Powell's Kurdish Pickle

One of the main strategies by those who oppose the self determination of the nations without statehood is to deny they have their own identity. We hear it from the French and the Spaniards in regards of the Basques and the Catalonians, from the French in regards of the Corsicans and the Bretons, from the English in regards of the Welsh and the Scottish, from the Israelis in regards of the Palestinians (fascist Golda Mair and her infamous "a land with no people for a people without land) and so on and so forth.

On the other hand, whenever it is convenient for them, the main stream media applies the label "ethnic" when Washington dictates it, that is the way we get to hear about ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, ethnic Tibetans in China or ethnic Chechens in Russia.

Well, one of Aznar's buddies just acknowledged the ethnic identity of a people that has been denied everything, the Kurds. Here you have the note from Berria:

Powell wants to maintain Kurds' "historical identity"

United States Secretary of State said it was up to the "Iraqis" to sort out the Kurdistan situation

Juanma Sarasola

According to an old Kurdish saying the Kurds have no other friends apart from the mountains. The country divided up among five states (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia) has over the years seen many promises broken and the support of many they believed to be their allies blown to the winds. Washington is one of those who have promised them help and who have turned their back on them many times after eating their words. Now it seems that the Iraqi Kurds have the United States of America on their side once again. Indeed, the day before yesterday Colin Powell, the White House Secretary of State, supported "their right to maintain their historical identity." Nevertheless, he made it clear that he would not support the "breaking up" of Iraq.

"The Kurds want to preserve their historical identity… but I think it is absolutely clear that that part of Iraq must remain a part of Iraq," said Powell. He explained that Washington's policy was that it was up to the "Iraqis" to find a solution in the future for the situation of the Kurds in the northern region of Iraq. The New York Times had said the day before that the decision of the United States had been to give the Iraqi Kurds a special statute to enable them to maintain their current semi-autonomy. The White House received many warnings against the decision both from Iraq and from the countries of the Middle East. In fact, many have requested that Iraq not be divided up along ethnic lines. Turkey has voiced the greatest concern
regarding an autonomous Kurdistan. As an ally of Washington and a NATO member Ankara does not view the consolidating of the Iraqi Kurds with a proper organisation favourably. Ankara feels that if this happened, the Kurds under Turkish domination might resume their armed struggle through the outlawed and actively persecuted KADEK, the Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress. The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, is scheduled to meet with American President George W. Bush at the end of this month and the Kurdistan conflict will be one of the main items on their agenda.

Very well Colin, what about the "historical identity" of the Basques, you know, like the ones murdered during an air strike represented on a certain tapestry that was concealed behind a blue curtain when you were lying to the world about some inexistent WMD?

I guess Syria, Iran, Armenia and Turkey are not as important as Spain when it comes to getting support for a genocidal war.

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