Kurdish Parliament Speaker: Referendum Consequences Destroyed Achievements of Past 25 Years

A Kurdistan parliament meeting in Irbil, Iraq September 15, 2107. (Reuters)
A Kurdistan parliament meeting in Irbil, Iraq September 15, 2107. (Reuters)
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Kurdish Parliament Speaker: Referendum Consequences Destroyed Achievements of Past 25 Years

A Kurdistan parliament meeting in Irbil, Iraq September 15, 2107. (Reuters)
A Kurdistan parliament meeting in Irbil, Iraq September 15, 2107. (Reuters)

After extending the term of the outgoing Iraqi Kurdistan parliament, it was believed that Speaker Yusuf Mohammed Sadiq would return to Irbil and carry out his duties, especially in wake of the disastrous consequences of the autonomous region’s independence referendum.

However, neither the Speaker returned to parliament nor did the political situation stabilize. Sadiq had held the Kurdistan region’s government accountable for this instability, saying that the consequences of the September referendum cost the region 25 years worth of achievements.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Sadiq said that he is ready to hold talks with Baghdad, urging Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi against acting “arrogant.”

Explaining why he did not resume his work as a parliament speaker, he replied that the way in which the “parliament was rendered functional did not satisfy our ambitions.”

“We wanted to keep it away from partisan meddling, but the reality was that its only goal was to legislate the referendum process.”

He explained that the decision to hold the referendum took place through a partisan decision and against the parliament’s will.

He revealed that he was opposed to the extension of parliament’s term, especially since parties agreed to organize the independence vote before the parliamentary elections.

“I knew that it will be difficult to organize the elections directly after the referendum due to the short period of time between the two events,” Sadiq said.

He added that he sent a letter to the electoral commission asking it to prepare for organizing the presidential and parliamentary elections before the end of parliament’s term on June 11 because he feared that the referendum would delay the elections, but nothing transpired from his efforts.

The referendum was consequently held and the parliamentary and presidential elections were postponed.

“I believe that the Change Movement agrees with me that my return depends on enabling the parliament to perform its duties without any hegemony. I believe that we need a new agreement that ensures that the current regime is changed and that the Kurdistan Democratic Party would be prevented from meddling in the security and military institutions,” he added.

The new change would also ensure that democratic and transparent parliamentary and presidential elections are held. Negotiations would also be held with Baghdad and reforms would be introduced to achieve transparency in financial resources, he stressed.

Sadiq told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The stronger our relationship with the federal authorities is, the better it would be. Relations between legitimate institutions must be strengthened to become the bodies that supervise governance institutions.”

“I see an utmost necessity that the Kurdish parliament have an important and effective role in any negotiations between Irbil and Baghdad,” he remarked.

Should the Kurdistan Regional government be unable to open the doors to dialogue with Iraq, the parliament could form a delegation under the supervision of the presidential body to go to Baghdad to negotiate.



Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he wants to build a state that has the decision of war and peace and stressed he is committed to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, his first since his election in January, Aoun said: “Our objective is to build the state, so nothing is difficult. And if we want to talk about the concept of sovereignty, its concept is to place the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state, and to monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”

“When will it be achieved? Surely, the circumstances will allow it,” he told the newspaper.

Asked whether the state will be able to impose control over all Lebanese territories with its own forces and without any military or security partnership, he said: "It is no longer allowed for anyone other than the state to fulfill its national duty in protecting the land and the people ... When there is an aggression against the Lebanese state, the state makes the decision, and it determines how to mobilize forces to defend the country."

He also stressed his full commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “The state and all its institutions are committed to implementing the Resolution” on the “entire Lebanese territories,” Aoun said.

On the possible adoption of a defense strategy, Aoun insisted that even if a state does not have enemies on its borders, it should agree on a national security strategy that not only deals with military goals but also economic and fiscal objectives.

“We are tired of war,” he said in response to a question. “We hope to end military conflicts and resolve our problems through diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised that the Israeli army has stayed at five points in south Lebanon, Aoun said that Israel should have committed to the ceasefire agreement that was sponsored by the US and France and should have withdrawn from all areas it had entered during the war with Hezbollah.

“We are in contact with France and the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five points because they don’t have any military value,” he said.

“With the emergence of technologies, drones and satellites,” an army does not need a hill for surveillance, Aoun added.

"Saudi Arabia has become a gateway for the region and for the whole world. It has become a platform for global peace,” he said when asked why he has chosen to visit the Kingdom on his first official trip abroad.

“I hope and expect from Saudi Arabia, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that we correct the relationship for the benefit of both countries and remove all the obstacles ... so that we can build economic and natural relations between us.”

He said that during his visit he plans to ask Saudi Arabia to revive a grant of military aid to Lebanon.

On relations with the Syrian authorities, Aoun said he intends to have friendly ties the new Syrian administration and that one of the pressing issues is to resolve the problem of the porous border between the two countries.

“There are problems on the border (with Syria) with smugglers. Most importantly, the land and sea border with Syria should be demarcated,” he said.

Aoun also called for resolving the problem of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “The Syrian state cannot give up on 2 million citizens who have been displaced to Lebanon.”

The refugees should return because “the Syrian war ended and the regime that was persecuting them collapsed,” he said.