Massoud Barzani

Massoud Barzani (born 1946) has been the president of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region since 2005.

M. Barzani in 2005.

Quotes

Turkey and PKK

• I am not an enemy of Turkey; I am a friend of the Turkish people
• I do not accept the language of threatening and blackmailing from the government of Turkey.
• The Turks have tried military operations in the last 23 years. Now, it's time for the Turkish people to ask their military what they did in the last 23 years, and why they didn't solve it.
• If Turkey came up with a peaceful initiative and the PKK rejects that, then all the Kurdistanis will take up a position against the PKK.

• We will not let the Turks interfere the issue of Kirkuk. I am not afraid of their (Turkey's) military or diplomatic power, because they interfere in matters that do not concern them. Kirkuk is an Iraqi city of Kurdish identity, all geographic and historic facts prove that Kirkuk is part of Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey has no right to interfere in this matter. If Turkey allows itself interfere in the matter of Kirkuk because of a few thousand Turkmen, we will do the same with regard to Diyarbakir (Amed) and other Kurdistani cities in Turkey because of 30 million Kurds.

Kurdish nation

• Declaration of a state(Kurdistan) is the legitimate right of the Kurdish nation. This goal should be realized, but without resorting to violence.

On Israel's right to exist

• I am against driving Israel into the sea. This policy is wrong, illogical, and unreasonable. Why annihilate a people?

External links

Video clips

• President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Province Maso'ud Al-Barazani Threatens Turkey Not to Interfere in the Issue of Kirkuk and Declares: I Do Not Support Driving Israel to the Sea (April 2007) about 13 minutes