As a close friend of "Mam Jalal" since 1973 and as someone who played a joint role with him in establishing Turkey's relationship with the Kurdish political movement for the first time since the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, I know very well that he identified himself with the city of Kirkuk — Talabani was a Kirkuki above anything else. The words of Dr. Najmaldin Karim, the governor of Kirkuk and personal physician of Talabani, are to the point: "The world, Iraq, the people of Kurdistan and Kirkuk today lost one of the most prominent leaders of the liberation [movement] … a most eminent advocate of human rights."
Karim, who is also a fellow member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) that Talabani had founded and led, added, "We in the city of Kirkuk are more saddened than anyone else by the loss of President Mam Jalal because he loved our city and was defending the Turkmen, Kurds, Arabs, Chaldeans and Assyrians."
Such a gigantic personality was Mam Jalal. Although he was not actively involved in politics since his 2012 stroke, the knowledge that he was alive served as an invisible safety valve to prevent things from completely getting out of control in Iraq, Kurdistan and the region.
Talabani's political absence since December 2012 already created a huge gap. His demise would be felt even more strongly in resolving the seemingly insurmountable conflicts engulfing the Middle East.
Comments are closed.