Category Archives: General

Sir John Major was a one-man genocide prevention unit.

Remarks by Karwan Jamal Tahir, KRG High Representative to the UK, at the rally on the 30th anniversary of the safe haven and no-fly zone. Today is a historic day for the United Kingdom’s history and the Kurdish nation’s history; … Continue reading

My Unfinished Business

A personal view from Tom Hardie-Forsyth, a British Army Officer, and former Nato Chairman. As a British Army Captain, arriving in the spring of 1991 in the mountains of Kurdistan, I was greeted by unimaginable suffering – the mud, the … Continue reading

My Remarks at the Rally to Mark Sir John Major’s Safe Haven that saved Kurdistan

The great Irish Poet, Seamus Heaney wrote History says, don’t hope on this side of the grave, but then, once in a lifetime, the longed-for tidal wave of justice rises up and make hope and history rhyme. That opportunity for … Continue reading

Comments by James Thornton, the UK Consul-General in Erbil, at today’s ceremony to name Sir John Major Street.

Good morning. I would like to begin by thanking my friend Safeen Dizayee, the Minister of Municipalities and Tourism and the Governor of Erbil for making this event and wonderful dedication possible. I echo the powerful sentiments expressed by Safeen … Continue reading

Should I Stay or Should I Go. The Safe Haven that saved Kurdistan.

(Newcastle Journal today) Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash topped the charts in March 1991. Three thousand miles away the free world had won the clash with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to liberate Kuwait. British and American … Continue reading

Tourism in a Nation in the Making – the Kurdistan Region

One day, after Covid, many will want to travel again. Here is an article outlining why you should consider the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Gary Kent Gideon Benedyk outlines the charms of holidaying in Kurdistan London black cabs in Iraqi … Continue reading

AGM

Minutes of the AGM of the APPG on the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Virtual. Thursday 4 March. 1 Attendance. MPs: Robert Halfon, Peter Gibson, Mary Glindon, Alicia Kearns, Ben Everitt, Lloyd Russell-Moyle, Jack Lopresti, Jason McCartney, Jerome Mayhew, Alexander Stafford, … Continue reading

John Major, the quiet revolutionary who saved Kurdistanis from genocide and proved they have more friends than the mountains.

Thirty years ago, accidents of history sparked Kurdistani revolution from 5 March against Iraq’s genocidal dictator Saddam Hussein whose bloody vengeance sent millions of Kurdistanis into the freezing mountains. The Kurdistani plight inspired a ferment of public horror and quick-witted … Continue reading

Ian Austin asks necessary question in the Lords on the recent rocket attacks in Erbil

Lord Austin of Dudley asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of who is responsible for the rocket attacks in Erbil on 15 February. FCDO Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon replied on 8 March 2021: “The Government of … Continue reading

Guest column. One for post-Covid travel. Gideon Benedyk outlines his experience of visiting the Kurdistan Region

London black cabs in Iraqi Kurdistan? Absolutely. Kurds can now hire newly imported Hackney Cabs for weddings and photo-ops in the city of Duhok. Kurds love classic British brands in this beautiful, Western loving near-nation where I have just spent … Continue reading