in respect to the dentist, this street in central concave shows you how the devastating effects of russian bombings has. b, i can see where 2 of the bullets hit their about. my head highs. member of demetrius military wanted him dead. the still men or beneath women a property on the road costing out his ear is proud recipient in new york festival through cost or of the year award for the 2nd tier, running violence in iraq, city of coke arrival demonstrations between kurdish and took. many communities have led to jackson injuries that's off the plans by iraqi security forces to return a building to codes which they previously held in failure to other ethnic groups. so how can the unrest tv goals this is inside the

hello and welcome to the program. i'm fairly bad people a week of simmering tension erupted into violence in car cook iraq. that soft to report scourge where to be given back. a building that had become the rocky security forces. provincial headquarters intended by the rocky government in baghdad, as a gesture of goodwill. to courage that instead to a furious reaction from arabs and took men or in the minority in the city. some said, underlines the fraud job piece in the area and the volatility of politics in the multi ethnic province. we'll be talking with i guess in just a moment, but for his memo de la has this report from kat coke. the life is getting back to normal in the rocky city of good cook flow and such as the days violence that left for dead and civil others. and just now a funeral that has been hilde's for the victims in cook. and the good for you with

that was imposed on saturday nights has been lifted. the highway lincoln could cook to the city of it'd be that was blocked by the angry possessors has been repulsive . but now security forces had been deployed in the area to a consultant to enforce control over the city and to prevent any more confrontation between the label pro. now, on such a day, that when the instructions came from bucket that to hand over the operations that headquarters in the city to the could be sent him across the quality at ups and took them on residence inc. a coup took to the streets, protesting against the decision, saying that this is part of a d. to give that more power to, to the, to the codes. and the code this time democratic party in the city, on the account on the expense of their interest in the city. on the other hand,

at accounts of process was pages by codes in the city at supporting the code. this time democratic process to return to the city and also denouncing and rejecting the closure of the highway linking critical to that'd be now despite the fact that so yeah, so the problem is that old, but it, as a government has sent instructions to postpone the hand over of the operations it go to this particular discount democratic party, but then good protested as he had especially the ups and to to commend residents. think of groups say that this does not guarantee an end of the crisis because this is the claim of the problem which is handing over the headquarters to this. because this tend democratic party and postponing a problem, as they say, does not solve it. without the head for insight is truly a typical well cope province has the rocks oldest oil fields and lies about

265 kilometers north of the capital bank. that it's semi autonomous with a majority kurdish population. and it's the most ethnically diverse province in iraq with kurdish arab tuchman and a syrian communities. but it's been at the center of a power struggle for decades between central governments in baghdad and regional kurdish parties between 19792003. then presidents that i'm will say for us to the so called policy of our business ation, where as many as a 100000 goods with pushed out years later in 2014 kurdish forces took control of critical that was under joint administration with the rocky government in 2017 by dash forces took it back when a controversial condition. defendant's referendum was held. the rocky tubman front in our because ition headed by the governor of cook, have since publicly opposed a return of the code, his son, democratic party to the oil which fonts well,

let's me talk guess for today's show and bank that is um, it rushed the president of the house of a rocky expertise foundation and the rocky palm. and secretary general foreign policy advisor in or band is julia and be cho chandra, and list and before to for dial, a leading media network in curtis sign, iraq and in doha is a don't. ok, you 90 non resident fellow at the center, washington dc. i one welcome to a gentleman. thank you very much for joining us on inside story julian. but to try in air bill, let me start with you. what's really behind this tension and the violence between the kurdish and communities in kirkwood, is it just about the hand over of the former headquarters of the kurdish democratic party? hello. thank you for having me. the violent thinker cook goes back a long way. it goes back decades in the because trickle because the city with a very fragile social fabric, it is home to courage, tournaments and syria. and the recent violence mostly goes back to the decision

within the last month. it will be a rocky prominence or mama. she has to dani to hand over the headquarters of eros joint of a joint operations to the present democratic party, so that they can return and resume political activities and career coke. however, the decision has been met with fierce resistance from the arab and circling components of the city who rejected to be k. d. p. 's returned to her cook and say that any potential return must be dealt with through the judiciary and must be done after the rocky provisional elections on the 18th of december uh vitamins and not necessarily vitamins but passions in the city have really escalated since october 16th of 2017, when the courtesy region of a rock held a independence referendum which included the city of kirchhoff, which was back them under per this controlled afterwards. a, a group of gear rocky and popular mobilization forces pushed out the curtis best

buy again, pushed down the curves from the city, which led to an escalation of, i guess you could say i'm tied curtis sentiment in the city. okay. and that's bringing med, rushed in baghdad, ahmed your thoughts about the situation and why are of interest min, residents of chris coke. so pause to the return of the curtis stand democratic party. well, 1st of all, i think you need to know 2 main updates. number one is that the federal supreme court today before 3 hours announced a state order that prevents a rock and government from giving this headquarter, this joint operation headquarters to the katie. this is the 1st update. the 2nd update is that uh so donnie, the prime minister quote, uh, how do you see the speaker and also uh the head of the p. okay. to try to manage things in a way, ins sides of fall. i'm going to try to make some sort of a solution inside the font, which means that the political process,

the blogs that should be go forward to diffuse the crisis. so those 2 updates, it's very important, i think, in my opinion of the, the, the data. so for the question is that the took mine, it shows that we have the prevention on the elections to spend all those grass roots for that. i'm going to look my needs to have some sort of hot case or let's say, uh, some sort of uh, a motive to go to the elections. so in a way, in another prevented k b b from going inside consult again. i think it's will be marvelous for those parties who are up and took man uh, and go for, for making some sort of uh, joining opinion public opinion about going a games dictated at the same time. it's also a very good motive for katie be and also for the kurdish population inside kind of

going to be united. and we'll know that p, okay is has more powerful grass roots than katie be inside. cut, cool. a bought it show that the population, the kurdish population and kind of cool also being some sort of, uh, uh, smelling a dangerous thing is that the truck man united, that means they going to get 50 plus one from the seats of the professional council elections, which will which i'm supposed to be happening in the summer, but so on that way. it's not the one who actually makes the 1st a spot. i think he meant to have those uh, gen reactions to be happens. so they are political factors. here then is what you're saying and the lead up to the upcoming elections, let me bring in as they don't, cannot in doha. now, some of suggested zayed on that this is also perhaps likely part of a wider campaign of, of higher smith and targeting of the kurdish in

a car cook what, what's your reading of the situation and the reasons behind it? do you agree with it that they are mostly political reasons behind? the unrest will, of course, it is a natural outcome to see the observes that there is a hostile or a target to the intention of us to lift the towards one set one component or a priority over one component over another. and the case of post a $1003.00 rocks kind of cool is a very good example of why it would end up being as a fall and under the truck of being called, or trapped into an ethnic or secretary and conflict. and that is due to the fact that the identity polarizing political system impose 2003 iraq welcomes or enhances the idea that political parties should absorb. busy of and, and react to the political system in a way that is based on

a mississippi's insects. that is why whenever there is a car, there's political parties such as k, b, b, or even p k. that takes over the administration even and agreement to the federal government and kat. coke then kind of cool cool be considered as being hostile to the other components in the society such as tarts been an ards, and vice versa. just as your guest. right. so you mentioned that there was an perhaps an empty tray this sentiment in 2017, upon the time when the federal government. uh, we took a kind of quote from the control of k r g. there was also on the arrow, been empty, churchman sentiment, and therefore the, the issue here and kind of cool uh can be a part of an overarching issue. and iraq. and that is due to the fact that there was a structural issue in iraq in terms of the identity for the rising system that we previously mention. and the fact that there is only one at the one in this region, not as following a federal economist perspective and leaving empty closets and the constitution that

is not clarified for the rest of the country. right. all right, let me come back to you, julian, and i'm a rushed. he mentioned that the reasons are political mostly because of the upcoming prevention elections. but the app coalition in kirk coke has also said that returning this building to the k d p could put the province at risk of security risk once again, which they say has improved since iraqi security forces to cover. so they're worried that a security code worst, and if the katie pay it k, d p was to return, well, what is the current situation as far as security is concerned? and is that concerned justified by the coalition? absolutely. so right now as care coke is under the control of iraq and federal government and prior previous to the window, as long as it can control the courtesy regional government, both sides of claim that they have the types of security of car cook. so of the so

back when turco cross undercarriage, you control the the uh, the government and cook basically said that because the k r g is here now because it good especially right. there are the ones we're enforcing security. there's been a decline in terrorist activities and there has been an overall increase in security. however, after it was taken by a rocket forces your rocky forces, as well as the claim that there has been a, a, an increase in security and a decline in terrorist activities, an overall decline and crime. so both sides really disrupt a narrative that plays into their own benefits. i'm the headquarters of the joint operations command. it's on the air bill cook road and that is where the whole point of sale protests was. before 2017, when you withdrew from cook, they said that we will not return to cook even though it's all the other christmas political parties still exist there. basically the can you be said that we will not return because the city is occupied by you see, i know this is affiliated with or wrong,

but at the so the headquarters of the joint operations come out and used to be actually the headquarters became the leadership council, right, in terms of the security situation in kirkwood as previously mentioned, both sides claim that there they hi, protects the security the most right. the i'm address to your thoughts on this and also about some of the grievances of occurred. say they say that the governor pointed by bank that has been serving the abs population, the community more incur, cook and neglecting then. well, of all those claims, actually in the hands of the prime minister and the prime minister made some sort of, uh, uh, surveys about all the government himself, all iraq, you, provence, is one of them, the provence, or the trickle provence. and it show that the out of government, of them has some sort of success in making some sort of, uh, providing uh, services. uh for the people that both of the same time that i'm not for the,

according to the codes according to the codes. it's not about infrastructure projects, it's more about security. and what's happened with the joint operation headquarters? it's already, it's supposed to be hand hand over to the k b b according to a deal happen between the curtis done the negation that made a deal with the prime minister. so don e before about 3 months and it, and that's why the budget actually had been voltage uh, peacefully and small, see because the where a d. and there was a deal between the 2 fox, about one of them went up to one of the items of the deal is that had to go over this headquarter, this joint venture a joint operation, had a, had to quote the box, the most important thing it looks like that the truck man inc. kinda cool. it looks like someone behind them push them to try to stop k

b b from taking the this headquartered right. the metal, someone who can be at the same time and at the same time push the so pretty of called the federal supreme court to a no such a state or the to present the prime minister. but from us, that's what i'm wondering, which one you're talking about it, are they external forces? external site is also at play here? well, it looks like the blogs, the, the political blocks that entered kurdish went out to, to went to the prime minister. tried to convince him is that it's not try to make all the deals come out to complete all the deal with the katy beach or with the kurdish side that it's supposed to be signed or what before 3 months before the voting for the uh for the budget, so it looks like it looks like i don't know for sure that those books inside the apartment for talked to, to get a state or the from the federal superior court to present to donnie from doing

anything and kind of cool. so that's why so dining now calling i do see calling buffalo. busy the head of p, o. k, a tried to manage things in a way to friends the blocks to convince the bullets a couple blocks to try to diffuse the crisis with the katie. be. let me put that same question to of zeta and kamani as they done to the prime it is to aso donnie when he to power last year. i did say that he wanted to improve relations between his government and the katy paid k d p. and you know, agreed to, to allow the computer to reopen his headquarters at an incorrect quote, who's preventing him from improving relations. and again, all the external factors, because some have pointed the finger at yvonne is that, is that a concern? is that justified a well yeah. $11.00 elias, to look out that wouldn't to be in, in the, in support or in favor of allowing k d p to expand that to influence and kind of cool or in other areas would to be the

lions thought to put upon them the stairs or dining and power from the 1st place and allowed the governmental information to take place under his reign and daughters. the alliance between the coordination framework, which includes political parties that have their arm to groups within the popular mobilization forces which enter it's kind of cool care in 2017 alongside their car dish. highlight the p u k, which is accused by their car. the tribal k b p off giving away or giving up kind of cool to the federal, iraq, the government, and the popular mobilization forces at the time. so that is definitely uh, one side of the argument or one side of that is easy to be pointed out when considering who is pushing or convincing of the prime minister at do not allow k b p to retake a full control of capital a. so as a don,

how do you see this affecting the talks between the central government in baghdad and occurs to, to settle the, the, the issues that remain unsettled between the 2 sides. it will significantly affected the b and look at the relations is not only uh, limited by the, the oil or the economic aspect. so which includes the budget and the, the salaries here. it's also heavy impacted by the geo political factor. kind of cool can be said to be the most important topic to be looked at when analyzing or assessing the it'll be by the bad relations in fact, falling into the trap of an in truck car dish. political competition has also it's visible to that in previous months or years during the delays of the governmental formation, we noticed that in the delays of having the p, k and k

b p the to card the tribals and not agreeing and naming or appointing b b because the share and the end, the rocky federal government to political system and that was the presidency at the time. this might be dragging back could be, it'll be about about donations, back or letting a, putting the balls back into the court of the in truck car edition political arrival lead in truck group. political competition. in fact, has been an interesting factor to look out to. and assessing a post 2003, iraq, you political stability rather than it to be into group rivalries, which is why kind of cool should be overlooked. not just as an estimate or a secretary, an issue, but it can also be looked as a political issue to the internal group competition. i want a wider a political issue and i do want to ask you about this julian. uh, as a don mentioned the interact kurdish political competition to what extent is that undermined the power and the influence of the kurdish regional 40 and how do you

see this current matcher input code being results can the codes, the arabs and the took been quite exist peacefully in the province. yes. so obviously with a, with a united curtis voice. so that means that the criticized democratic party and the patriotic union of kurdistan being on the same day besides, had the very strong chance in, for example, performing great as the rocky provincial elections incur cooke. but unfortunately, the reality now that we have seen over the past months is that the relations between the k b, b and b, okay? have deteriorated with somebody from saying that they have that they have deteriorates, done all time low. this really jeopardizes against any, any potential gains of the curtis that regional government could make incur cold, especially with regard to the rocky provincial elections to the whole idea of the change be returning to current cook right now within these, this time period was so they could contest the rocky provincial elections. that could be, that is

a dangerous thing for the arab and the direct man component of the city. and they would do their best to prevent that from happening. because a k d p return could potentially that they will end up winning seats and the local councils of the city which could eventually result in denver of placing. i've seen governor rock kind of jubilee who has been accused of reversing like ero, by zation policies of uh, basically promoting our buyers agent uh, policies and has been accused of neglect, incurred this neighborhoods in kirkwood more in favor of the arab. once this finds all the progress that he has made, as shown by a survey, by the iraqi government. but the whole idea is that right now a, that's where you'd be and the b k r, unfortunately on bad terms. and this does not signify something good for the k r g . when it comes to dealing with a whole cook situation. and also this put and brittany jeopardize relations between the k r g. i the rocket federal government because asper agreements made months ago as a headquarters at the joint operations committed to add to other offices inc,

or coke, has to be returned to the k d b. so the reason the federal supreme court decision by suspending that a good may basically enforcing k d p designation is good about that. okay. like uh and just uh indicate that this is not what they agreed on. and let me ask advice. the voice thoughts about this i'm it can because the abs and the to admin coexist peacefully in incur coke. or are you concerned that the situation could get out of control in the need up to the prevention elections? i don't think so in a way or another, it's a, this crisis shows the how much important the, it's going to sit, teen coke. and how much important the alliance between the crowds on between data and the total command against the kurds. and it looks like the next election, the prevention elections who pave the way for new future to kind of cool more at up sort of command kind of cool was encourage kind of quote and it looks like that because the vision or let's say at least the surveys and to start to stick out on

us just shows that the out about the to the client, they will still united will go forward fraud prevention elections will get 50 plus one seats. that means the governor wouldn't be a big definitely. so it show you that all those managing things, all those procedures and on the other side, the curtis side precisely the k b, b, a very curious to manage those things. but the problem is that the dish lists divided in kind of cool. they are not united on one flag on one issue just that it's, it's it that what's happened to the k d b, it has its own list for you guys. it has its own own lists and car. cool. so it show you that all those a crisis will be managed or will be rolling just on an ice pool. it's okay

to reach to the day of elections in kirkland. okay. your thoughts about this? say, don, do you see the situation getting out of control in the lead up to the prevention of the election, or do you think as the, i'm it that the, the crisis can be managed. the crisis can be managed if the political parties or the political costs, including the ones and government, due respect to that democracy, as is based on the votes and not on pre determined to positions. particularly when these positions are identity. paula rice from political parties that have been significantly known for not being popular and the rocket streets across the spectrum. however, if, as political agreements on a p, determining a political positions and different provinces including kind of coke will continue to take place without acknowledging the fact that there are elections to determine

who will be covering this problems, then the issue will escalate further. okay, i'll give you the last word julian, what needs to happen for the situation to, to remain calm for uh, you know, the, the, the communities there to coexist peacefully in the lead up to these elections. and i, as i asked to, i'm it. and as 8 on, do you think this can be managed by the central government in back that? yes, so the reality is that in a multi ethnic care coke with a social traffic is so easily jeopardize the, the rocky government truly needs to take to sit down with the components inside per cook to come up with solutions come up with proposals before actually enforcing them, this was a mistake that we saw pre uh, from mr. mama, she us through the army make when he decided to head over the joint operations headquarters without consulting the people of car coke. yesterday the shop saw that he's the head of the iraqi tournaments front,

which is the largest direct my bronco block and the iraqi parliament in a press conference set that any decision regarding trickle has to be done through dialogue with dark hooks components. so the only real way for this situation cook to be slightly managed, heading up to the rocky permission of elections as far as i locked, able to be formed as representatives of all communities to come up to a solution. so that at least can exist in the city and that the elections can be done that can be conducted uh, thoroughly and without fines. thank you very much gentlemen, for shedding light on what is a very complicated issue in iraq. thank you. i made rush to julian, but to chat ends, they don't all kanadi and thank you as well for watching. you can always watch this program again any time by visiting our website at all, which is 0 dot com for further discussion. go to our facebook page at facebook dot com forward slash a j inside story. and of course you can join the conversation on x, formerly known as twitter handle. is that a j inside story for me, for new back to buttonhole team? here in doha,

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but cannot ever change because it comes to us politics developed and we understand the differences and similarities of cultures across the world to what we've been using kind of files that match it to you, the carry johnson and tell you how the top stories now and i'll just share the credit in the present. but a minister then ski has appointed a new defense minister. so then ski has picked the rest of them are of to replace. so let's say it was because saying new approaches on needed apartments that needs to approve the nomination. there's me called spent much of his time securing billions of dollars worth of military aid from the keys allies. but his ministry has faced a number of corruption scandals.