Gorran calls for summit on ‘racist, sectarian’ Arabization policy
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Change Movement (Gorran) on Monday called for a summit of Kurdish political parties to address the new wave of Arabization taking place in Kirkuk and the disputed territories.
“The Change Movement is calling on all the main political parties of Kurdistan to get together and hold a summit to study the situation and lay out a roadmap to normalize the situation of the disputed areas and help return them to the Kurdistan Region,” Gorran said in a statement.
As of Monday night, no party has officially responded to Gorran’s call. It is not clear when or where such a summit would take place.
In its statement, Gorran underscored the lack of shared strategy pursued by the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
It also condemns Baghdad’s long unwillingness to implement Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution to resolve the disputed territories issue.
“The Iraqi government has been evading the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution for 15 years now due to their racist and sectarian policies,” said Gorran.
Article 140 says a referendum should be held to determine whether the residents of these territories want to remain part of Iraq or join the Kurdistan Region. Interfering with the demographics in these areas could tip the balance in either direction.
Following the events of October 16, 2017, when Iraqi federal forces took over the disputed areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil, many Kurdish villagers fled the area fearing violence from Iraqi and Shiite armed groups.
Since then, Kurds who remained claim a policy of “re-Arabization” is underway.
Kurds also lost all military and administrative posts in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
Acting Kirkuk governor Rakan al-Jabouri issued 14 decrees seizing land owned by Kurds and handing it to Arabs before Iraq’s Federal Court rescinded the decrees in December.
After 2003 and the fall of the Baath regime, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization to reverse the demographic changes, within the framework of Article 140.
Lands that had been confiscated from Kurds and Turkmen were returned, while the Arabs who had been settled there by the Baathists were given financial compensation.
As the Islamic State (ISIS) rolled over a third of Iraq in mid-2014, Iraqi forces abandoned Kirkuk. The Kurdish Peshmerga took charge of the city’s security until it was forced to withdraw in October 2017.
Gorran placed part of the blame for the failure to resolve the issue on the KDP and PUK.
“The lack of a single discourse and a unified stance of Kurdish politics in Baghdad and the disputed territories and the failure to establish a united Region, a national government, a national force and a national economy and the Region’s involvement only in party interests are all adding to Baghdad’s arrogance and ability to evade the implementation of ... the Region’s constitutional entitlements,” Gorran said.
The party blames the KDP and PUK for the events of October 2017, saying their “unrealistic and different political position” in Kirkuk and other disputed territories in military and security affairs “paved the way for the federal government to in a short period of time take control of all the disputed areas.”
After months of wrangling, the KDP and PUK reached a deal in early March to resolve the Kirkuk issue. The full details of the agreement have not been made public.
Gorran accused the Iraqi government of “unilaterally ruling the disputed territories, contrary to the Iraqi constitution.”
“Therefore, Kirkuk was once again subject to invasion campaigns, ethnic cleansing and Arabization.”
“The Change Movement is calling on all the main political parties of Kurdistan to get together and hold a summit to study the situation and lay out a roadmap to normalize the situation of the disputed areas and help return them to the Kurdistan Region,” Gorran said in a statement.
As of Monday night, no party has officially responded to Gorran’s call. It is not clear when or where such a summit would take place.
In its statement, Gorran underscored the lack of shared strategy pursued by the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
It also condemns Baghdad’s long unwillingness to implement Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution to resolve the disputed territories issue.
“The Iraqi government has been evading the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution for 15 years now due to their racist and sectarian policies,” said Gorran.
Article 140 says a referendum should be held to determine whether the residents of these territories want to remain part of Iraq or join the Kurdistan Region. Interfering with the demographics in these areas could tip the balance in either direction.
Following the events of October 16, 2017, when Iraqi federal forces took over the disputed areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil, many Kurdish villagers fled the area fearing violence from Iraqi and Shiite armed groups.
Since then, Kurds who remained claim a policy of “re-Arabization” is underway.
Kurds also lost all military and administrative posts in the disputed province of Kirkuk.
Acting Kirkuk governor Rakan al-Jabouri issued 14 decrees seizing land owned by Kurds and handing it to Arabs before Iraq’s Federal Court rescinded the decrees in December.
After 2003 and the fall of the Baath regime, Iraq began a policy of de-Arabization to reverse the demographic changes, within the framework of Article 140.
Lands that had been confiscated from Kurds and Turkmen were returned, while the Arabs who had been settled there by the Baathists were given financial compensation.
As the Islamic State (ISIS) rolled over a third of Iraq in mid-2014, Iraqi forces abandoned Kirkuk. The Kurdish Peshmerga took charge of the city’s security until it was forced to withdraw in October 2017.
Gorran placed part of the blame for the failure to resolve the issue on the KDP and PUK.
“The lack of a single discourse and a unified stance of Kurdish politics in Baghdad and the disputed territories and the failure to establish a united Region, a national government, a national force and a national economy and the Region’s involvement only in party interests are all adding to Baghdad’s arrogance and ability to evade the implementation of ... the Region’s constitutional entitlements,” Gorran said.
The party blames the KDP and PUK for the events of October 2017, saying their “unrealistic and different political position” in Kirkuk and other disputed territories in military and security affairs “paved the way for the federal government to in a short period of time take control of all the disputed areas.”
After months of wrangling, the KDP and PUK reached a deal in early March to resolve the Kirkuk issue. The full details of the agreement have not been made public.
Gorran accused the Iraqi government of “unilaterally ruling the disputed territories, contrary to the Iraqi constitution.”
“Therefore, Kirkuk was once again subject to invasion campaigns, ethnic cleansing and Arabization.”