CourcyInt

COURCYINT SPECIAL BULLETIN

To: All Courcy's Intelligence Service members

Date: 19 February 2004

From: Joe de Courcy, Chief Executive, Courcy's Intelligence Service

Subject: SHIA-KURDISH RELATIONS IN IRAQ

SUMMARY

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Jalal Talabani, is putting a positive spin on his meeting with Shia leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf last weekend.

ANALYSIS

In this week's Courcy's Intelligence Review we underlined the importance of Kurdish-Shia relations in the manoeuvrings for control of post-Saddam Iraq.  Since that report was published late yesterday, we have received the reactions of Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani to his meeting last weekend with Shia leader Ayatollah Sistani.

According to Talabani, the meeting was a great success.  In Talabani's own words "Sistani has promised me his support for all Kurdish claims".  Asked specifically if that meant that Sistani, who until now has been considered to be an opponent of Kurdish ambitions, supports "far-reaching autonomy for the Kurds", Talabani replied: "Indeed.  Al-Sistani is no Ayatollah Khomeini, he is moderate, he wants no Islamic regime, and he wants no clerics in ministerial posts..."

On the subject of Kirkuk and de-Arabization, however, Talabani is more evasive.  Asked specifically about the differences over Kirkuk, he just reiterates the Kurdish position, saying: "The Arabs, settled there under Saddam, must leave again, and the Kurds who were driven out at that time must  return."  Talabani also continues to dismiss the idea of an "Iraq identity", saying that there is no such thing "and there will be none".  However, according to Talabani, there can still be a united Iraq "in which the different peoples live".

END