مجموعة ١٠/١٧(١) "شؤون داخلية: الوضع السياسي؛ العلاقات مع الحكومة البريطانية" [و‎‎٢‎٨‎٨] (٩٨٢/٥٨٠)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Iraq).
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287:
CONFIDENTIAL.
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1935
[E 2296/278/93]
No. 1.
April 8, 1935.
Section 2.
Sir A. Clark Kerr to Sir John Simon.—(Received April 8 )
< No - 174 ->
&ir > „ ^ / Bagdad, March 28, 1935.
WITH reference to my despatch No. 171 of the 28th March, I have the
honour to inform you that during the past week some forty chiefs, representing;
the principal Kurdish tribes of the Kirkuk liwa, and some of those in the Arbil
and Sulaimani liwas, visited Bagdad with the object of representing grievances
and asking for reforms. &
2. Prior to their visit, the leading members of the deputation had met
together and had prepared a petition for submission to the Prime Minister, a
translation of which is enclosed herein. Subsequently, many other tribal aghas
put their signatures to it. The requests put forward appear to be moderate, and,
had the Administration been efficient, most of them would have been satisfied long
since.
3. The deputation have not yet formally presented their petition, and I
understand, that Rashid Ali Beg hopes to dissuade them from doing so by giving
them general oral assurances of redress. It is said, with what truth I do not
know, that the aghas concerned have sworn on oath to continue to press their
demands until they receive satisfaction.
4. The Kurds have no doubt taken advantage of the existing situation in
the hope of finding the Government more ready than hitherto to listen to their
grievances.
5. The officially inspired notices which have appeared in the press betray
the Government’s idea that there is something to be gained by winning the
support of the north as a counterweight to Shiah agitation in the south. The
aghas are represented as having come to the capital solely to pledge their support
of and full confidence in the Cabinet. There is no mention of demands or
grievances, and the newspaper readers are left with the impression that the
purpose of the deputation is to demonstrate the readiness of the Sunni Kurds to
stand with the Government against the Shiah uprising on the Euphrates. That
this deliberate misrepresentation of the facts may lead by way of reaction to a
closing of the Shiah ranks is a possibility which the Cabinet have apparently
ignored.
I have, &c.
ARCHIBALD CLARK KERR.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Kurdish Petition.
IMPROVEMENT of the administration of the northern areas and
abolishment of the Regulations for Selection of Administrative Officials as
regards the north. 1 .
2. Enforcement of the Local Languages Law and its amendmen as lecom
mended by Amin Zaki Beg. , , ^ £ ,
3. Unification of education in Kurdish areas and the grant of greater
authority to the Mudir education in the north and a share of the education budget
in proportion to the population. , . . n A , i • i
4. Opening of a secondary school, teachers training co ege an
school in the northern area. . . ^
5. Granting a fair share of educational missions to e ? r s - ^ , •
6. Allotment of a share of night schools, as m the capital, to Kurds
proportion to their numbers.
[381 h—2]