Leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Massoud Barzani, in his january 2005 election speech had said, an independent Kurdish state will be established but he does not know when. This was not the first time Barzani shared his dream about the formation of a Kurdish state. “Under these circumstances, such a state cannot be established. Neither Turkey, nor Iran, nor Syria would allow it. An independent state cannot be formed in this conjuncture, because it cannot survive,” he had also added. Barzani's remarks from the perspective of historic developments prove that the formation of an independent Kurdish state is nothing but a dream. His statement to the Italian newspaper La Republica years ago proves Barzani's reservations on this dream. “I hope to see an independent ‘Kurdistan.'”

Today, he is the head of the semi-autonomous regional administration in northern Iraq and Jalal Talabani is the president of Iraq. Having had many conflicts, even hot encounters occasionally the duo is getting stronger today under U.S. protection. Both have critical roles to play in the restructuring of Iraq; however, none of these roles should allow them to ignore the reality. When the history of the region is studied one sees that an attempt was made to establish a Russian-backed independent Kurdish state by Mullah Barzani after the Kurdish Mahabad Republic ended in vain. Other similar examples unveil the facts about “Kurdistan.”

Barzani forgot some fatherly advice

After being assigned to his office, Barzani adopted a tougher attitude toward Turkey, even beyond imagination. His father Mullah Mustafa Barzani had advised him to maintain friendly relations with Turkey and not to go against Turkey and the Turkish army. However, the son Barzani took an erroneous path.

The father Barzani had sought shelter in Turkey when he ran into trouble with the kingdom in Iraq and during the monarchy period. Talabani was looking for democracy and seemed satisfied with it at first. Kurds living in Turkey had set a precedent for him, on the subject. But on the other hand, he was going overboard against Turkey with the support Barzani and some other powers provided. In reality, Turkey has always supported Kurds living in Iraq and reached out to them in tough times.

Barzani relying on Iraq's defeat during the Gulf War initiated a Kurdish revolt against the Baath regime in 1991. Following that Kurds sought asylum in Turkey. In short, Barzani forgot about his father's advice and exerted tremendous efforts to transform Kirkuk into a Kurdish city while making rude remarks about Turkey's internal affairs. History of Kirkuk points out that Kurds came to Kirkuk in the first half of the last century. Exploring and processing crudeoil gave birth to employment problems.

Therefore Kurds escaping from conflicts in the north moved into the city that only had a Turkmen population and a smaller number of Arabs. But today, Barzani is changing the demographic structure before the eyes of the world. With U.S. patronage and support today, Barzani believes he will fulfill his dream by exploiting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorists. It is thought provoking that Barzani forgets the past, acts like he has never learned a lesson or two and tries to challenge Turkey. Soon to be in trouble with the PKK, Barzani, adopting a softer stance before Turkey's determination, has made a historic mistake. He should calm down a little and remember his father's advice. Barzani is at a crossroads today; either he will heed the advice or continue to chase a dream. All these remind meof things that will never take place in this lifetime.

Orhan KİLERCİOĞLU