Bremer warns of a federal system on ethnic grounds (AFP)

BAGHDAD, January 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – U.S. top man in Iraq Baul Bremer said late Friday, January 9, that a federal Iraq was a workable solution to preserve the interests of the country's rich ethnic mosaic.

Pointing to Germany, India and Switzerland as role models, Bremer told the occupation-run Al-Iraqiya channel that the dividing issue must be settled at the end of the day by elected Iraqis, warning of setting-up a federal system on an ethnic basis.

He also said that the status of the Iraqi oil-rich city of Kirkuk would be determined after elections are held in 2005, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Bremer has consulted Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani three times since last week about the Kurds' territorial ambitions.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell warned Tuesday, January 6, that Kurdish territory in northern Iraq must remain part of the country when it returns to self-rule later this year.

Council Okays

Bremer's comments were in line with those of the U.S.-appointed Iraq's interim Governing Council.

The Council has agreed to a federal structure for the country and to enshrining Kurdish self-rule in three northern provinces in the fundamental law that will precede national elections in late 2005, Council member Judge Dara Nuraddin told AFP.

But the fate of three more provinces - Diyala, Nineveh and oil-rich Tamim provinces - over which the Kurds have claims would be decided in 2005 or 2006, he added.  

Nuraddin, a Kurdish independent helping draft the country's basic law, said the lawmakers had already decided on basic principles for Kurdish self-rule.

"In the fundamental law, Kurdistan will have the same legal status as it has now," he told AFP, referring to the region that has enjoyed virtual autonomy since the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

He said the Council has decided that the basic law, to be adopted by March 1, will formally recognize the principle of a federal Iraq, preserving the Kurds' legal right to autonomy over the long term.

"The Governing Council has agreed that federalism be included in the basic law ... The Kurds will have the same rights they have now," he explained.

The decision came after the 25-member Council's five Kurdish members refused to budge on the issue during recent heated discussions.

"When the constitution is written and elections are held, we will not agree to less than what is in the fundamental law and we may ask for more," Nuraddin said.

He added that he expected the fundamental law to be completed by the end of the month, well ahead of the March 1 deadline outlined by the U.S.-led occupation.

In northern Iraq, Kurdish leaders Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani held talks with Ahmad Chalabi, who heads the Iraqi National Congress, Shiite independent Muwaffaq al-Rubai, Mohsen Abdul Hamid of the Iraq Islamic Party and Sunni independent Nasseer Chaderchi.

The talks concentrated on fleshing out the details on federalism already reached behind closed doors.

Barzani and Talabani told reporters late Thursday, January 8, all parties were in agreement on a federal Iraq.

Last week, the council's rotating president, Adnan Pachachi, underlined his commitment to a federal Iraq, but counseled the country's Kurds, eager for virtual autonomy, to be patient and not rush the issue.

The move, however, was vehemently rejected by Shiite scholars, who joined an increasingly growing Arab, Sunni and Turkoman opposition.

Arab, Turkmen, Sunnis and Shiites in the north also oppose a federal Iraq.

Both took to the streets last month to protest Kurdish bids to dominate the ethnically-split oil hub of Kirkuk.

Five people were killed and dozens others injured in the bloody anti-federalism clashes.

Skepticism

But the pledge has not inspired widespread confidence among Kurds themselves.

"People are very anxious, given the experiences of the past," said Jamal Abdu, governor of Sulaimaniyah province between 1992 and 1994, who now heads a Kurdish human rights organization.

"How can it be different? We knew only cruelty and oppression, particularly under the reign of Saddam. We had Anfal, the chemical massacre at Halabja. We know the neighboring countries are our enemies and do not want an independent Kurdistan," Abdu said.

The Kurds have a long history of suffering, particularly under the regime of Saddam Hussein, which reportedly carried out a brutal campaign, known as Anfal, against them in the 1980s and a notorious chemical weapon attack on the town of Halabja that left 5,000 dead in 1988.

"Lastly, we are not sure the United States is behind us 100 percent. It wouldn't be the first time we were betrayed," he added.

Two months after Saddam's fall last April, the former governor created a movement known as Istiftaa (Referendum), to promote the idea of a referendum to allow the Kurds to choose their own future.

Claiming the support of thousands of citizens, Abdu said the move was aimed as a preventative measure "in case the Governing Council doesn't keep its promises".

Abdulhaman Ciyayi, a university researcher from Dohuk province, said the move was popular because many doubted the intentions of their "Arab brothers" and the objectivity of the Arab media, as the Kurds tried to pursue what they see as “their legitimate claims”.

Mulla Bakhtiar of the powerful Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said the fall of Saddam had had the effect of weakening support for federalism among former anti-Saddam elements.

"The Iraqi opposition [to Saddam] parties were agreed on the question of federalism. But unfortunately, I have the impression that Arab parties are now backtracking," said Bakhtiar.

"We want clear answers," said Sado Khader, a political analyst close to the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). "The problem is that everyone agrees on the principle of federalism, but if you go into details, it is hard to know what the intentions of each party are," he said.