on motorbike," widening cultural and language rights at the risk of alienating parts the general staff said in a statement. of his grassroots support base. The PKK is designated a terrorist Turkey launched peace talks with jailed PKK leader Abdullah group by Ankara, the United States and the European Union, and Ocalan in 2012 to try to end a 30-year conflict that has killed Ocalan remains widely reviled among Turks. 40,000 people and hampered the development of the mostly A ceasefire called by Ocalan in March 2013 has largely held, but the Kurdish southeast. PKK halted a rebel withdrawal to bases in northern Iraq last sum- The success of the peace process and support from Turkey's Kurds, mer, complaining at a lack of progress in the process. G who account for around a fifth of the population, is key to Prime

65 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 28, 2014 Rival Kurdish parties battle for power in Syria A series of tit-for-tat incidents has worsened relations between the Kurdistan Workers Party of Abdullah Ocalan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Massoud Barzani.

Author Wladimir van Wilgenburg May 28, 2014 Kurds in www.al-monitor.com Syrian Kurdistan protest at ONDON — The Kurdish parties in Iraq and Syria are increa- the bor- L singly engaged in a low-scale cold war. The new power der with vacuum in the Kurdish areas of Syria has led to an escalation of Iraqi tit-for-tat arrests, political office closures, expulsions, demonstra- Kurdistan tions, media campaigns and border closures instead of more region cooperation. against ditch by The imprisoned head of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), KDP. Abdullah Ocalan, and the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq, Massoud Barzani, have competed over the leadership of the Kurds for decades. Ocalan’s party is the most powerful Kurdish nationalist party in Turkey, while Barzani leads the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). The power vacuum in Syria has led to new competition between the two par- ties, after the PKK became the strongest actor in northern Syria. On May 19, the Iraqi Kurdish security forces raided several offices and organizations close to Ocalan’s PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan in res- Kurdish states [in Iraq and Syria]. But this isn’t true. If this was the ponse to the arrests and expulsion of Syrian Kurdish politicians case, I would be the first person to throw myself from this wall.” close to Barzani’s KDP by Kurdish forces in Syria. He added, “They don’t want other [parties] to do activities in Syria, “The KNK [Kurdistan National Congress] is a national organiza- only the PYD. The only reason for the ditches is security.” tion for all parts of Kurdistan; it is not related to the PYD. Why do they capture these people, and close their offices?” Salih Muslim, Waysi suggested the ditches were dug after the Kurdish security the leader of the PKK-affiliated Syrian Kurdish party, the services discovered the Erbil attack on Sept. 29 was planned in Democratic Union Party (PYD), told Al-Monitor in London. Syria: “We did our investigation after the Erbil attacks, and we found out that the attackers came through this border. They came Furthermore, Syrian Kurdish politicians accuse the KDP of covert from Syria, and it was planned in Syria” bombing campaigns against PKK-affiliated parties in Syrian Kurdish areas, and a court in Afrin sentenced KDP-supported But the PYD suspects the KDP is using a border embargo to pres- politicians to 10 to 20 years in prison for “terrorist attacks” earlier sure the PYD to share power with Barzani-backed parties in this month. Moreover, the Syrian Kurdish politicians accuse KDP Syria, and that this is unrelated to the security of the KRG. officials of visiting Damascus to undermine the Syrian Kurds in This Kurdish cold war prevented the holding of a national Kurdish Syria. congress in September of last year and the creation of a united As a result of these tensions, Syrian Kurdish security forces star- Kurdish administration in Syria. ted to expel, arrest and deny entry to Syria of politicians of the The PYD, which is aligned with newly established Barzani-linked Kurdistan Democratic Party of the PKK, announced three canton administrations in January Syria (KDP-S). This also came after the digging of trenches on 2014 after an agreement failed between the KDP and PKK to the Iraqi-Syrian border in April by the Kurdistan Regional have a united Kurdish voice at the Geneva II conference. Government of Iraq. he PYD formed administrations with local Arabs, Christians ashar Amin, a KDP-S politician, was arrested in his house in Tand small Kurdish parties, while the Kurdish parties united in BHassakeh and deported to Iraq in his slippers and pajamas on the Barzani-backed Kurdish National Council (KNC) joined the May 16. In a tit-for-tat response, the pro-PKK politician Nujin Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, rejecting the legiti- Yusiv was imprisoned for two days and deported from Iraq to macy of PYD institutions on the ground. Syria by the KDP’s security forces on May 21, despite having a “They only give us permission to operate if we recognize the can- residency permit for a year. tons,” senior KDP-S leader Mohammed Ismail told Al-Monitor in The PKK accused the KRG of dividing Kurdistan. “It shows that Erbil. He was referring to a new political party law that was adop- they don’t have a concern for the national unity [of Kurds],” Riza ted by pro-PKK Kurdish authorities in Syria in April. The law Altun, a leading member of the PKK, told Al-Monitor. requires Kurdish parties to register to operate in the Kurdish But Maj. Gen. Aziz Waysi, commander of Barzani’s 47,000-strong areas, and also requires recognition of the PYD-led government. special forces, called Zerevani (Guards), in Iraqi Kurdistan, The Barzani-supported Kurdish parties suggest they are ready for denied the accusations and told Al-Monitor in an exclusive inter- dialogue and to revive the 2012 Erbil agreement that proposed a view that the Kurds are already divided historically by the Sykes- jointly administered Kurdish region in Syria. Picot borders: “We could make a Berlin wall if there were two “The only condition we had is for the Kurds in Syria to work a

66 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti a together and make decisions together. Not by one group (PYD),” S to recognize the new administration. Falah Mustafa Bakir, the KRG’s Foreign Relations head told Al- “The problem is not that they do not recognize the political party Monitor in Erbil. law; they refuse all administrations. They do not consider the But the PYD said this was too late. The PYD suggests the only Asayish [security police] as a national force, but a PYD force. Even option for the KNC is to recognize the canton administrations and the YPG [they consider as PYD],” Muslim told Al-Monitor, in register according to the political party law or face prosecution. London. N “The conditions have changed. Now we have democratic adminis- trations in these areas. … Now we have Kurds, Arabs and Wladimir van Wilgenburg is a columnist for Al-Monitor and a political analyst spe- cializing in Kurdish politics. He has written extensively for Jamestown Foundation Assyrians all together,” PYD leader Muslim told Al-Monitor in an publications and other journals, such as the Near East Quarterly and the World interview in Brussels in January, referring to the suggestion from Affairs Journal. On Twitter: @vvanwilgenburg the KDP-S to return to the Erbil agreement. The KDP-S suspects the law is a new way of pressuring the KDP-

MAy 30, 2014 ISIS accused of massacring Kurdish villagers near border

May 30, 2014 Video footage of the aftermath, dailystar.com.lb circulated by activists, showed a man carrying the corpse of a EIRUT: Militants from the young girl, and shouting, “They BAl-Qaeda breakaway group are criminals, not Muslims!” the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) were accu- ISIS militants have been accused sed Thursday of massacring 15 of committing repeated atroci- Syrian Kurds, nearly half of ties against civilians as well as them children, amid an uptick in rebels fighting the regime of violence in Syria’s three eastern President Bashar Assad. provinces. Separately, the Observatory said The Syrian Observatory for that leaders from the Kurdish Human Rights and several YPG militia denied having set Kurdish media outlets said the off a car bomb in the city of attack took place in a village near Raqqa earlier this week in an File - This undated file image posted on a militant website on Tuesday, the town of Ras al-Ain on the attack that reportedly targeted a Jan. 14, 2014 shows fighters from the Al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Turkish border, after militants high-level meeting of ISIS fig- Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) marching in Raqqa, Syria. (AP stormed the village. ures. Photo/militant website) It said of the 15, seven were chil- The Observatory said the attack, dren, one a young man, and against the Lazord Hotel, killed of others. Nusra Front, the Al-Qaeda affili- three were women. at least 10 ISIS militants and ate in Syria, and Islamist militias wounded an unspecified number “These accusations are wrong – from the region. the YPG does not engage in such criminal acts, even if it is in a A number of casualties were sus- state of war with ISIS,” a tained by both sides in the clash- Kurdish militia leader was quot- es, the Observatory said, while ed by the Observatory as saying. two civilians were also killed in the battle. In the city of Hassakeh, a road- side bomb attack Thursday tar- It said that a rebel commander geted a patrol belonging to a died of his wounds sustained a local Kurdish police force, the few days earlier in clashes with Observatory added, wounding ISIS, while the extremist group’s two policemen. shelling of the village of Ibriha in Deir al-Zor led to fires that In Deir al-Zor, fighters from ISIS swept large tracts of agricultural seized one village and part of land. J another in the western part of the province, it said. The devel- opment came after ISIS fighters skirmished with fighters from the

67 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

24 May 2014 Kurdistan Premier: We Will Never Give Up Control of Our Own Oil

rudaw.net ted by the funding cut was the 29 May 2014 "Baghdad says Kurdistan Region," Barzani said. that the Iraqi gov- He added that wages were cut on RBIL, Kurdistan Region - ernment should be the direct orders of Iraqi Prime EErbil welcomes any talks with in charge of selling Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Baghdad, "but we will never give the oil, and we "The Iraqi finance minister up control of our own oil," simply say that told us that the budget had been Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Baghdad is not cut on orders from the prime Nechirvan Barzani vowed before entitled to our oil, minister and commander-in-chief the Kurdish parliament on because their of the armed forces," said Barzani Wednesday, directing his message demand is neither of a meeting of his Kurdish dele- at the Iraqi government. constitutional nor gation in Baghdad. “We are open to dialogue, but legal," Barzani Officially, Baghdad is suppo- if Baghdad chooses to close all the told MPs. sed to give Kurdistan 17 percent doors we will certainly not be of the national budget after sove- standing there doing nothing,” the through the Turkish Ceyhan port. neither constitutional nor legal," reign expenses, flown in cash prime minister warned. “Selling The move provoked Baghdad's Barzani told MPs. from the central bank to Erbil our oil was a clear message for immediate condemnation, and a He also said that the KRG three times a month. But how Baghdad to realize that we will warning of legal action against agrees for the Iraqi government to much is actually paid is disputed. not back down and will do what Turkey for allowing the exports to monitor the export of Kurdish oil, The premier said his government we have promised in the past." take place. "but we would never give control has received only 10 percent in Barzani's remarks come at a The KRG has said that it sees of our oil to the Iraqi govern- the past. Barzani also said that time when relations between Erbil the sale of the oil as its constitu- ment.” Iraq owes nearly $5 billion to the and Baghdad have plummeted tional right. The prime minister said that Kurdistan Region in delayed fun- over independent oil exports star- Barzani said that Baghdad the decision to cut the KRG bud- ding. ted by Erbil, and Baghdad cutting wants control over the Kurdish oil get was made long before the sale The premier pledged that his the region’s budget as punishment industry, which Erbil was unlikely of the Kurdish oil. government would “find a way” for three consecutive months, to hand over. "When we arrived in Baghdad to pay wages, as Kurdistan seeks creating a crisis for the Kurdistan "Baghdad says that the Iraqi (in March) we assumed that Iraq alternative sources of finance. Regional Government (KRG) as it government should be in charge was experiencing a financial crisis “There are no guarantees that Iraq struggles to pay civil servants. of selling the oil, and we simply as a whole. But then we learned would not cut the KRG’s budget Last week for the first time, say that Baghdad is not entitled to there that Iraq's economy was again," he warned. I the KRG started selling its oil our oil, because their demand is fine, and that the only place affec-

24 May 2014

Sulaimani’s Salim street. The incident happened as worshipers were preparing to Bombing Foiled at Shiite begin ceremonies to mark the death anniversary of Imam Mousa al-Kadhim, a Shiite saint, at the Mosque in Sulaimani husseiniyeh, the largest in the Kurdistan Region. 24 May 2014 The backpack was found to rudaw.net contain 10 kilograms of explo- sives, the security department ULAIMANI, Kurdistan said. SRegion – Security officials "While a number of Shiite arrested a Farsi-speaking man and citizens were preparing for their confiscated an explosives-filled religious ceremonies, someone backpack before it went off at a attempted to leave a backpack fil- major Shiite mosque in Sulaimani led with explosives behind in the on Friday, as worshipers were pre- mosque,” said a security official. paring for a religious mourning He said the incident happened ceremony. around 12:30 pm on Friday at the The security department said husseiniyeh, built in 2000 and the that a Farsi-speaking man was largest in the Kurdistan Region. A arrested as he tried to exit, after Rudaw correspondent said that Packs of explosives in the confiscated backpack. leaving behind a backpack in the the would-be bomber was arres- Photo: Sulaimani police Shiite mosque, or husseiniyeh, on ted by a guard at the mosque, ➡

68 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➡ and was tied up until the arri- others. offices. Security in Sulaimani has val of security forces. Earlier this week, Sulaimani Despite the Syrian conflict been a cause for concern since the The foiled attempt appeared security forces also foiled an and worsening security in the rest outcome of Kurdish parliamen- to be part of larger coordinated attempted attack by three Islamist of Iraq, the Kurdistan Region has tary elections last September, in attacks on the Shiites of Iraq militants near the main security been able to remain safe. The which the Iranian-supported and during the mourning period. Over building in the city. Security Kurdistan Regional Government powerful Patriotic Union of the past two days explosions, sources said that the militants had (KRG) has its own security and Kurdistan (PUK) lost its domi- including a suicide car bombing, a car loaded with guns and explo- defence forces, which protect bor- nance in its traditional stronghold have killed at least 30 Shiite pil- sives, and that they intended to ders and provide security in the to the rival Change Movement grims and wounded tens of attack the building of the security Kurdish areas of Iraq. (Gorran). I

May 28, 2014

May 27. PKK ‘abductions’ heat Operation ruled out Holding a rally in the eastern Anatolian province of Ağrı, in which up Kurdish bid debate local elections will be rerun on June 1, Erdoğan touched upon the issue again. BDP and HDP politicians can bring back those who have been “kidnapped” A group of families by the PKK because of their collaboration stage protest in the with the group, Erdoğan said. southeastern “I believe that you will not allow the province of sabotage of this beautiful process, this Diyarbakır for their process of serenity and security,” children kidnapped Erdoğan said, referring to the long-stalled by the outlawed government-led initiative to solve the PKK. DHA photo long-running issue by ending the three- decade-old conflict, dubbed the “peace process.” Erdoğan said the Kurdish opposition parties had been torpedoing the peace process by remaining silent in the face of the issue of the children. In the capital city, a senior executive In Ankara, speaking at a press confe- of the AKP told daily Hürriyet that the rence at the Parliament, Kemal Aktaş, a May/28/2014 state bodies would not stand idly by in lawmaker for the Peoples’ Democracy hurriyetdailynews.com the case. Party (HDP), the BDP’s sister party, said “An operation is not desirable in this they had been closely involved in looking ISTANBUL case,” the same executive, however, for a resolution to the issue. ension grows between the AKP and added, referring to Erdoğan’s remarks on “At the moment, BDP leader the opposition over the PM’s alternative plans. “Since there are chil- T Selahattin Demirtaş is holding talks with ‘orders’ to bring back children who dren under the full legal age, they may the families; the families have not been have reportedly been kidnapped by the also get harmed due to such an operation. abandoned,” Aktaş said. PKK That’s why, in order not to reach that In response to repeated questions on Parliament’s pro-Kurdish bloc has point, every means including diplomacy the issue, Demirtaş said the children went moved to work for the release of children will be used for the resolution of the to the mountains of their own will. who joined the outlawed Kurdistan issue,” he said. “Going to the mountains,” is a phrase Worker’s Party (PKK) following threats Meanwhile, the armed wing of the used in Turkey to refer to those who join of an operation by the prime minister, PKK, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the PKK’s armed fight in mountainous increasing the pressure on Turkey’s slow- refuted charges that it “abducted” chil- areas. moving peace process. dren, maintaining that it complies with Demirtaş’s action comes amid gro- Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) international conventions regarding the wing public pressure which has also been leader Selahattin Demirtaş held a meeting age of those joining their ranks. fuelled by a call from Prime Minister yesterday with the families of children “First and foremost we stress that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 27. who were “abducted” by the PKK, eight everyone who joins the guerrilla ranks of “Hey BDP, HDP, where are you?” days after the families began a sit-in pro- the PKK does so on a voluntary basis. It is Erdoğan said, addressing a parliamen- test in front of Diyarbakır Metropolitan not possible for us to keep anyone in our tary group meeting of his ruling Justice Municipality. The number of families had ranks who does not want to be there, and and Development Party (AKP). “Well, risen to 16 as of May 28. no one has been abducted against their sometimes you go [to Kandil], make “Demirtaş told us he would speak will. There is also an age limit,” the HPG agreements, take news and bring it back. with Kandil [the mountain range in nor- was quoted as saying yesterday in a state- Go and get these children, too. You know thern Iraq where the PKK has its military ment by the Fırat News Agency, which is their addresses very well. You know headquarters],” said Mahfuze Eren, in a ideologically close to the PKK. The HPG where everything is extremely well. You statement on behalf of the missing chil- also noted that Turkey is not a safe coun- will go, take [the children] and come dren’s mothers following their meeting try for children. J back. If you don’t, we will operate using with the BDP co-chair. our plan B and plan C,” Erdoğan said

69 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

30 mai 2014 Réfugiés: le pape reçoit le président du Kurdistan irakien

Par AFP, le 30 Mai 2014 environnement particulière- www.directmatin.fr ment difficile.

Le pape François a reçu ven- C'est la première fois que le dredi Massoud Barzani, pape recevait M. Barzani qui président de la région est à la tête de la région autonome du Kurdistan autonome depuis 2005. irakien, province où vit une très ancienne communauté La province du Kurdistan chrétienne qui a grossi avec irakien accueille plus de l'afflux de réfugiés du reste 200.000 réfugiés syriens, de l'Irak et de la Syrie, a dont de nombreux Kurdes indiqué le Vatican. mais aussi des chrétiens.

Alors que la violence atteint Ceux-ci seraient plus de des sommets en Irak --plus 30.000 dans la région. de 4.000 morts dans des Parmi eux aussi des chré- violences depuis le début de tiens qui ont quitté Bagdad l'année--, cette région ou d'autres villes plus au évêque d'Amadiya-Zahko, liberté attirant les entrepre- autonome, après avoir été sud pour trouver une sécu- interrogé par Radio Vatican, neurs privés et permettant longtemps une zone de con- rité, une tolérance et une lib- il souffle un air de "liberté" un certain développement flit à l'époque de Saddam erté plus grandes. dans la région, même si ce économique. I Hussein, est devenue une "n'est pas un paradis", cette région plus sûre dans un Selon Mgr Rabban Al-Qas,

12 mai 2014

"Ces paroles témoignent du caractère révo- lutionnaire [c'est-à-dire conforme à la révo- IRAN lution islamique de 1979] de leur orateur", a surenchéri Siasat-e Rooz. "Nous ne Nucléaire : céderons, même pas d'un iota, à notre tech- nologie nucléaire", avait ainsi mis en garde le président iranien, Hassan Rohani, lors Rohani ne d'une visite d'information sur les nouvelles avancées technologiques nucléaires en cède rien matière de santé à l'Agence atomique irani- enne, le 11 mai. Alors que les pourparlers repren- Discours du président iranien Hasan nent entre l'Agence internationale Le quotidien gouvernemental, Iran, a adop- Rouhani lors de la venue de l4agence de l'énergie atomique et l'Iran, le té une position plus nuancée en soulignant internationelle à l'énergie atomique à président iranien, pourtant réputé qu'"accepter les négociations avec Téhéran le 11 mai 2014 (AFP PHOTO / modéré, a mis en garde les l'Occident sur le programme nucléaire con- HO / PRESIDENCY WEBSITE) stitue une avancée pour la République Occidentaux : l'Iran n'est pas prêt à islamique et une manière de désarmer les toutes les concessions. opposants au régime." Ces pourparlers ont pour but d'amorcer la www.courrierinternational.com "Pour persuader l'opinion publique et les rédaction de l'accord final entre l'Occident Ghazal Golshiri / 12 mai 2014 instances internationales [du caractère et l'Iran. Un accord préalable avait été signé pacifique du programme nucléaire], il faut en novembre dernier, marquant la pre- Les déclarations du président [iranien] apporter des preuves et éviter des propos mière avancée dans le dossier du nucléaire "ont réchauffé le cœur de ceux qui se sou- illogiques", peut-on lire dans ce quotidien. iranien depuis une décennie. Le président cient de la révolution". C'est ainsi que le Les déclarations plutôt fermes de Hassan iranien Rohani, élu en juin 2013, avait quotidien conservateur Siasat-e Rooz a féli- Rohani, tenues lors de la visite des nou- promis de détendre les relations avec la N cité, dans son éditorial du 12 mai, Hassan velles à l'Agence atomique iranienne, inter- communauté internationale. Rohani, pour ses propos fermes tenus la viennent alors qu'un nouveau tour des veille sur la volonté de Téhéran de n'accep- négociations nucléaires commence à ter "aucun apartheid nucléaire". Vienne, lundi 12 mai.

70 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti 28 mai 2014

Mardi, l'organisation Human Irak: 74 morts dans une Rights Watch a accusé Bagdad de larguer des barils d'explosifs sur des zones d'habitation et série d'attaques brutales d'avoir pu viser un hôpital. L'Irak est endeuillé par des Le Monde.fr avec AFP Les attentats les plus graves ont SUNNITE attaques qui tuent en moyenne 28 mai 2014 eu lieu en fin de journée à plus de 25 personnes par jour, Mossoul, dans le nord du pays, D'autres attaques ont fait trois un niveau qui n'avait plus été où l'explosion de deux voitures morts dans la région de Bagdad, atteint depuis cinq ans, quand le ne soixantaine de personnes pays sortait à peine d'un conflit ont péri, mercredi 28 mai, piégées a tué 21 personnes, dont ainsi que trois autres dans les U Augustus libere miscere quadru- provinces septentrionales de confessionnel sanglant après dans une vague d'attaques à tra- l'invasion américaine de 2003. vers l'Irak, où le bilan dépasse pei. Parsimonia umbraculi suf- Kirkouk et de Ninive, dont fragarit chirographi. Mossoul est la capitale. Toujours désormais les 4 000 morts dans Les autorités imputent la vio- les violences depuis le début de Syrtes circumgrediet zothecas. dans le nord, une série de 11 Utilitas ossifragi miscere attentats à la bombe a tué cinq lence qui touche l'ensemble du l'année. Ce nouveau bain de sang pays à des facteurs extérieurs, au intervient alors que les respon- quadrupei. personnes à Touz Khourmatou. Medusa spinosus praemuniet Les explosions visaient des premier rang desquels la guerre sables politiques cherchent à en Syrie voisine. Mais diplo- constituer des alliances en vue tremulus oratori. maisons de la communauté turk- Quadrupei fermedis que d'autres mène de cette ville peuplée mates et experts affirment que de la formation d'un gouverne- les violences sont surtout ali- ment, que le premier ministre voitures piégées ont tué une également par des Kurdes et des dizaine d'autres personnes dans Arabes, et qui est située dans une mentées par la colère de la sortant, Nouri Al-Maliki, entend minorité sunnite, qui s'estime continuer à diriger, même si les les quartiers d'Amin, Sadr City et portion de territoire revendiquée Jihad. à la fois par le gouvernement marginalisée et maltraitée par élections du 30 avril ne lui ont les autorités dirigées par des pas donné de majorité claire. central et par la région COLÈRE DE LA MINORITÉ autonome du Kurdistan irakien. chiites. I

Des forces de sécurité irakiennes ont appréhendé des jeunes Les violences à travers l'Irak ont fait 74 morts, mercredi 28 mai, hommes suspectés d'être des combattants de l'État islamique en ce qui en fait le jour le plus sanglant depuis plus de sept mois. | Irak et au Levant, lors d'un raid mercredi dans la ville de Jorf al- REUTERS/STRINGER/IRAQ Sakhar, dans le sud de Bagdad.

30 mai 2014 Intervention contre un blocus kurde dans le sud- est de la Turquie Par Reuters - 30/mai/2014 Les militants du PKK (Parti des tra- Le blocus ravive les tensions dans la région a gendarmerie turque est intervenue vailleurs du Kurdistan) paralysent en et met en relief la fragilité du processus de Lvendredi à l'aide de gaz lacrymogènes plusieurs points, avec des camions et des paix engagé en 2012 par le Premier min- et de canons à eau pour tenter de lever des voitures, l'axe qui relie les provinces à istre Recep Tayyip Erdogan et le chef barrages sur une autoroute bloquée depuis majorité kurde de Diyarbakir et Bingol, emprisonné du PKK Abdullah Öcalan près d'une semaine par des militants pour protester contre la construction par pour tenter de mettre fin à une insurrection Ë kurdes dans le sud-est du pays, apprend- l'armée de nouveaux avant-postes dans la qui a coûté la vie à 40.000 personnes. on de sources proches de la sécurité. région.

71 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 23, 2014 Iraqi Yazidis push to end 'devil worship' stereotype The Yazidis in Iraq are seeking not only to preserve their traditions but also to combat misinformation and stereotypes about their faith.

author Laura Cesaretti may 23, 2014 www.al-monitor.com

AHUK, Iraq — When Nietzsche wrote "Thus Spoke D Zarathustra" in 1885, he had to kill God to break the dicho- tomy between good and evil. In Iraqi Kurdistan, there was no need for that; adherents of Yazidism, the world's most ancient mono- theistic religion, already knew this. According to this minority Kurdish group, Lucifer, the beautiful and vain angel of heaven, did not betray God and create evil, but simply manifested himself to the world, becoming the bridge between humans and the Creator. Melek Taus, as the Yazidis call him, is still The Yazidis are primarily ethnic Kurdish group linked to worshipped in the Temple of Lalish, the sect's holy site in northwes- Zoroastrianism and Sufism. Some 350,000 Yazidis live in villages in tern Iraq. Yazidis consider themselves the direct descendants of Iraqi semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and in Kurdish areas outside Adam and perceive good and evil as the same faces of the same rea- Kurdistan region in around Mosul in Nineveh province, with additio- lity. Choosing the right side is up to each person’s soul. nal communities in Transcaucasia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, and This approach has caused nothing but pain for the Yazidi Kurds, who Syria, estimated to over 600,000 worldwide. Photo: Reuters • have been subject to many stereotypes in Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran, such as their supposed reluctance to education. Pir Mamo The spiritual leaders and clerics belong to the highest castes — the Othman, a consultant at the Yazidi Regional Council, told Al-Monitor, Sheikhs and the Pirs — while the rest belong to the Murid. Caste affi- "In the past, there were no governmental schools but just religious liation is derived from parental lineage and cannot be changed. ones. This is why many Yazidi families cut short their children’s edu- Intermarriages between castes, as well as between non-Yazidis, are cation, fearing they are being converted to Islam." Further, the Yazidi banned. “However, culture and religion are now performed in a diffe- representation of Melek Taus as a peacock has led Muslim and rent way,” Shivan Bibo Darwish, a journalist from Lalish Magazine, Christian travelers alike to misperceive certain aspects of Yazidi told Al-Monitor. Although some rules are still followed, Yazidi society beliefs. The beautiful flying bird, in fact, was considered a manifesta- is gradually becoming more open. “The caste system, already less tion of the devil’s power by many ancient communities and followers strict than the Indian one, does not prevent Yazidis from the Murid of the old Zarathustrian faith. caste like me to cover important positions in the public society,” “There is no evil in the Yazidi thought,” Birgul Acikyildiz Sengul, lec- Darwish said. turer of art history at the Merdin Artuklu University in Turkey and an hroughout history, there have been repeated attempts to sup- expert on Yazidi culture, told Al-Monitor. For 10 years, she has Tpress the Yazidi faith and convert its followers to the three mono- conducted extensive research on Yazidi traditions and in 2010 publi- theistic religions. Yet, the Yazidis are a peaceful people who do not shed her book, "The Yazidis: History of a Community, Culture and harbor a desire for power or a moral duty to spread their faith. They Religion." “Even some famous orientalists and philosophers from the strive to find their place in society and no longer wish to be conside- past have misunderstood their faith,” Birgul said. “People saw in red outcasts. Even now, in disputed areas such as Mosul, Iraq, their them an interest about the Satan-oriented culture without focusing on faith is attacked and their existence threatened. Many Yazidis have the reality of their beliefs.” already emigrated to places like Germany and Armenia. Northern Indeed, even without the "devil-worshipping mystery," the faith Iraq's Yazidi community is mainly based in Sheikhan, Sinjar and remains fascinating. Yazidism is a syncretic faith of old Persian and Behzane provinces, as well as the villages located around the city of Indian traditions, as well as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They Dahuk. believe in reincarnation in addition to heaven and hell. “This dualist With the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government in approach is the result of a defensive mechanism developed throu- 1993, the Yazidi community has established more than 20 Lalish cul- ghout history,” Mamo said. Thus, to avoid accusations of blasphemy tural centers and aims to promote coexistence with the Sunni Muslim and Satanism, Yazidis have taken aspects of Christianity and Islam Kurdish majority. “We want to keep our traditions not because we still and hidden in their holy place in Lalish, which is surrounded by the believe in our descent from Adam or in other myths,” Ayad Khanky, a three mountains Arafat, Msgat and Hzrat. history lecturer at the University of Duhok, told Al-Monitor. “Our aim oday, the Lalish Temple — which was destroyed twice between is to protect the various historical heritage of Kurdish society.” Tthe 13th and 15th centuries — is a mix of new and old buildings. Today, the first established Lalish cultural center in Dahuk has 7,000 Each room has a different meaning and function. In one lies the members. Many members are Yazidis, but there are also Kurds and grave of Sheik Adi, a Sufi from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley who died foreigners from different backgrounds. According to the center, this here 900 years ago. The sheikh reformed the Yazidi faith and is support is fundamental to combat misinformation about Yazidism and considered a saint by Yazidis. “When he first came to the Kurdish enhance the role of this ancient faith in the history of religion and region, he adopted many ancient practices of our religion,” Mamo human culture. N said. “The Yazidis gathered together under his umbrella and crowned Laura Cesaretti is an Italian freelance reporter specialised in Middle East and him as their leader following his innovations to Yazidism.” South Asia issues. She has an MA in International Politics from City University of One of the most strict and controversial reforms was the introduction London and an MA in Journalism from Sapienza University of Rome. She is cur- of the caste system. The Yazidis are still divided in three main castes: rently based in southern Turkey.

72 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ozeti

TclHonde Samedi 31 mai 2014 Ces oligarques syriens qui tiennent à bout de bras le régime Assad

Des hommes d'affaires proches du pouvoir reversent une partie de leurs bénéfices à l'Etat

En Syrie, les affaires conti¬ re d'autant plus les convoitises que nuent. Malgré l'océan de des¬ Téhéran a accordé à Damas, en

tructions semées par les for¬ août 2013, un crédit de 3,6 milliards ces, loyalistes et les sanctions de dollars {2,6 milliards d'euros), votées par les pays occidentaux, destiné spécifiquement à l'achat une poignée d'entrepreneurs dans de brut et de produits pétroliers.

l'orbite du pouvoir engrange tou¬ Les heureux élus se fournissent eh > jours des profits. Des témoignages r , Iran et en Irak, mais aussi auprès récoltés par Le Monde, auprès de des groupes rebelles qui se sont très bons connaisseurs du régime emparésdes puits.Audébutde l'an¬ syrien, dévoilent une partie du sys¬ s ;-r>',; née, des chancelleries occidentales tème occulte et prédateur qui per¬ 1/^ affirmaient que des émissaires du met au président Bachar Al-Assad régime avaient acheté du pétrole d'entretenirl'allégeancede ses fidè¬ auFront Al-Nosra, ungroupe djiha¬ les et de financer sa guerre contre diste présent à Deir ez-Zor. l'opposition. «Le conflit a rebattu les cartes . A quelques jours de la pseudo¬ d'unpointde vue économique, ana¬ présidentielle du 3 juin, qui devrait lyse Peter Harling, de l'Internatio¬ offrir au chef de l'Etat son troisiè¬ A Damas, le 27 mai. Le scrutin présidentiel du 3 juin devrait offrir nal Crisis Group.// aforcé desgran¬ me mandatd'affilée, la miseen cou¬ desfamilles à.s'exiler ou àfermer à Bachar Al-Assad son troisième mandat consécutif, louai bechara/afp pe réglée du pays et la dépendance boutique etapermisà une nouvelle de Damas de ses alliés, notamment génération d'affairistes d'émer¬ Dubaï joue dans notre région le Mohammed Hamsho, Samer Debs l'Iran, n'ont jamais été aussi forte. . ger. » L'un, des intermédiaires en même rôle qu'a joué la Suisse et Khaled Qadour. Le premier, qui. «Il n'y apresqueplus un seul dollar vogue sur le marché du blé est la durant la seconde.guerre mondia-, qui rentre légalement dans les cof¬ détient le très juteux marché du famille Foz, de Lattaquié, qui agit le, en Europe», confie la source fres de l'Etat, constate un ex-intime VOIP {Voice Over Internet Proto: pour le compte du général Dhou syrienne. du clan Assad. Les puits de pétrole col), un système de communica¬ Al-Himma Chalich, cousin de Parlébiais de son père, Moham¬ sont passés sous le contrôle des tions à bas prix de l'étrangervers la BacharAl-Assadet patronde sa gar¬ med, qui vit entre Damas et Mos¬ rebelles ou des Kurdes. Les gens ne Syrie, s'apprête à obtenir du minis¬ de privée, visé par les sanctions cou, le PDG de Syriatel dispose aus¬ paientplus ni les impôts, nileursfac- tère du tourisme une licence pour occidentales. si de facilités en Russie. C'est tures d'eau ou d'électricité. Tout ce développerun projetd'île artificiel¬ Pour échapper aux sanctions d'ailleursdans ce pays qu'estimpri¬ qui reste au régime pourpayer les le, près deTartous. internationales, les profiteurs de mée la monnaie syrienne, depuis salaires desfonctionnaires, ce sont . En contrepartie des prébendes guerre s'abritent derrière une mul¬ que l'Autriche a dû renoncer à ce les magouilles et l'aide directe de que leur accorde l'Etat, ces indus¬ titude de paravents. «Rami contrat, en application des sanc¬ l'Iran et de l'Irak.» ' triels lui reversent une partie de Màkhlôufa un bureau d'avocats à tions européennes, décidées à. En matière de combines, le roi leurs bénéfices. Le magot de Syria¬ ses ordres qui passe, l'essentiel de l'automne 2011. En décembre de reste Rami Makhlpuf. Ce cousin de tel finance à l'évidence les salaires son temps à créer des sociétés cette année, le Kremlin, indéfecti¬ Bachar Al-Assad, qui contrôle des du service public, voire la solde des écrans », assureunmembre de l'éli- ! pans entiers de l'économie syrien¬ ble protecteur de Damas, avait chabbiha, les miliciens prorégime. te économique damascene. Une autorisé la banque centrale syrien¬ ne, comme la téléphonie mobile Selon l'économiste Jihad Yazigi, partie de ces faux nez a été identi¬ (Syriatel), a su, de sources conver¬ ne à ouvrir des comptes en roubles auteur d'un rapport sur l'écono¬ fiée parles limiers duTrésoraméri¬ dans des banques russes. Un strata¬ gentes, maintenirsa position domi¬ mie de guerre syrienne, des compa¬ cainet delaCommissioneuropéen¬ gème destiné à contournerlès sanc¬ nante. Avec Ayman Jaber et Abdel gnies de bus ont mis leur flotte ad ne. Un fonds d'investissements tions occidentales, qui interdisent Kader Sabra, deux hommes d'affai¬ service de l'armée. Signe de la resi¬ aux îles Caïmans et une holding au aux Syriens de conduire des tran¬ res de la côte, et Samir Hassan, lience de cette caste, aucunou pres¬ Luxembourg, Drex Technologies, . ancien de Nestlé, il a investi dans sactions en dollars.- que des hommes d'affaires inscrits ont été ajoutés, en 2012, sur la liste ; L'empire Makhloufdispose aus¬ l'importation de produits alimen¬ sur la liste noire n'a rallié l'opposi¬ noire des sociétés et des entrepre¬ si de relais en Roumanie, oùle beau- taires, notamment le blé, le riz,, le tion. Quelques personnes ont obte¬ neurs accusés de financer le régi- . père de Rami, Walid Othman, est sucre et le thé. Un nouveau "mar¬ nu que leur nom soit effacé, après me Assad. ambassadeur. «Les activités de ses ché, apparu à la faveurdes mauvai¬ avoir plaidé l'erreur d'identité Mais selon un homme d'affai¬ enfants en Europe, notamment à ses récoltes de l'année passée et du devant les tribunaux américains res syrientrès bien informé, le cou¬ basculement de nombreuses Vienne et Bucarest, génèrent des ou européens. sin Rami est parvenu à mettre une zones rurales dans les mains de la mHlions de dollars de cash, qui sont Mais qu'on ne s'y trompe pas, bonne partie de sa fortune à l'abri, rébellion. Contrairement au pétro¬ renvoyés en Syrieparla valise diplo¬ pourl'immense majorité des entre¬ notamment à Dubaï. L'émirat du le, les produits alimentaires échap¬ matique», accuse Ayman Abdel preneurs syriens, le conflit est une Golfe, où vit Bôuchra Al-Assad, la. pent à l'embargo européen. Nour, le rédacteur en chef du site calamité. Les experts de l'ONU ont s du président syrien, s'enor¬ Autre aubaine créée par la crise : d'informations AlUSyria, un fait le calcul : même avecune crois¬ gueillit du fait qu'il a recueilli, l'importationde pétrole, une activi¬ ancien conseiller de Bachar sance annuelle de 5 %, ilfaudratren¬ après le débutdes « printemps ara¬ té déléguée au secteurprivé depuis Al-Assad passé à l'opposition. te ans pour que le produit national bes », une partie des avoirs des éli¬ que les sites d'extraction de Deir Le gang des oligarques syriens brut syrien retrouve son niveau tes du Proche-Orient, en quête de ez-Zor et Hassaké ne sont plus comprend aussi MaherAl-Assad, le d'avant-guerre.» confidentialité. «Depuis .2011, contrôlés par l'Etat. Ce marché atti frère dû président, et ses affidés: Benjamin Barthe

73 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

InteraartonaljfrUilJorkfêimcs THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2014

Go beyond diplomacy on Syria

ations. Should it find a new base and set empower Sunni extremists; on the otn- Jonathan Stevenson of resources in Syria through an alli¬ er hand, because the moderate opposi¬

ance with ISIS, it could become much tion too is in conflict with Mr. Assad and more capable of hitting the United his foreign allies, American covert as¬ States. Such a development could also sistance raises the price of military en¬ NEWPORT, R.l. Along with President mean that America's established meth¬ gagement for Iran and Hezbollah, mak¬ Obama, most Americans disapprove of ods of defending against Al Qaeda fran¬ ing them more likely to come to the

direct military intervention in Syria. chises intelligence sharing, cooper¬ bargaining table. They believe it would immerse the ative border security would be More could be done. Washington could

United States in another Middle East substantially less effective. consider creating a trusted elite force of war with unpredictable consequences. All of which puts President Obama in a heavily vetted and trained opposition They much prefer a diplomatic solution. difficult situation: Like it or not, for now fighters that could take on ISIS and the

They are correct. But Syria is not as the Assad regime and the United States' Nusra Front, help defend smaller or less distant a threat as some believe, and Shiite adversaries Iran and Hezbollah capable moderate groups against radical

limited, discreet military assistance to constitute the best counter to resolutely jihadis and possibly form the core of a the Syrian opposition could enhance transnationaljihadist groups that are stabilization force for Syria.

American security and make diploma¬ combining forces in and around Syria This strategy might seem to detract cy more likely to succeed. and gaining strength. That doesn't mean from the administration's larger, stra¬

It is true that Al Qaeda's senior lead¬ America should accept, let alone encour- . tegic goal of elevating soft power over ership in Pakistan has urged jihadis in age, the perpetuation of the horrors of hard power as a foreign policy tool. On Syria to focus on toppling its president, the Syrian conflict. But it does mean that the contrary : If the United States is to Bashar al-Assad, and worry about achieve a diplomatic solution in Syria, Mr. Obama must not merely advance more distant enemies later. But the se¬ and thus prove the efficacy of soft Mr. Assad's exit from office, but also en¬ nior leadership has less influence power, it has to do so without compro¬ sure that the government that replaces among its affiliates than before. mising homeland security. his regime is moderate and capable. One of the largest, the Islamic State of To that end, by demonstrating Amer¬ The power-sharing compromise that Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, has rejec¬ ica's determination to counter jihadist the administration has pursued would ted the leadership's guidance in favor of terrorism to Iran and Russia, enhanced yield countervailing checks on Sunni more ambitious operations, prompting programs for vetting, training and and Shiite extremism, and active Amer¬ Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda's senior equipping the Syrian opposition could ican diplomacy, must continue to ex¬ leader, to disavow it in favor pf a more actually advance diplomatic efforts. By plore avenues for achieving it includ¬ Syria-focused organization, the Nusra tamping down global terrorist threats, ing circumspect engagement with Iran. Front. But instead of backing down, ISIS they would also help secure the Ameri¬ However, in light of the entrenched has taken on the Nusra Front for can homeland. positions of both Qaeda extremists and primacy in Syria, while its leader, Abu Iran and Hezbollah in Syria, diplomacy Bakr àl-Baghdadi, is challenging Mr. Za- Jonathan Stevenson, a professor of stra¬ is unlikely to be enough. The United wahri for the leadership of Al Qaeda. tegic studies at the United States Naval States needs to go At the same time, ISIS appears to be War College, was the directorforpolitic¬ The U S further and provide developing closer relations with another al-military affairsfor the Middle East sustained covert as¬ powerful Al Qaeda affiliate; the Yemen- needs to and North Africa on the national security sistance to moderate based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Penin¬ provide cov¬ staffat the White Housefrom November Syrian opposition sula, whose leader has hinted that the ert assistance 20U to May.2013. groups. That would to moderate two organizations might even merge. signal the determina¬ Any alignment between,the two Syrian oppo¬ tion and staying would present a challenge to American sition groups. power of the United security. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Pen¬ States and its part¬ insula is the most capable of Al Qaeda's ners, and provide as¬ franchises: The group orchestrated the surances that they intend to mitigate 2009 attempt by Umar Farouk Abdul- the risks that Al Qaeda and other Sunni mùtallab, the so-called underwear jihadis pose to a peaceful political tran¬ bomber, to blow up an airliner over De¬ sition in Syria. troit; sent an explosives-laden package Some steps along these lines are to the United States in 2010; and already being taken. The administra¬ threatened attacks on several Ameri¬ tion has hinted that it is ramping up can embassies in 2013. It also provided Jordan-based covert training and coor¬ sanctuary for Anwar al-Awlaki, the dination programs for moderate oppo¬ American citizen who had a worldwide sition groups, and evidence has following as a Qaeda ideologue before emerged that the United States is sup¬ he was killed in a drone strike in 2011. plying them with anti-tank missiles. Still, as chaotic as Yemen can be, its . Such steps have a dual function: On government works closely with Ameri¬ the one hand, they reassure Iran and can forces, and that has constrained Al Hezbollah that the United States is Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's oper committed to an outcome that does not

74 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 29, 2014 Turkey’ s Kurdish oil gamble Turkey’ s sale of Iraqi Kurdish crude oil could backfire for Ankara and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

A worker adjusts Author Denise Natali the valve of an May 29, 2014 oil pipe at www.al-monitor.com Khurmala oil field on the out- skirts of Erbil, Dec. 4, 2013. ather than assume regional leadership and help resolve the oil (photo by R dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional REUTERS/String Government (KRG), Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has done just the opposite. Ankara’s sale of Kurdish crude without Baghdad’s authorization — with revenues to be deposited in a Turkish bank — may pressure Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, to offset Baghdad’s payment gap, technical issues prevent this give Turkey access to cheap Kurdish crude and provide much-nee- option in the short and medium term. Because the two pipelines that ded revenue to the KRG. Yet, it has unleashed a legal and political comprise the Iraqi Turkish Pipeline (ITP) cannot function simulta- backlash in Iraq. Erdogan’s goodwill gesture toward the Kurds has neously, the KRG’s export line (which has blocked access from the also deepened the polarization between Baghdad and Erbil without Iraqi side) can continue to transport crude as long as the second line resolving the KRG’s current revenue crisis. The KRG remains in is not functioning. Coordinating pipeline use has thus far not been financial limbo, dependent upon both Ankara and Baghdad, and still an issue since the line on the Iraqi Arab side has been attacked and in need of a grand bargain that can permit large-scale, risk-free in disrepair over the past few months, leaving the KRG free to use exports through the northern corridor. its portion of the line. Usage and coordination issues could become Although Ankara’s sale of Kurdish crude has not fundamentally res- a problem if and when the other line starts to function again. haped regional energy markets, it reveals the extent to which Thus, to maximize the potential of both lines simultaneously, Erdogan and the KRG are willing to defy and pressure Baghdad. Baghdad and Erbil will need to reach a compromise on pipeline sha- The timing of the sale was no coincidence. It not only followed ring. The KRG has ordered additional pumps to enable exports inde- months of a budget dispute between Erbil and Baghdad, but the pendently of the other line, but these are not expected to be in place Iraqi elections that left Maliki with a plurality of seats although an for another six to nine months. Even then, the portion of the ITP that insufficient number to form a government. Ankara and Erbil may the KRG now controls has the capacity to export about 500,000 bar- either seek to force an energy deal from Maliki in return for Kurdish rels per day, if fully repaired and functioning. Any additional volumes support or assure that Maliki does not reassume the premiership. to be exported from Iraqi Kurdistan to Turkey would require coordi- For the KRG, the sale also reflects a highly salient oil nationalism nation with Baghdad to use the other part of the ITP, and/or that has become embedded in its political agenda and society, and constructing another line entirely, and building necessary storage the ongoing efforts to gain economic autonomy from Baghdad. facilities. Yet, this tactical move may not necessarily lead to desired out- urkey’s sale of Kurdish crude also has implications for Iraq’s inter- comes. At minimum it has exacerbated an already tense negotiating Tnal stability and negotiating a long-term revenue-sharing agree- climate. As expected, Baghdad immediately filed litigation against ment. Although the oil and revenue dispute has been framed as a Ankara and its state-run pipeline operator, Botas, at the International conflict between Kurdish leaders and Maliki, it extends to other Iraqi Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris for violating the 2010 Pipeline Arab provinces as well. Some Arab Iraqi officials, including Mosul Tariff Agreement (functioning and amended since 1973) and the governor Atheel al-Nujafi, argue that the KRG has the right to export 1946 Friendship Treaty between Iraq and Turkey. The Iraqi federal given Baghdad’s failure to pay salaries, as long as the revenues are court also has filed a complaint against the KRG. Legal uncertainty used for all Iraqis. Other leaders and populations are critical of what is reinforced by the executive order announced by President Barack they perceive as unilateral action by the KRG, and its privileged posi- Obama on May 27, ending immunities to the Development Fund for tion. The southern oil-producing provinces have criticized the KRG’s Iraq and certain other Iraqi property and interests, which leaves revenue payments as unfair, while pressing Maliki to either prevent Kurdish oil exports unprotected from attachment claims, at least in Kurdish exports or offer them similar rights. These demands limit what theory. Litigation could go on for months, if not years, perpetuating Maliki can offer the KRG without setting a precedent that will require legal risks and uncertainty for future large-scale exports as well as similar concessions to other provinces. These competing revenue political distrust between Baghdad, Ankara and Erbil. claims also fuel the problem of consensus building. t is also uncertain if small-scale, legally contentious oil sales can Under the current conditions, Turkey and the KRG may continue to Imeet the KRG’s revenue needs or leverage Maliki. According to an export and sell small amounts (100,000 bpd) of Kurdish crude. Yet, analysis by Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research, KRG oil this gamble with Baghdad could backfire or at least reinforce red sales might only partially compensate for the financial losses from lines that need to be softened to move forward with much-needed Baghdad. The study said that under the current payment system, compromises on all sides. Certainly the problem is an internal one the KRG would need monthly sales from 20 tankers holding a mil- between Baghdad and Erbil, but Ankara remains an essential actor lion barrels of oil each to gain proceeds of $340 million; this repre- that can either be a stabilizer or a spoiler in this affair. N sents only 25% of the KRG's monthly budgetary appropriations from Baghdad. Kurdish leaders have secured loans of over $450 million Denise Natali is a columnist for Al-Monitor. She is a Senior Research Fellow at from local businessmen that they plan to repay with crude oil; howe- the Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, where ver, large-scale financing to substitute for Baghdad’s revenue cuts she specializes in Iraq, regional energy issues and the Kurdish problem. The is still unavailable. views expressed are her own and do not reflect the official policy or position of the National Defense University, the Department of Defense or the US Even though the KRG plans to increase export volumes and sales government.

75 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti May 30, 2014 Kurdish families demand the PKK stop kidnapping minors About two dozen Kurdish families have come forward since May 19 in protest of the Kurdistan Workers Party’ s abduction of their children.

Author Tulin Daloglu Posted May 30, 2014 al-monitor.com

t all started on April 23, the day Turkey marked its 91st National I Sovereignty and Children’s Day. While in the western side of the coun- try children were in a festive mood, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) kid- napped 25 students between the ages of 14 and 16 on the east side of the country, in the Lice district of Diyarbakir. Sinan Bockum, 15, was one of those kidnapped. His family did a most unexpected thing when they got the news about what happened to their son. Although the PKK has kidnapped more than 330 minors in the last six Selahattin Demirtas, [pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party co-chair- months, the Bockum family was the first in the region who put up a tent man]. He told us he would personally talk to the PKK and that things could near their home to start a sit-in protest, challenging the PKK and deman- ding that it return their son. Sinan was returned to the family on May 4. Al- change in the next 10 days. We will now discuss among the family mem- Monitor reported this incident from the beginning in depth. bers what to do about our protest — whether to continue or end it.” None of the other families whose sons and daughters were kidnapped with On May 29, Ahmet Gunduz told Al-Monitor that they had decided to conti- Sinan on that day, however, joined the Bockum family during their sit-in at nue with their protest “for another three days.” He explained his decision, first. On May 19, that story changed. Ahmet Gunduz and Selami Eren star- expressing concern that the family had not been given any guarantees as ted their sit-in protest in front of the Diyarbakir mayor’s office. Gumduz’s to when their children could be back: “I have no clue till this moment where daughter Halime, 15, and Eren’s son Firat Aydin Eren, 15, were kidnapped my daughter is. I don’t know whether she is within the Turkish territories or on the day Sinan was taken by the PKK. “In the beginning we trusted to our taken outside the country,” he said. “Demirtas did not give a clear promise own network and thought we could take back our kids safely from the PKK,” that he would be able to bring them back. What happens if the kids do not Selami Eren told Al-Monitor. “But it led to all dead ends, and we were left come back — let’s say in 10 days, and we find ourselves quitting our stand with no choice but to actively start this protest.” He said, “My son has very for no real reason? Who would take us seriously then? All we want is our weak bones. He got me mad just two weeks before he was kidnapped, and children and peace.” I held his hand tight out of anger. I should not have done that. I broke two sad Bozkaya agrees. “My son Murat was kidnapped in Bitlis on March of his fingers just by that. If something happens to him on the mountains, E8. He is 17 years old. I want to appeal now to your hearts. Listen, there he is too fragile. I lost all the sleep that I have thinking about all the poten- is no difference between a kid who is kidnapped at 15 or 17 years of age. tial wrongs that could happen.” These are still very young people, and I don’t want my son to join this Halime’s father, Ahmet, said, “We started as two families on May 19 [in] our endless fighting and lose his life in the mountains,” he told Al-Monitor. “We protest before the Diyarbakir municipality. We are now about 21 families are talking about a straight honor student at school. He scored more than and the number keeps going up. All we want is our kids and peace. We 430 points in the first part of the university exam [out of 500]. How could don’t want the PKK to kidnap our kids. We don’t want to see any fighting anyone think that he had given up from all of that, all of his dreams of what between the security forces and the PKK. Both sides are our own people. he can be, and decided to join the armed struggle? It does not make any Enough of that violence already. We just want a normal life.” sense, does it?” The PKK, however, is strong in Diyarbakir and the families’ public appeal Firat’s father, Selami, concurs that they should not focus all their bets in the received mixed reactions. “There are those who accuse these families of age issue. “The PKK side argues that they did not kidnap our children, but betraying the Kurdish cause and allowing themselves be used by the state that they joined them with their own free will. Look, when a girl escapes to to weaken the PKK at a time when it really has captured an exceptional the man she loves in these lands, we define it as kidnapping. Why? strength at the negotiation table with the Erdogan government,” one local, Because the family has not given consent for their marriage. This is no dif- who asked not to be named, told Al-Monitor. “There are those who are ferent. We as the parents have not given any consent and the PKK needs really angry to these families, and would have preferred them to simply shut to hear our voice and return our children back to us — safely!” up.” Despite remaining silent on Sinan Bockum’s case, Turkish Prime Minister Just like the Bockum family, these families who sit in protest of the PKK’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan threw his political standing behind these families. kidnapping their children are in fact acting with a unique bravery. Since the Speaking at his regularly scheduled parliamentary group meeting on May Erdogan government agreed in 2006 to start negotiating with the PKK to 27, Erdogan first took on the media, questioning the newsrooms’ unders- resolve the Kurdish issue, it has become easier to address these matters tanding of what makes news at a time coinciding with the anniversary of the as the taboo was broken. “These Kurdish families now remind the people Gezi Park protests of last year. “Where in the world are you, the internatio- across the country that the PKK is certainly not as innocent as its recent nal media?” Erdogan exclaimed, criticizing the lack of coverage of PKK kid- image prevails, and it certainly is no organization that upholds democratic nappings of the minors. “But if there were to be people gathering in front of standards or human rights,” the same local told Al-Monitor. the Galatasaray University [close to Gezi Park in Taksim, Istanbul], you amilies, on the other hand, express desperation that they are being pus- would have reported it in its entirety. If that is the case, how could you Fhed into politicking. Ahmet Gunduz, for example, said that he works in ignore these mothers whose children are kidnapped by the PKK? I should northern Iraq as a construction worker to take care of his family. “I don’t keep some out from this list, but where are the Turkish media’s reporting on have the time to think about politics or act politically,” he told Al-Monitor on this case? Why are you not covering this news?” May 28. “But two AKP [Justice and Development Party] women deputies Erdogan also warned that the state is ready to move to alternative plans if came to talk to us. I don’t even remember their names. We talked to these children cannot be brought back through negotiation channels. a

76 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti a Although it is not clear what that exactly means, or whether this entails Erdogan said May 27, “I am asking the BDP and the potential military engagement, the kidnapped children’s families speaking HDP, where are you? There has been times when to Al-Monitor stress that the peace process should not end, even as they you went to the PKK, and brought back other kid- express total desperation regarding the cost both in blood and treasure of napped people [taken by the PKK.] Why don’t you the three-decade-long fighting between the military and the PKK. Yet, the do the same for these children? Go and bring back blame game between the Erdogan government and the Kurdish parties is these children, too. You will either do this or our at full speed, providing no constructive exit from the current impasse. plans B and C will come into force.” zgur Gundem, a pro-Kurdish daily, for example, announced on its front For the families who decided not to end their protest Opage on May 29 that it was Erdogan’s fault that these children were for an additional three days, hoping that they could kidnapped. “Take the step so that they can be returned,” the front page reunite with their children in this time frame, the headline read, painting Erdogan as a murderer and the one who bears the peace process might as well put into a freezer until ultimate responsibility of the December 2011 Roboski incident where a these children are found. Its future prospects also remains in limbo in this political environment. If there Turkish military airstrike based on flawed intelligence led to the deaths of is any good in this tragedy, though, it is that Turks 34 civilian Kurdish citizens. across the country raise their voices in goodwill for While Erdogan accuses the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) and the these Kurdish families to have a good outcome, and People’s Democracy Party (HDP) for “not moving a muscle” to help these praise them for their courage in standing against the families, the daily writes, “After ending the lives of so many Kurdish chil- PKK and demanding their children back. Until now, dren, Erdogan is now trying to present an image of a person 'loving chil- though, many ordinary citizens had been confused dren.' The families, however, demand that Erdogan come up with concrete about the silence of the Kurdish families at a time plans on how to resolve the Kurdish issue. There is no need for him to when their children were taken away from them come up with ideas about coming up with a B or C alternative.”

May 27, 2014 Clashes between PKK members and security forces end after two days in southeastern Turkey

ture the groups and ensure the safety of construction area, and another explosive hurriyetdailynews.com citizens travelling in the region, the state- device was defused by the authorities at May/27/2014 ment added. the scene. No casualties were reported. PKK members first gathered on May 25 Meanwhile, in the eastern province of İYARBAKIR - The clashes that had to protest an irrigation dam project plan- Bingöl on May 22, militants set alight two Derupted between members of the outla- ned to be built in the region, the Turkish excavators and a cylinder vehicle after wed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Armed Forces (TSK) said in an official sta- detaining guards. security forces in southeastern province of tement released May 26. On May 21, militants halted a truck car- Diyarbakır have ended after a two day skir- Groups repeatedly gathered at the rying wood and set it alight in Mardin, mish. scene and blocked the road by parking while also threatening citizens not to cut The attack began when the PKK vehicles on the road, despite interventions, firewood in the area and seizing people’s blocked a main road in the region. and were finally dispersed on late May 26, cell phones. However, illegal demonstrations conti- the TSK said. Other incidents involving PKK mem- nued for two days after the main road PKK members also opened harassing bers were reported by the military in the blocked by PKK members was opened on fire, to which the TSK immediately retur- eastern provinces of Hakkari and Ağrı. May 26, following interventions by security ned fire in Lice district. The government-led initiative to forces. Tension high in region address the long-running Kurdish issue by The group threw Molotov cocktails, Tension in the region has escalated in ending the three-decade-old conflict bet- noise bombs filled with nails and fireworks recent days, despite the ongoing peace pro- ween security forces and the PKK has during the clashes, while security forces cess. ground to a halt in recent months. Öcalan used water cannons to disperse them. A convoy of 10 vehicles, including began talks with Turkish officials last year Seven security officers have been eight trucks and two armored military cars, to stop the conflict, which has left more slightly wounded, the Diyarbakır was attacked by members of the PKK on than 40,000 people dead over the past three Governor office said, as reported by May 25 in the eastern province of Şırnak. decades. In March 2013, he ordered his Anadolu Agency. Militants detonated improvised explosives fighters to observe a cease-fire, which has J An operation has been ongoing to cap- remotely as the convoy was going to a post tentatively held since then.

77 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

27 May 2014 First Official Kurdish Dictionary in Turkey Sets Small Milestone for Kurds An example of the change was wit- By Deniz Serinci nessed on May 24, when during a 27 may 2014 visit to Germany Turkish Prime rudaw.net Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the motto of “one people, OPENHAGEN, Denmark – one state, one flag,” but did not men- CThe first Turkish-Kurdish dic- tion “one language.” tionary went on sale in Turkey, a However, a board member of the milestone of sorts in a country where Human Rights Association (IHD) in the Kurdish language was banned Istanbul, Seza Mis Horoz, told until 1991 and where the country’s Rudaw that the Kurds still face dis- large minority Kurds still widely crimination over speaking Kurdish. complain of persecution. "The taboo against the Kurdish lan- The dictionary, which translates from guage is broken and the community both Turkish and Kurdish, was pub- can speak Kurdish. But because lished by the state-run Turkish Kurdish still has no legal status in the Language Association (TDK), the Turkish constitution, the Kurds still official regulator of the Turkish lan- Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc promoting the new suffer difficulties. For example, pris- guage, and has attracted much media Kurdish dictionary. Photo: Sabah oners are not always allowed to and public attention. defend themselves in Kurdish in The dictionary is based on the court," Horoz said. Kurmanji dialect spoken by most Speaking Kurdish and any expres- Duygu Atlas, a researcher and expert Language rights are a central Kurds in Turkey, and is prepared by sion of Kurdish culture was com- on Turkey at Tel Aviv University, Kurdish demand, and Atlas does not language experts and academics for pletely banned in Turkey until 1991. told Rudaw that publication of the believe Kurds will settle for less than use at schools where Kurdish is an The ban was imposed by the founder dictionary, like so many other steps full rights. elective course. of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, in recent years, overturns Turkey’s ”There may be more small-scale TDK Chairman Mustafa Kacalin who propagated the idea of “one peo- past politics. reforms in store, but anything that said the dictionary was the result of ple, one language, one state, one “After the First World War, the new falls short of full language rights, 18 months of work. flag.” political elite took up the nation- especially education in their mother Fifty-thousand copies have been By publishing a Kurdish dictionary building project with Turkish nation- tongue, in the end will categorically printed of the first edition, which is TDK, which was established with alism as its basis, in order to create a mean the continuation of the split into Turkish-Kurdish and Ataturk’s own initiative, has drawn homogeneous nation. But now we ‘Kurdish question’ in Turkey,” Atlas Kurdish-Turkish sections. much attention in the Turkish media. slowly see a change,” she said. said. I

24 May 2014 President Barzani in Paris: Kurds Will Consider ‘Other Options’ if Baghdad Doesn’t Change Policy

Region and also showed their rudaw.net willingness to support us in the 24 May 2014 next stage” said Falah Mustafa, the head of Kurdistan Region’s PARIS, France—Kurdistan department of foreign relations Region President Massoud (DFR). Barzani met with his French Mustafa said that Barzani had counterpart Francois Hollande in told the French president and Paris on Friday where according other top officials that the Kurds to the Kurdish foreign minister, have other options on the table if the French have pledged their Baghdad fails to change its poli- country’s support for the Kurds cies toward the Kurds. “in the next stage.” “It was stressed that the “The French officials stres- Kurdistan Region has done its sed that they would continue to best, but that it cannot continue support and assist the Kurdistan this way and in the future we ➤

78 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Özeti

➤ will have practical solutions,” observing national partnership the Kurds’ readiness to seek the in Erbil in 2009 to further bilate- said Mustafa. have hampered the development path that best suits the Kurdistan ral diplomatic, trade and cultural Tensions between Baghdad of the process,” Foreign Region in its dealings with relations. and Erbil heightened recently Relations Minister Mustafa, quo- Baghdad. Several French companies after the central government ted President Barzani as saying. “If Baghdad continues its have invested in the oil-rich froze the autonomous region’s Kurdistan President’s Chief previous policies, then the Kurds Kurdistan Region, among them monthly budget. Meanwhile, of Staff, Fuad Hussein, told will have to make a decision and Total Oil Company. Kurdish leaders have threatened Rudaw that “Kurdish indepen- seek other options according to “There is a number of French to go for a referendum on split- dence” wasn’t discussed at the the constitution,” said Hussein. companies in the Kurdistan ting from Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki meeting between the Kurdish and Iraqi Kurds and France have Region and President Hollande runs for a third term as Iraq’s French presidents. enjoyed decades of good rela- stated that France cares about its prime minister. “However, President tions, particularly since 1991 and relations with the Kurdistan “He (Barzani) told the French Hollande told President Barzani the presidency of Francois Region,” maintained Mustafa. president that the Kurdistan ‘whatever decision you may take Mitterrand, who was instrumen- As part of his European tour Region has done everything for there should be an exchange of tal in imposing the No-Fly-Zone President Barzani and his delegation the success of the democratic and opinion between us,” said on Iraq to protect the Kurds follo- are expected to visit Italy and the political process in Iraq, but Hussein. wing their national uprising. Vatican City where Barzani is to unfortunately non-compliance Hussein confirmed that the France was also among the meet with Pope Francis. I with the constitution and not Kurdish president had reiterated first to open a Consulate General

31 May 2014

Kurdistan Region President Kurdish Flag Set Massoud Barzani (L) with Italian Foreign Minister Tone of Barzani’s Federica Mogherini in Meetings at Vatican, Rome. Photo: Rome KRP information about the audience. cials towards Kurdistan has chan- Kurdistan, the only stable ged. region in Iraq, has become a safe "What we feel is that, on per- Kurdistan haven for some 30,000 Christians, sonal and professional level, these Region but they still face linguistic and trips by the president and prime President cultural barriers, and lack econo- minister of the Kurdistan Region Massoud mic security. are different from the previous Barzani with Mogherini said her meeting ones,” Mustafa said. “The Pope Francis. with Barzani had focused on International community’s reading Photo: KRP “mutual relations and the future of for Kurdistan is different; the rea- the Middle East, in particular Syria diness of the international commu- and the refugee crisis." nity to further listen to us is diffe- According to the minister, rent." rudaw.net message for the people of Italy has 400 investment projects Barzani has been on a tour of 31 May 2014 Kurdistan that the outside world in the Kurdistan Region, and is the European Union for the last understands the status of the eager to strengthen relations fur- several days, stopping in France RBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region,” said Fuad ther. "Our relations in economy before arriving in Italy. His visit EKurdistan Region President Hussein, Barzani’s chief of staff, in and trade are very good. We are comes as relations between Erbil Massoud Barzani held separate an interview with Rudaw from seeking to improve our relations and Baghdad have plummeted meetings with Pope Francis and Rome. even more in the future," over Kurdish oil exports and bud- Italian Foreign Minister Federica “It’s the recognition of the Mogherini added. get payments. Mogherini, the talks centering identity of Kurdistan’s people and Falah Mustafa, head of Hussein said that the streng- around bilateral ties, the situation in the legal identity of the people of Kurdistan’s Department of Foreign thening of the KRG's relations Iraq and Syria and the plight of tens Kurdistan," Hussein said. Relations (DFR), also noted the would be helpful in the future, of thousands of Christian refugees Barzani’s meeting with the Italian interest in the Kurdistan when Kurdistan makes its own in Kurdistan. Pope, his first, comes at a time Region. decision about its future status in The highlight of the Kurdish when the Vatican is looking at “They are very hopeful about Iraq. president’s meetings was the offi- ways to make Christians stay in Kurdistan, and they are eager to According to Hussein a major cial respect both the Vatican and Iraq, despite sectarian violent develop relations with the part of the talks centered on the Rome paid to the Kurdistan attacks that have forced an exodus Kurdistan Region,” he said from current situation in Iraq, formation Regional Government (KRG): At and dwindled numbers. Rome. of the next government and poten- both meetings, the Kurdish flag Vatican Radio said the head of Kurdish officials say that, tial Kurdish steps toward a possi- was displayed alongside the Iraqi the Roman Catholic Church recei- internationally, there is growing ble referendum over indepen- flag. ved Barzani and his accompanying interest in the Kurdistan Region, dence. I "Putting the Kurdistan flag is a delegation, but it did not give and that the attitude of foreign offi-

79 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

Marianne N° 893 Du 30 mai au 5 juin 2014

ONDE uli,jj>I «ji«iJ»'«iJi

-.

^POURQUOI DN EN PARLE

Dans un Moyen-Orient . *^S> ûlj en sang, les Kurdes,

w si longtemps victimes, « »

semblent échapper à la et y malédiction. Désormais s.ej en force au Parlement ? - -r. turc, ils constituent un * f'-ft îlot de prospérité au Kurdistan irakien, loin du chaos de Bagdad, tandis qu'en Syrie

ils disposent de trois .«>. régions autonomes. Seront-ils, demain, des médiateurs entre les peuples L'HEU E URDESO E sur leurs terres natales déchirées ? PAR MARTINE GOZLAN AU -ORIENT

31 / Huwtne 1 30 ntdJ du i juin ffDK

En Irak, alors que Bagdad conti¬ était gouvernée par une femme : on nue à saigner (la réélection à un l'appelait la « Princesse des braves ».

troisième mandat du très sectaire Nouri al-Maliki n'y changera rien), TISSU CONFESSIONNEL MÊLÉ le Kurdistan autonome vit dans une BULLE DE SÉRÉNITÉ Le Kurdistan irakien, insolite bulle de sérénité. Centres En 1988, Saddam Hussein gazait des qui s'est relevé grâce à l'aide financière commerciaux, boom immobilier, milliers de Kurdes dans rindifférence américaine, est prospère. Les femmes projets universitaires, Silicon Val¬ d'un monde occidental qui armait le y jouissent d'un statut privilégié. ley : il s'est relevé grâce à l'aide finan¬ tyran contre l'Iran : aujourd'hui, la cière américaine. Les femmes ontles vitalité d'Erbil, la capitale, a triom¬ st-ce un répit ou un salut ? cheveux libres. Les femmes kurdes phé de la douleur d'Halabja. «Nous Les Kurdes, ce peuple étiré sont des battantes : amazones des avons des aéroports, une armée et sur quatre pays brûlants - légendes locales ou guerrières dans une trentaine de consulats dans le la Turquie, la Syrie, l'Irak les rangs des peshmergas, elles sont monde entier.JoeBiden, voireBarack et l'Iran - ont été trahis désormais enseignantes, informati¬ Obama, appelle notre président

et massacrés avec tant de ciennes et femmes d'affaires. Farou¬ chaque mois!» rapportent fièrement

constance qu'ils restent chement opposées à un islamisme les proches du gouvernement auto¬

perplexes devantles lueurs kurde certes minoritaire mais qui nome d'Erbil. Le Kurdistan irakien, allumées aujourd'hui sur leur route. tente de grignoter leurs acquis. Elles refuge pour les chrétiens persécutés Pourtant, la roue du malheur semble n'ouhlientpas quejadis, avantlacolo¬ de Mossoul et de Bagdad, est le seul avoir tourné. nisation anglaise de l'Irak, Halabja endroitdelarégionoùlaconstnic- >

80 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

< TURQUIE S GÉORGIE ARMENIE AZERBAÏDJAN

18 000 000 i 20 000 (0,4%) | 40 000 0,4%) .. 1 180 000 (2%)

(22,3%) RUSSIE REPERES OUZBÉKISTAN' BULGARIE Mer Noil a XV1E-XIXE SIÈCLE. Tbilissi Sous l'Empire ottoman, l'unité Istanbul O territoriale kurde est assurée Bakou à travers de nombreux émirats, Anka/ Mer v\ souvent rivaux, soumis au sultan. Caspienne i Tabrl 1920. Traité de Sèvres. Conclu » KonyaO * entre les Alliés et la Turquie, Il *.- prévolt la création d'un Etat kurde. GRECE- 1923. Traité de Lausanne Téhéran après les conquêtes turques Met «Damas BaqdadB qui annule la promesse. Méditerranée O Ispahan ISRAËL -- \....^ 1930. Révolte au Kurdistan turc.

1936-1945. Révoltes JORDANIE récurrentes au Kurdistan irakien. O* Kerman EGYFTE 1978. Fondation en Turquie ! Chlraz du PKK, le Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan, qui prône la lutte ARABIE SAOUDITE GOII'S- ~ -''',"N| armée. Début de la guerre entre pcisique l'armée turque et les insurgés.

1979. Répression en Iran SYRIE « TURKM NISTAN après la révolution islamique. 1 2 000 000 (8,9%) ! 7 000 000 8 000 000 i 50 000 (1%) 1988. Gazage des Kurdes (22%) (10%) . de Halabja en Irak par Saddam à la fin de la guerre Iran-Irak. Kurdistan H Estimations de la population kurde 1991. Première guerre du Golfe. ^autonome Sources : instilutkurde.org, ah. Part, en %, dans la population totale du pays irakien Soulèvement kurde en Irak. Exode. World Factbook. Valeurs actuelles. W 1995. Furieux combats en Anatolie entre l'armée turque et le PKK. Exode > tion des églises est autorisée. Car distan irakien, Massoud Barzani. de centaines de milliers de civils. les Kurdes ne sont pas seulement Lequel s'adresse en kurde àune foule 1999. Capture d'Abdullah musulmans mais aussi assyro-chal- extatique. Erdogan reste impassible : Ocalan, le leader du PKK. la carte kurde est l'une de celles qu'il 2003. Invasion de l'Irak déens, chrétiens syriaques, sabéens par les Américains, soutenus et adorateurs de saintJean-Baptiste. joue pour renforcer son pouvoir. par les Kurdes. Chute de Saddam. Ils peuvent aussi être zoroastriens, Hélas, une pléiade dejournalistes et 2004. Soulèvement kurde comme les Persans d'avant l'islam. d'éditeurs restent en prison. « On a en Syrie à Kameshli. Un tissu confessionnel chamarré : le vupire, la clé de l'évolutionpolitique 2005. La Constitution seul encore vivant au Moyen-Orient. et démocratique en Turquie, c'est la irakienne approuve l'autonomie Onyvoit même des Israéliens visiter question kurde. La région de Diyar- du Kurdistan. Le Kurde Jalal les vestiges des synagogues. bakirestlaseuleoùlapopulationn'est Talabani est président de l'Irak. pas islamiste, pas antisémite, pas 2010. Arrestation de nombreux antioccidentale », répètent les opti¬ intellectuels, journalistes et UNITÉ GÉOGRAPHIQUE mistes. Se saisir des clés, partout, avocats kurdes à Diyarbakir. 2012. Fin du conflit entre l'armée En Turquie, à la destruction des vil¬ pour ouvrir les portes de fer des turque et la rébellion qui aura duré lagesparl'arméependant des décen¬ patries déchiquetées : c'est l'objectif vingt-six ans et fait 45 000 morts. nies de guerre civile succède une de ceux qui ont cessé depuis long¬ 2013. Proclamation unilatérale entrée en force au Parlement d'An¬ temps de caresserl'utopie du « Grand d'un Kurdistan syrien. kara et aux élections locales : les Kurdistan » etplaidentla cause d'un 2014. Succès des candidats partis kurdes ont raflé 30 sièges et fédéralisme kurde à l'échelle de la kurdes aux élections municipales une centaine de municipalités. La région. en Turquie. La voie est ouverte à la moitié de ces villes sont désormais «En dehors de la diaspora et des reconnaissance de la langue kurde, dirigées par des femmes. Acommen¬ grandes villes turques, la popula¬ enseignée officiellement depuis tion kurdeforme une unitégéogra¬ 2013 dans les écoles privées. cerpar Diyarbakir, l'âme delarégion. Enfin, la langue kurde commence à phiqueparfaite, explique Bernard

obtenir droit de cité. Les 18 millions Dorin, ancien ambassadeur de

de Kurdes turcs respirent. A Diyar¬ France dans la région. Jlya quelques

bakir, en novembre 2013, Recep poches isolées, au nord-estde l'Iran,

Tayyip Erdogan, le Premier ministre dans la région deMéched, etau sud islamiste, reçoit le président du Kur- d'Ankara. Le noyau central s'étend

81 Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basin Ôzeti

duplateau anatolien turcjusqu'au

sud des monts Zagros en Iran. Le

Kurdistan est une sorte de Pologne du Moyen-Orient. Comme l'était le

peuplepolonais au XIXe siècle, le '"Si'.

peuple kurde est divisé entre des Etatsprédateurs quise lepartagent. Hf. i v AuXIXe siècle, la Pologne étaitpar¬ > i tagée entre l'empire d'Autriche, 1 l'Empire allemandetl'Empire russe avantdéformerunEtatindépendant en 1918. De même le Kurdistan est

partagé entre la Turquie, l'Iran, la ] if Syrie et l'Irak. » "i

JOUER SA PROPRE CARTE frontières de la Syrie etlesprincipes victimes d'hier, etArabes est fragile. NOUVELLE ZONE

« Le XXe siècle nous a été terrible de base de la démocratie. Pour cer¬ En Iran, l'avenir estplus sombre. Les INDÉPENDANTE mais le XXIe est un siècle kurde au tains détracteurs, c'est un écran de 10 millions de Kurdes connaissent EN SYRIE, le "Rojava" Moyen-Orient, résume l'historien fumée qui dissimule les agissements le sort commun aux minorités. a été proclamé Kendal Nezan, président de l'Ins¬ d'un parti unique et un plan de Azéris, Turkmènes, Baloutches en novembre titut kurde de Paris, en Syrie, avec séduction destiné à la communauté et Kurdes constituent à eux seuls 2013 -ici, des 15 % de lapopulation, nous sommes internationale. » Car cette procla¬ 60 % de la population, discriminés combattants kurdes la seuleforcepolitique laïque... » et marginalisés bien qu'ils soient à mation d'autonomie unilatérale à Ras ai-Ain. Les Kurdes syriens entretiennent est le fruit d'une alliance entre le eux tous la majorité. En république Il regroupe d'excellentes relations avec la mino¬ PKK et les partis kurdes modérés. islamique, les Kurdes se battent, trois régions qui rité chrétienne. Les alaouites neleur La Turquie s'affole : hantée par le comme leurs frères l'ont fait par¬ s'étendent de la sont pas hostiles. En revanche, les vieux cauchemar d'un irrédentisme tout, pourla reconnaissance de leur frontière turque à la

jihadistes les vouent à l'enfer. De transnational kurde, elle érige un langue. Ils espèrent voir unjour un frontière irakienne.

furieux combats opposent en effet mur sur la frontière. De son côté, Iran sécularisé avec séparation de les groupes d'Al-Qaida aux défen¬ l'Armée syrienne libre prend très la religion et de l'Etat. Ils observent

seurs du nouveau Kurdistan syrien mal cette autonomie qui n'aurait avec espoir ce qui se passe sur la

autonome, le « Rojava », de son nom jamais été possible sans une négo¬ frontière irakienne. « Les Kurdes

kurde. Nouvelle zone indépen¬ ciation avec Bachar. Ce qui explique d'Iran constituent la locomotive du

dante, le Rojava est né au cdur du les réticences occidentales. Mais, mouvementfédéraliste, note Ken¬

chaos général en novembre 2013. là encore, les Kurdes ont décidé de dal Nezan, comme ils vivent à la

Il a été proclamé unilatéralement jouer leurpropre carte. Quelle que lisière duKurdistan irakien, ils ont

et regroupe trois régions, de la soit l'issue de la tragédie syrienne la liberté de mouvement etpeuvent

frontière turque à l'Euphrate et à et le futur du pays, leur autonomie témoigner de l'atmosphère de tolé¬

la Djézireh, vers la frontière ira¬ est un fait accompli. Le sous-sol leur rance qui règne là-bas. Pour tous

kienne. Toutes disposent d'une est favorable : au Kurdistan syrien ceuxquine voyagentpas, le dévelop¬ assemblée et d'un gouvernement. comme irakien, le pétrole coule à pementdes réseauxsociauxjoue un

« Une constitution régionaleplura¬ flots. Cette manne provoque en rôle extraordinaire. Pourlapremière

liste a été adoptée et sert defeuille Iraklajalousie de Bagdad, au point fois, lesfrontières qui séparaient les

de foute, explique un chercheur qu'on apu craindre une guerre pour enfants du mêmepeuple sont vir¬ français, elle prône le respect des Kirkouk, autant économique qu'eth¬ tuellementabolies etlesKurdes n'ont

minorités, lefédéralisme au sein des nique : la cohabitation entre Kurdes, jamais été aussiproches les uns des

autres. Après la Première Guerre

mondiale, ils étaient àpeine 3 mil¬ « POUR LA PREMIERE FOIS, LES lions. Aujourd'hui, ils sont 40 mil¬ lions. Même si on compte 10millions

d'assimilés sur leplan linguistique. FRONTIÈRES QUI SÉPARAIENT LES ENFANTS On nepeutplus les éliminerphysi¬

quement. Ilfaut donc leur trouver

DU MÊME PEUPLE SONT VIRTUELLEMENT un statut. Ilspourraient, demain,

servir de trait d'union entre les

ABOLIES.» KENDAL NEZAN peuples dans un Proche-Orient

apaisé». UH.ti.

82