Iraq Press Roundup

The Kurdish al-Ahali newspaper carried a Monday editorial titled "Kirkuk is an independent region in itself" on the negotiations surrounding the ethnic and sectarian tensions in the diverse northern region.

The editorial said coexistence among the various components that form the city of Kirkuk has its foundations in history, and sustaining that coexistence is connected with overcoming the current political crisis through dialogue, compromise, political will and the readiness for mutual sacrifice on all sides.

The weekly newspaper said the Kurds will not lose if Kirkuk was a region formed during the course of instituting modern-day Iraq.

International guarantees that the Kirkuk situation will be reviewed following a certain period of time following its regionalization form a positive step toward solving the dispute over the mixed city, the newspaper said.

It added that reassuring minority rights among the various components in the city and supporting their legitimate ambitions through legal processes that preserve diversity is a way to garner support for Kirkuk as a region.

"We have to get accustomed to accordance and acceptance of compromises, the main aspects of politics. … Reaching for compromises and achieving balanced agreements that meet the ambitions and interests of all sides are the best solutions to overcome the present and future crises," the newspaper said.

It said when the Kurdish majority and their "partners" in the city consider Kirkuk to be an independent region, the city will become secure and economically stable.

It encouraged the people of Kirkuk to agree to the option of having an independent region, and said that announcing Kirkuk as a region would prevent conflict among the main components of the Iraqi society.

"An independent region of Kirkuk will prevent a regional conflict between Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkey and other regional neighbors, including Iran," it said, noting the "unity" Iraq would have if Kirkuk joined forces to defend against outside powers.

It said Kirkuk was similar to the U.S. occupation of Iraq in that both were occupied by international forces that are responsible for the stability and political security of the region.

"If the occupation forces intended to stabilize the situation in Iraq, it first has to guarantee the unity of the Iraqi people in the same fashion as other occupied countries subject to international law," it said in further comparison.

The liberal al-Ahali newspaper said Iraq must be saved from interior, regional and international conflict and is in need of a suitable solution to guarantee the peaceful coexistence among the various organic components of the city of Kirkuk.

It also said the ideal solution to the Kirkuk issue is to let the people review the political and social situation after it was stabilized in a few years.

The people of Kirkuk are the only ones who are in a position to decide the future of their city, whether the decide to join Kurdistan, maintain independence or unity with any other region or province, all of which must comply with the Iraqi constitution.

It described a solution of an independent region in Kirkuk as a "vision" that could satisfy all components and turn everyone into winners.

"Modern leadership must find a solution that avoids creating a national, regional or international crisis," it said.

The newspaper concluded that the Sunni speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, and other Iraqi lawmakers who voted in favor of the provincial elections law have almost ensnared Iraq in an unjustified conflict; yet this could be overcome through accordance and agreements.

"Saddam Hussein's regime was an expert in creating crises which led to his end. … The new leaders of the new Iraq must learn from such lessons," the newspaper summarized.