“No one can arrest me,” says Mohammed Haji Mahmoud

“For the past 50 years, no one has been able to stand in my way or arrest me,” Kaka Hama says

SULAIMANI,— Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, also known as Kaka Hama, president of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party (Hizbî Sosyalîst Kurdistan, HSK), has challenged the arrest warrant issued against him, declaring that no one has managed to stop him or arrest him during the past 50 years.

He also called for the courts that issued the warrant to be put on trial, accusing them of serving political parties rather than operating independently.

Mahmoud made the remarks Wednesday evening during an interview with his party’s official television channel, Jamawar TV, where he addressed the arrest warrant and the wider political situation in the Kurdistan Region.

“Over the past 50 years, no one has been able to stand in my way. No one has been able to arrest me,” Mahmoud said.

He also questioned the possibility of his arrest, saying authorities should have announced that they would bring back his dead body and hand it over rather than expect him to surrender alive.

Mahmoud went on to say that the courts responsible for issuing the arrest warrant against him should themselves face trial.

He accused the courts of being controlled by political parties, arguing that they make decisions according to what those parties want.

Turning to the political situation in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Mahmoud, who maintains close ties with Massoud Barzani and the KDP, described the reactivation of the Kurdistan Parliament as a national and patriotic duty for the people of Kurdistan.

He also argued that the president of the Kurdistan Region should be elected directly by the people rather than chosen by parliament.

Commenting on relations between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Mahmoud said the two parties had reached an agreement on only one issue: not reaching an agreement.

He described the current problems in the Kurdistan Region as neither political nor administrative, but personal disputes driven by individual interests.

He added that he currently sees no willingness among those involved to resolve the disagreements.

Mahmoud also rejected the existence of two separate administrations and any division of Kurdistan. He said that, in practice, the region already has two separate administrations and that everything has been divided between them.

He criticized political leaders for speaking about the different parts of Kurdistan while dividing their own areas into two or three sections. He said he opposed this division and rejected the establishment of separate administrations.

Regarding the United States’ involvement, Mahmoud referred to a U.S. official who has been sent to serve as ambassador in Turkey.

He questioned the official’s ability to understand the situation, saying that perhaps his mind could not comprehend anything.

Addressing the position of the Kurds in Iraq, Mahmoud said they have a cause rather than a problem, explaining that their rights have been taken away.

He also accused Iraq of repeatedly seeking to reduce the status and authority of the Kurdistan Region.

As for a political solution, Mahmoud identified confederalism as the only option for the Kurds at this stage.

His remarks covered the arrest warrant, the judiciary, the future of parliament, presidential elections, relations between the KDP and PUK, the division of the Kurdistan Region, US involvement and the political rights of Kurds in Iraq.

(With files from Agencies)