Printer-friendly VersionThe Kurdish Globe
Rojnama editor-in-chief resigns after erroneous reports harmful to the KRG and Iranian Kurdish opposition parties.
The editor in-chief of the Kurdish newspaper that erroneously reported KRG funding of Iranian Kurdish opposition parties resigned because of the report.
"Rojnama," a weekly Kurdish newspaper based in Suleimaniya city that is associated with the Gorran Movement Party (the Opposition Party), reported that "the government has allocated money for Iranian Kurdish opposition parties" in the Kurdistan Region draft budget.
"I have resigned because my paper incorrectly reported that Kurdistan Region Government allocated money for the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties," said Awder Sheikh Omer, editor in-chief of Rojnama newspaper. Omer apologized to the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties and the Kurdish government, stating that his paper has "harmed them because of the report."
The Iranian government accused Kurdistan of financing Iranian Kurdish opposition parties after Kurdistan's Parliament issued the region's draft budget.
The Iran News Agency (IRNA), mouthpiece of Iran's government, claimed that Article 19 of the draft budget reads "an amount of money should be allocated to Iranian Kurdish opposition parties."
IRNA also mentioned that a Kurdish newspaper ("Rojnama") has reported that Kurdistan Region Government has allocated an amount of money for the Iranian Kurdish opposition parties.
But Kurdistan Parliament speaker Kamal Kirkuki stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran misunderstands the region's draft budget. "We have suggested an amount of money to be allocated for the Iraqi Kurdistan political parties, not Iranian Kurdish parties," said Kirkuki.
Kirkuki said he is surprised by the Iranian government's accusation. "The information the IRNA published is untrue. It is politically motivated," he stated. It is true, remarked Kirkuki, that there are politically active Iranian Kurdish opposition parties in Iraqi Kurdistan. "We don't allow anyone to attack neighboring countries using the Kurdistan Region's land," he said.
Immediately after the IRNA's accusation, Iran began shelling the Kurdistan Region border. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) head of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Abdullah Akray, said Iran has broken its promise.
"In the last meeting with Iranian officials, it was decided for Iran to stop shelling Kurdistan Region's border. We agreed if there is any problem, it must be solved through dialogue, said Akray. "Iran has broken its promise; two days after the meeting, they started bombarding our border."
Iran has from occasionally and over several years bombarded Kurdistan Region's border. Iran accuses Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (an Iranian Kurdish opposition Party) of hiding on Iraqi Kurdistan Region's border and launching attacks into Iran from there.
Akray pointed out that KRG officially demanded Iran compensate for damages conducted by Iranian bombardments. But the Iranian government has not responded.