Fellow Kurds Riled by Dildar Zebari’s Past, Views on Kurdish Independence

By SALAHADIN BAMARNI

MOSUL, Iraq – Fellow Kurds deeply distrust Dildar Zebari: The deputy head of the Mosul Provincial Council comes from a family that had close ties to Saddam Hassein’s regime, he opposes Kurdish independence as well as Kurdish ownership of Iraq’s northern disputed territories.

Kurdish officials in Mosul charge that Zebari is an enemy of the Kurds. He, in turn, describes Kurdish parties in Mosul as “powerless,” and as an “embarrassment to Kurds.”

“When the Kurdish Brotherhood bloc dominated the Provincial Council after the 2005 election, they didn’t use the opportunity to strengthen their position. Instead, they started abusing power and became an embarrassment to the Kurds there,” Zebari says.

Kurdish officials say that Zebari is prejudiced, and has no right to criticize the parties.

“Zebari is not in a position to evaluate the Kurdish parties in Mosul, since he has always been hostile to them,” said Ismat Rajab, an official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party which has members inside the Brotherhood.

Neither Zebari’s past, nor his controversial views about Kurdish nationalism, endears him to the Kurds.

Following the 1991 Kurdish uprising against Saddam Zebari’s family left Kurdistan and settled in Mosul, due to tribal conflict with the Barzani tribe. In return for pledging allegiance to Saddam’s regime, Zebari’s relatives gained several important positions inside the ousted regime.  Zebari himself taught at the military academy in Mosul.   

When the Al-Hadba bloc, the largest Sunni Arab bloc in Nineveh, won the second provincial elections and took over the Mosul Provincial Council,  Zebari -- who was one of the Kurds who joined Al-Hadba -- was appointed as the deputy governor.

“The Hadba bloc was the true representative of the people of Mosul,” Zebari says.  “Its sudden emergence and pledge to attempt to oust the Peshmarga from Mosul made it popular during the 2009 election.”

Zebari, who was removed as deputy governor and became the deputy head of Mosul’s Provincial Council after the Kurdish Brotherhood ended its boycott following an agreement with Atheel Nujaifi, has now turned into an Al-Hadba critic.

“Nujaifi changed and started looking out for his personal interests and that is a shame,” Zebari says.  “We provided 900 billion dinars for several projects, but Nujaifi only spent 175 billion dinars and the rest is gone. This is a big case of corruption.”

Zebari attacked the KDP and the Barzani tribe, saying, “Unfortunately the KDP has always been the cause of problems, that’s why other political parties are against them.”

He denies that his criticism of the KDP is rooted in the history of bad ties between their families.

“I have a good relationship with the PUK (Kurdistan Workers Party). My relationship with the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) is normal.  However, I have no relationship with the KDP.”

Zebari charged that the Kurdish parties in Mosul are uncaring about public interests, and care only about pleasing the governor. 

One of the most touchy issues that makes Zebari unpopular with other Kurds is his position toward an independent Kurdish state.

“Establishing a Kurdish state is not an easy step to take, because the Kurds will face strong opposition by Turkey, Syria, and Iran. So it is not the right thing to do,” Zebari says.

“My nationalist attitude for the Kurds is that I want them to be Islamic and have a great modern state. However, I have another real feeling, and that is my humanist, Islamist and national obligations to Iraq,” he adds. 

“I wouldn’t support the disputed territories to be become part of Kurdistan. Disconnecting some areas from Mosul only creates more problems,” he says, in comments that would be considered treacherous by most Kurds.

“The Iraqi people, including Kurds and Arabs, would be more comfortable remaining within Iraq,” he adds, saying he would like to return to the Kurdistan Region, but is concerned about the reaction of the Barzani tribe.

Rajab, the KDP official, says it is not Zebari’s views that are of concern, but his past.

“Kurdistan’s door is open to everyone.  What concerns Zebari is his past and what he has done against the Kurds,” he says.