Article 140 and American's promises
PUKmedia 16-12-2009 16:30:54
By: Farid Assasard*
Source: Kurdistani Nwe Daily
Translation: Barzan Wahab
This is the first time in which Washington so obviously promises the Kurdistan Region that it will be committed to implementing article 140, carrying out an official population census of Iraq and it will put in all its efforts after the elections to protect the Kurd's status in the political system of Iraq.
Undoubtedly, the importance of these promises is an incontestable issue, but hence the core point is that whether the next parliament just as the current parliament would act in accordance with the American's demands? The American's promises are attributable to not creating problems to the elections law by Kurdistan Region. The part of the bargain that is related to Kurdistan, it was put into practice by the KRG, it relinquished from the notion of boycotting the elections and as it was asked to act, it didn’t make problems to the amended election law.
The other remaining part of the bargain is related to America and as it said it will keep it promise next year or at least in a short period of time after that deadline. In practice, the KRG by passing the law has benefited less than it wanted. All it achieved was three seats and if the seats of minorities have been taken into consideration the number of the seats will not be more than five seats while the number of seats allocated for Mosul remained untouched and the number of seats of the parliament has been reduced from 275 to 325 seats
The American support for the article 140 has its own importance, but the problem is that if the US in its declared policy keeps on supporting the consensus policy in Iraq, then article 140 among all other constitutional articles has got the slightest consensus and if it is implemented as it is written in the constitution, then this will dissolve the consensus policy and will eventually dissolve the entire political process in Iraq.
The difficulty of this article for Washington lies in that it is related to a range of measures to be taken in order to insure the support of the Sunnis, the parliament and the government, above all is the redrawing the borders of four provinces. Washington should get ready for the pressure of the Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan who are the most supporters of the Sunnis also Turkey that supports the Turkmen.
Washington might cite it in his interest for the Kurds to have their weight in Baghdad, but any sort of support from Washington depends on election results and the way the seats will be divided on the Kurdish lists which is an issue that cannot be decided by Washington.
Kurd's weight in Baghdad depends on the posts that the Kurds could assume in forming the next government. This also depends on election results and the parliamentarian fractions and their perspective on the rule of Kurds in the upcoming cabinet, thus it is not related to the efforts of Washington in protecting Kurd's weight in Baghdad.
From certain approaches the deliverance of Washington’s support for the KRG might in itself be a factor in complicating the efforts of Washington in keeping its promises.
Of course Washington has its own approach in this regard, but what accounts is that this approach should be meticulous and everlasting
PUKmedia 16-12-2009 16:30:54
By: Farid Assasard*
Source: Kurdistani Nwe Daily
Translation: Barzan Wahab
This is the first time in which Washington so obviously promises the Kurdistan Region that it will be committed to implementing article 140, carrying out an official population census of Iraq and it will put in all its efforts after the elections to protect the Kurd's status in the political system of Iraq.
Undoubtedly, the importance of these promises is an incontestable issue, but hence the core point is that whether the next parliament just as the current parliament would act in accordance with the American's demands? The American's promises are attributable to not creating problems to the elections law by Kurdistan Region. The part of the bargain that is related to Kurdistan, it was put into practice by the KRG, it relinquished from the notion of boycotting the elections and as it was asked to act, it didn’t make problems to the amended election law.
The other remaining part of the bargain is related to America and as it said it will keep it promise next year or at least in a short period of time after that deadline. In practice, the KRG by passing the law has benefited less than it wanted. All it achieved was three seats and if the seats of minorities have been taken into consideration the number of the seats will not be more than five seats while the number of seats allocated for Mosul remained untouched and the number of seats of the parliament has been reduced from 275 to 325 seats
The American support for the article 140 has its own importance, but the problem is that if the US in its declared policy keeps on supporting the consensus policy in Iraq, then article 140 among all other constitutional articles has got the slightest consensus and if it is implemented as it is written in the constitution, then this will dissolve the consensus policy and will eventually dissolve the entire political process in Iraq.
The difficulty of this article for Washington lies in that it is related to a range of measures to be taken in order to insure the support of the Sunnis, the parliament and the government, above all is the redrawing the borders of four provinces. Washington should get ready for the pressure of the Gulf countries, Egypt and Jordan who are the most supporters of the Sunnis also Turkey that supports the Turkmen.
Washington might cite it in his interest for the Kurds to have their weight in Baghdad, but any sort of support from Washington depends on election results and the way the seats will be divided on the Kurdish lists which is an issue that cannot be decided by Washington.
Kurd's weight in Baghdad depends on the posts that the Kurds could assume in forming the next government. This also depends on election results and the parliamentarian fractions and their perspective on the rule of Kurds in the upcoming cabinet, thus it is not related to the efforts of Washington in protecting Kurd's weight in Baghdad.
From certain approaches the deliverance of Washington’s support for the KRG might in itself be a factor in complicating the efforts of Washington in keeping its promises.
Of course Washington has its own approach in this regard, but what accounts is that this approach should be meticulous and everlasting