Iraqi Left: "Lift the sanctions!"
According to The Guardian "leaders of the exiled Iraqi opposition" believe that Kofi Annan's agreement with Saddam Hussein will "prolong the suffering of the Iraqi people" (Guardian, 24 February). This view is not shared by all Iraqi exile activists.
At the Trafalgar Square rally on February 28, Socialist Outlook interviewed Shirin, a member of the Workers' Communist Party of Iraq.
SO: Do you support the use of international sanctions against Iraq?
Shirin: No, we have opposed them from day one. They do not serve the interests of the people of Iraq.
They are only in the interests of the USA, to give them an excuse to intervene. This intervention is neither to protect "peace and security" in the region nor to oppose the dictatorship of the Ba'ath regime, but only to promote US and western interests in the region. We call for the immediate and unconditional lifting of the sanctions.
SO: What is the current situation in Iraq and Kurdistan?
Shirin: It is very bad. Every month, 5-6000 children die as a direct result of sanctions, which prevent them from receiving food and medical supplies.
Kurdistan suffers from double sanctions - from the UN and from the regime. The area is like a huge refugee camp, under UN control. There are no jobs and no salaries. The people do not support anyone - not the UN, not Saddam Hussein, not the PUK and KDP. Unfortunately, the Islamic movement is growing stronger. So too is our party, the Workers' Communist Party of Iraq.
SO: What is the Workers' Communist Party of Iraq?
Shirin: The WCPI is a Marxist-Leninist party.
In 1991, popular committees, led by communists, were established across Kurdistan during the uprising against the Ba'ath regime. This Councils Movement was repressed when the nationalists took over.
We understood that, despite our strong support we were not organised, and there was no party to speak for the working class.
So in 1993 four small groups which had cooperated in the Councils Movement merged to establish the WCPI. The largest was the Communist Current; the others were the Unity of Communist Struggle, Workers' Attention and the Communist League.
We have several hundred members in Iraq. Most of the active members are in Kurdistan, where it is easier to operate than in the rest of Iraq.
We also have many members in exile, in Britain and Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. We are linked to the Workers' Communist Party of Iran, with whom we share a programme.
SO: How are your comrades active?
Shirin: We have a radio station, which attracts popular support. We publish regular periodicals: Workers' Communism, in Arabic, and Forward!, in Kurdish.
We campaign for women's and children's rights, against the current situation in Kurdistan and Iraq, and in support of political prisoners.
SO: Are you active in the whole of Iraq, or only in the Kurdish areas?
Shirin: Well, it is much easier for us to operate in Kurdistan. The repression and fear in Iraq is too great. At the time of the referendum to confirm Saddam Hussein in power a few years ago (he won 100 per cent of the vote), some of our comrades were arrested for distributing leaflets calling for a No vote.
Eleven were sentenced to death, and were only reprieved after a strong international campaign.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, under the rule of the UN and the bourgeois nationalist parties, things are a bit different. In particular, the people can see the failure of the KDP and PUK, and we are gaining support.
But we have problems here, too. The Islamic parties are growing, and this leads to strong pressure on women in particular. About 4000 women have been murdered in Iraqi Kurdistan since the nationalists took over.
About three years ago, one of our party leaders, Rebwar Ahmed, published an article against this in Forward, which enraged the Islamists, who issued a fatwa. The PUK banned Forward, and the women's journal Equality; eventually a Kurdish court rescinded the ban.
A few months ago, the PUK attacked our radio station in Suleymaniyeh. Although we do not have a strong military force, we were able to defend the station against them thanks to the widespread popular support for us in the town. Both these examples are from the PUK-controlled areas; the harassment in the KDP-controlled areas is even greater.
SO: Are your relations with the PKK any better than with the bourgeois nationalist parties?
Shirin: Well, the PKK is mainly a Turkish party, though it is based in Iraq. It is a nationalist party, which offers a nationalist solution to the problems of the Kurds.
As such, it serves the interests of the bourgeoisie rather than those of the workers.
We have been campaigning against the PKK's forced conscription of children to fight in their army. Many families of children kidnapped by the PKK come to us for support.
SO: What solution do you propose for the Kurdish question?
Shirin: In principle, we oppose the creation of any further borders, which divide workers and make our struggle more difficult.
However, we want a free referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, under international supervision, to decide whether it remains as part of Iraq or becomes an independent state.
We believe that, as long as the Ba'ath party remains in power, we would prefer an independent state for the people of Kurdistan. I stress, for the people of Kurdistan, with all of the minorities, and not just for the Kurdish people.
But this would only be a temporary situation. If there is a change in Iraq, and the establishment of a more secular regime, we would oppose borders between the people.
Our position is that, wherever we can establish a workers' state, we will do so. We believe that, in Kurdistan, there is a possibility of this.
SO: How can workers outside Iraq help your struggle?
Shirin: We need the international solidarity of workers with the people of Iraq, to help us to overthrow the regime.
As I said, international pressure helped to remove the death sentences against our comrades a few years ago. The sanctions, which are destroying the lives of people, must be removed, and there must be no US bombing or intervention.
In addition, the people of Iraq are not responsible for the country's debts, and should not be forced to pay them.
The money was not spent in the interests of the people, for instance on schools and hospitals. It was used for military equipment and palaces.