Kurds hopeful; other ethnic groups wary

Iraqi Kurds hope their apparent strong showing in the Jan. 30 national elections will strengthen their case for self-rule.

Iraqi Kurds hope their apparent strong showing in the Jan. 30 national elections will strengthen their case for self-rule and enable them to reverse what they consider a land grab by Saddam Hussein that cut into their northern stronghold.

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But Arabs and Turkomen, another ethnic group in northern Iraq, are nervously watching developments, fearful the Kurds will press demands at their expense.

An alliance of two Kurdish parties was running second in partial returns released early this week. Although the Kurds may not hold onto that second spot, they are likely to end up with a sizable bloc in the 275-member National Assembly as it works to approve a new government and draft a permanent constitution.

That would give the Kurds, an ethnic group long oppressed by Saddam, more power than they've had since the establishment of modern Iraq. It would also give them a pivotal role in the country's future.

"Baghdad is very important," said Noshirwan Mustafa, a senior official in the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. "From now on, we want to influence Kurdistan from Baghdad, not from the mountains."