Hello and welcome to the program. Im fairly bad people a week of simmering tension erupted into violence in care, cook iraq. Thats off to report. Scourge where to be given back. A building that had become the rocky Security Forces. Provincial headquarters intended by the rocky government in baghdad, as a gesture of goodwill. To courage, it let instead to a furious reaction from arabs and took men who are in the minority in the city. Some say it underlines the fraudulent piece in the area and the volatility of politics in the multi ethnic province will be talking with, i guess in just a moment. But for his mom who did what had as this report from care coke. The life is getting back to normal in the rocky city of good cook flow and such as the days violence that left for dead and civil others. And just now a funeral that has been hildes for the victims in cook. And the good for you with that was imposed on saturday nights has been lifted. The highway linking could cook to the city of itd be that was blocked by the angry possessors. Has been re open, but now Security Forces had been deployed in the area to a consultant to enforce control over the city and to prevent any more confrontation between the label pro. Now, on such a day, that when the instructions came from bucket that to hand over the operations that headquarters in the city to the could be sent him across the quality at ups and took them on residence inc. A coup took to the streets, protesting against the decision, saying that this is part of a d. To give that more power to, to the, to the codes. And the code this time Democratic Party in the city, on the account on the expense of their interest in the city. On the other hand, the accounts of process was pages by codes in the city at supporting the code. This time democratic parts is return to the city and also denouncing and rejecting the closer of the highway linking critical to. Thatd be now, despite the fact that so yeah, so the problem is that old, but it, as a government has sent instructions to postpone the hand over of the operations. It go to this particular discount Democratic Party. But then good protested as he had especially the ups and to to commend residents. Think of groups say that this does not guarantee an end of the crisis because this is the claim of the problem which is handing over the headquarters to this. Because this tend Democratic Party and postponing a problem, as they say, does not solve it. Without the head for insight is truly a typical well cook province has the rocks oldest oil fields and lies about 265 kilometers north of the capital bank. That its semi autonomous with a majority kurdish population. And its the most ethnically diverse province. Any wrong with kurdish arab tuchman and a syrian communities, but its been at the center of a power struggle for decades between Central Governments in baghdad and regional kurdish parties between 19792003 then president s that im will say for us to the so called policy of are busy should where as many as a 100000 codes were pushed out. Years later, in 2014 Kurdish Forces took control of critical that was under joint administration with the rocky government in 2017 by dash forces took it back when a controversial condition. Defendants referendum was held. The rocky tubman front in our because they should headed by the governor of cook, have since publicly opposed the return of the code, his son, Democratic Party to the oil rich bonds. Well lets me talk guess for todays show and bank that is um it rushed the president of the house of a rocky expertise foundation and the rocky palm. And secretary general Foreign Policy advisor in or band is julia and be cho chandra, and list and reported for rudolf a leading Media Network in curtis tiny rock and in doha is they dont. Ok, you 90 non resident fellow at the center, washington dc. I one welcome to old gentlemen. Thank you very much for joining us on inside story julian. But to try in air bill, let me start with you. Whats really behind this tension and the violence between the kurdish and communities in kirkwood, is it just about the hand over of the former headquarters of the kurdish Democratic Party . Hello. Thank you for having me. The violence incur, cook goes back a long way. It goes back decades in the because trickle because the city with a very fragile social fabric, it is home to courage, tournaments and syria. And the recent violence mostly goes back to the decision within the last month. It will be a rocky prominence or mama. She has to dani to hand over the headquarters of eros joint of a joint operations to the present Democratic Party, so that they can return and resume Political Activities and career coke. However, the decision has been met with fierce resistance from the arab and circling components of the city who rejected to be k. D. P. s returned to their cook and say that any potential return must be dealt with through the judiciary and must be done after the rocky provisional elections on the 18th of december. Uh vitamins them not necessarily vitamins but passions in the city have really escalated since october 16th of 2017. When the courtesy region of a rock held a independence referendum which included the city of kirchhoff, which was back them under per this controlled afterwards. A, a group of gear rocky and Popular Mobilization forces pushed out the curtis best buy again, push down the curves from the city, which led to an escalation of, i guess you could say im tied curtis sentiment in the city. Okay, and thats bringing, im in rushed in baghdad, ahmed your thoughts about the situation and why are of interest min, residents of chris coke. So pause to the return of the curtis stand Democratic Party. Well, 1st of all, i think you need to know to mean updates. Number one is that the federal Supreme Court today before 3 hours announced a state order that prevents the rocky government from giving this headquarter, this joint Operation Headquarters to the katie. This is the 1st update, the 2nd update is that a so donny, the Prime Minister cold had lucy, the speaker, and also the head of the p. Okay. To try to manage things in a way, ins sides of fall. Im going to try to make some sort of a solution inside the font, which means that the political process, the blogs that should be go forward to diffuse the crisis. So those 2 updates, its very important, i think, in my opinion of the, the, the data. So for the question is that the took mine, it shows that we have the prevention on the elections to spend all those grass roots for that. Im going to look my needs to have some sort of hot case or lets say, uh, some sort of uh, a motive to go to the elections. So in a way, in another prevented k b b from going inside consult again. I think its will be marvelous for those parties who are up and took man uh, and go for, for making some sort of uh, joining opinion Public Opinion about going a games dictated at the same time. Its also a very good motive for katie be and also for the kurdish population inside critical to be united. And well know that p, okay is has more powerful grass roots and katie be inside cut cool. A bought it show that the population, the kurdish population and kind of cool also being some sort of, uh, uh, smelling a dangerous thing is that the truck man united, that means they going to get 50 plus one from the seats of the professional council elections, which will which im supposed to be happening in the summer about so on that way its not the one who actually megs the 1st a spot. I think he meant to have those a gen reactions to be happens. So they all political factors here then is what youre saying and the lead up to the upcoming elections. Let me bring in as they dont, cannot in doha. Now, some of suggested zayed on that this is also perhaps likely part of a Wider Campaign of, of higher smith and targeting of the kurdish in a car cook what, whats your reading of the situation and the reasons behind it . Do you agree with it that they are mostly political reasons behind . The unrest will, of course, it is a natural outcome to see the observes that there is a hostile or a target to the intention of us to lift the towards one set one component or a priority over one component over another. And the case of posts are 1003. 00 rocks kind of cool is a very good example of why it would end up being as a fall and under the truck of being called, or tracked into an ethnic or secretary and conflict. And that is due to the fact that the identity polarizing political system impose 2003 iraq welcomes or enhances the idea that Political Parties should absorb and, and react to the political system in a way that is based on a mississippis insects. That is why whenever there is a car, theres Political Parties such as k, b, b, or even p k. That takes over the Administration Even and agreement to of the federal government and cat coke. Then kind of cool, cool, be considered as being hostile to the other components in the society, such as tarts been an ards, and vice versa. Just as your guest. Right. So you mentioned that there was an perhaps an empty tray this sentiment in 2017, upon the time when the federal government. Uh, we took a kind of quote from the control of k r g. There was also on the arrow, been empty, churchman sentiment, and therefore the, the issue here and kind of cool uh can be a part of an overarching issue. And iraq. And that is due to the fact that there was a structural issue in iraq in terms of the identity for the rising system that we previously mention. And the fact that there is only one at the one in this region, not as following a federal economist perspective and leaving empty closets and the constitution that is not clarified for the rest of the country. Right. All right, let me come back to you, julian, and im a rushed. He mentioned that the reasons are political mostly because of the upcoming prevention elections. But the App Coalition in kirk coke has also said that returning this building to the k d p could put the province at risk of Security Risk once again, which they say has improved since iraqi Security Forces to culver. So theyre worried that a Security Code worst. And if the katie pay k, d p was to return, well, what is the Current Situation as far as security is concerned . And is that concerned justified by the coalition . Absolutely. So right now as care coke is under the control of iraq and federal government. And prior previous to the window was positive control of the courtesy Regional Government, both sides of claim that they have the types of security of car cook. So of the so back when turco cross undercarriage, you control the the uh, the government and cook basically said that because the k r g is here now because it good especially right. There are the ones were enforcing security. Theres been a decline in terrorist activities and there has been an overall increase in security. However, after it was taken by a Rocket Forces your Rocket Forces, as well as the claim that there has been a, a, an increase in security and a decline in terrorist activities, an overall decline and crime. So both sides really disrupt a narrative that plays into their own benefits. Im the headquarters of the joint operations command. Its on the air bill cook road and that is where the whole point of sale protests was. Before 2017, when you withdrew from cook, they said that we will not return to cook even though its all the other christmas Political Parties still exist there. Basically the can you be said that we will not return because the city is occupied by you see, i know this is affiliated with or wrong, but at the so the headquarters of the joint operations come out and used to be actually the headquarters became the leadership council, right, in terms of the security situation in kirkwood as previously mentioned, both sides claim that there they find protects the security the most right. The im address to your thoughts on this and also about some of the grievances of occurred. Say they say that the governor pointed by baghdad has been serving the abs population, the community more incur, cook and neglecting then. Well, of all those claims, actually in the hands of the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister made some sort of, uh, uh, surveys about all the government himself, all iraq, you, provence, is one of them, the provence or the trickle provence. And it showed that the out of government, of them has some sort of success in making some sort of, uh, providing uh, services. Uh for the people that both of the same time that im not for the, according to the codes according to the codes. Its not about infrastructure projects, its more about security. And whats happened with the joint Operation Headquarters . Its already, its supposed to be hand hand over to the k b b according to a deal happen between the curtis done the negation that made a deal with the Prime Minister. So don e before about 3 months and it, and thats why the budget actually had been voltage and peacefully and small. See, because that where a d and there was a deal between the 2 box about one of them went up to one of the items of the deal is that had to go over this headquarters. This joint venture a joint operation, had a, had to quote the, whats the most important thing. It looks like that the truck man inc. Kinda cool. It looks like someone behind them push them to try to stop k b b from taking the this headquartered right. The metal someone cannot be and at the same time and at the same time push the so pretty i called the federal Supreme Court to a no such a state or the to present as a Prime Minister. But from give me a sense, im wondering which one youre talking about it, are they external forces . External site is also at play here . Well, it looks like the blogs, the, the political blocks that entered kurdish went out to, to went to the Prime Minister. Tried to convince him is that its not try to make all the deals come out to complete all the deal with the katy beach or with the kurdish side that its supposed to be signed or what before 3 months before the one thing for the uh, for the budget, so it looks like it looks like i dont know for sure that those books and sides of on demand for talked to, to get a state or from the federal superior court to present to donnie from doing anything and kind of cool. So thats why so dining now calling i do see calling buffalo. Busy the head of p, o. K, a tried to manage things in a way to friends the blocks to convince the bullets a couple blocks to try to diffuse the crisis with the katie. Be. Let me put that same question to of zeta on our county as they done the Prime Minister ost donnie when he took power last year. I did say that he wanted to improve relations between his government and the katy paid k d p. And you know, agreed to, to allow the computer to reopen his headquarters at an incorrect quote, whos preventing him from improving relations. And again, all the external factors, because some have pointed the finger at yvonne is that, is that a concern . Is that justified a well yeah, 11. 00 elias to look out that wouldnt to be and support are in favor of allowing k d p to expand that to influence and kind of cool or in other areas would to be the lions thought to put upon them the stairs are dining and power from the 1st place and allowed the governmental information to take place under his reign and daughters. The alliance between the coordination framework, which includes Political Parties that have their arm to groups within the Popular Mobilization forces, which encourage kind of cool care in 2017, alongside their kurdish allies. The p u. K, which is accused by theyre a part of the tribal k b p off for giving away or giving up kind of cool to the federal, iraq and government and Popular Mobilization forces at the time. So that is definitely uh, one side of the argument or one side of that is easy to be pointed out when considering who is pushing or convincing of the Prime Minister at do not allow k b p to retake a full control of capital a. So as a don, how do you see this affecting the talks between the Central Government in baghdad and occurs to, to settle the, the, the issues that remain unsettled between the 2 sides. It will significantly affected the b and look at the relations is not only uh, limited by the, the oil or the economic aspect. So which includes the budget and the, the salaries here. Its also heavy impacted by the uh, geo political factor. Kind of cool can be said to be the most important topic to be looked at when analyzing were assessing the itll be by the bad relations. In fact, falling into the trap. Often in truck, kurdish political competition has also its visible to that in previous months or years. During the delays of the governmental formation, we noticed that in the delays of having the p k, k b p the to card the tribals and not agreeing and naming or appointing b b because the share and the end, the rocky federal government to political system and that was the presidency at the time. This might be dragging back. Itd be, itd be about about donations box. Were letting a, putting the balls back into the court of the in truck car edition, political rivalry and truck group. Political competition, in fact, has been an interesting factor to look out to and assessing a post 2003, iraq, you political stability rather than it to be into group rivalries, which is why kind of cool should be overlooked. Not just as an estimate or a secretary, an issue, but it can also be left as a political issue to the internal group competition. I want a wider a political issue and i do want to ask you about this julian. Uh, as a don mentioned the interact kurdish political competition to what extent is that undermined the the power and the influence of the Kurdish Regional 40. And how do you see this current matcher input code being results can the codes, the arabs and the took been quite exist peacefully in the province . Yes, so obviously with a, with a united curtis voice. So that means that the curtis of Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of kurdistan being on the same day based have to have the very strong chance in, for example, performing great at the iraq, the provincial elections incur cook. But unfortunately, the reality now that we have seen over the past months is that the relations between the k b, b and b, okay . Have deteriorated with somebody from saying that they have that they have deteriorates, done all time low. This really jeopardizes against any, any potential use of the curtis that Regional Government could make incur cold, especially with regard to the rocky provincial elections to the whole idea of the change be returning to current quote right now within these, this time period was that they could contest the rocky provincial elections. That could be, that is a dangerous thing for the arab and the direct man component of the city. And they would do their best to prevent that from happening. Because a k d p return could potentially then they will end up winning seats and the local councils of the city which could eventually result in denver of placing ive seen governor kind of jubilee who has been accused of reversing like ero, by zation policies of a basically promoting our position for policies and has been accused of neglect, incurred this neighborhoods in for a quote more in favor of the arab. Once this finds all the progress that he has made, as shown by a survey by the iraqi government. But the whole idea is that right now a, thats where youd be and the b k r, unfortunately on bad terms. And this does not signify something good for the k r g. When it comes to dealing with a whole cook situation. And also this put and brittany jeopardize relations between the k r g. I the rocket federal government because asper agreements made months ago as a headquarters at the joint operations committed to add to other offices inc, or coke, has to be returned to the k d b. So to reset the federal Supreme Court decision by suspending that a good may basically enforcing k d p delegations vote about that. Okay. Like uh, and just to indicate that this is not what they agreed on. And let me ask advice, the voice thoughts about this . Im it can because the abs and the to admin coexist peacefully in incur coke. Or are you concerned that the situation could get out of control in the need up to the prevention elections . I dont think so in a way or another. Its a, this crisis shows the how much important the is going to sit, teen coke, and how much important the alliance between the crowds and between the out of the to come up against the kurds. And it looks like the next election, the prevention elections who pave the way for new future to kind of cool more at up to, to command kind of cool was encouraged kind of quote. And it looks like that because the vision or lets say at least the surveys and to start to stick out on us just shows that the out about the to the client, they will still united will go forward Fraud Prevention elections will get 50 plus one seats. That means the governor wouldnt be a big definitely. So it show you that all those managing things, all those procedures. And on the other side, the curtis side precisely the k b, b, a very curious to manage those things. But the problem is that the dish lists divided in kind of cool. They are not united on one flag on one issue just that its, its it that whats happened to the k d b a has its own list for you guys. It has its own own lists and car. Cool. So it show you that all those a crisis will be managed or will be rolling. Just putting an ice, spoil it okay to reach to the day of elections in kirkland. Okay. Your thoughts about this . Say, don, do you see the situation getting out of control in the lead up to the prevents or the election to or do you think as the, im it that the, the crisis can be managed. The crisis can be managed if the Political Parties or the political costs, including the ones and government, due respect to that democracy, as is based on the votes and not on pre determined to positions. Particularly when these positions are identity. Pablo rise from Political Parties that have been significantly known for not being popular and the rocket streets across the spectrum. However, if, as political agreements on a p, determining a political positions and different provinces including kind of coke will continue to take place without acknowledging the fact that there are elections to determine who will be covering this problems, then the issue will escalate further. Okay, ill give you the last word julian, what needs to happen for the situation to, to remain calm for uh, you know, that the, the communities there to coexist peacefully in the lead up to these elections. And i, as i asked to, im it. And as a don, do you think this can be managed by the Central Government in back that yes, so the reality is that in a multi ethnic care coke with a social traffic is so easily jeopardize the, the rocky government truly needs to take to sit down with the components inside per cook to come up with Solutions Come up with proposals before actually enforcing them. This was a mistake that we saw pre uh, from mr. Mama, she us through the army make when he decided to head over the joint Operations Headquarters without consulting the people of car coke. Yesterday the shop saw that hes the head of the iraqi tournaments front, which is the largest direct my bronco block and the Iraqi Parliament in a press conference set that any decision regarding trickle has to be done through dialogue with dark hooks components. So the only real way for the situation cook to be slightly managed, heading up to the rocky permission of elections as far as dialogue able to be formed as representatives of all communities to come up to a solution. So that at least can exist in the city and that the elections can be done that can be conducted uh, thoroughly and without parts. Thank you very much gentlemen, for shedding light on what is a very complicated issue in iraq. Thank you. Im address the julia and richard ends. They dont all cannot eat. And thank you as well for watching. 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