Kurdistan president: Kurds have no aspirations in Mosul

ARBIL / IraqiNews.com: President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region Massoud al-Barzani said that Kurds have no aspirations in Mosul city, adding that they seek peaceful coexistence in the multi-ethnic city. The remark was made during his meeting with tribal leaders in Ninewa on Monday evening, according to a statement published on the official web site of the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). “We want Mosul to be a city of fraternity and peaceful coexistence. Rumors that they (Kurds) commit transgressions are false,” the statement quoted Barzani as saying. The meeting was attended by the secretary of the political bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Fadil Mirani; the head of the presidency office, Fouad Hussein; and several politicians. Mosul, the capital city of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad. The original city of Mosul stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient biblical city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial areas on both banks, with five bridges linking the two sides. Despite having an amount of Kurdish population, it does not form part of the area controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government Kurdistan RegionG). There are different communities in Mosul like Christians, Shiites and Kurds along with a Sunni majority. The fabric Muslin, long manufactured here, is named for this city. Another historically important product of the area is Mosul marble. The city is also a historic center for the Nestorian Christianity of the Assyrians, containing the tombs of several Old Testament prophets such as Jonah, Yunus in Arabic, and Nahum. SS (S) 1