Adel Murad

Adel Murad
عادل موراد
General Secretary of PUK, Former Ambassador
In office
14 June 2013 – 18 May 2018
Prime MinisterNechervan Idris Barzani
Vice PresidentKosrat Rasul Ali
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born(1949-12-11)11 December 1949
Baghdad, Iraq
Died18 May 2018(2018-05-18) (aged 68)
Germany
Political party Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
SpouseAshna Murad
ChildrenNozheen Adel Murad, Solin Adel Murad

Adel Murad (Kurdish: عادل موراد, romanizedAdil Murad; 11 December 1949 – 18 May 2018[1]) was an Iraqi Kurdish politician whom along with Jalal Talabani, Nawshirwan Mustafa, Kamal Fuad, Ali Askari, Fuad Masum and Abdul Razaq Faily, was the co-founder of the main opposition party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. He had previously served as representative of PUK in Baghdad under Iraq's Transitional Government[2] and a Representative of Jalal Talabani in Damascus. He was a graduate of the University of Baghdad, with an MSC in Chemistry. Once a commander and Peshmerga veteran, Murad has since been calling for international support and armament from including Russia to support the Peshmerga forces.[3]

Ambassador

As Ambassador of Iraq in Romania from 2004 to 2009, Murad was responsible for the reopening of diplomatic relations between Iraq and Romania. Adel Murad argued that the billion-dollar debt must be solved through some kind of understanding, such as through business, including giving Romanian companies contracts for petroleum and reconstruction, especially hospitals.[4]

KRG

Adel Murad was the General Secretary of the PUKCC and has been an advocate for Kurdish internal reforms. Murad has been an advocate for Kurdish rights throughout the last 50 years and has encouraged the new generation of Kurds to take up the leadership role of Kurdish politics.[5]

Iraq and Syria

Murad was very optimistic on establishing a 'New Iraq' but has since been pessimistic blaming former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.[6] Since the onset of the Syrian civil war, Murad has been supportive of the Rojava liberation movement. In 2013 he criticized the KDP for closing the border and urged KDP to open the border.[7]

References

  1. ^ "PUK Co-founder Adel Murad dies in Germany".
  2. ^ http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2003/05/iraq-030521-rfel-161527.htm title=Iraq: If U.S. Troops Left, Would Civil War, Sectarian Strife Follow?
  3. ^ "عادل مراد يدعو روسيا إلى دعم قوات البيشمركة". Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Commitment to Iraq heats up". The Diplomat. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Corruption in Iraqi Kurdistan started after the collapse of Saddam's regime: PUK founder Adil Murad".
  6. ^ "We have not received any arms: PUK official". Kurdpress. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Syrian Kurds Prepare for Self-Governance - Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East".
Preceded by Ambassador of Iraq in Romania
September 2004-2009
Succeeded by
Saad Al Douri