Roj Bash Kurdistan

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan--After its main office was closed down by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) six years ago, the Turkmen Front has re-opened its office in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region.

Ayden Maruf, a senior official of the Turkmen Front and head of the Erbil office, told Rudaw, “We visited the officials of both ruling parties--Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)--and they have positive attitude toward us.”

Maruf opened his office two months ago and he said his Front has plans to open more branches in the Kurdistan region.

“Our office aims to organize youth and student activities,” said Maruf. “Also we try to build relations with (foreign) consulates, Kurdish political parties, and the Assyrians.”

The Turkmen Front was founded in 1995 and it embraced several Turkmen political parties. The Front ran its own health and education institutions in Erbil. It acted independently and didn’t recognize the authority of the KRG and the Kurdistan Parliament.

Some of its policies eventually divided the Front and following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the leaders of the Front transferred their main office to Kirkuk.

According to Maruf, Turkmen political parties that withdrew from the Front did not succeed in representing the Turkmen community in the Kurdistan Region.

“The absence of the Turkmen Front in Erbil created a vacuum,” Maruf said. “The Turkmen parties also did not win enough votes in the elections to assert themselves as official parties.”

Maruf told Rudaw that many Turkmen leaders have visited his office in Erbil since its reopening.

“We expect some Turkmen political parties to dissolve themselves and join our Front,” he said. “We have already discussed this issue.”

But Karkhy Najmadin, the head of the Turkmen Democratic Movement in Kurdistan, dismissed Maruf’s claim that other parties may dissolve.

“That is his personal opinion and he might be right, but the results of the elections will decide.” Najmadin said.

Najmadin, who is a former leader of the Turkmen Front, said, “We were able to gain 20,000 votes in the last Kurdistan Regional’s election and received three seats in the Kurdistan parliament. We also secured one seat in the Kurdistan Teachers Union election.”

Najmadin said his movement may rejoin the Turkmen Front.

“If they meet our conditions, which caused us to leave the Front in the first place it is possible to join them again. As one nation, we can all work together.”

Kurdistan’s Turkmen community currently holds three seats in the Kurdistan Parliament. But Maruf said that is not enough and his Front will try to gain wider representation for the Turkmen in future elections.

“We are not satisfied with only three seats,” he said. “We demand eight seats, seven in Erbil and one in Sulaimani. We are nearly 300,000 people and we are the second nation in the Kurdistan Region.”

According to Maruf the Turkmen Front has remained neutral between the KRG and the opposition parties of Kurdistan.

Ahmad Kani, the head of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)’s public relation office, said the Turkmen Front does not have a clear position toward the Kurds.

“But everyone can enjoy their freedom in the Kurdistan Region and exercise their rights,” Kani said. “Besides, the Turkmen Front has discussed this matter with the Kurdish government. That’s why they are allowed to open their office in Kurdistan again.”

Kani said that Kurdistan authorities have changed their position toward the Turkmen Front.

“The Turkmen Front has had negative attitude toward the Kurds in the past, but democracy and freedom in Kurdistan has obliged us to have a positive approach toward everyone.”

The Turkmen Front refused to use the word Kurdistan in the past and their satellite TV channel still refers to Kurdistan as Northern Iraq.

However, the Front opened its office under the name Turkmen Front Office in the Kurdistan Region.

“The attitude of the Turkmen Front has changed toward the Kurdistan Region,” Maruf said.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurds/4234.html

Refused to refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan? F*** off

jjmuneer wrote:Refused to refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan? F*** off

they are another virus like the "ass wipes" i mean the diaspora assyrians .

alan131210 wrote:

jjmuneer wrote:Refused to refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan? F*** off

they are another virus like the "ass wipes" i mean the diaspora assyrians .

they want 8 seats in Erbil well of they get them trough elections they can have them. It always amuses me that the sons of fascist Regimes which do not even recognize the basic rights for Kurds are so in our democracy.

yeah and also the ass wipes wants seat in Silemani lol they forget Silemani is the only city that has 100% kurdish residents and was built in 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban who named it after his father Sulaiman Pasha.

alan131210 wrote:yeah and also the ass wipes wants seat in Silemani lol they forget Silemani is the only city that has 100% kurdish residents and was built in 1784 by the Kurdish prince Ibrahim Pasha Baban who named it after his father Sulaiman Pasha.

thats becoming too much democracy for ass syrians. NO seats for sell. they have to get them through votes.

They should be allowed to not refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan even after it gains a UN seat. In return though, I expect Kurds with Turkish citizenship to refer to Turkey as "Anatolia", exclusively.

thearabchildren wrote:They should be allowed to not refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan even after it gains a UN seat. In return though, I expect Kurds with Turkish citizenship to refer to Turkey as "Anatolia", exclusively.

why "Anatolia"? Anatolia is also used by Turks why not simply Kurdistan? The difference is that we make the majority where we live and are natives too while Ass Syrians, the self declared indigenous people of Iraq dont make the majority and Turkmens arent even native.

going after your logic. diaspora Ass Syrians, Turkmens should be allowed to call Kurdistan Iraq after it is already officially not a part of Iraq anymore, so Kurds can be allowed to call their land Anatolia which is traditionally in use by Turks too.

That doesnt sound really fair to me.

If Kurds in North Kurdistan are officially allowed to call their Region Kurdistan, get free seats, their own shools and the right to administrate themselves, than Turkmens and D. Ass yrians cann call South Kurdistan just like they want.

Kurdistano wrote:

thearabchildren wrote:They should be allowed to not refer to Kurdistan as Kurdistan even after it gains a UN seat. In return though, I expect Kurds with Turkish citizenship to refer to Turkey as "Anatolia", exclusively.

why "Anatolia"? Anatolia is also used by Turks why not simply Kurdistan? The difference is that we make the majority where we live and are natives too while Ass Syrians, the self declared indigenous people of Iraq dont make the majority and Turkmens arent even native.

going after your logic. diaspora Ass Syrians, Turkmens should be allowed to call Kurdistan Iraq after it is already officially not a part of Iraq anymore, so Kurds can be allowed to call their land Anatolia which is traditionally in use by Turks too.

That doesnt sound really fair to me.

If Kurds in North Kurdistan are officially allowed to call their Region Kurdistan, get free seats, their own shools and the right to administrate themselves, than Turkmens and D. Ass yrians cann call South Kurdistan just like they want.

Anatolia is a geographic region, Anatolia was around way before Turks decided to crawl down from Mongolia.

is this a joke or something political towards article 140? seriously who are turkmens to allow them to do whatever they want?

why do we kurds even refer to them as turkmen whereas they do not even recognise "kurd" in turkey or even turkmenistan!!!!!!!!!!

brendar wrote:is this a joke or something political towards article 140? seriously who are turkmens to allow them to do whatever they want?

why do we kurds even refer to them as turkmen whereas they do not even recognise "kurd" in turkey or even turkmenistan!!!!!!!!!!

God exists and one day he will show these turks for what they have done tp people do you worried , Libyans waited 80 years to be free.

FUck off, turkish bastards. You close down kurdish parties in turkey! And now we let you have parties in S.K! Close it down, burn turkish shops! Just as we did to assyrians, burn every turkish word in kurdistan. Make turkish companies leave kurdistan, force them. SHow the turks, this is kurdistan. Lets do as the turks do, so they can see how terrible they are. We're an minority in turkey, the turkomens are an minority in S.K, lets do what the turks do to us in N.K in S.K, show them! Why should we even recognize them as being turks? Why not ban their language, call them sandkurds:P Turkmen is atleast as worse as the turks.

22/12/2011 14:30

KIRKUK, Dec. 22 (AKnews) - A Turkman member of Kirkuk Provincial Council said it is time for Kirkuk to become an autonomous region, without any prior referendum.

anjumani KirkukAli Mahdi, a Turkman Front member in Kirkuk Council, told AKnews: "We as Turkmen of Kirkuk, say that it is time to declare Kirkuk a region."

He added Turkmen parties have agreed that regional autonomy for Kirkuk will settle all its issues.

The official noted that, before Salahaddin and Diayla Provinces, Kirkuk demanded autonomy in 2005.

The regional autonomy demand from Salahaddin Council on Oct. 27, and that of Diyala Council on Dec. 12, have faced fierce opposition in Baghdad.

In both Provinces the demand for regional autonomy was not preceded by public referendums. Many, especially Shiite parties, stood against the decision which they believe is meant to divide Iraq.

These two provinces, like Kirkuk and Nineveh, include some areas with disputed ownership. The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq contest on whose side of the internal boundary the Province lies. Both Erbil and Baghdad claim ownership of the land and its oil.

As long as that dispute continues the constitution bars the area from gaining regional autonomy of its own.

Turkmen parties of Kirkuk also discussed the regional autonomy demand with Iraqiya List leader Ayad Allawi during his recent visit to Kirkuk. Allawi responded by saying the decision needs "consensus" according to Mahdi.
rebwar talabani
Rebwar Talabani, member of the Kurdish Brayati [Brotherhood] List and deputy head of Kirkuk Council, said Kurds deem the solution for the Kirkuk Question is in the enacting of article 140 of the Iraqi constitution.

"This is because with the enforcement of this article, full freedom will be granted to all the ethnic groups in Kirkuk and they decide for their fate," Talabani said. His list holds the majority of seats in Kirkuk Council.

He added that Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani told Kirkuk residents, during his recent visit to the Province, that only the residents of the Province will determine whether they wish to join Kurdistan or stay with Baghdad and that is only feasible through implementation of article 140. "This is also the view of the Brayati List," Talabani said.

By Dityar Samad

LH/JS/AKnews

that is what they have to say about kirkuk so time to close them down and send them back to Turkmenistan

alan131210 wrote:22/12/2011 14:30

KIRKUK, Dec. 22 (AKnews) - A Turkman member of Kirkuk Provincial Council said it is time for Kirkuk to become an autonomous region, without any prior referendum.

anjumani KirkukAli Mahdi, a Turkman Front member in Kirkuk Council, told AKnews: "We as Turkmen of Kirkuk, say that it is time to declare Kirkuk a region."

He added Turkmen parties have agreed that regional autonomy for Kirkuk will settle all its issues.

For Gods sake what do these Turkomans think. They hardly make 100 thousand in Kirkuk and want to declare "autonomy" for Kirkuk they it cant be annexed to Kurdistan? ?