Thursday, June 07, 2007
Kurdish flag raised over Kurdistan regional parliament
Kurdistan
(AKI) - In a surprise move has that has stunned political observers, the Kurdish flag was on Tuesday raised over the Kurdistan regional parliament in place of the Iraqi flag. At a ceremony attended by parliament speaker Adnan al-Mufti, party and local officials, al-Mufti's deputy and co-ruling Kurdish Democratic Union party (KDP) member Kamal Kirkuki raised the distinctive red, yellow, green and white Kurdish flag by pressing an electronic button: an unprecedented event in the history of the Kurdish people.
The 80-square metre flag could be seen fluttering over the six-floor regional parliament building from a distance of eight kilometres. Previously, the Iraqi flag - red, white and black horizontal stripes, with three green stars and the words Alluh Akbar (God is Great) could be seen in its place.
Last September, regional president Massoud Barzani, issued a decree banning the Iraqi flag - introduced in 1968 after the Baath party coup - from offices and schools. The decree says only the Kurdish flag can hang from government buildings and checkpoints, but it allows for the Iraqi flag at "official functions", but without the religious phrase.
Generally welcomed by Kurds in the area, who view the Iraqi flag as a symbol of the oppressive former Baathist regime, Barzani's decree riled members of tribes belonging to Iraqi's Arab ethnic majority in Kurdistan and areas bordering the region. Many consider Barzani's decree as the start of a bid for de facto independence by the Kurdistan region. The authorities in Kurdistan have always rejected the Iraqi flag, preferring instead to fly the flag introduced in 1958 after Iraq - previously a monarchy - became a republic.
The regional parliament in May 2006 approved a single administration, uniting two rival parties , Barzani's KDP and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to run a unified government. The KDP and the PUK have divided up most of the cabinet posts between them, with five of the 32 going to other parties. The PUK had run Suleimaniya province, one of the three provinces in the oil-rich region, while the KDP had run the other two provinces of Erbil and Dohuk.
The 80-square metre flag could be seen fluttering over the six-floor regional parliament building from a distance of eight kilometres. Previously, the Iraqi flag - red, white and black horizontal stripes, with three green stars and the words Alluh Akbar (God is Great) could be seen in its place.
Last September, regional president Massoud Barzani, issued a decree banning the Iraqi flag - introduced in 1968 after the Baath party coup - from offices and schools. The decree says only the Kurdish flag can hang from government buildings and checkpoints, but it allows for the Iraqi flag at "official functions", but without the religious phrase.
Generally welcomed by Kurds in the area, who view the Iraqi flag as a symbol of the oppressive former Baathist regime, Barzani's decree riled members of tribes belonging to Iraqi's Arab ethnic majority in Kurdistan and areas bordering the region. Many consider Barzani's decree as the start of a bid for de facto independence by the Kurdistan region. The authorities in Kurdistan have always rejected the Iraqi flag, preferring instead to fly the flag introduced in 1958 after Iraq - previously a monarchy - became a republic.
The regional parliament in May 2006 approved a single administration, uniting two rival parties , Barzani's KDP and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to run a unified government. The KDP and the PUK have divided up most of the cabinet posts between them, with five of the 32 going to other parties. The PUK had run Suleimaniya province, one of the three provinces in the oil-rich region, while the KDP had run the other two provinces of Erbil and Dohuk.
Labels: Adnan al-Mufti, Iraqi flag, Kamal Kirkuki, Kurdish flag, Massoud Barzani
