Barzani against independent Kurdish state

– A senior Iraqi Kurdish leader said Kurds were not seeking an independent state and should not be threatened for that. Massoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), said Kurds ultimate aim was to live in a peaceful, democratic and federal Iraq.

‘’It is wrong to assail the Kurds because they seek the establishment of a federal system in a multi-party Iraq,’’ he told a gathering in the Kurdish province of Duhok.

Barzani said his party, the most powerful in the semi-independent Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq, will not ‘’carry out any step that will not be in the interests of the Kurdish people.’’

He said Iraqi Kurds were still searching for a peaceful solution to their case but reiterated that ‘’federalism is a natural Kurdish right which cannot be relinquished.’’

Barzani repeated assertions that Kurds were not working for an independent state ‘’not because they do not deserve to have one but they quite understand that the situation on the international arena does not allow that to happen.’’

Barzani’s remarks came as Iraqi troops were massing in areas close to the region’s main cities and the issuing of mixed signals from President Saddam Hussein.

While calling for a dialogue, Saddam has also threatened to reoccupy Kurdish cities if the Kurdish parties turned down the offer.

It was not clear whether Barzani’s remarks had anything to do with Saddam’s war and peace overtures. Previously, the Iraqi strongman rejected any hint of a multi-party and federal system in Iraq.

But Barzani pledged that his party will do everything possible ‘’for the welfare of Iraq’’ but he rejected attempts to sideline the Kurdish issue.

‘’Acknowledging the issue is the only path to spread peace and security in the region,’’ he said.