Salahddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – On the anniversary of the chemical bombardment of the town of Halabja, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani today, the 16th March 2014, signed a regional directive to promote Halabja from district status to a province.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (KRG.org) – The South Korean Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Heyon Meyong Kim, arrived in the Kurdistan Region to pay farewell visits to KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and a number of senior KRG officials as his tenure in Iraq comes to an end. In addition to his meetings he also attended the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani Forum and the ceremony at Erbil Airport where the remains of 93 Barzanis who died during the Anfal campaign were returned to Kurdistan.

Prime Minister Barzani welcomed the Ambassador and expressed his appreciation on behalf of the government and people of Kurdistan towards the Republic of Korea for its assistance to the region throughout the past decade. The Zaytun Division, a contingent from the Korean Army, was deployed to Kurdistan from September 2004 until December 2008, contributing to reconstruction projects for the people of the Region. Prime Minister Barzani also pointed to the actions of the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Kurdistan. Both Korean entities played a crucial role in establishing a strong foundation for mutual relations which continue to progress. The Prime Minister said, "We want to benefit from the successful experience of Korea, particularly in the fields of science and technology, education and human capacity development."

For his part, the Korean Ambassador praised the role of the KRG and political leadership in maintaining stability and security, a key factor in Kurdistan’s progress and prosperity. The Ambassador pointed out that during his two-year tenure as Ambassador to Iraq he has had the opportunity to learn about the history of the Kurdish people and the tragedies that they have experienced. Prior to his departure the Korean Ambassador attended a ceremony where the remains of 93 Barzanis who lost their lives during the Anfal campaign were returned to Kurdistan to be reburied in Barzan. The Ambassador stated how moved he had been at seeing the victims of the former regime’s genocidal crimes firsthand.

Later during the same day, the Korean Ambassador met with Minister Falah Mustafa at the Department of Foreign Relations along with the Assistant Head of the Department, Ms Siham Jabali. The two parties discussed the many similarities that the people of Kurdistan and Korea share. In discussing the tragic past, Minister Mustafa said, “We have come a long way but we are still facing many challenges and we can learn lessons from your experience and your history.” He went on to say that “the character of Kurdistan is based upon a culture of hope and optimism."

South Korea and Kurdistan have established robust channels for collaboration through cultural and educational exchange programs and the continuity of capacity building programs managed by KOICA in Kurdistan. Ambassador Meyong Kim informed Minister Mustafa of future programs initiated by the Korean Institute for Development Strategy (KDS), a Korean think-tank and consultancy specializing in international economic development, who plan to work with the KRG Ministry of Planning. 

Ambassador Kim will be returning to Seoul to resume work at the Korean Foreign Ministry in order to prepare for his next posting as the Consul General in Los Angeles in the near future.

Stephen Bleach - Published: 9 March 2014

The Sunday Times

As tourism slogans go, "Come to sunny Iraq!" is problematic, but Britain's biggest adventure travel company is inviting you to do just that. Well, to come to part of Iraq, anyway. New group tours from Explore avoid the violence-torn south and stick to Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous northern region that's been relatively peaceful for 10 years now. Even the cautious Foreign and Commonwealth Office has given it the all-clear.

So, does Iraqi Kurdistan have much to offer, beyond the undeniable frisson of a destination where the first road sign from the airport points to Baghdad?

First impressions aren't great. The flash new airport at Erbil is served by direct flights from several European cities, so no nerve-jangling touchdowns in Iraq proper -- but, cashed up by an oil boom, the Kurds are busily covering their capital with buildings of outstanding hideousness. The citadel has a claim to be the oldest inhabited town on earth (8,000 years, give or take), but endless restoration work means it's mostly closed.

Fortunately, they've repaired the roads too, so it's easy to move on to the countryside, where things improve immeasurably. The Iraq we know from news footage is a dusty, barren place, but as we head east in a minivan, a very different landscape opens up. Go before June, and the lowlands are painted an intense green by spring grass; further on, snow-capped mountains rear up and wildflowers dot the meadows of the valley floor.

The place is relaxed and safe, so you can stop, stroll and picnic where you like. Be ready to drink a lot of tea, though. Perhaps because western travellers are so rare -- outside Erbil, I didn't see a single one -- the hospitality is overwhelming.

Local students invite me to join their picnic -- a few yards from the minefield We pull up in a remote village in the Zhilwan mountains and are instantly invited into a home for chai and nibbles. Zuhri Rachid has an infectious laugh, seven daughters, one son, two cows, an unknown number of chickens and one hell of a view over the peaks from her parlour. The children show us round the house: animals below, people on the first floor, mud roof above.

We sit cross-legged and chat over chai and bowls of nuts. She is happy, she says -- apart from one thing. The neighbours look down on traditional stone houses like hers, but her husband won't build a more prestigious concrete one.

"We are poor, and it's too expensive," says Sadiq Ibrahim. "Stop nagging, or I'll get another wife."

"You couldn't get another wife," says Zuhri, "because nobody will marry you unless you build a concrete house!"

Their bantering good humour is all the more striking given their past. During Saddam Hussein's genocidal campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s, their village was repeatedly bombed and gassed. "We fled to Iran," says Zuhri, suddenly sombre. "It took three days, walking over the mountains. It was winter, so cold, and I had my baby on my back." And then, in a flash, the smile is back, the teapot is proffered and we're talking about the price of sheep.

Everyone you meet has a story like this -- and you meet a lot of people. Staying in three different towns, and visiting buckets of sights in eight days, the tour is just short of whistle-stop. It takes in Sulaymaniyah, the laid-back, arty second city, where intellectuals sip tea in chaikhanas, discuss literature and folklore -- and tell tales of the Amna Suraka, or red building, the torture centre on the outskirts of town used by Saddam's secret police. You can look round the ugly, nondescript compound if you want to. Inside, things happened that are by some measure worse than I'd ever imagined.

The tour zips up to beauty spots in the north, and the shrines of religious minorities: the ancient Christian monastery at Alqosh, on crags overlooking the Biblical plains of Nineveh -- once shelled by Saddam's forces, who believed it was a hideout for Kurdish guerillas; and fascinating Lalish, world centre of the Yazidi religion, where local students invited me to join their picnic, a few yards from the minefield laid by Saddam's troops.

By the bye, one of the boons of historic sites here is that you won't have to endure a bored guide running through a list of facts. That's because there aren't any trained guides and there aren't any established facts. What guides exist cut their teeth working as translators for the American military, who were less interested in the date a monument was built than in how many insurgents might be hiding behind it. And in any case, Kurdistan's wealth of archeology is woefully poorly researched. You have to soak up the air of antiquity and fill in the blanks yourself. It's sightseeing as a creative process.

The most poignant stop is Halabja, a little country town sitting in a beautiful, mountain-fringed valley. It's a thriving place: in the market, butchers' shops are festooned with obscure animal parts, greengrocers' stalls burst with fruit and throngs of maty locals, clad in the billowing Kurdish sharwal trousers, chat in the sunshine. Everyone offers tea. Many want to practise their English, which elsewhere is code for "rope you into an elaborate con", but here means just what it says. There is no hassle. Nobody even tried to sell me anything. They're just too polite.

Friendly, scenic, lively... you'd like the place. It's hard not to. But if the name seems familiar, it's because Halabja was the site of the most notorious war crime of recent history. An estimated 5,000 people, mostly women and children, died when Saddam's air force dropped chemical weapons here in March 1988.

Mohammed Saeed was six at the time, and he tells us his story as he shows us round the memorial museum outside town. The gas smelled sweet -- like apples, he says. He survived, a bewildered boy holding his one-year-old sister as the rest of his family died. When you look at the photos of victims, taken hours after the attack, you'll cry. Everyone does.

And then, like the Kurds themselves, you'll move on. Confident, go-ahead, tragic Halabja is a microcosm of the contradictions of Kurdistan. It certainly doesn't make for an easy holiday: few outstanding sights, no beaches to laze on. But the human story here is compelling, and finally we can witness it at first hand. This is where the history of our times has been made, and the Kurds are trying to give it a happy ending. It's a messy process, and it isn't finished yet, but watching it happen is a joy.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRG.org) – On Thursday 13 March Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani formally designated Halabja as the fourth province of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. At the press conference following the ratification Prime Minister Barzani said, "I hope the actions of the KRG today have met the desires and the aspirations of the dear people of Halabja, and I hope that we have been able to bring some joy to the citizens of Halabja a few days before the anniversary of the horrible attack on the city 26 years ago."

During a meeting with a number of KRG officials and the visiting delegation from Halabja, Prime Minister Barzani said that Halabja is a symbol for all of the oppression and suffering endured by the people of Kurdistan. He added that the decision to legally declare it a province was more than a gesture of kindness but a decision of genuine importance to the KRG. The Prime Minister highlighted that the decision had already been agreed by the Kurdistan Region Parliament in 1999. Prime Minister Barzani also noted that the KRG addressed this issue and implemented this decision in coordination with the Federal Government of Iraq so that Halabja can benefit from the same privileges enjoyed by all Iraqi provinces.

The delegation of representatives from the province of Halabja included the mayor, representatives of administrative institutions, the Organisation of the Victims of Halabja, Islamic scholars, and members from civil society organisations and different political parties. The delegation welcomed the decision by the KRG. Members of the delegation said that the people of Halabja had been eagerly awaiting this decision.

Following the meeting and official signature by the Prime Minister, participants attended a press conference where the executive decree was read aloud. Speaking to the press, Prime Minister Barzani congratulated the people of Halabja and expressed his pleasure that all political parties in the Kurdistan Region stood with a united voice in supporting this decision.

Dr. Jegar Khavin, deputy-representative of Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq in Tehran

In some political and strategic analysts’ views, the Baath army’s chemical bombing was a reaction to failures caused by common acts of Kurdish fighters of Iraq and Iranian forces. Following Valfajr act 10, Iranian forces together with Kurdish devotees entered Kurdish part of Halabcheh and warmly greeted and welcomed by people. 

A little later in Jun 28, 1987, Iraqi Aircraft droped chemical bombs on Halabcheh. Iraqi fighters, in different part of town, dropped chemical bombs having nerve killing gas such as VX, Sarin, Taboon with other terrible mustard gas on people so it left 5000 martyrs and 7000 injured. Most of martyrs were elders, women and children. This rare tragedy moved the world conscience so highly that it will never be removed from human society and Kurd nation in Iraq. It seems that the formation of such savage act should be sought upon military equations. 

This military offense and inhuman was a part of Iraq regime policy in an identity reaction to Kurds in Kurdistan of Iraq which was carried out in the frame of the acts so-called Anfal. Anfal acts and the extinction of Kurdish people in Iraq started in 1975 followed disappearance of 12000 Fili Kurds, 8000 Barzani Kurds, 182000 Garmiani and Kurds from other parts. At last, Baath regime showed his cruelty and genocide broadly by chemical bombing of Halabcheh. 

The years earlier, in spite of difficulties and pains decades by decades, Iraq Kurds maintained their own independent cultural identity. Their identical features had similarities and unseparated ties with other parts of Aria and Iranian civilization. 

More than other politicians, Saddam engaged in Kurds matter. He spared no efforts including genocide and chemical bombing, mass slaughtering and torturing, the negation of their being and burying innocent people alive to extinct Kurdish identity and cultural and civilization features. Despite of all these acts Kurds have been kept and appreciate their noble identity. The ethnocentrism and racism attitudes and policies of Baath regime caused Kurds reaction and their preparation of Eylul rising under the Mullah Mustafa Barzani in 1961. 

In 1971 thousands of Fili Kurds were forced by Baath army to migrate Iran, a little later, thousands were forced to leave Karkuk and migrate southern regions. Some years later these acts broadly continued systematically. Frankly speaking, fighting against cultural identity of Kurds changed to the most important aspect of interior and foreign policy of Baath regime. 

Kurdish people continuously desired to maintain the aspects of cultural and civilization identity and considered Iran aid and support as a way to keep such identical features. Through this aspect, Saddam attempt to invite Iran king to solve the border disagreements and signing the contract of Algeria 1975 was a trick to eliminate Kurds on political map of Iraq, tempting Iran and saving sufficient time to strengthen his military forces and taking revenge from Iran in an appropriate time. After Islamic Revolution victory, Saddam, in his picture, thought the new regime of Iran would not be able to resist his equipped army. Thus, he tore apart the contract of Algeria showed on the governmental TV and sot out to attack broadly Iran leading to victimize hundred thousands of innocent people and civilians. Saddam called fight against Iran the Arab-Persian war, it seemed he fought against major core of Iranian identity and civilization. This fight also had a clear message for Kurds, this time he attacked civilizational origin of Kurds. 

Although the chemical attack of Iraq Army was at the beginning years of the fight, in terminal years it got worse when weakness and inefficiency appeared in Baath army, the attacks which were determinant in slowing Iranian forces progression. Halabcheh chemical bombing occurred in such atmosphere. In fact, chemical attack not only was a Baath army’s reaction to people welcoming Iranian forces but in a broad considering it also was a part of the aggressive government acts in the policy of reaction to Kurds identity. Undoubtedly, this inhuman act indicated racist Baaths’ hostility, enmity and disgust to Arian and Iranian identity.

From 1983 to terminal years of the fight, Saddam made different attempts for genocide of Kurds. Within this time, he devastated 4500 border villages of Kurds and moved the residents to forced camps or other areas of Iraq. Due to this act, thousands of houses, schools, mosques and churches were demolished. He even commended to cut the trees of this area in order to vanish any sign of life and possibility of refugees return. Saddam’s cruel and inhuman acts actually were one of the most important aspect and climax of such policy of racism. 

Meanwhile, Iranian nation and government role in support of the injured of Halabcheh tragedy was unique and deserves to be appreciated. Iran different organization such as the Army, Sepah, Air force and Red Crescent helped the injured with all their powers and available equipments and facilities. Right now chemical patients are transferred to Iran to be treated. This is a sign of humanitarianism and altruism of Iranians which is common civilization features between Iranians and Kurds. 

In addition, Iran’s attempt to introduce the aspects of this humanity tragedy to the world is another appreciated work. Iranians leaders informed the then general secretary of the UN about chemical attack to Halabcheh; he also informed this to Security Council. It convicted this act and denied mentioning the name of Iraq for being under pressure of great powers who themselves equipped Iraq with chemical weapons; however, Iran continued to introduce this inhuman tragedy in a broader range. By Iran’ invitation, many non- and governmental societies visited the victims while their bodied were on the ground as result of this attack. They provided a lot of pictures. Many vast attempts were carried out for political broads to visit the victims suffering from this attack. Tehran tried, at any way, to make this racism tragedy clear for the world to uncover the real origin of the Baath regime, the characteristic of Saddam and innocence of Halabcheh people.

 In International law view, chemical bombing of Halabcheh was an evident breach of the protocol of Jun 17, 1925 on conviction for usage of chemical weapons, of the documents of the Hague Peace Conference 1899 and 1907, of the art clause 6 of Nuremberg Court Articles of Association 1964, the clause 5 of Washington Treaty 1922, the clause 3 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, Non-proliferation Convention (the Protocol of Non-proliferation 1929 and 4th Geneva Convention 1949). In this view, upon war crime, it is included as a clear instance of inhuman crime with the aim of extinction of mass group of human. 

Now, like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Halabcheh witnesses the birth of children with chemical affections and physical-mental problems. Halabcheh still witnesses deaths of human affected by chemical bombing experiencing vast pains and difficulties during their life, and they themselves know the destructive results of this weapon transfer from generation to generation. 

However, Halabcheh is alive even with all these pains, and the sculpture of the child lying in his mother arms reminds of this song saying a child’s life costs more than any border.

With the presence of Dr. Jegarkhwein, deputy-representative of Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq in Tehran, Abdu Al-Rahman Zibari, the attorney of Halabcheh people in Saddam court and chemical Ali, Dr. Mustafa Ghanei, the specialist and physician of patients of Halabcheh chemical bombing, Dr. As’ad Ardalan, Dr. Bayazid Mardukhi, Dr. Ghotbeddin Sadeghi, Dr. Ja-far Haghpanah, Ehsan Hushmand, Dr. Mojtaba Borzui, Muhammad Ali Chavushi, Ardeshir Pashang and other personifications, the seminar of Iranian narration of Halabcheh chemical bombing was held in the auditorium of Culture, Art and Archeology Research Center of University Jihad in Tehran.

In this seminar, Abdu Al-Rahman Haji Zibari said phrases about under the heading of “Halabcheh is a part of belongings and chemical bombing”. In a part of this phrase, it says: in 16/4/1987, the first chemical attack was launched by the fallen and dictator regime of Baath to innocent people residing in Balisan area, in a valley where the great tribe, Jaaf, live. 81 days after this tragedy, the resolution 598 in Security Council of United Nations was carried to come cease-fire agreement between Iran and Iraq. This resolution had no scandal and guilty for Saddam Hussein regime, that was why the Islamic Republic of Iran under Imam Khomeini leadership did not accept the resolution. The Security Council of the United Nations considered this offense just as fighting occurred between two countries, however this crime was greater than a war between two countries. Besides, Iran agreed to the ceasefire in 8/8/1988, and formally the war of Iran and Iraq stopped in 20/8/1988. But the pillage and chemical bombing by Baath regime of Iraq continued, for the attack of 8th steps of pillaging continued from 25/8/1988 to 6/9/1988 whereas there was no war between Iran and Iraq.

In my opinion, Halabcheh was a part of the pillage acts. For the following reasons: 

1-      It was carried out between pillage 1 and 2.

2-      The accused of pillage case and Halabcheh are the same.

3-      The victims of Pillage case and Halabcheh Are the same; regarding that our Iranian brothers rooting in Aria as well, were killed by Saddam Husein, on the other hand,he killed the group whose nationality was Kurd and massacred the other group whose nationality was Kurdish, Iranian and Aria nationality.

He also mentioned some topics about the Pillage case in Iraq courts, another aspect of humanity tragedy and the necessity of formal complaining of Iran and Iraq against western companies supporting Iraq in producing chemicals weapons.

Donyae Eqtesad: Iraqi Kurdistan’s government and the Islamic Republic of Iran have had good political, cultural and social relations with each other since many years ago which have been strengthened after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq – (DFR.krg.org) – Today, the Korean Ambassador to Iraq, Heyon Meyong Kim, met with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), Minister Falah Mustafa and the Assistant Head of the DFR, Ms Siham Jabali as part of his farewell visit to Kurdistan as his two year tenure in Iraq concludes.

Ambassador Meyong Kim and Minister Falah Mustafa spoke about the history of their nations to which the ambassador stated that in his two years as ambassador to Iraq, he has learned a lot about the Kurdistan region, the Kurdish culture and the people. He went on to praise Kurdistan’s rapid development and drew parallels between Korea and the Kurdistan Region. He praised the Kurdish leadership for their vision which has helped pave the way for this economic development and progress in the region.

Minister Mustafa informed him of the history of oppression in Kurdistan and said “we have come a long way but we are still facing many challenges and we can learn lessons from your experience and your history.” He went on to say that “Kurdistan is based on a culture of hope and optimism.’

Earlier in the day the Korean Ambassador, along with other foreign diplomats, had attended a ceremony where the remains of 93 Barzanis who lost their lives during the Anfal were returned to Kurdistan to be reburied in Barzan. The Ambassador had been very moved at the event.

Both sides discussed Turkey – KRG relations as well as KRG relations with Baghdad to which Minister Mustafa stated, “for peace and cooperation you need partners.”

They went on to discuss ways of enhancing bilateral ties between Korea and Kurdistan through cultural exchange programs and the continuity of capacity building programs by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Kurdistan.

On that note, Ambassador Meyong Kim informed Minister Mustafa on future programs initiated by The Korean Transport Institute (KOTI), a Korean think tank for transport and logistics. KOTI intends to work with the KRG Ministry of Planning to help further develop the Kurdistan region.

During his visit to Kurdistan, the Ambassador met with the KRG Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barazani and attended the Second annual Sulaimani Forum hosted by the American University of Iraq – Sulaimani on the 4th and 5th of March.

Ambassador Heyon Meyong Kim will be returning to Seoul to resume work at the Korean Foreign Ministry in order to prepare for his next posting as the Consul General in Los Angeles, USA later this year.