Book of Quotations

Abyss of Iraq: from President Barzani’s perspective, is a book of quotations, which contains a number of important quotes from President Barzani’s speeches and statements. The quotes were collected by Aso Ali Faraj.

·       Meeting with Bronslava Tomashova, the Czech Republic Ambassador to Iraq in 2010

“Article 140 is a constitutional article, and had it been implemented, Iraq would not have faced these issues. If the article remains unimplemented, Iraq will face even more problems. We, as the Kurdistan Nation, are committed to the Constitution because it is the guarantor of keeping Iraq United.”

·       A speech to the Kurdish Diaspora in the United States in 2010

“We told the Government of Iraq that what we wanted from them was to support a Federal and Democratic Government. If in the future there are attempts by a certain person towards dictatorship, the Iraqi people must understand that the United States would not support such an attempt and only supports democracy and a democratic government in Iraq. I have informed President Obama and US officials that as long as Iraq upholds its Constitution, it will remain united, however if becomes a dictatorship, we cannot live with that.”

·       A speech to the Kurdistan Parliament in 2010

“Iraq is going through a crisis since the election. Therefore our stance on this is clear; we will not be part of the issues, rather we will become part of the solution. The programme of the Kurdistan Region’s delegation is clear; the characters are not the focus, rather, the government’s future plans and programme are the focus, in particular the implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution.”

·       An Interview with AL-Mada Newspaper in 2010

“It should be admitted that the political process in Iraq is a subject of concern and worry. We are experiencing a real crisis now in Iraq. We were hoping that following the elections on March 7, 2010, Iraq would experience prosperity and a better situation. However, this, unfortunately did not happen and the situation was reversed. In my opinion the reason behind that was the non-commitment to the Constitution. If all of us abided by theConstitution and implemented its terms in theory and in practice, all the issues would be resolved”

·       An Interview with France 24 in 2010

“We lived the realities and experiences of one political party system, one sect and one individual, and as a result of this policy Iraq became a wrecked country. I believe that federalism is the best and most successful remedy for the issues in Iraq.”

·       An interview with Gullan Magazine in 2010

“I can say that the situation has become very complicated at the moment. The Parliament was scheduled to convene today (July 13 2010), but the meeting has been postponed for two more weeks. I assume nothing can be done in two weeks and the situation is going to be more complicated. The issue is that our brothers in Baghdad have not made the decision to resolve the problems. The role of the Kurds in Baghdad is a positive one. We are not part of the problem, we are party to the solutions and we will remain as such. However, I am sad to say that I do not see any bright horizon anytime soon as the situation is very complicated.”

·       The speech to the Democrats Coalition Conference in Rome in 2010

“There are some people who disagree with us regarding these values, may be it is because of the lack of knowledge and may be for the desire of power or because of fear of change or because of the desire for conflict. They want to take Iraq back to the past; However, I believe that Iraqi people long for their leaders to look ahead towards a bright future. The Iraqi people want to strong relations between the security forces and the public and to be committed to human rights and humanitarian values rather than violating those rights. The Iraqi people want an end to terrorism and violence because terrorism will result in further division in our society and will ruin the opportunities for growth and development.”

·       A speech in a meeting with foreign representatives in the Kurdistan Region, 2011

“I cannot deny the fact of having disagreements with Baghdad. There were many agreements between us before the formation of the government. We played an important role in the formation of the current Iraqi Government. However, after the government was formed, it was as if those agreements never existed. The situation once again moves towards totalitarianism. We do not want any issues to remain unresolved. Article 140 is an very important matter for the disputed territories. We accepted to stay within Iraq and voted for the Constitution. One of the main principles of the Constitution is Article 140 and it has laid out remedies for the resolution of the issue of the disputed territories. If this principle is overlooked and not implemented, time will not resolve it.”

“If it isn’t resolved, it can explode and we don’t want that to happen. We want the implementation of the Article as it has been stipulated in the Constitution. Moreover, there are other issues that need to be addressed, such as the issues of Oil and Gas, the Peshmerga and Federalism. More often than not, it seems that they intend to abandon federalism as if they have forgotten the Iraq’s past experience. Iraq has serious and deep internal issues, but regarding the Kurdistan Region, as long as Iraq is committed to the implementation of its constitution, the issues are minimized before our eyes. If the constitution is implemented we will have no problem. We in Kurdistan, are not part of any sectarian issues in Iraq which are the root of all the problems. We would like also people to know that our issue is not the being a majority or minority in the Parliament. However, whatever is related to the Kurdistan Region and included in the Constitution is that the Kurdistan Region is a reality and cannot be altered. We have no issues when it comes to the question on Iraq’s sovereignty as long as there is a commitment to the Constitution. There must be an understanding between us and Baghdad on whether they want to implement the agreements concluded between us or not. Once that is clear, we will then inform the Kurdish people of the outcome and after consulting with relevant entities, we will come up with the necessary decisions.”

·       President Barzani addressing the People of the Town of Koya-Erbil, 2011

“We have differences with Baghdad, but they have not reached to a level where I can say they cannot be resolved if there is real intention to resolve them. The most important element is a commitment to the Constitution. The Constitution is what convinced the Kurdistan Region to remain in Iraq. The Kurds had a tremendous role in liberating and building the new Iraq. With regards to the  foundations of the Constitution, we do not have any personal issues with anyone, but the commitment to the Constitution is not a matter for debate. The Constitution has affirmed this statement as it is the guarantor of keeping Iraq united, undivided and strong. The question of partnership is an important matter, not only for the Kurds, but also for all the other groups in Iraq. Iraq must be governed through partnership. Therefore, no single political party or entity should think of governing Iraq alone, as previous experiences have shown that this approach would result in failure. That is why the issue of real partnership is so important.”

“The implementation of the previous agreements must be taken into consideration. The formation of the current government was based on some of those agreements. Thus, they should be put into practice so that the situation in Iraq gets better. Totalitarianism is absolutely unacceptable and will not succeed. Equality must return to all institutions Iraq, in particular, to the security forces as it faces major challenges and these challenges could lead to more failures. Maintaining balance in the security forces is as important for the Iraqi nation as oil and gas. The armed forces are for everyone and the army should serve and protect the people. The army should not be created on the basis of the old understandings of supporting oppression.”