Recently the London based Centre for Kurdish Progress in partnership with the Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) organised a debate on the crisis in Iraq at the House of Commons.
Over 200 hundred people attended the event. Keynote speakers included Kurdistan Regional Government High Representative to the UK Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Former Secretary of State for Defence Dr Liam Fox Conservative MP for North Somerset, UK Representative of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Dr Alan Semo, Lord Maurice Glasman, Mr Bill Park of Kings’ College, author and journalist Mr Patrick Cockburn, author and journalist and myself.
Director of the APPG for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Mr Gary Kent chaired the debate.
This is what I said
Treat Kurdistan as an Equal
I’ve been a regular visitor to Kurdistan over the past 10 years and I’ve developed a huge admiration for the way that in the face of all the odds: genocide, persecution and hardship, the Kurds have built a democratic, plural and increasingly prosperous society in the very midst of some very dysfunctional neighbours.
We need to recognize the vital importance to us of the Kurds as allies
They are a bastion of civilisation, democracy and pro-western sentiment in the Middle East.
They are self critical too. What other Middle East government would have commissioned a frank Report by the Economist Intelligence Unit and follow up its recommendations.
It was published before June but even then the contrast with conditions in the rest of Iraq couldn’t be starker.
They highlighted some key strengths but the key weakness is the relationship with the Bagdad Government.
That was before the change of government and the installation of a new Prime Minister but even though we nearly have a full slate of Ministers I am not overly optimistic about the ability of the parties to come an agreement on the issues which have been outstanding for many years despite many promises made: oil and gas issues;disputed territories; resources for the peshmerga and so on.
Let alone the backlog of the central government’s budget contribution to the KRG.
Especially if Mr Shahristani remains a force in government.
It may well fall apart in three months time.
All this means that as the UK or the EU we can’t keep trying to deal exclusively through the Bagdad Government, although of course any leverage brought to bear by them is welcome.
The KRG should to be treated as autonomous government at the very least and their aspirations to be independent as legitimate.
From here on out we need to deal direct and do whatever it takes to support them.
Historically this has not been the case whether dealing with consulate services, visas, business support, despite the fact that Iraqi Kurdistan has been by far the most promising region economically, security wise, and on every other count there has been a reluctance to recognize this.
My view is that we should have had closer relations with the KRG some time ago, going beyond UKTI type activity.
The need for direct relations at a senior level is doubly important of course today.
We have a serious situation comparable with Bosnia or Darfur or the Anfall against the Kurds by Saddam Hussein.
We are seeing Mass Killings, Rape and Abduction. Psychopathic behaviour by ISIS brigades.
We need to be clear that this constitutes Genocide.
The recent Amnesty Report “Ethnic Cleansing on a historic scale” did not used the word but that’s what it is.
As the Kurdish Genocide Taskforce is calling for these acts should be investigated by the UN and referred to the ICC.
The implications are far reaching.
Unless are stopped are stopped disaster will ensue not just regionally but globally.
IDSIS recognizes no borders but the Kurds have 1000 kms to defend.
The current refugee situation alone is intolerable. 1. 4 million on top of a population of 5 million.
Kurdistan needs huge support in tackling the problem. Not from the UN alone. They need more humanitarian assistance and will need development support if their economy starts to suffer from the conflict.
As regards the military aspect I am very heartened by the PM’s announcement that we will supply British Arms to the Kurds
We have now have a consensus that we must arm the Kurdish peshmerga and give them whatever resource they need to fight effectively. Not just arms but intelligence, logistics, night vision equipment and so on.
If there is any remaining public doubt it will soon be dispelled.
It is essential we play our part in air strikes.
But in all this we must treat the Kurdish people and the KRG as an essential allies in implementing a strategy to defeat or at least minimize the threat from ISIS.
That means treating them as equals from here on out. As should other members of the EU and the Regional powers such as Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
