dimanche 28 août 2011
Yeni ERDOĞAN Hükümeti ve Türkmenler
Yeni ERDOĞAN Hükümeti ve Türkmenler
Mahir Nakip
mnakip@yahoo.com
Bugünden Düne Bakış
2003 yılında iktidara gelen AK Parti, son seçimlerde toplam oyların %50’sini alarak daha güçlü bir şekilde üçüncü hükümetini kurdu. Herkes tarafından “olağan” kabul edilen ve alkışlanan bu başarı Ortadoğu’da ve bilhassa Arap âleminde büyük sevinçle karşılandı. Bunun sebebi açıktır. Kendi despot ve eskiyen yönetimlerinden usanan Arap halkı, ümitlerini istikrarlı Türkiye Cumhuriyetine bağlamışlardır. Yönetimlerine karşı ayaklanan Arap ülkeleri artık Türkiye’yi örnek göstermektedir. Hele Filistin meselesinde İsrail’e karşı Sayın Erdoğan’ın duruşu hem Arap halkı hem de Arap medyası tarafından yürekten alkışlanmaktadır. Sayın Davutoğlu’nun mekik diplomasisi ve iyi niyetli teşebbüsleri sadece Arapların değil, dünyanın dikkatini çekmektedir. Bu sevinci, Irak’ın ayrılmaz bir parçası olan Türkmenler de duyarak, geleceğe daha umutla bakmaya başlamışlardır. Çünkü her zaman Irak Türkleri huzurlarını, Türkiye’nin gücünde, istikrarında ve başarısında bulmuşlardır. Doğrusu Türk toplulukları içerisinde hiçbir cemaat kendisini Türkmenler kadar Türkiye’ye bağlı hissetmemiştir. Bu bağlanış, bir aczin değil, bir samimiyetin ve mensubiyet ruhunun mahsulü olup, Türkiye’nin cümle siyasî yelpazesinde bilinir ve sanırım takdirle karşılanır.
Hatırlanacağı üzere, Birinci Ak Parti Hükümeti tarafından hazırlanan 1 Mart Tezkeresi Meclis’te kalınca Türkiye, Irak’taki soydaşlarına öncelik vermişti. Çünkü savaş öncesinde, hiç bir askerî, malî ve siyasî gücü olmayan Türkmen siyasî örgütleri, Türk ordusunun Irak’a girmesi gerektiğini deklere eden yegâne Iraklı siyasî grup olmuştur. Ayrıca 2002 Irak muhalefetinin Londra toplantısında (içinde 3 ayrı Türkmen siyasî cemaati olduğu halde) Irak Türkmen Cephesi hariç, bütün Irak Siyasî grupları Erbil, Süleymaniye ve Duhok’u “Kürdistan” bölgesi olarak kabul etmiştir. Cephe’nin böyle münferit ve bir o kadar tehlikeli karar almasının yegâne sebebi, Türkiye’nin bu istikametteki irade beyanı olmuştur. Böylece büyük bir risk alan Irak Türkmen Cephesi, onun bedelini hâlâ ödemektedir.
2003-2006 yılları arasında Türkiye’nin Irak politikasında Türkmenlerin ön sıralarda olduğunu görüyoruz. ABD’nin Irak’a girmesinden ve Peşmerge kuvvetlerinin Kerkük’ü işgal etmesinden sonra Türkiye’nin Irak Türkleriyle yakından ilgilendiğini, hatta bazı gazete yazarları, Irak siyasetimizin tamamen Türkmen eksenli olduğunu yazmışlardı. Irak Anayasasının 140. Maddesi gereği 31 Aralık 2007 tarihinde yapılması planlanan referandumun gerçekleşmemesinde Türkiye’nin rolü büyük olmuştu. Kürt siyasetinin mimarları, Türkiye’nin iradesini kulak ardı ederek Kerkük sorununun çözülemeyeceğini artık idrak etmişlerdir.
Durum Göründüğü Gibidir
Buna rağmen Türkiye’nin Türkmenleri en yoğun önemsediği zamanda bile bu ilginin derecesi, İran’ın Şii Iraklılarla ya da ABD’nin Iraklı Kürtlerle ilgilendiği kadar olmamıştır. Tabii ki Türkiye İran gibi ideolojik davranan bir ülke olamaz. Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, tarihi boyunca dış politikası şeffaf, zararsız, barışçı ve iyi niyetli; içi neyse dışı da o olan bir yol izlemiştir. Sayın Davutoğlu’nun Bakanlığı devralmasından sonra Türkiye’nin ve klasik-muhafazakâr hariciye zihniyetinin ezberini bozacak ölçüde aktif ve atak siyaseti kısa sürede Türkiye’nin yıldızını parlatmış ve danışılan bir ülke konumuna yükseltmiştir. Ancak her nedense bu ataklık ve aktiflik Irak’ta yaşayan Türkmenleri pek kapsam alanına almamıştır. Türkiye’nin Türkmen politikası genelde çekingen, arka sıralarda, geçici, temelsiz, nisbî, marjinal ve dalgalı olurken, siyasetçilerden çok bürokratlara bırakılmıştır. Bu geçmişte de böyle olmuş bugün de aynıdır. Türkiye’de birçok insan bunu doğal karşılamakta ve Türkmenlerin, birinci gündem maddesi olmalarının imkânsızlığından söz etmektedir.
2007’den sonra Irak’taki (biraz da Türkiye’nin içindeki) gelişmeler, Türkiye’nin Kuzey Irak konusunda siyaset değiştirmesine sebep olmuştur. Türkiye 2008 yılına kadar pür Irak eksenli, bütüncül ve Kürt yönetimi ile Bağdat üzerinden ilişki kurma politikası izlerken, bugün Erbil’de bir konsolosluk açarak bu bölgeyle doğrudan ilişki kurma siyaseti izlemeyi tercih etmektedir. Nitekim bu bölgeyle ticarî ilişkilerimiz bir hayli gelişmiş, Sayın Başbakanımız ve diğer bakanlarımız Erbil’i ziyaret etmişlerdir. Ayrıca hiçbir taviz talep etmeden ya da karşılık beklemeden Erbil ve Süleymaniye’ye hava uçuşları çok önceleri sağlanmıştır. Yani, Kürt bölgesi artık Bağdat üzerinden değil, İstanbul üzerinden dünya ile ilişki kurabilmektedir.
Türkmen siyasî grupları bu açılımdan büyük bir rahatsızlık duydukları söylenemez. Her ne kadar bu açılımın Türkmenlere bir faydası olmamışsa, bir zararı da yoktur denilebilir. Ancak bu açılım Türkmenlerde bir dışlanma ve giderek formül dışı kalma hissi yarattığı da bir gerçektir. Erbil ve Süleymaniye Türk firmalarının katkılarıyla süratle imara kavuşarak, bir cazibe merkezi olmaya yüz tutmakta ve doğrudan dünya ile bağlantısını kurabilmekteyken; Kerkük, Telafer ve Tuzhurmatu gibi Türkmen şehir ve kasabaları canlı bombalarla, çocuk kaçırma eylemleriyle, işsizlikle, göçle, susuzluk ve elektriksizlikle boğuşmaktadır. Buna ilaveten Türkiye’nin Sayın Başbakanı ve Bakanları tarafından Erbil ziyaret edilirken, Kerkük ve Telafer gibi Türkmen şehirleri ziyaret edilmemektedir. Bunların hepsi Türkmenlerin içinde burukluk yaratmakta ve sorgulanmaktadır. Sıraladığımız bazı meseleler Irak’ın iç meseleleri gibi görünebilir. Ama Kürt Yönetimi isterse bu sorunlar zamana yayılarak pekâlâ çözülebilir. Çünkü Kerkük, Diyale ve Musul ilçelerinin asayişinden büyük ölçüde Peşmerge kuvvetleri sorumludur. Bu şehirlerde ekonomik hayat tamamen olmasa büyük ekseriyetle Kürt işadamları tarafından yönetilmektedir. Kürt yönetiminin şah damarı Türkiye’den geçtiğine göre, bazı sorunlar, Türkiye’nin bir temennisi ile hallolabilecek niteliktedir.
Bilindiği gibi Türkiye’nin Türkmen politikası ile Kürt politikasını birbirine yaklaştırmak isteyenler çoktur. “Türkiye, Kürtlerin ve Türkmenlerin barış ve huzur içinde bir arada yaşadıkları, birbirleriyle entegre oldukları bir Kuzey Irak savunmalıdır ” diyenlerin yanında, “Türkiye’nin Irak politikası, bu nedenle, Türkmenlerin haklarını güvence altına alacak biçimde “Kürt eksenli” olmak zorunda ” diyerek daha ileri gidenler de var. Bunlar hepsi kaale alınabilir. Hatta bunun bir devamı olarak, nasıl ki her fırsatta Iraklı Arap siyasetçileri Erbil’e gidip Barzani’yi ziyaret ederek görüşebiliyorlarsa, Türkmenler de aynı şekilde bir heyet kurarak böyle bir görüşme yapabilirler. Zaten aralarında siyasî görüşmelerin olmadığı bir tek Türkmenlerle Kürtler kaldı diyebiliriz. Ancak bunun sebeplerini iyi irdeleyip doğru teşhis etmek lazım. Eğer bir açılım olacaksa bu açılımı güçlü taraf başlatmalıdır. Bugün Irak’ta Kürtler güçlüleri, Türkmenler de güçlü olmayanları temsil etmektedir. En azından Kerkük gibi bir şehri adeta işgal edeceksiniz ve Türkmenlerin arazileri üzerine kanunsuz inşaat yapacaksınız, Kerkük’ün Kürdistan’ın kalbi olduğunu söyleyeceksiniz sonra Türkmenlerin diğer Iraklı siyasî gruplar gibi size gelmesini bekleyeceksiniz. Buna, “zalimin mazlumu ayağına getirmeye mecbur ve mahkûm etmesi” denir. Ayrıca her ne kadar Türkmenler mağdur ve zayıf, Kürtler baskın ve güçlü olursa olsun, şartların eşit olduğu varsayılmalıdır. İşte denklemdeki bu eşitliği, Türkiye’nin dışında hiçbir güç sağlayamaz. Bu misyonu ne bir asır Türkmenleri Araplaştırmak isteyen Sünni Araplar, ne de İran eksenli siyaset yürüten Şiiler üstlenir.
Türkmenlerin Çözülmeyen Meseleleri
Türkmenlerin 2003 yılından beri kendi başlarına üstesinden gelemedikleri 3 siyasî ve 3 siyaset dışı ana sorunları bulunmaktadır.
1. Arap ve Kürtlerden sonra üçüncü millet olarak kabul edilmeleri ve en azından Türkmenlerin yerel yoğunluk gösterdikleri bölgelerde Türkmencenin resmi dil kabul edilmesi.
2. Kerkük’ün müstakil bir bölge olması ve Türkmenlerin bu şehirde her konuda ve en azından üçte bir hakka sahip olduklarının tescili,
3. Telafer ve Tuzhurmatu’nun il olmaları.
Bu üç haklı talep 2003 yılından günümüze kadar uzanan siyasî konjonktürün bir sonucudur. Irak nüfusunun en fazla %16-18’ini oluşturan Kürtlere ikinci millet ve Kürtçeyi de ikinci resmi dil olma hakkı verilirse, Irak nüfusunun %8-10’unu oluşturan Türkmenler de aynı hakları neden istemesin? Neticede Kürt ve Türkmen nüfusunun tamamı Irak nüfusunun %30’unu oluşturmaktadır. Ancak, Türkmenlerin üçüncü millet olmalarını kabul ettirmek anayasa değişikliğini gerektiren ve gerçekleşmesi hiç de kolay olmayan bir istek olduğunu da kabul etmek gerekir. Bu haksızlık 2003 yılında yaşanan siyasî arbedenin bir sonucu olup, Anayasa taslağı hazırlanırken siyasî olarak Türkiye’nin tamamen devre dışı kalmasından kaynaklanmıştır denilebilir. Belki ileriki bir tarihte Türkmenler, siyasî, sosyal ve ekonomik yönden güçlendikten sonra ve Türkiye’nin mutlak desteğini de arkasına alabildikten sonra bu haklı ve müktesep haklarını gündeme getirebilir.
Kerkük bir sorunlar yumağı haline gelmiştir. Fiilen Kürtlerin yönetiminde ama resmen merkeze bağlı bir şehirdir. Şehre işgal maksadıyla giren yüz binlerce Kürt şehrin en iyi yerlerini ele geçirmiş durumdadır. Çarşı-Pazar şehre yerleşen (korsan) Kürt esnafı tarafından hiçbir vergi ödemeden yönetilmektedir. Buna mukabil şehrin diğer sakinleri Türkmen ve Araplar yavaş yavaş şehri terk etmektedir. Bu kesimin kısıtlı sermayesi çocuklarının kaçırılması yoluyla eritilmektedir. Enteresandır: Kerkük’te sadece Türkmenlerin çocukları kaçırılmakta, büyük fidyeler istenmekte ve hepsi de talep edilen fidyeler ödenerek çocukların kurtulması ile sonuçlanmaktadır. Hiçbir kaçırma, kaçırılanların yakalanması ile neticelenmemektedir. Belediye hizmetleri durma noktasına gelmiş su ve elektrik büyük bir sıkıntı kaynağı olmuştur. Tayinler sadece Kürtleri kapsamakta üniversite Kürtler tarafından yönetilmektedir. Yani çözüm uzadıkça Türkmen ve Araplar zayıflıyor, Kürtler ise güçleniyor.
Telafer şehri mum gibi erimekte ve şu anda Irak’ın en büyük ilçesi olduğu halde sürekli nüfus kaybeden bir hayalet şehir haline gelmek üzeredir. Bir zamanlar Telafer’den çok daha küçük birer ilçe olan Necef, Şiileri memnun etmek için, Tikrit Saddam sayesinde ve Duhok da Kürtleri razı etmek için il yapılmıştır. Sıra Telafer’in il olmasına gelince Kürtler yan çizmekte, Sünni Araplar da (Musul ili küçülür bahanesiyle) şiddetle karşı geliyorlar. Yani kimse bir Türkmen ilinin oluşmasını istemiyor. Bunun, uzun vadeli olmak üzere tek çözümü var. Telafer şehrini demografik ve ekonomik olarak güçlendirmek gerekmektedir. Yıllardır gündemde olup ama herhalde sadece Barzani’nin muhalefeti ile bir türlü yürürlüğe giremeyen Ovaköy-Telafer ikinci bir sınır kapısının açılması bu güçlendirmeyi sağlayacaktır. TİKA ve Yunus Emre gibi başarılı kuruluşlarımız, Afrika’nın adını duymadığımız ülkelerine yardım hizmetlerini götürebilirken, burnumuzun dibindeki Irak’a hizmet elimizi uzatamıyoruz. Yüzlerce Türk firmasının Erbil ve Süleymaniye’ye girmesine izin veren bir yönetim, TİKA ve Yunus Emre gibi insanî amaçlara hizmet eden kuruluşlarımızın da bölgeye girmesine izin vermesi sağlanmalıdır. Değil sadece Irak’ta, bütün Arap ülkelerinde itibarı bu kadar yükselen Türkiye’nin, Barzani’den talep ederek bu sorunu kolaylıkla çözebilir.
Gelelim siyaset dışı sorunlara. Aslında bu sorunlar bizce en az siyaset içi olanlar kadar önemlidir. Çünkü bunlar siyaseti besleyecek, onlara güç ve imkân temin edecek kaynaklardır.
1. Türkmen eğitimi
2. Türkmenlerin ekonomik durumu
3. Sivil ve medya kuruşluların güçlendirilmesi
Bugün Irak’ta dağınık, disiplinsiz ve verimsiz de olsa bir Türkçe eğitim sistemi vardır. Başta Kerkük olmak üzere bazı şehirlerde (Türkmence değil) Türkiye Türkçesiyle eğitim veren 11 yıllık temel eğitim veren okullar vardır. Bu eşsiz müktesebat, Türkiye’nin isteğiyle değil, Türkmenlerin mücadelesiyle elde edilmiştir. Düşünün Telafer, Kerkük, Erbil, Tuzhurmatu gibi Türkiye’den yüzlerce kilometre uzağında körpecik çocuklar gencecik delikanlılar Türkiye Türkçesiyle fizik, matematik kimya, edebiyat, tarih vs dersleri görüyor. Bu Türkiye’yi gönülden memnun edecek bir durum olmalıdır. Ancak, bu dersleri verecek öğretmenleri kim yetiştirmeli, okullarda okutulan ders müfredatını kim hazırlamalı, buralardan mezun olan öğrencilerden diğer Iraklı öğrencilerle rekabet etmeleri için ayrıcalıklarını kim sağlamalı? Elbette Türkiye. Unutmayalım Türkiye 1924-1930 yılları arasında Irak’ta soydaşlarının eğitim materyallerini hazırlayıp gönderen bir ülkedir.
Yıllardır Türkmen gençleri lisans, yüksek lisans ve doktora eğitimleri için Türkiye’ye gelirler. Ancak, bu öğrencilerin seçimleri, Türkiye’deki başarıları, geri dönüş oranları ya da dönüp de iş bulabilmeleri ciddî bir problem. Bir basit hesapla bugün en az 1000 Türkiye mezunu uzman Türkmen’in Irak’ta hizmet veriyor olması gerekmektedir. Ama manzara hiç de iç açıcı değil. Öğrencilerin seçimi bir kargaşa, başarı oranları düşük, geri dönüş oranları ise ciddî tartışma konusudur. Aralarındaki ilişkiler de bir başka yara. Bu sistem ehil ellere bırakılmalıdır.
Irak’ta Türkmen eğitimi, her şeyin kaynağıdır. Siyasette başarılı, ekonomide söz sahibi, bürokraside muteber yer almanın yolu kaliteli eğitimden geçer. Türkmen eğitimi kendi başına ya da uzman olmayan kişilere bırakılmayacak kadar önemli bir konudur.
Irak’ın son yarım asırlık tarihi içerisinde ekonomisi serbest olmamıştır. Ama buna rağmen her zaman Türkmen sermayesi ve sermayedarı olmuştur. Bu kişilerin çoğu Kerkük, Erbil ve Bağdat’ta yaşamıştır. Fakat 2003’ten sonra Şii Araplar ve Kürtler arasında çok hızlı ve kaynağı belli olmayan bir sermaye birikimi meydana gelmiştir. Bu arada orta halli kalan
Türkmen sermaye sahibi sürpriz bir sorunla karşı karşıya kalmıştır: Çocuklarının kaçırılması ve fahiş fidyelerle serbest bırakılmaları. Neticede elde-avuçta kalanı heba etmemek için bu kişiler Irak’taki mal varlıklarını satarak Türkiye’ye gelip yerleşmişlerdir. Türkmen iş adamları, Irak’ta iş yapmakta olan Türk firmaları kanalıyla olsun, Türkmen iş adamlarına krediler temin ederek olsun, giderek büyüyen Irak pazarından payını almaları sağlanmalıdır. Bu, herhalde bir talimatla değil, Sayın Başbakanımızın bir ricayla bile hallolacak bir meseledir.
Irak’ta, Türkiye’de ve dünyanın muhtelif yerlerinde onlarca Türkmen sivil kuruluşu ve medya aracı vardır. Hepsinin mali, idari ve finans sorunları bulunmaktadır. Aralarındaki koordinasyon zayıftır. Türkmen medya kuruluşları iki yılda bir araya gelerek kendi sorunlarını tartışabilmektedir. Sivil kuruluşlar ise zayıf, etkisiz, kaynaksız ve sahipsiz bir vaziyettedir. Bunların mutlaka bir platformda toplanması ve güçlendirilmesi gerekmektedir. Sivil kuruluşların güçlenmesi, toplumsal mutabakatı güçlendirir ve siyasî yapıyı besler. Hatta bazı köşe liderlerinin bile buralardan çıkmasını sağlar.
Kısacası, Türkiye, Türkmenlerin meselesini benimseyerek gündemin ilk maddeleri arasına alırsa işte o zaman Türkmenler kendi ayakları üstüne durmasını becereceklerdir. Türkmen evinin içini dizayn etmeye kalkışmak eskiden yanlış olduğu kadar, bugün de yanlıştır. Daha önemlisi Türkiye’nin Ortadoğu’da bu kadar önem ve güç kazandığı bir dönemde, bir avuç soydaşına bu hakları elde etmesi ve onlara bu çizdiğimiz açıdan bakması zor olmasa gerek. Kur’an’da buyrulduğu gibi innemel a’malü binniyyat (İşler, niyetledir).
Türkmenler Türkiyesiz Kalmamalıdır
Gelin sıdkımızı samimiyetle ortaya koyalım. Türkiye bir Türk devleti olmakla beraber, özellikle Ortadoğu’da mağdur olanlara kol-kanat gerebilmiş güçlü, sözü dinlenir ve belirleyici bir devlettir. Sınırların ötesinde silahsız, parasız, sahipsiz ve himayesiz soydaşlarını kollamak ve savunmak bir siyaset değil, bir mecburiyettir. Bugün Irak topraklarında yaşayan Türkmenler, geçmişte Çanakkale’de düşmana karşı Anadolu’yu savunmuştur. 1918 yılında İngilizler Irak’ı işgal ederken en güçlü mukavemeti Kerkük’te görmüşlerdir. Nitekim şehri işgal ettikten bir süre sonra terk etmek zorunda kalmışlardır. Ancak, takviye güçler gelince şehri tekrar teslim alabilmişlerdir. Bugün Türkmenler, Türkiye’ye bağlanmayı arzulamıyor olabilir. Ama kendi topraklarında şeref ve haysiyetle yaşamak istiyorlar. İstedikleri haklar, hak ettiklerinden fazla değildir. Ama siyasî, askerî ve malî güçleri olmadığından ve arkalarında ABD ya da İran gibi kararlı ya da dirayetli bir destekçi bulunmadığından bugün mağdur edilmektedirler. Türkiye, Irak Kürtleriyle istediği kadar yakın bir ilişki kursun. Ama Türkmenleri Irak’ın bütünü içerisinde görerek onları ihmal etmek çok olumsuz sonuçlar doğurmaktadır.
Türkmenler Türkiyesiz bırakılmamalı ve Türkiye’de sadece yanık türküleri ile anılmamalıdır. Yoksa bu türküler korkarım bir gün Türkmenlerin mezar taşı olur.
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i Mustafa AKYOL, Kürt Sorununu Yeniden Düşünmek, Yanlış Giden Neydi? Bundan Sonra Nereye? Doğan Kitap, İstanbul, 2006, s. 193
ii Cengiz ÇANDAR, “Kürt Sorunu ve Irak’ta ‘Ezber Bozmak’...”, Dünden Bugüne Tercüman, 24 Ağustos 2005.
Kaynak: kardaşlık sayı 51
samedi 27 août 2011
jeudi 25 août 2011
A Witness to Iraq’s Health Crisis: Nahoko Takato Speaks about her experiences as an Activist and Air Worker in Iraq
Source: http://www.ncciraq.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&lang=en#
Please click on the link above for photos
Nahoko Takato, a Japanese aid worker, quickly developed strong connections in Ramadi and Falluja, Iraq, following the US-led invasion in 2003. In an exclusive interview with NCCI, she chronicles how she has since delivered emergency aid to health clinics while confronting trauma, intimidation, and international indifference. Takato also discusses the rising rates of cancer, congenital birth defects, and other illnesses in many areas throughout Iraq.
NCCI: Can you tell us what first compelled you to focus on Falluja and Ramadi, the two largest cities in the western governorate of Anbar, Iraq, as an aid worker?
Nahoko: On May 1st 2003, I first went to Baghdad, Iraq. Two Iraqis who were from Ramadi and Falluja...came to Baghdad to knock on the doors of the media who were staying at the Palestine Hotel. These two Iraqis wanted the media to come and witness what was happening in Falluja. Just three days before, there was a peaceful demonstration at a Fallujan school where American soldiers shot 17 Iraqi civilians… Many of the media officials were telling them things like, “Oh, you are exaggerating,” and so on.
But some journalists [from Japan] went with the two Iraqi men to Falluja, and I joined them… I went to the Falluja General Hospital. It was crowded, and I found many victims. Some of them were shot in the leg. There were many people with amputations. Some had been shot in the abdomen... In the media, we were hearing things like, “The combat is finished in Iraq…” But it was not finished. While former President Bush was saying, “Mission accomplished,” the Iraqi people were saying, “The real war has started.” I realized how complex the situation was, and I recognized that I had to do something in terms of emergency relief for them.
I visited the pharmacy in the hospital. There was almost nothing… So immediately, I contacted some Japanese NGOs. They purchased some medicines and basic materials, like cotton and bandages, antibiotics. Several days later, I chartered a big bus to carry the boxes with medicines and materials to the hospital. I went to Falluja and Ramadi very often…
NCCI: When you were taken as a hostage in April 2004 and subsequently released, Japanese and international media outlets gave your case considerable attention. How has this incident impacted your ability to continue working for humanitarian relief in Iraq?
Nahoko: It was horrible for me coming back to Japan after I was released… When I was captured, one politician announced at a press conference, “Nahoko Takoto had relations and ties to the Falluja resistance. She made this kidnapping by herself…” I wrote a book in which I tried to explain what was happening in Ramadi and Falluja at that time. But the media didn’t care about that. They were only interested in my kidnapping…
Every time I went to talk about the Iraqi situation after I returned to Japan, I was scared. Some people would shout at me, “You are a terrorist! Go back to Iraq!” My family protected me but my mother strongly recommended to me, “After you finish writing your book, just go back to Jordan to start again. Help the Iraqi people. Don’t stop.” So I finished it and I came to Jordan, where I met my friends who visited me from Ramadi and Falluja. We started again.
NCCI: After major combat between armed Iraqi militias and Multi-National Coalition Forces in Iraq (MNF-I) escalated, some medical professionals in Anbar announced that they were witnessing rising rates of congenital birth defects, cancer, and other rare, chronic illnesses. Are there any detailed records in the hospitals of Ramadi and Falluja that illustrate these trends?
Nahoko: That’s the problem. No, there really aren’t. I am in contact with Doctor Samira, who is often in the media, speaking about concerns like this. She faces birth defects, deformities, and cancer daily at the hospital where she works in Falluja. But she doesn’t have any records… In Iraq, the patients keep the documentation. The patients may go to many different hospitals. It is often difficult to collect accurate, sufficient information from patients…the facilities don’t seem to have the capacity to create and maintain this documentation. This is one of the reasons why I respect the work of Chris Busby[1], and the whole group that published one of the most recent studies on these illness patterns in Anbar. The team visited around 700 families. They had to go to the patients’ homes to get this information, because it is not located in the hospitals.
NCCI: The Iraqi Ministry of Health rates Anbar as “high risk” for health issues. Access to and utilization of Anbar’s health facilities also rate among the worst of all eighteen Iraqi governorates. Can you describe the conditions of healthcare facilities that you have visited in Ramadi and Falluja?
Nahoko: Between Ramadi and Falluja, there are different situations... The Ramadi Maternity Hospital is big, with about 270 beds. In 2003, the hospital was very crowded with many doctors and nurses. But last year, there were few doctors and nurses. I could see that much of the equipment was gone… The director explained that in 2006, Ramadi city was occupied by the American army. The Ramadi Hospital and Ramadi University became American military bases. The American soldiers threw all of the equipment—blood pressure monitors, desks, medical tools, refrigerators…away. You can find the remains as garbage around the hospital…you can find wheelchairs, beds, and medical equipment. It’s all completely damaged.
Anbar University in Ramadi was severely damaged after the American forces militarily occupied it in for months in 2006.
They completely changed the buildings... They changed classrooms into bedrooms. They changed a hospital room into an internet communication station for the soldiers. Even the schools were occupied. When the Sahwa soldiers took control in 2007, the Americans left the occupied buildings, but there was already so much damage. The situation did get better—dramatically—after the Sahwa movement started. At that time, many doctors came back.
NCCI: But when you went to the Ramadi Hospital last year, in 2009, you saw less doctors than you had seen in 2003?
Nahoko: Much less, yes. Many of them have been assassinated, detained, or have taken refuge.
NCCI: How do the conditions in the Falluja General Hospital compare with the Ramadi hospital?
Nahoko: Falluja has a new general hospital. I have not visited it yet, but I saw it in a video of Dr.Samira’s and it seems so well-equipped... When the people of Ramadi visited the old Falluja General Hospital, they were so shocked. Even the old Falluja General Hospital seems quite better than the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital. There are good incubators, high standards of sanitation, and even bed sheets and pillow cases. More than ten Iraqi doctors from the new Falluja General Hospital came to Japan for medical training. But the Ramadi Hospital is miserable…
In the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital, basic supplies like scrubs are unsanitary (left) and facilities are ill-equipped (right).
NCCI: Can people from Ramadi come to the new Falluja General Hospital?
Nahoko: It’s not easy. A Ramadi citizen can sometimes enter Falluja by foot, but he cannot enter Falluja in his own car because he needs special registration that is very difficult to get. If some people from Ramadi made it into Falluja, they would definitely celebrate, “We went to Falluja! We went to Falluja!”
NCCI: How would you describe/rate humanitarian presence and response in Anbar’s health sector?
Nahoko: Falluja is famous, and it is relatively easy to get support and funds for projects in this city. If you compare Falluja with the situation in Ramadi… Very few people recognized the very critical situation in Ramadi, especially in 2006. Sometimes I explain it like this: “The media said that the massacres in Falluja in 2004 were ‘hidden massacres.’ But in Ramadi, it’s a completely unknown massacre. Nobody knows and nobody notices.”
I went to the Ramadi cemetery that was built in 2006…in an entire park for the massacre victims. In Falluja, the main cemetery for massacre victims from 2004 was in a football stadium. In the Ramadi cemetery, there were many, many tombs for children. They wouldn’t have identification. They would just say “baby.”
This tombstone simply reads “baby,” and is located in a cemetery built for victims of the 2006 Ramadi massacres. Credit to Takashi Morizumi.
But even in Falluja, where the situation is much better because there is more international concern and interest, they still need help. They need investigations. They need medical training.
NCCI: Are these alarming health patterns limited to Falluja and Ramadi, or is the problem more widespread?
Nahoko: I know one Japanese reporter who…went to the Mosul Hospital and she found many cases of deformities and infant mortality, much higher than usual. Sometimes I am in touch with a doctor in Kirkuk. He is always asking me, “What am I going to do? We have so many babies with congenital heart disease. I’m sure that the rate is increasing, but I don’t know why.”
Since the 2003 invasion, the rates of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality, and sexual mutations in many cities, including
Falluja and Ramadi, have increased alarmingly. These babies, born in the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital (left) and the
new Falluja General Hospital (right), are among many newborns with severe congenital birth defects and mutations.
NCCI: Since the 2003 invasion, human rights reports have suggested that the US and other coalition forces used White Phosphorous (WP), Depleted Uranium (DU), and other highly destructive weapons in Ramadi and Falluja particularly. The use of these weapons in densely populated, civilian areas is banned under international law. Have you seen any evidence supporting various claims that the American troops indiscriminately fired these types of lethal weapons against Iraqi civilians?
Nahoko: …When I went to Iraq for the first time, I saw the Japanese journalists always carrying Geiger counter devices to test and measure uranium traces[2]. In the government buildings, like the Ministry of Information, that were bombed in Baghdad, there was high radioactivity. In Samawah[3], a site where Japanese troops were based that I visited twice, we found high radioactivity. Last year, I visited a journalist’s house in Ramadi—Ali Al-Mashhadani—who is a Reuters correspondent. He has been detained by the American army eight times and his house was attacked by Apache aircraft twice. We measured unusually high levels of radioactivity in his house.
A Geiger counter shows 2-3 times the normal radiation level in an Iraqi building (left).
Iraqi reporter Ali Al-Mashhadani stands in his home, which has been severely damaged by Apache fire.
The site now emits dangerous levels of radioactivity (right.) Credit to Takashi Morizumi (left) and Rei Shiva (right).
NCCI: Did you also measure high traces of radioactivity in Ramadi and Falluja in your visits?
Nahoko: The measurements are…higher than average, but not like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I can’t be sure about the causes of these health problems, but I know what the Iraqi people think… They believe that the American army has used forbidden, illegal weapons in their cities. And there is real evidence from the Gulf War, in 1991, that the American forces previously used depleted uranium munitions in Iraq…
Most Iraqis don’t have the means to test the extent of radioactivity, so it’s impossible to really know what is safe. However, when the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF)—a part of the American-led coalition forces—were stationed in Iraq, they wore devices on their uniforms to constantly measure and monitor their exposure to uranium traces, especially in Samawah.
NCCI: Do you think that these entry restrictions have prevented the international community from launching an impartial investigation into the health phenomenon that emerged post-2003 US-led invasion?
Nahoko: I can’t say that directly, but it seems so and it feels so. I mean, why is Falluja under such a strong siege? Why is it under such strict control, even today? When I visited Falluja last year, it was very difficult to get permission to enter. It’s surrounded by checkpoints… Basically, only those who have IDs that are provided by the American army can enter. And only cars that get a number from the American army are allowed to enter. The Ramadi citizen can enter Falluja by foot, but he cannot enter Falluja in his own car because he needs special registration that is very difficult to get…Maybe the American army is afraid that an international will collect evidence of the pollution, uranium traces, and so on. But uranium remains almost forever. Its half-life is about 4.5 billion years.
The moment the atomic bombs were dropped [in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan], 100,000 died…In the following months, many people came to Hiroshima to search for survivors... But the radiation remained, invisible. These people were also exposed to it. So 65 years later, we there are still victims with leukemia and other types of cancer. It’s similar to Iraq, as people return months and years later. The uranium traces are still in the soil, water and air…
Since 1994, three years after the Gulf War (1990-1991), doctors from Iraq and Japan started to collect data on victims in Basra who were suffering from similar symptoms and illnesses as people in Ramadi and Falluja today. Now, there is more evidence suggesting that in combat, American troops used depleted uranium munitions in Basra and other regions of Iraq during the Gulf War. There is also more evidence indicating that this contamination coincides with the increasing rates of illness that these areas have experienced. As soon as possible, the international community needs to start investigating the causes of the more recent increases in illness rates in Ramadi, Falluja, Kirkuk, Mosul, and other places.
NCCI: Besides the factor of poor access to communities like Falluja, why do you think that the international community has not organized an impartial investigation to determine what factors are causing such an unprecedented rise in cancer and birth defect rates?
Nahoko: As someone from Japan, I think about how the activists in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been trying to inform the world about the victims of nuclear weapons. 65 years have passed. And we have only made one step. It is difficult to make the public care about these issues… Cluster bombs and other weapons are visible. Depleted uranium is invisible. It’s not easy for us to gather the evidence… It is even hard to convince some people that these weapons should be illegal, that they are inhumane. There are some scientists who strongly deny that depleted uranium has negative health impacts…They might say this because they want to support the American army for different reasons…
But the Pentagon clearly recognizes that depleted uranium is very harmful for American soldiers. This was hidden, top-secret information…until it was recently leaked. But the American soldiers come back to their own country. The local people have to remain in Iraq.
[1] Chris Busby is one co-author of the epidemiological study titled “Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Falluja, Iraq 2005–2009,” published in July 2010. The study involved a door-to-door survey of Falluja residents. The research team interviewed Fallujans about abnormally high rates of cancer and birth defects, and reported that cancer rates have increased in Falluja 38-fold since the 2003 US-led invasion. While the researchers could not provide conclusive evidence, they hypothesized that the American forces had used depleted uranium munitions in Falluja, resulting in regional genetic damage and thereby causing the alarming health patterns that have emerged in Falluja in the past seven years.
[2] A Geiger counter, also known as a Geiger-Müller counter, is a particle detector that can be used to detect whether an objects emits nuclear radiation.
[3] The city of Samawah is approximately 280 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. It is the capital of Muthanna governorate.
Please click on the link above for photos
Nahoko Takato, a Japanese aid worker, quickly developed strong connections in Ramadi and Falluja, Iraq, following the US-led invasion in 2003. In an exclusive interview with NCCI, she chronicles how she has since delivered emergency aid to health clinics while confronting trauma, intimidation, and international indifference. Takato also discusses the rising rates of cancer, congenital birth defects, and other illnesses in many areas throughout Iraq.
NCCI: Can you tell us what first compelled you to focus on Falluja and Ramadi, the two largest cities in the western governorate of Anbar, Iraq, as an aid worker?
Nahoko: On May 1st 2003, I first went to Baghdad, Iraq. Two Iraqis who were from Ramadi and Falluja...came to Baghdad to knock on the doors of the media who were staying at the Palestine Hotel. These two Iraqis wanted the media to come and witness what was happening in Falluja. Just three days before, there was a peaceful demonstration at a Fallujan school where American soldiers shot 17 Iraqi civilians… Many of the media officials were telling them things like, “Oh, you are exaggerating,” and so on.
But some journalists [from Japan] went with the two Iraqi men to Falluja, and I joined them… I went to the Falluja General Hospital. It was crowded, and I found many victims. Some of them were shot in the leg. There were many people with amputations. Some had been shot in the abdomen... In the media, we were hearing things like, “The combat is finished in Iraq…” But it was not finished. While former President Bush was saying, “Mission accomplished,” the Iraqi people were saying, “The real war has started.” I realized how complex the situation was, and I recognized that I had to do something in terms of emergency relief for them.
I visited the pharmacy in the hospital. There was almost nothing… So immediately, I contacted some Japanese NGOs. They purchased some medicines and basic materials, like cotton and bandages, antibiotics. Several days later, I chartered a big bus to carry the boxes with medicines and materials to the hospital. I went to Falluja and Ramadi very often…
NCCI: When you were taken as a hostage in April 2004 and subsequently released, Japanese and international media outlets gave your case considerable attention. How has this incident impacted your ability to continue working for humanitarian relief in Iraq?
Nahoko: It was horrible for me coming back to Japan after I was released… When I was captured, one politician announced at a press conference, “Nahoko Takoto had relations and ties to the Falluja resistance. She made this kidnapping by herself…” I wrote a book in which I tried to explain what was happening in Ramadi and Falluja at that time. But the media didn’t care about that. They were only interested in my kidnapping…
Every time I went to talk about the Iraqi situation after I returned to Japan, I was scared. Some people would shout at me, “You are a terrorist! Go back to Iraq!” My family protected me but my mother strongly recommended to me, “After you finish writing your book, just go back to Jordan to start again. Help the Iraqi people. Don’t stop.” So I finished it and I came to Jordan, where I met my friends who visited me from Ramadi and Falluja. We started again.
NCCI: After major combat between armed Iraqi militias and Multi-National Coalition Forces in Iraq (MNF-I) escalated, some medical professionals in Anbar announced that they were witnessing rising rates of congenital birth defects, cancer, and other rare, chronic illnesses. Are there any detailed records in the hospitals of Ramadi and Falluja that illustrate these trends?
Nahoko: That’s the problem. No, there really aren’t. I am in contact with Doctor Samira, who is often in the media, speaking about concerns like this. She faces birth defects, deformities, and cancer daily at the hospital where she works in Falluja. But she doesn’t have any records… In Iraq, the patients keep the documentation. The patients may go to many different hospitals. It is often difficult to collect accurate, sufficient information from patients…the facilities don’t seem to have the capacity to create and maintain this documentation. This is one of the reasons why I respect the work of Chris Busby[1], and the whole group that published one of the most recent studies on these illness patterns in Anbar. The team visited around 700 families. They had to go to the patients’ homes to get this information, because it is not located in the hospitals.
NCCI: The Iraqi Ministry of Health rates Anbar as “high risk” for health issues. Access to and utilization of Anbar’s health facilities also rate among the worst of all eighteen Iraqi governorates. Can you describe the conditions of healthcare facilities that you have visited in Ramadi and Falluja?
Nahoko: Between Ramadi and Falluja, there are different situations... The Ramadi Maternity Hospital is big, with about 270 beds. In 2003, the hospital was very crowded with many doctors and nurses. But last year, there were few doctors and nurses. I could see that much of the equipment was gone… The director explained that in 2006, Ramadi city was occupied by the American army. The Ramadi Hospital and Ramadi University became American military bases. The American soldiers threw all of the equipment—blood pressure monitors, desks, medical tools, refrigerators…away. You can find the remains as garbage around the hospital…you can find wheelchairs, beds, and medical equipment. It’s all completely damaged.
Anbar University in Ramadi was severely damaged after the American forces militarily occupied it in for months in 2006.
They completely changed the buildings... They changed classrooms into bedrooms. They changed a hospital room into an internet communication station for the soldiers. Even the schools were occupied. When the Sahwa soldiers took control in 2007, the Americans left the occupied buildings, but there was already so much damage. The situation did get better—dramatically—after the Sahwa movement started. At that time, many doctors came back.
NCCI: But when you went to the Ramadi Hospital last year, in 2009, you saw less doctors than you had seen in 2003?
Nahoko: Much less, yes. Many of them have been assassinated, detained, or have taken refuge.
NCCI: How do the conditions in the Falluja General Hospital compare with the Ramadi hospital?
Nahoko: Falluja has a new general hospital. I have not visited it yet, but I saw it in a video of Dr.Samira’s and it seems so well-equipped... When the people of Ramadi visited the old Falluja General Hospital, they were so shocked. Even the old Falluja General Hospital seems quite better than the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital. There are good incubators, high standards of sanitation, and even bed sheets and pillow cases. More than ten Iraqi doctors from the new Falluja General Hospital came to Japan for medical training. But the Ramadi Hospital is miserable…
In the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital, basic supplies like scrubs are unsanitary (left) and facilities are ill-equipped (right).
NCCI: Can people from Ramadi come to the new Falluja General Hospital?
Nahoko: It’s not easy. A Ramadi citizen can sometimes enter Falluja by foot, but he cannot enter Falluja in his own car because he needs special registration that is very difficult to get. If some people from Ramadi made it into Falluja, they would definitely celebrate, “We went to Falluja! We went to Falluja!”
NCCI: How would you describe/rate humanitarian presence and response in Anbar’s health sector?
Nahoko: Falluja is famous, and it is relatively easy to get support and funds for projects in this city. If you compare Falluja with the situation in Ramadi… Very few people recognized the very critical situation in Ramadi, especially in 2006. Sometimes I explain it like this: “The media said that the massacres in Falluja in 2004 were ‘hidden massacres.’ But in Ramadi, it’s a completely unknown massacre. Nobody knows and nobody notices.”
I went to the Ramadi cemetery that was built in 2006…in an entire park for the massacre victims. In Falluja, the main cemetery for massacre victims from 2004 was in a football stadium. In the Ramadi cemetery, there were many, many tombs for children. They wouldn’t have identification. They would just say “baby.”
This tombstone simply reads “baby,” and is located in a cemetery built for victims of the 2006 Ramadi massacres. Credit to Takashi Morizumi.
But even in Falluja, where the situation is much better because there is more international concern and interest, they still need help. They need investigations. They need medical training.
NCCI: Are these alarming health patterns limited to Falluja and Ramadi, or is the problem more widespread?
Nahoko: I know one Japanese reporter who…went to the Mosul Hospital and she found many cases of deformities and infant mortality, much higher than usual. Sometimes I am in touch with a doctor in Kirkuk. He is always asking me, “What am I going to do? We have so many babies with congenital heart disease. I’m sure that the rate is increasing, but I don’t know why.”
Since the 2003 invasion, the rates of cancer, leukemia, infant mortality, and sexual mutations in many cities, including
Falluja and Ramadi, have increased alarmingly. These babies, born in the Ramadi Maternity and Children Hospital (left) and the
new Falluja General Hospital (right), are among many newborns with severe congenital birth defects and mutations.
NCCI: Since the 2003 invasion, human rights reports have suggested that the US and other coalition forces used White Phosphorous (WP), Depleted Uranium (DU), and other highly destructive weapons in Ramadi and Falluja particularly. The use of these weapons in densely populated, civilian areas is banned under international law. Have you seen any evidence supporting various claims that the American troops indiscriminately fired these types of lethal weapons against Iraqi civilians?
Nahoko: …When I went to Iraq for the first time, I saw the Japanese journalists always carrying Geiger counter devices to test and measure uranium traces[2]. In the government buildings, like the Ministry of Information, that were bombed in Baghdad, there was high radioactivity. In Samawah[3], a site where Japanese troops were based that I visited twice, we found high radioactivity. Last year, I visited a journalist’s house in Ramadi—Ali Al-Mashhadani—who is a Reuters correspondent. He has been detained by the American army eight times and his house was attacked by Apache aircraft twice. We measured unusually high levels of radioactivity in his house.
A Geiger counter shows 2-3 times the normal radiation level in an Iraqi building (left).
Iraqi reporter Ali Al-Mashhadani stands in his home, which has been severely damaged by Apache fire.
The site now emits dangerous levels of radioactivity (right.) Credit to Takashi Morizumi (left) and Rei Shiva (right).
NCCI: Did you also measure high traces of radioactivity in Ramadi and Falluja in your visits?
Nahoko: The measurements are…higher than average, but not like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I can’t be sure about the causes of these health problems, but I know what the Iraqi people think… They believe that the American army has used forbidden, illegal weapons in their cities. And there is real evidence from the Gulf War, in 1991, that the American forces previously used depleted uranium munitions in Iraq…
Most Iraqis don’t have the means to test the extent of radioactivity, so it’s impossible to really know what is safe. However, when the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF)—a part of the American-led coalition forces—were stationed in Iraq, they wore devices on their uniforms to constantly measure and monitor their exposure to uranium traces, especially in Samawah.
NCCI: Do you think that these entry restrictions have prevented the international community from launching an impartial investigation into the health phenomenon that emerged post-2003 US-led invasion?
Nahoko: I can’t say that directly, but it seems so and it feels so. I mean, why is Falluja under such a strong siege? Why is it under such strict control, even today? When I visited Falluja last year, it was very difficult to get permission to enter. It’s surrounded by checkpoints… Basically, only those who have IDs that are provided by the American army can enter. And only cars that get a number from the American army are allowed to enter. The Ramadi citizen can enter Falluja by foot, but he cannot enter Falluja in his own car because he needs special registration that is very difficult to get…Maybe the American army is afraid that an international will collect evidence of the pollution, uranium traces, and so on. But uranium remains almost forever. Its half-life is about 4.5 billion years.
The moment the atomic bombs were dropped [in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan], 100,000 died…In the following months, many people came to Hiroshima to search for survivors... But the radiation remained, invisible. These people were also exposed to it. So 65 years later, we there are still victims with leukemia and other types of cancer. It’s similar to Iraq, as people return months and years later. The uranium traces are still in the soil, water and air…
Since 1994, three years after the Gulf War (1990-1991), doctors from Iraq and Japan started to collect data on victims in Basra who were suffering from similar symptoms and illnesses as people in Ramadi and Falluja today. Now, there is more evidence suggesting that in combat, American troops used depleted uranium munitions in Basra and other regions of Iraq during the Gulf War. There is also more evidence indicating that this contamination coincides with the increasing rates of illness that these areas have experienced. As soon as possible, the international community needs to start investigating the causes of the more recent increases in illness rates in Ramadi, Falluja, Kirkuk, Mosul, and other places.
NCCI: Besides the factor of poor access to communities like Falluja, why do you think that the international community has not organized an impartial investigation to determine what factors are causing such an unprecedented rise in cancer and birth defect rates?
Nahoko: As someone from Japan, I think about how the activists in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been trying to inform the world about the victims of nuclear weapons. 65 years have passed. And we have only made one step. It is difficult to make the public care about these issues… Cluster bombs and other weapons are visible. Depleted uranium is invisible. It’s not easy for us to gather the evidence… It is even hard to convince some people that these weapons should be illegal, that they are inhumane. There are some scientists who strongly deny that depleted uranium has negative health impacts…They might say this because they want to support the American army for different reasons…
But the Pentagon clearly recognizes that depleted uranium is very harmful for American soldiers. This was hidden, top-secret information…until it was recently leaked. But the American soldiers come back to their own country. The local people have to remain in Iraq.
[1] Chris Busby is one co-author of the epidemiological study titled “Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Falluja, Iraq 2005–2009,” published in July 2010. The study involved a door-to-door survey of Falluja residents. The research team interviewed Fallujans about abnormally high rates of cancer and birth defects, and reported that cancer rates have increased in Falluja 38-fold since the 2003 US-led invasion. While the researchers could not provide conclusive evidence, they hypothesized that the American forces had used depleted uranium munitions in Falluja, resulting in regional genetic damage and thereby causing the alarming health patterns that have emerged in Falluja in the past seven years.
[2] A Geiger counter, also known as a Geiger-Müller counter, is a particle detector that can be used to detect whether an objects emits nuclear radiation.
[3] The city of Samawah is approximately 280 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. It is the capital of Muthanna governorate.
lundi 22 août 2011
Former NATO Chief General Wesley Clark (Video)
A MUST WATCH!
VIDEO in English and Arabic
Please click on:
http://wijhatnadhar-wijhatnadhar.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_2225.html
VIDEO in English and Arabic
Please click on:
http://wijhatnadhar-wijhatnadhar.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_2225.html
vendredi 19 août 2011
Hetty Bower - remarkable campaigner for peace and social justice
17 August 2011
Bernie Miller
United Kingdom
Hetty Bower, belying her 105 years, has been an inveterate opponent of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and an ever-present on all the Stop the War Coalition marches over the past ten years.
Hetty alongside Bianca Jagger, Tony Benn and Jeremy Corbyn MP at a protest in Downing Street in February 2008 against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By Bernie Miller
Camden New Journal
17 August 2011
Hetty Bower will be 106-years-old when she joins the Antiwar Mass Assembly in Trafalgar Square on 8 October, which will mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan and the 'war on terror'.
Hetty has marched on every Stop the War Coalition demonstration over the past ten years, at a pace that puts marchers a fraction of her age to shame, only complaining that we walk too slow!
She says that she plans to keep marching for peace as long as her legs hold out or until our political leaders stop waging unjustifed and immoral wars in other people's countries.
Hetty Bower - remarkable campaigner for peace
Tell Hetty Bower she's the stuff films or novels are made of and she'll reject the suggestion with incredulity.
Hetty has lived 105-plus years, most of that time campaigning for peace, democracy and human rights. She is widely known and respected in activist communities and spoke out again for peace at the annual Hiroshima Day Commemoration in Tavistock Square.
Yet she has never courted fame or publicity for herself – she actively avoids it, insisting: "I'm not important."
Given her age, she remains in amazingly good health. She draws inspiration and strength from other people, from an almost childlike delight in nature, an insatiable love of music and an image of how the future can be.
That image is often based on experiences from her past: having a suffragette older sister whose objective of votes for women was achieved; working for and then witnessing the election of the first Labour MPs to Parliament in 1922; supporting and co-ordinating refugees during the First World War; having a sister who worked in the legendary Finsbury Health Centre and then celebrating the introduction of the NHS; working in education at a time of expansion accompanied by marked reductions of inequality; delighting in the population of the UK being housed after the war; experiencing exemplary social services being created; the introduction of free higher education and universal maintenance grants.
Now she watches with dismay but never despair as the current government destroys all those advances, condemning Britain to a future worse than the past was, even during Hetty's childhood.
Accompanying Hetty on her various escapades over the course of a year is breathtaking. Such determination and dedication might paint a grim picture but Hetty loves good humour often laughing until she cries.
With most of her own generation dead, she is inspired by younger cross-generations: Tony Benn (80s), her own daughters (70s), comedian Mark Thomas (40s), Gill Hicks, who lost both legs in the July 7 bombings and now works ceaselessly for peace, and her new great-grandson.
Hetty loves speaking to her local primary school and recently joined forces with Gill Hicks to speak to teenagers at a nearby secondary school. The youngsters were spellbound, concentrated intently, asked insightful questions and emphasised how much she inspired them. It was mutual.
Hetty's efforts are bolstered by thinking she might play some small part in today's youth undertaking peace and democracy initiatives. Gill Hicks and local schoolchildren are eloquent testimony to her effectiveness.
Some may be born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them. Eschewing celebrity, modest Hetty remains unaware just how great she is and how strongly she motivates future generations.
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/united-kingdom/713-hetty-bower-remarkable-105-year-old-campaigner-for-peace-and-social-justice
lundi 15 août 2011
Reconciliation between Turkmen and Kurds in Iraq… Efforts are going nowhere.
The conversation about reconciliation between Turkmen and Kurds within the domain of a united Iraq and the possibility of achieving it seems to be impossible currently. Reconciliation usually occurs between opponents who disagree for subjective and objective reasons that led to divisions and disputes reaching sometimes to the level of hostility. We have to admit that there are neither deep disputes nor any kind of conflicts between Turkmen and Kurdish people but in fact it is a political dispute between the leaders of Kurdish parties over the rights of Turkmen in general.
As it is known the dispute over interests and visions can lead to conflicts and even to a direct or indirect confrontation. After long time, opponents might reach a state of what is called by politicians as (conflict maturity) and in summary it means that both sides soon discover that there is no use of continuing the dispute and there should be a constructive dialogue between them.
As an example, the agreement between Masoud Barazani and Saddam Hussein in the seventies, and the agreement which was about to occur between Barazani, Talabani and Saddam Hussein in 1990 if it wasn’t for the second Gulf war despite the disputes between Kurdish people and the central government at that time.
The case of Turkmen and Kurds seems to be different or it operates according to certain rules that make agreements between others possible but between them impossible.
The continuation of the crisis in political relations between Turkmen and Kurds, despite it differs in its intensity from time to time requires us to stop and look for the main reasons behind its nourishment and continuity.
Turkmen went through intellectual and doctrinal conflicts since the establishment of the Iraqi nation which neglected them. These conflicts threatened their existence and identity, and at times they were with Arabs and at other times with Kurds. Both Arabs and Kurds considered Turkmen to be the weakest side in the triangular construction of Iraq which is composed of Arab, Kurd and Turkmen, so sometimes they tried to embrace them and at other times they denied their rights.
Realizing this paradox and sensing the size of the crisis requires us to seek and analyse to reach a true reconciliation between Turkmen and Kurds. A reconciliation that has to start with similar Kurdish steps far from threats, violence, ignorance and attempts to impose a demographic change, as all those proved their failure over history. Kurdish strategic interests need to attract Turkmen more than others.
Reconciliation is a necessity but it requires political, intellectual and national efforts, but would the other side respond??? A question needs to be answered.
Ahmed Alhurmezi
Iraqi writer
dimanche 14 août 2011
Iran's Press: IDF to deploy 6 Drones in Northern Iraq
Report: IDF to deploy 6 drones in N. Iraq
Iran's Press-TV claims aircraft to be deployed in addition to intelligence agents and military consultants; Ahmadinejad: US and Israel wish to attack
The IDF has recently stepped up its operations in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region and is planning to deploy six unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence agents and military consultants in the region, Iran's Press-TV has reported.
According to the report, Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani has agreed to the concession in return for the admission of a number of Iraqi Kurd students to Israeli universities. Barzani has reportedly approved the deployment without the permission of the central government in Baghdad.
Four of the aircraft will be stationed at the Khalidiyah airbase in the northern oil city of Kirkuk and two others will go to the airport in the city of Mosul, the report claimed. It further stated that Israeli intelligence agents and military advisers, equipped with special transmission devices, are also being sent to train security forces in Mosul.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Israel and the US against launching a war on Iran.
Speaking to Russia Today news network, the Iranian leader said, "“They wish to do it, they want to do it, but they know about our power. They know that we are going to give them a decisive response."
According to Ahmadinejad, “We have a saying in our language: If someone throws a smaller stone (at you), you should respond with a bigger stone. We will defend ourselves within our capabilities."
Iran's Press-TV claims aircraft to be deployed in addition to intelligence agents and military consultants; Ahmadinejad: US and Israel wish to attack
Ynet
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The IDF has recently stepped up its operations in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region and is planning to deploy six unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence agents and military consultants in the region, Iran's Press-TV has reported.
According to the report, Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani has agreed to the concession in return for the admission of a number of Iraqi Kurd students to Israeli universities. Barzani has reportedly approved the deployment without the permission of the central government in Baghdad.
Four of the aircraft will be stationed at the Khalidiyah airbase in the northern oil city of Kirkuk and two others will go to the airport in the city of Mosul, the report claimed. It further stated that Israeli intelligence agents and military advisers, equipped with special transmission devices, are also being sent to train security forces in Mosul.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned Israel and the US against launching a war on Iran.
Speaking to Russia Today news network, the Iranian leader said, "“They wish to do it, they want to do it, but they know about our power. They know that we are going to give them a decisive response."
According to Ahmadinejad, “We have a saying in our language: If someone throws a smaller stone (at you), you should respond with a bigger stone. We will defend ourselves within our capabilities."
Irak’ta Türkmen Siyaseti Yükseliyor
Irak’ta Türkmen Siyaseti Yükseliyor
2010 seçimlerine kadar Irak siyasetinde etkili olmayan ve Irak’ın yeniden yapılandırılması sürecinde saf dışı bırakılan Türkmenler önemli adımlar atmaya başladı. Özellikle Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin yeni yönetiminin oluşmasının ardından Türkmen siyasetinde gözle görülür bir yükseliş söz konusu. Irak’ta 7 Mart 2010’da yapılan genel seçimlerin ardından 10 milletvekili ve 3 bakanlık elde eden Türkmenler, adeta küllerinde doğmuş gibi gözüküyor. Irak’taki siyasi kamplaşma ve devlet içerisindeki yozlaşmadan belki de en çok etkilenen taraf olan Türkmenler, özellikle Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin yaptığı son hamlelerle sesini duyurmayı başardı. Suriye’den Irak’a döndüğü günden itibaren önce Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin Kerkük İl Sorumlusu olarak, daha sonra da milletvekili seçilmesiyle parlamentodaki çalışmalarıyla son dönemde Türkmen siyasetinin en fazla ön plana çıkan ve Mayıs ayında Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı olan Erşat Salihi önderliğinde, Türkmenler Irak siyasetinde rol almaya başladı. Yeniden bir yapılanma içerisine giren Irak Türkmen Cephesi, hem yönetim yapısında hem de politika stratejisinde değişikliğe gitmiş görünüyor.
Öncelikle Türkmen siyasetinin önde gelen ve bulundukları mevkilerde önemli işlere imza atan Ali Haşim Muhtaroğlu, Ali Mehdi, Hasan Turan gibi isimleri bir araya getiren Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin yeni yönetimi, tüm Irak’ta siyasete yöneldi. Uzun süredir çekişme yaşadığı Kürt gruplarla dahi temel ilkelerden vazgeçmeden görüşebilir duruma gelen Irak Türkmen Cephesi, bunun ilk meyvesini daha önceden yasayla elde ettikleri bir hak olan Kerkük İl Meclisi Başkanlığına Hasan Turan’ı taşıyarak aldı. ABD’nin Irak’a müdahale ettiği 2003’ten Kürt Bölgesel Yönetiminin kontrolündeki Erbil’de resmi faaliyetlerini durduran Irak Türkmen Cephesi, Erbil’deki bürosunu yeniden açmak için başvuruda bulundu. Bu başvuru, Kürt Bölgesel Yönetiminin insafına kalan Erbil, Süleymaniye ve Duhok’ta yaşayan Türkmenler arasında olumlu bir hava yaratmış gibi görünüyor. Zira Temmuz ayının ikinci yarısında Irak Türkmen Cephesi tarafından Erbil ve Süleymaniye’de yapılan seminerlerin büyük ilgi gördüğü biliniyor. Ayrıca Irak Türkmen Cephesi Yürütme Kurulu Üyesi Aydın Maruf, KYB’nin Süleymaniye Bürosunu da ziyaret etti. Bu ziyaretle aynı gün Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı Erşat Salihi de KYB Başkanı Celal Talabani ile görüştü. Öte yandan Kürdistan Muhafazakâr Partisi resmi bir davet göndererek, Irak Türkmen Cephesi’ni ikinci kongresine davet etti. 2010’un Aralık ayında da KDP resmi bir davetle Irak Türkmen Cephesini kongresine davet etmişti.
Ayrıca Erbil, Türkmenlerin en yoğun olarak yaşadığı vilayetlerden başında geliyor. Hatta Erbil’deki Türkmen nüfusunun Kerkük’teki Türkmen nüfusuyla yarışabileceği söyleniyor. Ancak Kürt Bölgesel Yönetiminin siyasi ve sosyal yapısı dikkate alındığında şimdiye kadar bu bölgede yaşayan Türkmenlerin kimliklerini ifade etmede sıkıntı yaşadıkları biliniyor. Ancak Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin yeniden Erbil’e dönmesi Türkmen siyaseti adına dengeleri değiştirebilecek önemli bir adım olarak yorumlanabilir. Bu Irak’ta Türkmenlerin siyasette daha fazla seslerini duyurması açısından önemli.
Diğer taraftan Irak Türkmen Cephesi, Irak’ın güneyinde de yeni bürolar açıyor. Bilindiği gibi Irak’ta yaşayan Türkmenler arasında Sünni mezhebine bağlı olanlar kadar Şiiler de var. Her ne kadar Türkmenler arasından Şii-Sünni ayrımı yapılmasa da Irak’ta yaşanan mezhepsel gerginliğin Türkmenleri de etkilediği biliniyor. Şimdi durum düzelmiş olsa da Telafer’de yaşananlar halen hafızalarda. Ama Türkmenler yeniden birliklerini sağlayarak, Irak’a ders verir nitelikte bir tutum sergiledi. Irak Türkmen Cephesi daha kapsayıcı bir politika yürüterek, Necef’te de bir büro açtı ve hatta Necef’teki medreselerde eğitim gören 100’den fazla Türkmen gencinin barınması için 40 kişilik bir yurt oluşturuldu. Ayrıca Iraklı büyük Şii siyasi gruplarla da ilişkiler geliştirilmeye çalışılıyor. 12 Temmuz’da Irak Türkmen Cephesi Yönetim Kurulu Üyesi ve Kerkük İl Meclisi Başkanı Hasan Turan, Irak İslam Yüksek Konseyi Başkanı Ammar El-Hekim’i ziyaret ederek, hem Kerkük hem Türkmenlerin anayasal hakları konusunda destek istedi. 2003’ten sonra Şii grupların Irak siyasetindeki ağırlığı göz önünde bulundurulduğunda Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin Şii gruplarla da ilişkilerini geliştirmesi, Türkmenler Irak siyasetinde önemli bir yapı taşı haline getirebilir. Zira Irak’taki Şii etkisi dikkate alındığında İran faktörünü göz ardı etmemek gerekiyor. Bu kapsamda 13 Temmuz’da Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı Erşat Salihi ve beraberindeki heyetin İran ziyareti oldukça önemli. Bu ziyaret sadece Irak’taki Şiilerin desteğinin alınması açısında önemli değil. Irak Türkmen Cephesinin vizyonunu geliştirmesi açısından da önem taşıyor. Zira önümüzdeki dönemde Irak Türkmen Cephesi’nin diğer Irak’a komşu ülkeleri de ziyaret edeceğinin açıklanması, Türkmenlerin hedeflerini büyüttüğünü gösteriyor.
Irak Türkmen Cephesi tarafından atılan bu adımlar, Türkmen siyaseti açısından ilerisi için umut veriyor. Ayrıca Irak siyasetinde son dönemde elde edilen kazanımlar ve yapılan siyasi hamleler doğrultusunda elde edilen sonuçlar da Türkmenlerin önümüzdeki dönemde Irak siyasetinde daha etkili olabileceğini gösterir nitelikte. Bu noktada özellikle birkaç konuyu dile getirmekte fayda var. Öncelikle Irak Dışişleri Bakanlığı’nın internet sitesindeki Irak tanıtım bölümünde ülkede yaşayan nüfusa ilişkin verilen bilgilerde Türkmenlerin yer almadığının ortaya çıkmasının ardından, Türkmen milletvekillerinin yoğun çabası sonucu bu verilerin kaldırılması verilerin kaldırılmasına rağmen olayın arkasından gidilerek, Dışişleri Bakanlığından Türkmen halkından özür dilenmesinin istenmesi de önemli. Diğer taraftan Kerkük’teki kaçırma olaylarına ilişkin ilk adım da Irak Türkmen Cephesinden atıldı. 27 Temmuz’da Irak Türkmen Cephesi Başkanı ve Kerkük Milletvekili Erşat Salihi, parlamentodaki Türkmen milletvekilleri adına parlamentoya bir nota sundu. Notada, parlamentodan şanına layık bir tutum sergilemesi, bu olayların parlamentoda konuşulması ve Kerkük’teki olayların anlaşılması için parlamentodan bir heyetin bu şehri ziyaret edip olayları araştırması talep edildi. Notanın ardından parlamentoda bir araştırma heyetinin kurulması sağlandı. Bu örnekler siyasi olarak Irak’ta çok büyük etkiler doğurmasa da Türkmen siyaseti açısından önemli adımlar. Türkmenler Kerkük’le ilgili yerel seçimler yasasının 23. Maddesinin çıkarılmasından sonra belki de ilk kez Irak siyasetinde etkili olmayı başarabildi. Ancak burada altının çizilmesi gereken bir nokta var. Yazılanlar Türkmen siyasetinde her şeyi toz pembe göstermemeli. Büyük adımlar büyük sorumlulukları da beraberinde getirir. Önemli olan atılan adımların sonuç alıcı noktalara ulaşması. Zira Türkmen halkının siyasetçilerinden beklentileri büyük. Özellikle son dönemde bu beklentilerin daha da yükseldiği görülüyor. Bu noktada Türkmen siyasetçilerin halkın önceliklerini de dikkate alması ve buna göre davranması gerektiği söylenmeli. Yoksa Irak’taki kaygan zemin, rayına oturmaya başlayan Türkmen siyasetini de yeniden alt üst edebilir.
Bilgay DUMAN
ORSAM Ortadoğu Uzmanı
samedi 13 août 2011
vendredi 12 août 2011
الحقيقة الغائبة منذُ واحد وعشرين عاما ! خلفيات أعادة الكويت للعراق
الحقيقة الغائبة منذُ واحد وعشرين عاما ! خلفيات أعادة الكويت للعراق
رد ساحق وموثق على كل من يتطاول على حقوق العراق
كتابات - رافد العزاوي
تحية طيبة لكل القراء وكل عام وانتم بالف خير
الاجحاف في ترسيم حدود العراق مع الكويت
الاجحاف في ترسيم حدود العراق مع الكويت
وجدي أنور مردان
دبلوماسي عراقي سابق
نشر السيد محمد الرميحي في جريدة الشرق الاوسط بتاريخ 30 تموز يوليو 2011، مقالا بعنوان "الكويت والعراق الشيطان في التفاصيل" سعدنا جدا لسماع صوت العقل والحكمة من شقيقنا الكويتي، ونادرا ما نسمع مثلها في الجعجعة والصخب التي تلف منطقتنا في هذه الايام البائسة. في هذا المقال نود ان نوضح بعض الحقائق ليطلع عليها المنصفون وبنفس منهجية السيد محمد الرميحي
بعد أجتياح العراق للكويت في 2 آب 1990 والعدوان العسكري الثلاثيني على العراق عام 1991، أعتمد مجلس الامن القرار المرقم 687 (1991)، الذي يعد أقسى قرار يصدر بحق دولة عضو في المنظمة الدولية. أن ما يهمنا من هذا القرار لأغراض هذا المقال، هو القسم (ألف) منه و الذي نص على أجراءات ترسيم الحدود الدولية بين العراق والكويت
فبعد أن أشار القرار في ديباجته الى الحدود المبينة في رسالة رئيس وزراء العراق المؤرخة في 21 تموز/يوليو 1932 والتي وافق عليها حاكم الكويت في رسالته المؤرخة في 10 آب/أغسطس 1932، نص في فقراته العاملة على مايلي
2- يطالب بأن يحترم العراق والكويت حرمة الحدود الدولية وتخصيص الجزر، على النحو المحدد في "المحضر المتفق عليه بين دولة الكويت والجمهورية العراقية بشان استعادة العلاقات الودية والاعتراف والأمور ذات العلاقة"، الذي وقعاه، ممارسة منهما لسيادتهما، في بغداد في 4 تشرين الأول/أكتوبر 1963؛ وسجل لدى الأمم المتحدة؛
3- يطلب إلى الأمين العام أن يساعد في اتخاذ الترتيبات اللازمة مع العراق والكويت لتخطيط الحدود بين العراق والكويت، مستعينا بالمواد المناسبة، بما فيها الخرائط المرفقة بالرسالة المؤرخة 28 آذار/مارس 1991 الموجهة إليه من الممثل الدائم للمملكة المتحدة لبريطانيا العظمى وايرلندا الشمالية لدى الأمم المتحدة، وأن يقدم إلى مجلس الأمن تقريرا عن ذلك في غضون شهر واحد؛
4- يقرر أن يضمن حرمة الحدود الدولية المذكور أعلاه وأن يتخذ جميع التدابير اللازمة حسب الاقتضاء لتحقيق هذه الغاية وفقا لميثاق الأمم المتحدة؛
وفيما يلي مقتطفات من موقف العراق بشأن هذه المسألة الحيوية، قدمه الى الامين العام للامم المتحدة خلال الجولة الاولى من الحوار الذي جرى بين وفد العراق والامين العام للامم المتحدة للفترة 26-27 شبط، فبراير 2001 (كان لكاتب المقال شرف المساهمة فيها). نضعه أمام العراقيين والكويتيين الشرفاء للاطلاع على مدى الاجحاف والظلم الذي الحقته الامم المتحدة بالعراق وشعبه، في سلسلة لم تنقطع من المظالم والاجحافات،. أن حقوق العراق التاريخية في أرضه و مياهه الاقليمية حق ثابت لشعب العراق لايمكن لمجلس الامن أو أية قوة، مهما تعددت اوصافها أو مسمياتها، ان تتلاعب به اوتتصرف فيه. لأن حق الارض غير قابل للتصرف وأن الحاق الضرر بالعراق بهذا الشكل المجحف ليس من مصلحة الكويت وشعبه الشقيق ولا يساهم في تعزيز الامن و الاستقرار في المنطقة، وأنما قنبلة موقوته قد يفجرها المتربصون والحاقدون متى ما شاؤوا. أننا بهذا لانريد نكأ الجراح وانما ندعوا الى العودة الى العقل والمنطق ونطلب من المسؤولين في كلا الطرفين ان يضعوا المصلحة الوطنية العراقية والكويتية في حساباتهم انطلاقا من روابط الاخوة والجوار والامن المتبادل وأن يعيدوا الحق الى أهله، لكي يكون اساسا متينا للعلاقات العراقية والكويتية وطي آثار الماضي
لقد تعامل مجلس الأمن مع مسألة الحدود بموجب الفصل السابع من الميثاق مسجلاً بذلك سابقة غير معروفة حتى الآن. ولهذا السبب، صوتت كوبا ضد القرار 687 (1991) فيما امتنعت الاكوادور واليمن عن التصويت
ومما ينبغي استذكاره في البداية ان مجلس الأمن كان قد طالب العراق والكويت في القرار660 (1990) "بالبدء فوراً باجراء مفاوضات مكثفة لحل خلافاتهما"، التي من بينها يعد حل المسألة الحدودية الاكثر أهمية. وبموجب الاحكام المذكورة آنفا، اعتمد مجلس الأمن اجراء مغايراً تماماً ألحق بموجبه اجحافا كبيرا بالعراق. عندما حشر نفسه من غير سابقة في مسألة الحدود بين العراق والكويت من خلال القسم (أ) من القرار 687 لا من خلال فرض "صيغة التحديد" فقط وانما ايضاَ بفرض "اسس" و "اسلوب" رسم الحدود
وبالنسبة لاسس رسم الحدود، فرض مجلس الأمن مصادر لذلك من خلال استخدام تعبير "مادة مناسبة" مدرجاً ضمنها خارطة بريطانية مرسومة في عام 1989-1990 من قبل مدير عام المساحة العسكرية في المملكة المتحدة وقد تم تداولها كوثيقة من وثائق مجلس الأمن بناءً على طلب الممثل الدائم للمملكة المتحدة لدى الامم المتحدة في رسالته المؤرخة 28/آذار/1991، أي بعبارة أخرى قبل خمسة ايام من اعتماد القرار 687 (1991
وفي ما يتعلق "باسلوب" ترسيم الحدود دعا مجلس الأمن الامين العام للأمم المتحدة في الفقرة 3 من القرار 687 (1991)" الى "تقديم مساعدته في اجراء التدابير مع العراق والكويت لترسيم الحدود بينهما" طبقاً لاسس ترسيم الحدود التي فرضها، وتقديم تقرير الى مجلس الأمن بذلك في غضون شهر واحد
قدم المستشار القانوني للامم المتحدة مشروع التقرير الذي اعده الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة الى الممثل العراق الدائم لدى الامم المتحدة في نيويورك في 17/نيسان/1991. وقد قدم العراق من جانبه، ملاحظاته على هذا المشروع في الرسالة التي بعث بها بتاريخ 23/نيسان/ وزير خارجية العراق الاسبق الى الامين العام للامم المتحدة (الوثيقة أس/22558 (1991
يمكن ايجاز ملاحظات العراق التي ثبتت في الرسالة المشار اليها، على النحو الآتي:
-عدم توفر أي اساس قانوني لاعتبار مجلس الأمن الخارطة المشار اليها في القرار 687 اساساً لترسيم الحدود بسبب عدم اشراك العراق في رسمها وعدم اعترافه او اقراره بها بأي شكل من الأشكال. وعليه فأن ادراج مجلس الأمن هذه الخارطة في المادة المناسبة لاغراض ترسيم الحدود كان يعني حكماً جرى تصوره سلفاً بشأن مسار خط الحدود على الأرض وقبل المباشرة بعملية الترسيم
- اقترح الامين العام للأمم المتحدة ان تتألف لجنة ترسيم الحدود من خمسة اعضاء، منهم اثنان يمثلان العراق والكويت وثلاثة خبراء مستقلين يختارهم الامين العام للامم المتحدة الذي يعين احدهم رئيساً للجنة، وان تتخذ قرارات اللجنة على اساس اصوات الاغلبية وان تكون هذه القرارات نهائية، وان تكون اللجنة مسؤولة امام الامين العام. وقد لاحظ العراق ان تلك المقترحات لا توفر التوازن التام بين الاراء التي قد تعتمد من قبل كل طرف من الاطراف خلال عملية الترسيم، وانه طالما لا يكون له أي دور في اختيار الخبراء فانه لن يكون قادراً على التأكيد مسبقاً على حقيقة استقلالهما. ومن هنا فان رأيه في سياق عملية الترسيم سيمثل من قبل عضو واحد فقط من أصل خمسة أعضاء
- أضافة الى ما نص عليه القرار 687 (1991) بشأن الاساس الذي تعتمد عليه عملية ترسيم الحدود، قدم الامين العام للامم المتحدة اسساً أخرى تم التعبير عنها بطريقة غامضة وغير مقررة من قبل اللجنة، مثل أن تستفيد من "التكنولوجيا المناسبة" و "ستتخذ التدابير الضرورية لتحديد وفحص المادة المناسبة ذات الصلة بعملية ترسيم الحدود"
الحدود البرية
في ما يتعلق بالحدود البرية اعتمدت اللجنة اثناء جلستها الثانية التي عقدت في جنيف للفترة من 2-12/تموز/1991 عدداً من القرارات الحاسمة منها قرارات جوهرية واخرى فنية والتي حسمت من خلالها الأسس الجوهرية لمسار الحدود البرية. وكان احد القرارات الجوهرية الأكثر أهمية التي اتخذتها اللجنة ذلك القرار المتعلق بإنشاء منعطف في صفوان وهي نقطة تسيطر على مجمل مسار الحدود في الشمال وفي الاتجاه نحو الشرق
وبعد اعتماد اللجنة لقراراتها في ما يتعلق بالمسائل الجوهرية لترسيم الحدود البرية والمعيار الفني لعملية الترسيم والإجراءات الفنية التي ستنفذ في الميدان، واصل الخبراء تنفيذ تلك القرارات التي كان من بينها التحقيق بشأن نقطة انعطاف مسار الحدود في صفوان. لقد قام الخبيران المحايدان بتحري الموقع بطريقة تتعارض صراحة مع جوهر قرار اللجنة المؤرخ 11 تموز/1991 الذي طالب الخبراء بأجراء تحقيقات وجمع المعلومات الضرورية لتمكين اللجنة من اتخاذ قرارها الدقيق بشأن الحدود الشمالية. وقد ظهر أثناء الجلسة الخامسة للجنة ان ممثل الكويت وخبراءه رافقوا الخبراء المحايدين في تحقيقاتهم في منطقة صفوان بخلاف قرار اللجنة، وان هؤلاء الخبراء قد اعتمدوا على رأي الخبراء الكويتيين في تقرير وضع نقطة الانعطاف إضافة الى المصادر البريطانية
وهكذا، فقد شارك ممثلو السلطات الكويتية، على الرغم من حقيقة انهم يمثلون طرفاً له مصلحة مباشرة في هذه المسألة، في عمل ميداني كلف الخبراء بتنفيذه فقط، علما بان قرار اللجنة لم يخول أي شخص بالسير على وفق هذه الخطوط
وهكذا توصلت لجنة ترسيم الحدود الى قراراتها النهائية بشأن الحدود البرية في جلستها الخامسة المنعقدة في نيويورك للفترة من 8-16/نيسان/1992، اعتمادا على خرائط بريطانية رسمت عام 1991 ومشاركة ممثل الكويت في عمل ميداني مع الخبراء، واستبعاد ممثل العراق، الامر الذي شكل تناقضا مع مبدأ حسن النية
الحدود البحرية
أما بالنسبة لترسيم الحدود البحرية فقد ناقشت اللجنة هذه المسألة في جلستها الثالثة المنعقدة في جنيف للفترة من 12-17آب/1991. وخلال النقاش عبر رئيس اللجنة السيد مختار كوسوما أتماجا (اندونيسيا) عن وجهة نظره بأنه وفي ضوء طبيعة ومدى تفويض اللجنة فانه سيكون من الصعب التعامل مع ترسيم الحدود البحرية. وكان هذا يُعزوا الى ان التفويض المذكور لم يخول اللجنة التعامل مع مسار الحدود في ما وراء نقطة ارتباط خور الزبير مع خور عبد الله (أي بعبارة أخرى، ما وراء تلك النقطة حتى البحر) ما لم توافق الأطراف على غير ذلك وان اللجنة لم يكن بمقدورها توسيع حدود تفويضها على مسؤوليتها الخاصة. وقد عبر الخبيران المحايدان عن تفهمهما لرئيس اللجنة. (لمزيد من التفاصيل، أنظر محاضر عمل اللجنة في الوثائق (IKBDC Mln 19,40,49)
وخلال الجلسة الرابعة للجنة المنعقدة في نيويورك للفترة من 7-16/تشرين الأول/1991، طلب ممثل الكويت منحه الفرصة للإدلاء بتصريح بشأن القسم البحري من الحدود خلال الجلسة القادمة للجنة. وقد قررت اللجنة تأييد الطلب على أساس قواعده الإجرائية. وعندما ادلى ممثل الكويت بتصريحه خلال الجلسة الخامسة للجنة المنعقدة في نيويورك للفترة من 8-16/نيسان/1992 ناقش تفويض اللجنة وخلص الى القول بأن هذا التفويض يشتمل على ترسيم الحدود البحرية. وبدلاً من الإعلان عن اختتام عمل اللجنة حول هذه المسألة بالموقف الذي اعتمده رئيسها والخبيران المحايدان خلال الجلسة الثالثة للجنة والمشار اليه آنفاً اختار رئيس اللجنة الصمت
وخلال الجلسة السادسة لعمل اللجنة المنعقدة في نيويورك للفترة من 15-24/تموز/1992، أدرجت السكرتارية مجدداً في مشروع جدول الاعمال فقرة حول مناقشة مسألة القسم البحري من الحدود. وقد دار نقاش ساخن حول هذه المسألة خلال الجلسة بين ممثل الكويت ومستشاريه من جهة ورئيس اللجنة من جهة أخرى. وكان سبب ذلك هو الضغط الكويتي على رئيس اللجنة والخبيرين المحايدين بغية حملهم على تبني موقف الكويت في ما يخص ترسيم الحدود البحرية. وفي الحقيقة، لم يتردد رئيس اللجنة في الكشف عن حقائق ساطعة حول اعمال الضغط على عمل اللجنة والتدخل فيه التي لجأ الى ممارستها مساعد المستشار القانوني لسكرتارية الامم المتحدة. (لمزيد من التفاصيل انظر الوثيقة IKBDC/Mln.51.PP 1-11
اصدرت اللجنة بياناً صحفياً يوم 24/تموز/1992 لوحظ فيه ان النتيجة النهائية للجلسة السادسة هي "اجراء مزيد من التحري في القسم الخاص بخور عبد الله ومناقشته في جلسة أخرى تعقد لهذا الغرض في تشرين الاول". ومما تجدر ملاحظته ان البيان الصحفي تضمن توضيحات تبين بأن قرارات اللجنة المتعلقة بترسيم الحدود البرية لم تقتطع ام قصر وحقول نفط واراضي من العراق. كما اوضحت وللمرة الاولى "ان لجنة الحدود ليست بصدد اعادة توزيع الاراضي بين الكويت والعراق وانما هي تضطلع ببساطة بمهمة فنية ضرورية لترسيم الاحداثيات المضبوطة للحدود الدولية بين الكويت والعراق للمرة الاولى"
بتاريخ12، آب، أغسطس 1992 وجهة الامين العام للامم المتحدة رسالة الى رئيس مجلس الأمن ارفق بها "التقرير الآخير" للجنة الذي انجزته خلال جلستها السادسة.وفي ما يتعلق بالحدود البحرية اوضحت الرسالة: "بقدر تعلق الامر بالحدود القريبة من الساحل فان المجلس قد يرغب في تشجيع اللجنة على ترسيم ذلك الجزء من الحدود بأسرع وقت ممكن لتستكمل بذلك عملها". وقد وردت هذه الاشارة رغم حقيقة ان السكرتارية كانت تعلم تماماً بان اللجنة لم تكن قد قررت بعد في حينه، وعلى اساس تفويضها ما اذا كانت مخولة بترسيم الحدود البحرية، وعلى الرغم من حقيقة ان موقف رئيس اللجنة كان واضحاً بالنسبة للامين العام… وهوتقديم استقالته في حالة فرض مسألة ترسيم الحدود البحرية على اللجنة. وفي ضوء رسالة الامين العام للامم المتحدة، بصرف النظر عن وجهات النظر والاراء المغايرة في اللجنة ورئيسها، تصرف مجلس الأمن بسرعة في اعتماد القرار 833 (1992) الذي رحبت الفقرة 3 منه بـ "بعمل اللجنة على الجزء البري من الحدود وكذلك في خور عبدالله أو القطاع البحري من الحدود " وحث الامين العام في فقرة الاخيرة من ديباجة القرار، اللجنة " اتخاذ الترتيبات اللازمة لصيانة التعيين المادي لحدود ووضع ترتيبات تقنية اخرى بين العراق والكويت لهذا الغرض أي لترسيم هذا الجزء من الحدود باسرع وقت ممكن لتستكمل بذلك عملها" ولم تنجز اللجنة عملها. خلافاً للتفويض الممنوح لها كما حدده مجلس الأمن نفسه في القرار 687 (1991)
الامر الذي حدا برئيس اللجنة السيد مختار كوسوما الى الاستقالة من رئاسة اللجنة في رسالته الموجهة الى الامين العام للامم المتحدة في 4/تشرين الثاني/1992 ورسالته المفصلة المؤرخة 6/تشرين الثاني/1992 الموجهة الى المستشار القانوني للامم المتحدة. وقد اشارالسيد مختار الى أن الاستقالة كانت لسببين اولهما "شخصي" اما الثاني فهو، بحسب ما جاء في نص الرسالة، (لقد تكونت لديّ منذ بعض الوقت تحفظات بشأن شروط الرجوع الى اللجنة". وقد اثرت في مناسبات عدة مع المستشار القانوني، بعض النواحي الخاصة بشروط الرجوع الى اللجنة وكيف انه جلب الانتباه الى أن "الحدود في القسم البحري (خور عبد الله) لم يشر اليها بدقة في وصف الحدود كما تضمنه تبادل الرسائل لعام 1932، ولذلك فأن تعيين الحدود كان غير متاح للجنة والتي يمكن ان تتم على أساسه عملية ترسيم هذا الجزء من الحدود". كما كشف السيد مختار كيف ان المستشار القانوني أوضح له في نيسان 1992 ان "أي تغيير في تفويض اللجنة من جانب مجلس الأمن هو خارج حدود هذه المسألة ونظراً لادراكي انه من الصعب بالنسبة لي تغيير الشروط الحالية للرجوع الى اللجنة، ولاسباب أخرى شخصية لم يعد لي أي خيار آخر غير تقديم استقالتي)
وبعد استقالة رئيس اللجنة عين السيد نيكولاس فالتيكوس (اليونان) رئيساً لها، ففي الجلسة السادسة للجنة في جنيف للفترة من 14-16/كانون الثاني/1992، اتخذت اللجنة خلالها قراراً سريعاً يفيد، بان المبدأ الجوهري الذي يحكم عملية ترسيم الحدود في خور عبد الله ينبغي ان يكون الخط المار في الوسط مما يفهم منه أن هدف وغرض تسوية الحدود هو تسهيل مرور الملاحة لكلا الطرفين
ان التدخل في عمل اللجنة والضغوط غير القانونية التي مورست عليها قد ادى الى نتيجة تثير عدداً من التساؤلات القانونية، التي يمكن إيجازها بالآتي
1- ان صيغة تعيين الحدود التي اعتمدها مجلس الأمن كأساس لترسيم الحدود في القرار 687 (1991)، والتي تم التوسع فيها في تقرير الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة الذي قدمه طبقاً للفقرة 3 من القرار المذكور، لا تتضمن اية اشارة لوصف الحدود في خور عبد الله. وعلى هذا الاساس فأنه من المستحيل الاعتماد على تلك الصيغة في اية عملية ترسيم للحدود من النوع الذي قامت به اللجنة لأن الترسيم ينبغي ان يعتمد على وصف للحدود، أي بعبارة أخرى تعيين للحدود متفق عليه من جانب الأطراف المعنية.
2- ان منطقة خور عبد الله لا يمكن ان تكون من نفس طبيعة المياه البحرية الإقليمية على أساس عملية تعيين الحدود التي اقرها القرار 687 (1991) بغية التمكين من تطبيق قواعد قانون البحار في تقسيم المناطق البحرية بين الدول التي تمتلك سواحل متقابلة أو متجاور
3- ان العراق يمتلك حقوقاً تاريخية في منطقة خور عبد الله التي لم تمارس فيها الكويت عمليات ملاحية ذات معنى، وعليه فأن المنطقة، كما جرى التنويه عنها في الفقرة 3 آنفاً، تقع خارج اطار تطبيق قاعدة الخط المار في الوسط طبقاً لأتفاقية قانون البحار لعام 1982. لقد انفق العراق على مدى عقود من الزمن ملايين الدولارات على عمليات كري وتوسيع وصيانة طرق الملاحة والقنوات الرئيسية والثانوية التي تؤدي الى خور عبد الله وتمر من خلاله، واقامة الموانيء والمراسي في المنطقة من اجل ضمان تدفق تجارته في البحر. ان فرض الحدود في خور عبد الله بالطريقة التي مارستها اللجنة قد شكل انكاراً خطيراً لحق العراق التاريخي في التمتع بمنفذ حر الى البحر من خلال عمليات ملاحية آمنة وغير مقيدة في خور عبد الله والى الحد الذي يصبح معه العراق عملياً دولة برية مغلقة
4- ان صلاحيات مجلس الأمن ووظائفه بموجب الميثاق لا تمنحه الحق في فرض عملية تعيين حدود على دولة عضو وذلك لان هذه الصلاحية تخضع بموجب القانون الدولي لقاعدة الاتفاق بين الدول ذات العلاقة
ان هذه المسألة لا تتعلق من وجهة نظر قانونية دقيقة بالقضايا التي تخص صيانة السلم والامن الدوليين والتي تقع ضمن صلاحيات المجلس. وعليه فأن مجلس الأمن قد تصرف خارج اطار صلاحياته في هذه القضية، أي بعبارة أخرى خارج حدود وظائفه وصلاحياته بموجب الميثاق والحق اجحافا كبيرا بحق العراق في أرضه و مياهه. وتأسيسا على ما تقدم فان قرار مجلس الامن المرقم 833 باطل من الاساس يفتقر الى الشرعية القانونية وانه اعتمد وفرض على العراق فرضا لأسباب سياسية معروفة اي باكراه وهذا المبدا باطل في القانون
أن المسوغ الذي ساقه السيد محمد الرميحي خلف بناء ميناء مبارك الكبير غير مقنع، اذ ذكر ان أحد الاسباب هو الزيادة السكانية للكويت وتشغيل الايادي العاملة الكويتية والمعروف ان الايدي العاملة في الكويت هي عمالة اجنبية وصل عددهم حوالي 3 ملايين نسمة في حين ان عدد سكان الكويت لايتجاوز مليون نسمة يسكنون في ارض مساحتها 17818 كيلو متر مربع وان نسبة الزيادة السكانية في الكويت هي الادنى من بين الدول العربية.ان لم يكن الهدف من انشاء هذا الميناء هدف سياسي محظ فليس هناك اي اعتراض ان تبني الكويت على جزيرة بوبيان مصانع تصنيع الطائرات او تجميع السيارات او جعلها سليكون فالي وتشغيل الايدي العاملة الكويتية الماهرة فيها
أن اصرار الاخوة الكويتيين بالحاق المزيد من الاجحاف والاذى بالعراق وشعبه ليس من مصلحة الكويت ولا من مصلحة العراق والخليج العربي عموما. ندعوا العقلاء واصحاب المنطق السليم من الكويتتين اعادة النظر بما يبيتون للعراق وشعبه وعدم التمادي في نكأ الجراح ونثر الملح عليها
نعم ايها الاستاذ الكريم الشيطان يكمن في التفاصيل
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ملاحظة: ارسل المقال الى جريدة الشرق الاوسط بتاريخ 30 تموز 2011 ولم تنشره الجريدة التي تدعي احترام حرية الراي والراي الاخر
رابط مقال السيد محمد الرميحي
http://www.aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&article=633385&issueno=11932
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الثلاثاء 9 رمضان 1432 / 9 آب 2011
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كاظم فنجان الحمامي
كاظم فنجان الحمامي
ذكرتني مقالة الكاتب الكويتي (فهيد البصيري) بنكتة قديمة عن فشل المحاولات الإيرانية لتخليص اللغة الفارسية من الألفاظ والمفردات العربية المتأصلة فيه، والعودة بها إلى اللهجات الزرادشتية والساسانية، تقول النكتة أن آخر هذه المحاولات اللغوية كانت بإشراف شاهنشاه إيران وبرعايته، عندما قام بتشكيل لجنة شاهنشاهية لهذا الغرض، كان اسمها باللغة الفارسية: (جمعية تخليص لغات فارس آز مصطلحات وكلمات عربي
وانيطت مسئولية رئاستها بأشهر علماء اللغة الفارسية في عصره، فوقع على قفاه من شدة الضحك، لأن عنوان اللجنة نفسها كان عنواناً عربياً خالص، ولا علاقة له باللغة الفارسية، وطلب منهم المباشرة أولاً بتخليص العنوان من المفردات العربية قبل عقد الاجتماعات
فالكاتب الكويتي (المُستَكوت) أو (المتكوت)، وعلى الرغم من انتسابه شكلياً إلى عشيرة (البو بصيري)، يتنكر لهذه العشيرة البصرية العراقية العربية المعروفة بأصالته، والتي تعود في جذورها إلى قبيلة (العُبيد) من إمارة الأوس، فيتفاخر بكويتيته المنتحلة، من دون أن ينتبه إلى انه بلقبه البصري يؤكد من حيث لا يدري على انتماء الكويت نفسها إلى ولاية البصرة، التي بسطت نفوذها لقرون طويلة على الرقعة الجغرافية الممتدة من (رأس مسندم) في مضيق هرمز إلى مدينة (العزيزية) شمال واسط، وكان الأجدر به أن يتخلص أولاً من لقبه العراقي قبل أن يضحك على نفسه، ويجادلنا في تبعية البصرة للكويت، وهو يعلم علم اليقين أن الكويت خرجت من رحم البصرة في عملية قيصرية أجريت لها في حفر الباطن
يقول المرتد (فهيد) في بداية ثرثرته الشمولية: (ان العراقيين لن يتوقفوا عن ارتكاب الحماقات إلا إذا توقف كوكب الأرض عن الدوران)، وان اسم (العراق) من الأسماء الهجينة المستحدثة، التي ظهرت في القرن العشرين، ولم يكن اسم العراق معروفاً مثل الكويت، التي لمع اسمها قبل اكتشاف أمريكا
ألا تبا لك يا (فهيد)، وتبا لتفكيرك الضيق يا جاهل، ألا تعلم يا (فهيد) أننا نحن الذين قال عنا شاعرنا البابلي
إنّا لَقَوْمٌ أبتْ أخلاقُنا شَرفاً أن نبتَدي بالأذى من ليس يؤذينا
بيِضٌ صَنائِعُنا سودُ وقائِعُنا خِضرٌ مََرابعُنا حُمرٌ مَواضِينا
يا يومَ وَقعَة زوراءِ العراق وقد دِنّا الأعادي كما كانوا يدينُونا
ألم تنتبه يا (فهيد) إلى صفي الدين الحلي وهو يمجد اسم (العراق)، ويتباهى في البيت الثالث من رائعته بانتصارات أهل العراق في معركة الزوراء، بقصيدة خالدة، قالها قبل ولادة الكويت بعشرات القرون؟
أولم تقرأ من قبل قصيدة قيس بن الملوّح وهو ينشد هذا البيت
يقولون ليلى في العراق مريضة
فيا ليتني كنت الطبيب المداويا
ألم تنتبه يا (فهيد) الى مجنون ليلى، الذي هو أعقل منك حتم، وهو يتغنى بالعراق وحبيبته قبل ولادتك المشؤومة بعشرات القرون؟
ألم تسمع يا (فهيد) بالشاعر الجاهلي (جابر بن حني التغلبي) وهو يردد هذه الأبيات بعد عودته من رحلته التجارية إلى العراق
وفي كل أسواق العراق إتاوة
وفي كل ما باع امرؤ مكس درهم
تعاطى الملوك السلم ما قصدوا لنا
وليس علينا قتلهم بمحرم
ألا ترى يا (فهيد) ان العراق كان جسراً تجاريا للعالم القديم، في العصور التي سبقت ولادة سوق (واجف) بعشرات القرون؟
ألا تدري يا (فهيد) ان كلمة (آراك أو عراق) باللغة البابلية تعني بلد الشمس، أو بلد الأصالة، فالشمس والأصالة وجهان حضاريان لبوابة الميزوبوتاميا؟، وان كلمة (أوروك) بالسومرية تعني الوطن العريق، الذي ارتبط الكون كله بجذوره العريقة الضاربة في أعماق التاريخ؟. أولم تقرأ ملحمة (جلجامش)، التي يقول فيها
يا جدار، يا بيت القصب، يا جدار
يا أبن أوروك
أهدم بيتك وشيد زورق
ألا تعلم يا (فهيد) ان جلجامش (تاج رأسك) هو بطل ملحمة الطوفان، وان (أور)، وتعني (النور)، كانت مركز (أوروك أي العراق) قبل انحسار مياه الخليج نحو الجنوب، وقبل تكوّن جزيرة إيكاروس (فيلكا)، أي أن (أوروك) كانت هي العراق في اللهجات الآرامية والمندائية والآشورية والكلدانية والأكدية، وكان اسمه منقوشاً بالحروف المسمارية على أعمدة برج بابل قبل بناء الأبراج المنتفخة في الكويت بسبعة آلاف سنة، وان جلجامش (تاج رأسك) لو عاد إلى الحياة مع صديقة (أنكيدو) بعد عثوره على سر الخلود، وقرأ تهجمك على الحضارة (السومرية)، وتشبيهك لها بالحمير، بقولك (الحومرية)، لبصق في وجهك على هذه الوقاحة، ووضعك في مكانك الصحيح مع القرود والسعادين
أغلب الظن انك يا (فهيد البصيري) لست بصرياً حقيقي، ولا تنتمي إلى البصرة الزاهرة بأهله، وربما نلت هذا اللقب بعد أن أصبحت من الذين فقدوا بصرهم وبصيرتهم، وألا بماذا تفسر نداءاتك العاجلة باستعادة الفاو من قبضة العراق وضمها للكويت؟، وبماذا تعلل شعاراتك الثورية بتحرير ميناء (أم قصر) من سلطة الموانئ العراقية وربطه بميناء (مبارك)؟، وكيف وصلت بك الوقاحة إلى القول بان العراق كله صار ولاية إيرانية تابعة لخرمشهر؟، ثم من قال لك أن السيد طالب النقيب كان والياً على البصرة؟. وأين هي الوثائق التي تدعي أنها بحوزتك وتثبت فيها أن الزبير والفاو كانتا تابعتان للكويت؟، ومتى حصل هذا الارتباط العجيب؟
أنت يا (فهيد) أما أن تكون من جنس الببغاوات العابثة، تردد ما تسمعه من سوالف تعبانة في الديوانيات، أو انك من المساطيل الذين يتعاطون أقراص الهلوسة في الشاليهات فلا تدري ما تقول، أو ربما تكون لديك ميول هتلرية ونزعات فاشية مكبوتة تدفعك إلى الرعونة والتهور؟، أو تكون متأثرا بسفسطة المؤرخ الكويتي الأفاق (ناصر الدويلة)، الذي يزعم أن الكويت كانت موجودة قبل الإمبراطورية العثمانية، وأنها واكبت العصر الأندلسي، وأنها احتلت إيران ثلاث مرات، واستعمرت الفاو ثلاث مرات، وحررت البحرين، ووحدت السعودية؟، أو انك من الكويتيين الساعين هذه الأيام نحو استنساخ (الحجاج بن يوسف الثقفي)، وتنصيبه أميرا على العراق من أمثال (مفرج الدوسري) والقطيع الذي ينتمي إليه؟. أو انك من هذه القطط السريلانكية السائبة، التي وصل بها الغرور إلى انتحال خصال الفهود، فسميت نفسك (فهداَ) صغير، أو (فُهيداً) حتى تخيفنا وتدخل الرعب في قلوبنا؟. لكنك تبقى في أنظارنا مجرد قطة مذعورة، فقدت ذاكرتها المنزلية، ودخلت عالم الحيوان، لتندمج مع القطط المستأسدة والكلاب المستذئبة في غابات البنتاغون، وصدق من قال: (الروس نامت والعصائص كامت) في الزمن الذي ارتدت فيه القطط جلود الفهود
صرخة
يا سيدي. يا عراق الأرض. يا وطناً
تبقى بمرآهُ عينُ اللهِ تكتحلُ
لم تُشرق الشمسُِ إلا من مشارقهِ
ولم تغِب عنه إلا وهي تبتهلُ
يا سيدي. أنت من يلوون شِعفته
ويخسؤون، فلا والله، لن يصلوا
يضاعفون أسانا قَدر ما قدِروا
وصبرُنا والأسى كل له أجلُ
لن يجرحوا منكِ يا بغداد أنمُلةً
ما دام ثديُك رضاعوه ما نَذلوا
المستقبل العراقية 1/8/2011
ونترك للقارئ الكريم الاطلاع على النص الكامل لمقالة (فهيد البصيري)، التي نشرها على صفحات جريدة (الرأي) الكويتية في 24/7/2011
الفاو وأم قصر المحتلة
فهيد البصيري
لن يتوقف العراقيون عن حماقاتهم إلا إذا توقف كوكب الأرض عن الدوران، وما يفعله العراقيون شيء متوقع ومفهوم، وله أسباب كثيرة، ولكن السبب الرئيسي هو أن الكويت الحلقة الضعيفة في كل شيء، ومشروع ناجح للابتزاز، والصراع سنة من سنن الحياة، ولا عزاء للضعفاء
وما ينطبق على الكويت والعراق ينطبق على إيران ودول الساحل الغربي من الخليج العربي وينطبق على سورية ولبنان. والغريب أن المنطق الذي تستند عليه هذه الدول، وخصوصاً العراق هو المنطق التاريخي وهو منطق مردود عليه بل وفي صالح الكويت، فالعراق لم يكن دولة قبل عام 1921. ومع بداية الحرب العالمية الأولى، وقبل ذلك كانت أغلب المنطقة العربية تحت الحكم العثماني وكانت العراق ثلاثة (عراقات)، لواء البصرة، ولواء بغداد، ولواء الموصل، ولم يكن هناك أي شكل من أشكال الدولة، ولا حدود ولا يحزنون، ومن يحكم العراق هم باشاوات أتراك يتبادلون السلطة في العراق ومرجعيتهم هي اسطنبول. وكانت البصرة والزبير والفاو محكومة بالعثمانيين، ولكنها مملوكة للكويتيين، وما زالت صكوك الملكية لهذه المناطق موجودة، وموثقة بل إن والي البصرة كان طالب النقيب وهو من عائلة كويتية عريقة يرجع نسبها إلى آل البيت. وعودة إلى التاريخ وقبل أن يصبح العراق عراقاً بحجمه وشكله اليوم، كانت الكويت تتمتع بنوع من الاستقلال الذاتي من العثمانيين، ولكن تحت الوصاية الانكليزية وكانت علاقة الكويت بولاية البصرة متينة، حيث كان يسيطر عليها طالب النقيب كما ذكرت، وفي العام 1908 اجتمع كل من طالب النقيب والشيخ مبارك الصباح والشيخ خزعل لمطالبة العثمانيين بإعطاء ولاية البصرة نوعاً من الاستقلال الذاتي، ولم يفكر المجتمعون في بغداد أو الموصل لأنها لم تكن تعني لهم سوى ولايات عثمانية بعيدة. ويمشي التاريخ ونحن وراؤه، ومع بداية الحرب العالمية الثانية وتقريبا في العام 1914 قام الانكليز بالنزول في الفاو ومهاجمة البصرة، وقد شارك الشيخ مبارك الصباح في هذا الهجوم وأرسل قوة لدخول العراق عن طريق البر
المهم أن العراق تحرر من الاستعمار العثماني، ووقع تحت الاستعمار الانكليزي، حيث شاءت الأقدار أن يكون نصيب الانكليز من معاهدة «سايكس بيكو» كلاً من ولاية البصرة وولاية بغداد، ورفض العثمانيون التخلي عن الموصل إلى أن فرضت عليهم (عصبة الأمم المتحدة) وظروف الهزيمة في الحرب العالمية الثانية التخلي عنها بعد أعوام
جمع الانكليز فتات الولايات العثمانية الثلاث، واحتاروا فيمن يكون رئيساً لهذه الدولة، أو لهذا العراق الهجين الجديد والذي يصعب جمعه (وتلصيقه)، وأخيراً استقر رأيهم على الشريف فيصل بن الحسين، خصوصاً وأن الفرنسيين طردوه من سورية، ووجد الشريف فيصل نفسه ملكاً على دولة لا يجمعها سوى معلومات تاريخية عن الحضارة السومرية و(الحومرية). ولأن دوام الحال من المحال، لم تدم أيام السرور، وانتهت حياة حفيد الملك فيصل نهاية محزنة، ومنذ ذلك اليوم والعراق لا يعرف له كياناً، ولا حدوداً واضحة، ولا أهدافاً محددة، ولا شخصية موحدة، ولا مستقبلاً يمكن التنبؤ به. ولو كنا في الكويت نتكلم بالمنطق العراقي نفسه ورجعنا للتاريخ، لطالبنا بالفاو والزبير وثلاثة أرباع محافظة البصرة بحكم أنها ملك للكويتيين، ولكنه الاستعمار العثماني وبعده البريطاني الذي اقتطعها من الكويت، وحتى ميناء (ام قصر) الذي أصبح مسمار جحا، هو ميناء كويتي وبالوثائق مئة في المئة، تنازلت عنه الكويت لدواع قومية، ولإثبات حسن النية ولكن الطريق إلى جهنم محفوف بالنوايا الحسنة، ولذا جر ميناء ام قصر، وراءه بوبيان ووربة وربما يجر الكويت بأسرها. والتاريخ ليس له منطق بل الإنسان هو من يملك المنطق، وكان الأجدر بالعراقيين بعد هذا العمر الطويل من الحروب المدمرة، أن يحفظوا الدرس وعن غيب، وأن يعلموا أن المصالح المشتركة هي علاج النزاعات الغبية، وأن العالم لم يعد يحتكم للسلاح، وأن الحدود السياسية أصبحت خطوطاً وهمية تماماً كخط الاستواء، وأن التفوق التكنولوجي حل محل التفوق العددي، وأن التفوق الاقتصادي أسقط التفوق العسكري، وأن الاستثمار في الإنسان خير وأبقى من الاستثمار في السلاح، وأن ترسيخ نقاط الالتقاء خير من إضاعة الوقت في البحث عن نقاط الخلاف، وأن ما هو أهم من ميناء مبارك الكبير بالنسبة للعراقيين هو الحفاظ على استقلال العراق ووحدته بعد أن أصبح ولاية إيرانية تابعة لمحافظة خرم شهر
fheadpost @gmail.com
شبكة البصرة
mercredi 10 août 2011
Human Trafficking And Sex Trade Report On Iraq
Human Trafficking And Sex Trade Report On Iraq
Joel Wing
Published in Musings on Iraq
At the end of June 2011, the United States Department of State issued its annual report on human trafficking around the world. Iraq has had an explosion in trafficking people, sex slavery, and prostitution since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, the government is barely dealing with the issue. It is for that reason that Iraq has received a low score for three years in a row by the State Department.
The State Department report placed countries into four categories. At the top was Tier 1, a country that acknowledged that it had a problem, was actively trying to deal with it, and also showed progress each year. Next was Tier 2, a country that didn’t fully meet the State Department’s standards, but is still working on the issue. Tier 2 Watch List was a nation that didn’t fulfill State’s standards, was making some effort to address the problem, but still had large issues to overcome. Tier 3 was a country that not only didn’t meet standards, but also wasn’t doing anything about it. Iraq was ranked a Tier 2 Watch List country for the third year.
Iraq is the source and destination for sex slaves. Iraqi women and girls are shipped off to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia for prostitution and slavery. There are sex trafficking rings operating out of Kurdistan, although the regional parliament denies that it is a problem. Women are often told that they are going to get a job, and then find out they’re being forced into the sex trade. One non-government organization said that labor agencies would rape women on film, and then blackmail them with it to force them into prostitution. Gangs have been known to go to jails, bail out women, and then force them into the sex trade to repay their debt. Some women are driven into prostitution because of extreme poverty. Some are forced into fake marriages, where they are turned into prostitutes instead of wives. There are also reports that women from Iran, China, and the Philippines are being transported through Iraq to be used in the sex trade in other countries.
Iraq also has a large number of illegal, forced laborers. Workers from Bangladesh, Thailand, Pakistan, Georgia, Jordan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines are all present in the country. There are gangs that bring foreign workers from East Asia, but the most common culprits are labor agencies. They regularly tell people that they’re going to get a good job in Jordan or the Gulf States, or even within Iraq, but then end up with something quite different when they arrive in the country. They usually have their passports taken, don’t get paid, work long hours, are threatened with being deported, and face physical and sexual abuse. In March 2011 for example, over 100 Ugandan women were found working in Iraq. They were recruited by a Ugandan company in 2009, and told that they would be earning high wages on American army bases. Instead they ended up being maids in Iraqi homes. They claimed that they were given little food or water, were locked insides the houses, and some of them were raped. One woman was able to get out of her employer’s house, and came into contact with a Ugandan security contractor, who helped her and a few others get out of the country, and return to Uganda. Still, Iraq like other countries in the Persian Gulf seems addicted to foreign labor, so the practice continues.
These problems are widely known within Iraq, but the government is doing very little about it. The 2005 Iraqi constitution prohibits forced labor, slavery, the slave trade, trafficking, and the sex trade, but does not provide any punishments. The State Department did not find evidence that Iraq was punishing human traffickers or identifying victims. It does punish prostitutes however, many of which are victims. Baghdad doesn’t provide any aid to those that have been trafficked or forced into the sex trade. That’s because the government doesn’t recognize that illegal workers and some prostitutes have been forced into their line of work. The government doesn’t collect data on trafficking, and hasn’t investigated officials that might be involved. Overall, the report said that Iraq had a “negligible law enforcement effort,” which was the reason why it was ranked a Tier 2 Watch List nation for the third year.
The one thing that Iraq has moved forward with is a punitive anti-illegal labor measure. It is threatening to enforce a Saddam Hussein era law that bans illegal workers. Under the act, the laborers would be deported, and companies fined that employed them. The government seems to be mostly going after workers that outstayed their contracts, but it does included forced laborers as well. Baghdad claims that it is simply part of a plan to fight unemployment in the country, rather than combat trafficking however.
Baghdad does have a written plan to combat trafficking, and would be a major improvement if it were ever implemented. Unfortunately, it hasn’t enacted its draft anti-trafficking law because the country’s political parties are still arguing over how to finish off the ruling coalition, seventeen months after national elections in March 2010. The Kurdish regional parliament did try to enact a prostitution law that would impose fines, and shut down rings involved, but it was rejected because the ruling parties said it was not a big issue within the region. The draft law is the only reason why Iraq was not moved down to a Tier 3 country in 2011.
Iraq has fallen in line with some of the negative traits of other countries in the region. It is a destination for human trafficking. People are also shipped through the country on their way from Asia to Europe. Like other Persian Gulf states, it uses a large number of forced laborers. The sex trade is widely known, but not officially spoken about by the government. Illegal workers are abundant throughout the country, and largely accepted. Baghdad has dealt with neither effectively. In fact, the State Department found hardly any evidence that the authorities were doing anything about either even though the constitution bans both practices. It is just the latest example that the rule of law is lacking in Iraq, and may be hindered for years due to weak institutions.
SOURCES
Jakes, Lara, “Foreign laborers earn little payoff in Iraq,” Associated Press, 6/17/11
Mohammed, Muhanad, “Iraq’s foreign workers fret over labor crackdown,” Reuters, 7/6/11
Rudaw, “Debate Lingers Over Regulating Kurdistan’s Sex Trade,” 8/3/11
Al-Sharaa, Hazim, “Iraqi Crackdown on Foreign Workers Criticised,” Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 7/22/11
U.S. Department of State, “Trafficking In Persons Report 2011,” 6/27/11
Waladbagi, Salih, “Foreign workers treated poorly in Kurdistan,” Kurdish Globe, 6/25/11
http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2011/08/human-trafficking-and-sex-trade-report.html
Joel Wing
Published in Musings on Iraq
At the end of June 2011, the United States Department of State issued its annual report on human trafficking around the world. Iraq has had an explosion in trafficking people, sex slavery, and prostitution since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, the government is barely dealing with the issue. It is for that reason that Iraq has received a low score for three years in a row by the State Department.
The State Department report placed countries into four categories. At the top was Tier 1, a country that acknowledged that it had a problem, was actively trying to deal with it, and also showed progress each year. Next was Tier 2, a country that didn’t fully meet the State Department’s standards, but is still working on the issue. Tier 2 Watch List was a nation that didn’t fulfill State’s standards, was making some effort to address the problem, but still had large issues to overcome. Tier 3 was a country that not only didn’t meet standards, but also wasn’t doing anything about it. Iraq was ranked a Tier 2 Watch List country for the third year.
Iraq is the source and destination for sex slaves. Iraqi women and girls are shipped off to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia for prostitution and slavery. There are sex trafficking rings operating out of Kurdistan, although the regional parliament denies that it is a problem. Women are often told that they are going to get a job, and then find out they’re being forced into the sex trade. One non-government organization said that labor agencies would rape women on film, and then blackmail them with it to force them into prostitution. Gangs have been known to go to jails, bail out women, and then force them into the sex trade to repay their debt. Some women are driven into prostitution because of extreme poverty. Some are forced into fake marriages, where they are turned into prostitutes instead of wives. There are also reports that women from Iran, China, and the Philippines are being transported through Iraq to be used in the sex trade in other countries.
Iraq also has a large number of illegal, forced laborers. Workers from Bangladesh, Thailand, Pakistan, Georgia, Jordan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines are all present in the country. There are gangs that bring foreign workers from East Asia, but the most common culprits are labor agencies. They regularly tell people that they’re going to get a good job in Jordan or the Gulf States, or even within Iraq, but then end up with something quite different when they arrive in the country. They usually have their passports taken, don’t get paid, work long hours, are threatened with being deported, and face physical and sexual abuse. In March 2011 for example, over 100 Ugandan women were found working in Iraq. They were recruited by a Ugandan company in 2009, and told that they would be earning high wages on American army bases. Instead they ended up being maids in Iraqi homes. They claimed that they were given little food or water, were locked insides the houses, and some of them were raped. One woman was able to get out of her employer’s house, and came into contact with a Ugandan security contractor, who helped her and a few others get out of the country, and return to Uganda. Still, Iraq like other countries in the Persian Gulf seems addicted to foreign labor, so the practice continues.
These problems are widely known within Iraq, but the government is doing very little about it. The 2005 Iraqi constitution prohibits forced labor, slavery, the slave trade, trafficking, and the sex trade, but does not provide any punishments. The State Department did not find evidence that Iraq was punishing human traffickers or identifying victims. It does punish prostitutes however, many of which are victims. Baghdad doesn’t provide any aid to those that have been trafficked or forced into the sex trade. That’s because the government doesn’t recognize that illegal workers and some prostitutes have been forced into their line of work. The government doesn’t collect data on trafficking, and hasn’t investigated officials that might be involved. Overall, the report said that Iraq had a “negligible law enforcement effort,” which was the reason why it was ranked a Tier 2 Watch List nation for the third year.
The one thing that Iraq has moved forward with is a punitive anti-illegal labor measure. It is threatening to enforce a Saddam Hussein era law that bans illegal workers. Under the act, the laborers would be deported, and companies fined that employed them. The government seems to be mostly going after workers that outstayed their contracts, but it does included forced laborers as well. Baghdad claims that it is simply part of a plan to fight unemployment in the country, rather than combat trafficking however.
Baghdad does have a written plan to combat trafficking, and would be a major improvement if it were ever implemented. Unfortunately, it hasn’t enacted its draft anti-trafficking law because the country’s political parties are still arguing over how to finish off the ruling coalition, seventeen months after national elections in March 2010. The Kurdish regional parliament did try to enact a prostitution law that would impose fines, and shut down rings involved, but it was rejected because the ruling parties said it was not a big issue within the region. The draft law is the only reason why Iraq was not moved down to a Tier 3 country in 2011.
Iraq has fallen in line with some of the negative traits of other countries in the region. It is a destination for human trafficking. People are also shipped through the country on their way from Asia to Europe. Like other Persian Gulf states, it uses a large number of forced laborers. The sex trade is widely known, but not officially spoken about by the government. Illegal workers are abundant throughout the country, and largely accepted. Baghdad has dealt with neither effectively. In fact, the State Department found hardly any evidence that the authorities were doing anything about either even though the constitution bans both practices. It is just the latest example that the rule of law is lacking in Iraq, and may be hindered for years due to weak institutions.
SOURCES
Jakes, Lara, “Foreign laborers earn little payoff in Iraq,” Associated Press, 6/17/11
Mohammed, Muhanad, “Iraq’s foreign workers fret over labor crackdown,” Reuters, 7/6/11
Rudaw, “Debate Lingers Over Regulating Kurdistan’s Sex Trade,” 8/3/11
Al-Sharaa, Hazim, “Iraqi Crackdown on Foreign Workers Criticised,” Institute for War & Peace Reporting, 7/22/11
U.S. Department of State, “Trafficking In Persons Report 2011,” 6/27/11
Waladbagi, Salih, “Foreign workers treated poorly in Kurdistan,” Kurdish Globe, 6/25/11
http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.com/2011/08/human-trafficking-and-sex-trade-report.html
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