Jalal Talabani
Encyclopedia
Jalal Talabani is the sixth and current President of Iraq
, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq
, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish.
Talabani is the founder and secretary general of one of the main Kurdish
political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK). He was a prominent member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council, which was established following the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein
regime by the invasion of Iraq in 2003
. Talabani has been an advocate for Kurdish
rights and democracy in Iraq
for more than 50 years.
and his high school education in Erbil
and Kirkuk
. In the late 1950s Mustafa Barzani
sent him to Syria
to study law. He is fluent in Kurdish
, Arabic
, Persian
and English
. Talabani has a record of lifelong activism and leadership in the Kurdish
and Iraq
i causes. In 1946, at the age of 13 he formed a secret Kurdish student association. His youngest son, Qubad
, is the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government
in the United States
.
revolution for the rights of the Kurds in Western Iraq was declared against the Baghdad
government of Abdul Karim Qassem, Talabani took charge of the Kirkuk
and Silemani battle fronts and organized and led separatist movements in Mawat
, Rezan and the Karadagh regions. In March 1962, he led a coordinated offensive that brought about the liberation of the district of Sharbazher
from Iraq
i government forces. When not engaged in fighting in the early and mid 1960s, Talabani undertook numerous diplomatic missions, representing the Kurdish
leadership at meetings in Europe
and the Middle East
.
The Kurdish
separatist movement collapsed in March 1975 after Iran
ended their support in exchange for a border agreement with Iraq
. This agreement was the 1975 Algiers Agreement, where Iraq
gave up claims to the Shatt al-Arab waterway and Khuzestan, which later became the basis for the Iran-Iraq war
. Believing it was time to give a new direction to the Kurdish
separatists and to the Kurdish
society, Talabani, with a group of Kurdish
intellectuals and activists, founded the Kurdish
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(Yekiaiti Nishtimani Kurdistan
). In 1976, he began organizing an armed campaign for Kurdish
independence inside Iraq
. During the 1980s, Talabani sided with Iran
and led a Kurdish
struggle from bases inside Iraq
until the crackdown against Kurdish
separatists from 1987 to 1988.
In 1991, he helped inspire a renewed effort for Kurdish
independence. He negotiated a ceasefire with the Iraq
i Ba'athist government that saved the lives of many Kurds and worked closely with the US, UK, France
and other countries to set up the safe haven in Iraqi Kurdistan
. In 1992 the Kurdistan Regional Government
was founded. Talabani has pursued a negotiated settlement to the internecine problems plaguing the Kurdish
movement, as well as the larger issue of Kurdish
rights in the current regional context. He works closely with other Kurdish
politicians as well as the rest of the Iraqi opposition factions. In close coordination with Massoud Barzani
, Talabani and the Kurds played a key role as a partner of the US-Coalition in the invasion of Iraq
. Talabani was a member of the Iraqi Governing Council
that negotiated the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), Iraq
's interim constitution. The TAL governed all politics in Iraq
and the process of writing and adopting the final constitution.
on April 6, 2005 by the Iraqi National Assembly and sworn in to office the following day. On April 22, 2006, Talabani began his second term as President of Iraq, becoming the first President elected under the country's new Constitution. Currently, his office is part of the Presidency Council of Iraq
. Nawshirwan Mustafa
was Talabani's deputy until Mustafa resigned in 2006 and formed a media company called Wusha. Talabani visited the Cambridge Union Society
UK, on 11 May 2007. The visit itself was organized by the then President of Cambridge Union Society, Ali Al-Ansari.
In an interview, during the visit, Jalal Talabani described Tony Blair as a 'hero' for helping secure Iraq's freedom.
He was reelected by the Parliament for a new term on 11 November 2010.
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President of Iraq
The President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
, a leading Kurdish politician. He is the first non-Arab president of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, although Abdul Kareem Qasim was half Kurdish.
Talabani is the founder and secretary general of one of the main Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
political parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
(PUK). He was a prominent member of the Interim Iraq Governing Council, which was established following the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
regime by the invasion of Iraq in 2003
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Talabani has been an advocate for Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
rights and democracy in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
for more than 50 years.
Early life
Talabani was born in 1933 in Talaban Village and descends from the Talabani tribe that has produced many leading social figures. He received his elementary and intermediate school education in Koya (Koysanjak)Koi Sanjaq
The town Koi Sanjaq is located in the Erbil Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan, close to the Iranian border.Wallace Lyon, travelling through the town in 1923, compared it to Sulaimani and noted that it was a centre for tobacco...
and his high school education in Erbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
and Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
. In the late 1950s Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani
Mustafa Barzani also known as Mullah Mustafa was a Kurdish nationalist leader, and the most prominent political figure in the modern Kurdish politics. In 1946 he was chosen as the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party to lead the Kurdish revolution against Iraqi regimes...
sent him to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to study law. He is fluent in Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Talabani has a record of lifelong activism and leadership in the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
and Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i causes. In 1946, at the age of 13 he formed a secret Kurdish student association. His youngest son, Qubad
Qubad Talabani
Qubad Talabani is the Kurdistan Regional Government representative in the United States.He is the second son of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.-Early life:...
, is the representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Rights for Kurds
When in September 1961, the KurdishKurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
revolution for the rights of the Kurds in Western Iraq was declared against the Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
government of Abdul Karim Qassem, Talabani took charge of the Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
and Silemani battle fronts and organized and led separatist movements in Mawat
Mawat
Mawat is a town located to the north of Sulaymaniyah and to the southeast of Lake Dukan in Iraqi Kurdistan.Mawat is a small town. It has been rebuilt to the south of Old Mawat...
, Rezan and the Karadagh regions. In March 1962, he led a coordinated offensive that brought about the liberation of the district of Sharbazher
Sharbazher
Sharbazher District is a district in Sulaymaniyah Governorate in northeastern Iraq.It refers to the lands north of Sulaymaniyah or the lands behind the goyzha mountain....
from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i government forces. When not engaged in fighting in the early and mid 1960s, Talabani undertook numerous diplomatic missions, representing the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
leadership at meetings in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
The Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
separatist movement collapsed in March 1975 after Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ended their support in exchange for a border agreement with Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. This agreement was the 1975 Algiers Agreement, where Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
gave up claims to the Shatt al-Arab waterway and Khuzestan, which later became the basis for the Iran-Iraq war
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
. Believing it was time to give a new direction to the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
separatists and to the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
society, Talabani, with a group of Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
intellectuals and activists, founded the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
(Yekiaiti Nishtimani Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
). In 1976, he began organizing an armed campaign for Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
independence inside Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. During the 1980s, Talabani sided with Iran
Iranian Kurdistan
Iranian Kurdistan is an unofficial name for the parts of Iran inhabited by Kurds and has borders with Iraq and Turkey. It includes Kurdistan Province, Kermanshah Province, Ilam Province and parts of West Azerbaijan province....
and led a Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
struggle from bases inside Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
until the crackdown against Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
separatists from 1987 to 1988.
In 1991, he helped inspire a renewed effort for Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
independence. He negotiated a ceasefire with the Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Ba'athist government that saved the lives of many Kurds and worked closely with the US, UK, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and other countries to set up the safe haven in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
. In 1992 the Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
was founded. Talabani has pursued a negotiated settlement to the internecine problems plaguing the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
movement, as well as the larger issue of Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
rights in the current regional context. He works closely with other Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
politicians as well as the rest of the Iraqi opposition factions. In close coordination with Massoud Barzani
Massoud Barzani
Massoud Barzani is the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Barzani was born in Mahabad, Iran, during the rule of the Republic of Mahabad...
, Talabani and the Kurds played a key role as a partner of the US-Coalition in the invasion of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Talabani was a member of the Iraqi Governing Council
Iraqi Governing Council
The Iraqi Governing Council was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority...
that negotiated the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
's interim constitution. The TAL governed all politics in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the process of writing and adopting the final constitution.
Presidency
Talabani was elected President of IraqPresident of Iraq
The President of Iraq is the head of state of Iraq and "safeguards the commitment to the Constitution and the preservation of Iraq's independence, sovereignty, unity, the security of its territories in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution." The President is elected by the Council of...
on April 6, 2005 by the Iraqi National Assembly and sworn in to office the following day. On April 22, 2006, Talabani began his second term as President of Iraq, becoming the first President elected under the country's new Constitution. Currently, his office is part of the Presidency Council of Iraq
Presidency Council of Iraq
The Presidency Council of Iraq is an entity currently operating under the auspices of the "transitional provisions" of the Constitution of Iraq and previously under the Transitional Administrative Law....
. Nawshirwan Mustafa
Nawshirwan Mustafa
Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :...
was Talabani's deputy until Mustafa resigned in 2006 and formed a media company called Wusha. Talabani visited the Cambridge Union Society
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to as simply "the Cambridge Union" or "the Union," is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the largest society at the University of Cambridge. Since its founding in 1815, the Union has developed a worldwide reputation as a noted symbol of...
UK, on 11 May 2007. The visit itself was organized by the then President of Cambridge Union Society, Ali Al-Ansari.
In an interview, during the visit, Jalal Talabani described Tony Blair as a 'hero' for helping secure Iraq's freedom.
He was reelected by the Parliament for a new term on 11 November 2010.
External links
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