Kurdistan - Massud Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)

Massoud is the fourth son of Mullah Mustafa Barzani. Now leading the KDP he is the opposite of Jalal. A quiet, softly spoken man, he is clannish and tribal. His closest advisers all hail from the Barzani family. Who supports him? I hear you ask. Different countries at different times is the answer. In 1996 it was the Iraqis who were dolling out the cash and weapons and about 10,000 Republican Guard just for good measure. In 1997 it was the Turks who supported him when he took on the PKK along the Iraqi-Turkish border. As DP was going to press he was still getting support from Turkey. Barzani also gets all the cash from the technically illegal border trade with Turkey. He doesn't give any of it directly to the PUK-which rather miffs Jalal and the kids, and has been a contributing factor to the fighting between the two groups.

The KDP flag is yellow and the traditional area of support is the northwestern part of the Kurdish enclave. The KDP headquarters is Salahudin, a half-hour drive north of the self-declared Kurdish capital of Arbil. Barzani himself lives in one of Saddam's old palaces called Sereroche, just outside Salahudin. Barzani is still fighting the PKK along the Turkish-Iraqi border region with the Turkish army supporting him. The KDP say that for as long as the PKK have the bulk of their military forces inside Iraqi Kurdistan-as opposed to Turkish Kurdistan-they will continue to fight the PKK. Could be a long war, say the pundits. That said, the PKK has announced a cease-fire with the KDP. Could peace really be breaking out in Kurdistan? Nah, surely not!

Kurdistan Democratic Party

2025 I Street NW, Suite 1108

Washington, DC 20006

Tel.: (202) 331-9505

Fax: 331-9506

http://www.kdp.pp.se/

http://home1.swipnet.se/~w-11534/