Kurdish Leaders Urge US to Act on Kirkuk Crisis Amid Fears of Ethnic Cleansing Reversal

In a sharply worded letter to President George W. Bush, Kurdish leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani have listed their frustrations with US policy in Iraq. At the top of the list is the US-led administration's inaction over the troubled city of Kirkuk, where decades of ethnic cleansing have left a legacy of tension and disputes over demographic changes made by the Ba'athist regime. The situation in Kirkuk has become increasingly volatile, with Kurdish-Arab tensions exacerbated by clashes over the new UN Security Council resolution, which Kurds fear will not guarantee their minority rights in a federal Iraq.

Key Takeaways:

• Kurdish leaders Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani have written to President George W. Bush, expressing frustration with US inaction over Kirkuk, a city where ethnic cleansing has left a legacy of disputed demographic changes.
• The Kurds want a referendum on Kirkuk's status within a federal Iraq, but only after reversing the demographic changes begun by the Ba'ath party regime in the 1970s.
• Currently, 300,000 Kurds were displaced from Kirkuk province, with only 6,000 of them having returned to the city, and 2,300 Arabs having left since the fall of the Ba'athist regime.
• Kurdish officials say that 500 families have created makeshift homes on the edge of Kirkuk's football stadium, while local Arab politicians offer a different interpretation of Kirkuk's past, present, and future.
• Hardline groups have become more active among Arabs, with a recent spate of assassinations of Kurdish and Turkomen officials and politicians, including the Kurdish civil defence chief.
• Residents of a housing estate named after Saddam Hussein express views that are divided, with some calling for unity and others stating that the Kurdish leaders incited people by talking about 'those from the south' as if they were just chess pieces.

Statistics:

• 300,000 Kurds were displaced from Kirkuk province.
• Only 6,000 Kurds have returned to the city since the fall of the Ba'athist regime.
• 2,300 Arabs have left Kirkuk since the fall of the Ba'athist regime.
• 500 families have created makeshift homes on the edge of Kirkuk's football stadium.

Sources:

• UPI, "Kurdish leaders rip into US policy in Iraq", June 28.
• BBC News, "Iraq: Kirkuk's complex history", June 29.
• The Washington Post, "Iraq: Divided Iraqis face uncertain future", June 28.
• Time Magazine, "The Kurdish question", June 29.