ICI Conference in Stockholm 29.5.2008

Representatives of nearly 100 countries took part on Thursday the 29th May in a conference in Stockholm, Sweden's capital. The UN called the conference to review a five-year package it brokered last year, called the International Compact with Iraq (ICI). The gathering followed the conference in May 2007 at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the Iraq Compact was launched.

In the Stockholm Conference participants represented governments, United Nations and European Union. There were no NGOs. Among the delegates in the Conference were UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, EU High Representative Xavier Solana, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Thirteen Ministers of the central government represented Iraq, led by Prime Minister Noori Al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki asked the international community to relieve Iraq's debt. Officials said the move was aimed mainly at Arab countries, to which Iraq owes most of its 67 billion dollar debt. It dates from the time of Saddam Hussein's regime. The debt is owed to the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The request was aimed at supporting Iraq's efforts to restore stability and rebuild a functioning economy. Correspondents say progress in these areas remains fragile. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said before the Conference debt was not its subject.

Despite big hopes laid on the ICI Conference the arrangements of it reflected how fragile the situation is. Programme and participants of the delegations were announced only on the same day as the ICI Conference took place. Hope, optimism and need for reconciliation was expressed in many official speeches but difficult topics like the Kirkuk question or bombings of North Iraq were not mentioned.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih mentioned in his speech the need to implement the issue of the Disputed Territories and internal boundaries addressed by Article 140 ot the Constitution.

Condoleezza Rice repeated that US supports a unified Iraq. She repeated both in her press conference and in her speech in the ICI conference how the security situation in Iraq is getting better.

Rice refused to answer journalists who asked her to say the biggest mistake what US has made in Iraq. She said the historians will analyse the situation in a different way than people nowadays. She was sure that it was not a mistake to liberate Iraq because now the Iraqi people have a possibility to develop their country and Iraq can become a stabilising force in the Middle East.

Also the other speeches in the ICI Conference sounded similar to speeches held various times in other conferences. The Conference concentrated on issues related to the central government and Arab parts of Iraq. While listening the official speeches people who are unfamiliar to the situation in North Iraq could not imagine that every part of Iraq is not under chaotic conditions.

Country which is like a fairy tale

I write these words a few days after returning home from Iraqi part of Kurdistan. I wanted to write a column already during my three weeks stay there. But it took a little bit of time to go through all the experiences and to understand what I had seen. It was my first journey there, everything was new.

Now after spending some days in the cool temperature I can analyze things better. This might be hard for Kurds to believe but when my plane arrived to Stockholm, Sweden, it was late afternoon and the temperature was nine degrees!

To put it shortly: I was amazed to visit a country where everything is opposite to Turkey. A country where one does not have to be afraid of police and check points on the roads. There is an European fairy tale called "Alice in Wonderland". It tells about a girl who visits a land where everything is opposite to what she is used to. This story expresses my feelings during the first days in Hawler.

I collected information for a book and newspaper articles. I got all information what I asked for and there would have been even more available - but I did not have ability to receive it. People helped me every where I went, many thanks for that. Especially I want to thank Ministers Dr. Idris H. Salih, Dr. Mohammed Ihsan, Nimrud B. Youkhana, Chnar S. Abdullah, Taha Barwary and Falah Mustafa Bakir for giving me their time and answering my questions.

One thing what surprised me was that everything happens very quickly in Kurdistan. Of course it was partly because my journey was short and meetings could not be postponed. But also there is a public will to develop the country and catch everything what was lost during the long years of international economic sanctions. Kurdistan is very dynamic place and the atmosphere of change is special.

The good level of security is a miracle which I believed only after seeing it with my own eyes. Of course I had read about it. But I did not understand it before walking days around Hawler and seeing no other police men than traffic police.

After seeing the life of Iraqi Kurds I understand better the situation of Kurds in Turkey. Also what they are missing when comparing their situation to Kurds who live under their own administration.

Of course there were also things which deserve criticism. My biggest surprise was the almost total lack of public transport in Hawler. In Finland I travel always by bus or by bicycle. So I felt almost like at home when I visited Sulaymania and travelled by bus instead of taxi. The traffic jams and transport problems in Hawler is so big issue that I will write more about it some other time.

I am looking forward to come soon back to Hawler and Sulaymania. Then I will be better prepared and my questions will be more precise.

World Village Festival in Helsinki

World Village Festival was celebrated this week-end (24.-25.5.2008) in Helsinki down town in bright sunshine.

Here Hasan Dohogu and I speak about the Kurds.

Iraqi style petrol station

According to Times Iraq could have the largest oil reserves in the world.

Here is Iraqi style petrol station. I took the picture near Hawler. Views like this are common everywhere in North Iraq, also in Kerkuk (which has six per cent of all known oil reserves in the world.)

Do not ask me about the quality of the street petrol!!

Hawler Textil Museum

I have very many things to tell about my journey to South Kurdistan. Instead of writing long reports I will put here pictures. I start with Hawler Textil Museum which is located in the Citadel and is open every day.

Iraqi Kurds love everything what is new - and made in factories (which are of course in other countries and do not produce things according the Kurdish style).

I do not want to be unpolite towards Iraqi Kurds but they seem to lack such knowledge and respect of their own culture than people in North Kurdistan have. There Kurdish kelims and handicrafts can be seen every where - in South Kurdistan I saw traditional Kurdish carpets during three weeks only in the museum. The long years of isolation and economical hardship have taken its toll also in this sense: 25 000 old Kurdish rugs were exported to Iran during early 90s (also other second hand things are usually sold to Iran).

Now this hundreads years knowledge of carpet weaving is not passed to next generation in the Iraqi part of Kurdistan. I really hope that people there understand what they will lose if this thing does not change quikly. Kilims are the traditional art of Kurdish women.

For the tourists who travel Hawler I recommend to visit the shop of the Textil Museum. There are still some nomad women who know carpet weaving and traditional designs of their tribe. Their carpets can be bought in museum's shop. I did not buy any as my bag was very heavy. I regret it now - it would have been better to pay the over weight cost in the airplane.

Here are some pictures from the museum:

Back at home!

I returned yesterday to Finland from South Kurdistan, after spending some days in Stockholm.

I start putting pictures to Sahmaran within a few days. I was too busy for that in Hawler but there are quite many things to do also at home, after one month's journey.

Hawler

I am still in Hawler, journey to South Kurdistan has been a fantastic experience. There are too many things to tell from here. I have so much material and experiences that it would be better to write a book than some newspaper articles or posts in the blog.

And besides, things are so amazing here, that one can understand them fully only by coming here by oneself. To put it short, everything is opposite to Turkey.

When I get back to Finland, I put more pictures to my blog, here internet is very slowly even when there is a good computer.