Chauvinistic Iraqi government wants ‘central control’ of everything: Veteran Kurdish politician

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Veteran Kurdish politician Mahmoud Othman said the Iraqi government displays chauvinism in its dealings with the Kurds, adding Baghdad does not recognize federalism but believes in the “central control” of everything.

“The reasons that make the authority in Baghdad hostile to the Kurds is the mentality of chauvinism,” Othman said in a recent interview with the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) website.

The Iraqi government “seeks to impose central control of everything,” he added. “They do not believe in federalism at all.”

Othman pointed out that the anti-Kurdish statements by some Iraqi politicians “fall within the framework of election propaganda” as Iraq prepares to hold general elections in May 2018.

The Kurdish politician also addressed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s failure to acknowledge the role of Peshmerga forces in the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) while delivering a “final victory” speech this week.

Othman said it was “a grave mistake” from someone who considers himself the Prime Minister, adding that Abadi “has to regard all classes of people in an equal way; otherwise he will be the loser.”

Following protests and angry reactions from Kurds in the Region and abroad, the Iraqi PM eventually amended his speech to add the Peshmerga, republishing the text in Arabic, English, and Kurdish.

According to Othman, Baghdad’s marginalization of Peshmerga is unconstitutional as the Kurdish forces are part of Iraq’s defense system in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution adopted since 2005.

The Peshmerga, the official armed forces of the Kurdistan Region, has played a decisive role in combating IS terrorism and keeping its threat away from the borders of the Region.