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Interview with head of Iraqi Turkoman tribes Sheikh Qambar Al-Bayati |
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Source : Aso Newspaper, Sulaimaniyah, daily newspaper
in Kurdish |
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Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
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Interview with head of Iraqi Turkoman
tribes Sheikh Qambar Al-Bayati
20.6.2008
Translated by Dr Kamal Mirawdeli
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June
20, 2008
The Turkomans need to know
their destiny is bound by the destiny of the people
of Kurdistan
[Interview with Chief of Iraqi Turkoman Tribes
Sheikh Qambar [Al-Bayati] by Sarwat Gli" Iraqi
Turkomans' destiny is bound by Kurdistan Region"]
Sheikh Qambar [Al-Bayati] was born in Kirkuk in 1956
and completed all stages of his education in Kifri.
He is a graduate from Agriculture College in Baghdad
where he has lived for some time. He is member of
the Consultation Committee for Article 140 in Kirkuk
and from 16 May 2006 he has been elected as head of
Iraqi Turkoman tribes.
He says: “Turkomans can obtain their rights under
the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG).” Sheikh
Qambar [Al-Bayati] has an office where he
communicates his views on article 140, issues
concerning the Turkomans and other matters. Aso
conducted this interview with the head of Iraqi
Turkoman tribes Sheikh Qambar Rashid Abbas Al-Bayati.
The tasks of his office
[heading added]
About the tasks of his office, Sheikh Qambar Al-Bayati
says: “This office was opened for us by the General
Directorate of Kurdistan Region Government on 16 May
2006. We have programmes and action plans. We have
members from Mandali to Tala’far. The aim of this
office is to encourage peaceful co-existence and
fraternity between the three nations, Arabs, Kurds
and Turkomans within the framework of a federal
democratic Iraq.”
He adds; “We have done a lot of good. We have solved
many big tribal problems and conflicts between Kurds
and Turkomans which they had not been completely
resolved by courts. We found solutions for them. Our
doors are open to everyone. People come to us every
day. We have been able to create [the spirit of]
co-existence and fraternity among people.” Sheikh
Qambar added: “We had good impact on the Turkomans.
We have been able to explain the truth and the fact
for them that the destiny of the Turkomans is bound
by the destiny of the people of Kurdistan and that
under KRG the Turkomans can achieve all their
rights.”
KRG support
The head of Turkoman tribes talks about the support
offered to the Turkomans by the President of Iraq
Mam [honorific] Jalal [Talabani]. He says: “So far
we have been able to provide salaries to over 600
Turkoman families through the KRG. Furthermore by a
decision made by the President Mam Jalal, 5000
Turkomans now get monthly salaries from the Ministry
of Social Affairs of KRG. We have also been able
through the KRG to support the victims of Tala’far
and Amerly explosions and send the wounded to Iran
for treatment. Whenever people needed us we
facilitated sending them to Iran for treatment for
wounds or diseases. We have so far sent more than
1000 people to Iran. “He added:” We continue to
register the names of those patients who wish to go
to Iran for treatment. After we get accurate details
about them,www.ekurd.net
we make them fill in and
sign a pledge that they would not go for political
purposes and when they return they must visit our
office.” He also indicated that the needs of many
Turkoman schools in the cities of Kirkuk,
Tuzkhurmato and Mnadali have been met by KRG.”
Budget of the office
About the budget (funding) for his office, the head
of Turkoman tribes says:” The monthly budget of the
office is 13,300,000 Iraqi dinars. We receive this
money from the General Directorate of KRG. We use
this amount of money to pay the salaries of 18
peshmargas, 22 employees of the office, rent and
other running expenses of our office. “But, he said,
“for 8 months now our budget has been suspended and
this was because of a dispute about an illegally
used plot of land which was near our office. A
number of armed men came to occupy this land but we
did not accept. This has caused a problem between us
and our friends at [PUK?] Hamrin Centre. Since then
our budget has been stopped. Then we found out that
these armed men had not come from the Hamrin Centre.
The suspension of our budget has indeed created a
lot of problems for us. We have been visited three
times by the General Financial Committee. They have
inspected our work and we never had any problem in
relation of our expenditure. “
Newspaper
The Turkoman tribes [office] used to publish a
weekly newspaper in Arabic called “Ojagh”. But the
publication was stopped after just 8 issues. Sheikh
Qambar was the owner of the newspaper. He says:
“Ojagh was a weekly paper in Arabic and it was
distributed in most Iraqi cities and towns. It has
its impact especially in relation to article 140 and
peaceful coexistence of the nations in Iraq. But
because of lack of funding and the suspension of our
budget we could not maintain it. Whenever our budget
is restored, we will resume its publication as a
weekly paper. We only stopped it because of lack of
funding otherwise we do not have any problem for its
publication.”
Article 140 and Turkoman
interests
About article 140 and where the interests of
Turkomans lie, Sheikh Qambar Al-Bayati says:
“Article 140 is a constitutional article, violating
it means violation of the constitution. We have
always frankly said that the implementation of this
article serves the interests of the Turkomans. The
Turkomans need to know the fact their destiny is
bound by the destiny of the people of Kurdistan.”
Turkoman tribes/Turkoman
Front relations
On the relations between Turkoman tribes and the
Turkoman Front Sheikh Qamabr Bayati says openly:”The
Turkoman Front does not represent the Turkomans. It
implements part of Turkish system and Turkey’s plans
here and they act against the interests of Turkomans.
Now the Turkomans desert them daily after they
realized the truth that Turkoman Front does not
represent them. They come and contact us.” The head
of Turkoman tribes added: “Turkoman Front is always
creating problems for us. Because of a plot by the
Turkoman Front I was kidnapped on Baghdad-Tuzkhurmatu
road. I was released after I paid 50,000 dollars.”
Turkish bombardment of Kurdistan Region
Sheikh Qambar Bayati condemns Turkey’s bombardment
of Kurdistan Region areas. He says: “Turkey aims to
undermine the stable and peaceful conditions in
Kurdistan. It looks at Kurdistan from the view point
of its own interests. Turkey has never aimed at
protecting the rights of Iraq’s Turkomans. If Turkey
wants to protect the rights of minorities,www.ekurd.net
why doesn’t it recognize
the rights of 40 [?] millions of Kurds in Turkey?
Turkey uses the existence of PKK bases in Kurdistan
Mountains just as an excuse.”
Turkoman population in Iraq
The head of Iraqi Turkoman tribes revealed to Aso
that the real number of Turkomans in Iraq is about
half a million. He added;” Within this number some
are originally Kurds and they know that their origin
goes back to the [Kurdish tribes of] Zangana or Gil
and most of the Turkomans recognise that they are
part of Kurdistan.”
Role of Iraqi President
Sheikh Qambar highly appreciates the role of the
President of the Republic of Iraq [Jalal Talabani].
He said: “We thank Mam Jalal for supporting
Turkomans rights and protecting the interests of
Turkomans. We have formed a [Turkoman] committee
with the help of [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s]
Centre Two in Kirkuk. I am a member of this
committee which has 20 members. I would like to
thank the bureau of [PUK’s] Bureau of Kurdistani
Relations who have offered us a lot of support and
assistance to set up this office which will open
soon in Kirkuk.”
Translated by Dr Kamal Mirawdeli from: Aso, Kirkuk,
daily newspaper in standard Kurdish, 15 June 08, p 5
Copyright, respective author or news agency
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