SULAIMANYA (Northern Iraq), July 23: The Kurd-controlled areas in Northern Iraq also known collectively as Kurdistan — today stand at a crossroads. In front of it are two paths, one leading to independence and the other to a partnership with the other parts of Iraq, thus creating a united country.

The Kurds in general want independence. But the geopolitical situation is driving them towards a partnership with the troubled parts of the country where British and American forces are facing tough resistance from several groups, including those that support Saddam Hussein, a senior journalist told Dawn on Tuesday.

Shwan Muhammad of the Sulaimanya-based weekly Hawlati said that by opting for a partnership with the southern parts of Iraq that are seeing a guerilla war these days, the Kurd-controlled region, which has had self-rule since 1992, will lose the powers of a de-facto state.

“Since 1992, that is, soon after the Gulf War, we became almost an independent state after which our economy blossomed. In that period Saddam Hussein was investing in weapons of mass destruction,” said Shwan Muhammad.

“We have our own army. And we also have our own foreign ministers. But if the powers that be want us to become a partner with the violence-ridden parts of Iraq, then we have a big problem at hand because our special status may be lost.”

Meanwhile, in the opinion of several important Kurds, Kurdistan is set to benefit greatly from the ouster from power of Saddam Hussein and the ongoing resistance against the British and American troops in the areas previously controlled by his government.

Sulaimanya and its adjoining areas may become the hub of economic and other activities in future, an important political leader said.

Kasim Jamal, the second-highest ranking official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party here in Sulaimanya — is of the opinion that the future of Iraq should be in the hands of Iraqis.

He said the situation had been stable in Northern Iraq for the last 12 years. And a lot of progress had been made.

Rauf Arif, a former chief accountant at the Sulaimanya University, said the amount of progress that had been made by Kurds in Sulaimanya alone could be gauged from the fact that in the last 12 years, 17 new colleges had been built.

Runak Faraj, the editor of the fortnightly Rewan told Dawn that since 1992 when self-rule was granted to Kurdistan, the literacy rate had increased among the women.

Almost every Kurd you talk to seems worried about the prospect of the Americans destroying the Kurdish dream of independence or at least having a self-ruled region of their own.