Kurdish leader says suicide bombers are Islamic fundamentalist from abroad
An exclusive interview with S. Barazani, (PDK) regarding the Erbil attacks and their consequences for the country's Christian and Muslim populations.
Today ends the third day of mourning for the Feb. 1 terror attack in the northern Iraqi town of Erbil, whose toll of victims has risen to 109, among whom were several Christians. The Chaldean Catholic Bishop of Erbil, Msgr. Sher Ya'akob, miraculously survived the attack, despite having participated in the exchange of holiday greetings for the Islamic feast of Al-Adha. Fortunately, he had moved away from the scene of the bloodbath minutes before it had occurred.
Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. battalion in Erbil, Harry J. Schute, had the same lucky fate. He left the scene just before the massacre.
Iraqi Kurdistan, the country's only oasis of peace in recent decades, is in a state of shock. Disbelief, sorrow and external threats have and continue to strengthen unity among citizens of the region's multi-ethic and religious melting pot. And the two main Kurdish parties Massoud Barazani's PDK party and the PKU of Jalal Talabani said yesterday that they wanted to combine efforts again after years spent being political rivals in order to meet the common goal of creating an federal state in Iraq.
AsiaNews interviewed Massoud Barazani's nephew, Sivan Barazani, a representative in Paris of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan. In Barazani's view, those responsible for the suicide attacks are "Islamic extremists" from abroad.
This morning, Kurdish police arrested a Yemenite fundamentalist suspected of having played a role in the terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, the Ansar-al-Sunna Al Qaeda-linked group claimed responsibility for the attacks. Their web site read: "Two of our brothers were martyrs, attacking two of Satan's dens in Erbil. Our joy for the feast of Eid-al-Adha (holiday celebrating Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac) is increased all the more by the news of these attacks against Jewish and Christian officials."
You are in close contact with Erbil. What have these three days of mourning been like?
Mourning was widespread, there was no holiday worth celebrating. Thousands of people attended a service held in memory of the victims on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The whole citizen body was present to show their clear signs of grief. Our party offices were invaded by emails, faxes and phone calls from persons wishing to express their condolences, sorrow, regret and anger.
It was a huge shock. Citizens are now really vigilant and share a common will to uproot terrorism. This tragedy has brought the local population even closer together. As you well know, our people are composed of Muslims, Catholics, Orthodox and Yasidites (Zoastrians). We all participate in each other's holiday celebrations. People from Kurdistan stick together. Here there are no problems of religious discrimination.
This explains why there were two Christians who had gone to the two Kurdish party headquarters to exchange holiday greetings on the Muslim feast of Al-Adha. Muslims and Christians for centuries have celebrated together holidays in these parts. On that day, the bishop (Msgr.Ya'akob), priests and several other Christians were also there. This tragedy has brought people together and has even sped up the two Kurdish PDK and PKU political parties' coming to terms with one another.
Yesterday both the PDK and PKU parties released statements in which they said to unite efforts in the common battle for an Iraqi federal government. What influence did the attacks have on these statements?
Since 1997 there have no longer been any substantial differences between both parties. The two parties have been for years in Parliament (of Iraqi Kurdistan). Yet, it must be stressed that this attack has had a very strong emotional and symbolic impact on people and certainly will allow both parties to draw nearer to one another to face the future of the country, especially in terms of a federal system of government and the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution. All countries in the region are united against the Kurds.
It's a matter of survival. Kurds must join together to face outside threats and we need the support of the world's democratic countries to guarantee our rights and a stable and democratic country in Iraq.
What good is such an attack in Kurdistan, for decades Iraq's only oasis of peace?
Kurdistan is the only region in Iraq not under direct military occupation. There are not even American troops here. There are organizations and political leaders who are interested in seeing Kurdistan destabilized and many people die, above all politicians.
One of the most important figures in Kurdistan is Sami Abdel Rahman, who was in charge of drafting the new Iraqi constitution (who years ago had led the drafting of the Iraqi Kurdistan constitution). He was assassinated in one of the attacks. Such external forces don't want Iraq to be stable. Kurdistan is stable and will help the rest of the country to find its stability again. It is this which particularly bothers them.
Kurdish leaders believe that Al Qaeda-linked groups are behind these attacks. What is your opinion?
We are certain that Arab countries of the region have been behind the bloody attacks of the last three months. The terrorists were young people manipulated by outside forces. We don't exactly know who is behind all this, but surely powerful organizations are involved. perhaps from nearby countries. Certainly they are Islamic fundamentalists, yet we are ignorant of who supports them. What's for sure is that suicide bombers killing themselves, I mean those sacrificing their lives, are Islamic fundamentalists. And external forces in the region help them to perpetrate such horrible attacks.
Do you think plans for a federal system of government will really work out? Is there not too much opposition felt by Shiites and Turkey?
Turkey cannot interfere in Iraq's internal affairs. We are two sovereign and independent countries. As for the Shiites, I don't think there are Iraqis against the country's reunification. Iraq has been divided in two parts for over 13 years. I don't think there is a single Iraqi who wants the country to be this way.
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