Interview with Arbil Governor Akram Mantik

The situation in northern Iraq is generally much better than in the south and centre, according to Governor Akram Mantik. In an interview with IRIN following the capture of Saddam Hussein, Mantik described him as "the biggest terrorist of our time" and said he could now guarantee safety for humanitarian workers in the north. QUESTION: How is the situation for the people of Arbil now? ANSWER: In the past, we suffered a lot from the Iraqi regime. We had 4,500 villages destroyed, as well as schools and hospitals, and chemical weapons were used in Halabja [on 17 March 1988] - it was a disaster for the people. We have tried to do everything in this reconstruction ourselves, but accept there are shortages in trying to do so many jobs. And our enemies around us have also tried to disrupt what we are doing. Q: What assistance do you need? A: NGOs have been coming to Iraq to help us and they have a good role in Kurdistan. The United Nations has also come and despite all the problems with the Oil-For-Food Programme there have been many benefits from this. We’ve only had the taste of freedom for a decade and we’ve already made so many changes. We don’t really need money, but help with humanitarian reconstruction and cooperation with people who have experience in this, and skills. Q: Are you therefore disappointed that the United Nations has reduced its work in the north of Iraq recently due to security concerns? A: I’m not disappointed or happy about the UN pulling out. We know that the UN has a good role in Iraq and would want them to come back, but in a different way. They made a lot of great projects here with their money and skills, but the money was rationed before with 13 percent of the Oil-For-Food programme coming to Kurdistan. In the past, often nobody knew where the money went. But in the future, the Kurdish government would want to have more control of what is happening with the funds and reconstruction. There was another problem too. The UN paid very good salaries, and many of our most educated and skilled people went from our ministries to work for them and we couldn’t pay the same amounts. But we hope the programme continues and we carry on getting the benefits from it. We respect the UN and anybody who will come here and help us to make life better. Q: Are you happy dealing with the Coalition Provisional Authority? A: The CPA and UN work very differently and their thinking is very different. I am happy with the CPA - and the UN too. The CPA has different criteria, which are quite good. And we don’t have to rely on what the Iraqi regime thinks like in the past. Q: There are still many problems in the north and many people are struggling, aren’t they? A: Remember that about 80 percent of our population is jobless or very poor. By that I mean their salary can’t buy everything they need. Maybe a worker was only getting 150 dinars [US $12] a month. But in the last four months there has been an increase in salaries in all of Iraq, and now the minimum for many people is about US $50-$60 a month. This was a CPA resolution to increase the salaries of the employees. But there is still a problem with unemployed people. In some areas we don’t have any factories or firms or companies to provide jobs. And 90 percent of unemployed people in this area are not from Arbil: they are displaced people from Kirkuk and other places where they were kicked out by the Iraqi regime. Q: Are you worried that people will think the north of Iraq doesn’t have the same needs as the south and centre and will put resources there? A: Aid must be taken to all of Iraq - not just the centre or south. Here, chaos has vanished and we have our own rules and government, but the aid still needs to be for all of Iraq. Q: Can the internal divisions between the Kurdish population be overcome? A: Well, the PKK [Kurdistan Worker's Party] are not an issue in Kurdistan’s south. They are in the north and Turkey. We have had problems between the PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] and KDP [Kurdistan Democratic Party], but we have made a resolution to be friends and there is no problem with us really. The only problem is uniting the two administrations but I’m optimistic about this. It will be successful - it has to be for the benefit of Kurdistan. We have more problems with our neighbours who have no right to make problems for us - Turkey, Syria, Iran, all of them. We want a good relation with all our neighbours. Q: How much better is life in the north of Iraq now that Saddam Hussein is gone? A: Saddam is still living, but is not ruling in Iraq. But for us, he died 12 years ago. Young children here have never lived under Saddam, but they know what he did to Iraq. When Saddam was overthrown it was not just Kurdistan or even all of Iraq, but all the countries of the world that benefited a million times over. It [Iraq] was a centre of terrorism for all the world. Many people didn’t believe how bad the Iraqi regime was, because they were dealing with it or trading with it, but now everything is revealed. Q: How safe is it for people to come and work here in the north? A: I can guarantee the safety of people who come here. We’re trying to get rid of all the problems of the past, so Kurdistan doesn’t contain any problems. Terrorism is an international problem done by cowards, but we are controlling things here. They have tried here, but have failed. The biggest terrorist was Saddam and his bombs and TNT. Q: So the future will be peaceful here after so many years of war and difficulties? A: We are all working together here to make it peaceful and calm. No one person can do that - it needs to be done together. And our offices are open to anyone who has problems here. There are no obstacles between the people and the offices of the governorate.