Letter That Barzani Forgot

In a letter that he sent to former President Cevdet Sunay and Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel, Mullah Mustafa Barzani, the father of Mesud Barzani, the Leader of the Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP), said that Kurdish people were destroyed by the Arab administration in Iraq and pleaded help from Turkey against this oppressive regime. Hurriyet’s Hulusi Turgut wrote, “We met Mullah Mustafa Barzani on May 18, 1968 in Dilman Village, Northern Iraq. Idris Barzani, the son of Mullah Mustafa Barzani welcomed me… Mullah Mustafa Barzani asked me why the Great Turkish State deprived them of its kindness… Barzani said; “We are the sons of the Ottoman Empire. Destiny took us part from our Turkish brothers. Now we are fighting for freedom in these territories. We do not strive for independence. We are just fighting against the Iraqi Armies that try to suppress us. Under such circumstances we cannot have covert aims about our great neighbor Turkey. There are those who have interest in depicting us as bad to great Turkish state.”In his letter to Demirel, Father Barzani said; “Our people are living under very difficult conditions and even a tiny existence of it is being threatened. We found no choice other than asking for the help of your Excellency, Turkish people, and your government. Your help can take form of trying to put pressure on the Iraqi regime to stop the war that will in the end destroy us, or to assist our people. “The letter sent by Father Barzani to President Sunay stated; “Turks and Kurds have lived side- by-side throughout history. They are tied by Islam and they combined their blood against their enemies.”�