KURDINSTITUT E DE PARIS Information and liaison bulletin N°254 MAY 2006 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: [email protected] Contents: • IRAQI KURDISTAN UNIFIES ITS ADMINISTRATION WITH A SINGLE GOVERNMENT • BAGHDAD: THE FIRST PERMANENT POST-SADDAM GOVERNMENT IS FORMED • CLASHES BETWEEN THE PKK AND THE TURKISH ARMY ARE INTENSIFYING • MAY BALANCE SHEET IN IRAQ: DESPITE SOME INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCES, THE NUMBER OF DEATHS INCREASED BY 38% COMPARED WITH APRIL • DIYARBEKIR: MILITARY REPRESSION IS FOLLOWED BY FULL-SCALE JUDICIAL REPRESSION • THE SEMDINLI BOMB ATTACK: THE PRESIDING JUDGE CUTS OUT THOSE CHARGES INVOLVING THE ARMY’S COMMANDER IN CHIEF • IRAN: INTER-ETHNIC AND SECTARIAN TENSIONS ARE INCREASINGLY SHARP • SYRIA: MANY ARRESTS AMONG INTELLECTUALS AND INDUSTRIALISTS • ANKARA: AN ISLAMO-NATIONALIST LAWYER KILLS A MEMBER OF THE TURKISH STATE COUNCIL • AN ARMENIAN JOURNALIST ATTACKED BY TURKISH NATIONALISTS DURING HIS APPEARANCE IN COURT • AS WELL AS … IRAQI KURDISTAN UNIFIES ITS ADMINISTRA- 11 to the KDP and five others to var- TION WITH A SINGLE GOVERNMENT ious political and religious bodies. Nechirvan Barzani, KDP, was appointed the new Prime Minister of this government with Omar Fat- N 7 MAY, fifteen year after hav- tion in Kurdistan. Till now, the KDP tah, PUK, as Deputy Prime Minister, ing acquired its autonomy has administered the Provinces of at this formal session of the Kurdish O from Baghdad following the Irbil; and Dohuk and the PUK the Parliament. first Gulf War, Iraqi Kurdistan province of Suleimaniyah. This unified its administration thus seal- agreement thus puts an end to the “We are going to recover, peacefully ing the reconciliation between the existence of two administrations in and democratically, by virtue of the two historic Kurdish parties. On 21 Kurdistan, which had elected, for a Iraqi Constitution, the rights that January, Jalal Talabani, President of four-year term, a single 111-member were torn away from us at Mendali, Iraq and head of the Patriotic Union Kurdish Parliament on 30 January Khanaqin, Kirkuk, Makhmur, of Kurdistan (PUK) and Massud 2005. The Kurdish Parliament unan- Shekhan and Sinjar” declared the Barzani, President of Kurdistan and imously voted for the formation of a Prime Minister in his inaugural head of the Kurdistan Democratic single government for Kurdistan. speech. The distribution of the four Party (KDP) had signed an agree- Twenty-seven Ministries have been key Ministries in the Kurdish gov- ment to set up a single administra- created, 11 of which go to the PUK, ernment (Defence, Interior, Finance • 2 • Information and liaison bulletin n° 254 • May 2006 and Justice) remain subject to dis- Kuwait at the invitation of the Emir, Kurdistan President’s office replied cussion between the parties. The who gave his a very warm welcome. the next day in a communiqué. “The Ministers of the Interior, Finance, The Press Conference organised fol- Committee has evidently not read Justice and of the Peshmergas will lowing this visit gave rise to some Mr. Barzani’s statement. The Kur- be seconded by Secretaries of State sharp controversy with certain Arab dish position regarding Israel is for a one-year transitional period nationalist circles. Questioned about dependent on Baghdad’s stand. It is during which the various legal, relations that the Kurdistan authori- up to Baghdad to decide and its administrative and financial prob- ties had with Israel he declared that decision will be carried out by Kur- lems linked to the unification of Kurdistan had no relations with distan”, said the communiqué. “By their departments will be settled. Israel and there was no Israeli pres- what right does the Committee ence at the moment in Kurdistan. claim to speak on behalf of all About fifty diplomats and Iraqi and But, in principle, “it is not a crime to Moslems? Why has it never reacted Kurdish public figures attended the have relations with Israel” since to denounce the crime of Halabja official formation of the new Kur- important Arab countries such as and the sufferings of the Kurdish dish government, including the US, Egypt and Jordan already had such people?” asked Mr. Barzani, who Russian, British, Chinese, Indian, relations. “Should Baghdad estab- called on the Committee to stop Polish and Czech Ambassadors, the lish diplomatic relations with Israel, publishing “takfiri (Editor’s Note: Iraqi Vice President, Adel Abdul- we could open a consulate in Irbil”. extremist Sunni) communiqués”. Mahdi as well as the Iraqi (federal) In a communiqué on 15 May, the Minister of Defence, Sa’adun al- Committee of Ulemas (the co-ordi- Until the 150 Kurdistan was the Dulaimi, the Speaker of the Iraqi nating committee of Sunni clerics) home of some of the oldest Jewish Parliament and representatives of all expressed sharp criticisms of this communities in the world and the Iraqi parties. “This is a historic stand. “These statements are very Judeo-Kurdish relations have day, in which Kurdistan is setting us dangerous and they are an attack on always been friendly. The 100,000- an example of unity and prosperi- the feelings of 1.5 billion Moslems in strong Kurdistan Jews form a very ty”, stated the Shiite Iraqi Vice Presi- the world, who have suffered, dynamic and pro-Kurdish commu- dent, Adel Abdul-Mahdi. “To those directly or indirectly from the nity in Israel. who are afraid lest Kurdistan Hebrew State”, it considered. The become strong I answer that if Kur- distan becomes strong then Iraqi will become strong, if Kurdistan is BAGHDAD: THE FIRST PERMANENT united then it’s Iraqi that will be POST-SADDAM GOVERNMENT IS FORMED united”, he added. The US Ambas- sador, Zalmay Khalilzad, for his N 20 MAY, he first permanent government, considering that it part, declared “I pay tribute to the post Saddam government in “opens a new chapter” in Iraqi his- sacrifices accepted by the Kurdish Iraq saw the light of day after tory and that it creates “an opportu- people, the Iraqi people and the O five months waiting. The nity for progress”. The investiture of peshmergas in order to create a free Prime Minister, Nuri Maliki, pre- the new government represents “a state in Iraq after the fall of Saddam sented his cabinet to Parliament, crucial change” in the situation of Hussein’s dictatorial regime”. pointing out that he and his two this country, declared, for his part, The reunification of the two Kurdish Deputy Prime Ministers would tem- British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. administrations was the occasion for porarily be holding the portfolios of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan celebrations in Iraqi Kurdistan. It the Interior, Defence and National sent his wished “to the new govern- was also welcomed by the principal Security. The announcing of the for- ment for success in facing the enor- Kurdish political organisations and mation of the new government, the mous challenges that must confront public figures in Turkey, Iran and ceremony of which took place in the Iraq”, while King Abdullah II of Jor- Syria as well as in the diaspora. high-security Green Zone, was wel- dan expressed the hope that it comed by Washington, London and would be “a stage towards the Following this major event, the UNO. US President George Bush building of a new Iraq”. In view of President of Kurdistan, Massud congratulated Mr. Maliki and wel- the difficult bargaining between the Barzani, made an official visit to comed the formation of the new Sunni and Shiite Arab lists, Mr. n° 254 • May 2006 Information and liaison bulletin • 3 • Maliki had to resign himself to pre- new, has only three women mem- lic services an setting up a State of senting an incomplete government. bers, two of whom are Kurds, as Law”, he concluded. “I will assume responsibility for the against seven in the outgoing team. Ministry of the Interior in the first Mr. Maliki defined his policy in 34 On 27 May, President Jalal Talabani instance, Deputy Prime Minister points, the last of which covered the stressed the necessity of entrusting Salam al-Zobai will be interim militia, and it was broadly approved the still vacant post to independent Defence Minister and Deputy Prime by the members present. The gov- public figures not connected to any Minister Barham Saleh will be inter- ernment was then sworn in. The party or armed militia. For its part, im Minister of National Security”, Prime Minister had stressed his on 28 May the session of parliament announced the Prime Minister. The country’s necessity for setting up “a was marked by differences over the eleven Sunni Arab Members of Par- timetable so that the Iraqi forces prerogatives of its Speaker, Mah- liament of the Front for dialogue may fully take over the tasks of mud Mashhadani, a Sunni Arab. and six of the 44 Members of the ensuring security and to end the The Sunni Arabs demanded that the Concord Front, the principal Sunni mission of the Multinational Force Speaker have wide powers whereas Arab coalition, left the Chamber and so that those troops may return to the Kurds and Shiites required that refused to vote, to show their dissat- their respective countries”.