The isolation ironically gave the Kurdish leadership the chance to hold elections, without Baghdad's interference.

But it is much less clear that the Kurdish leadership is engaged in an elaborate subterfuge when its members participate in the government of federal Iraq.

He made contact with the Kurdish leadership and managed to negotiate a truce between Barzani and Talabani.

The divergent accounts suggested differences in the Kurdish leadership over the negotiations, but it is possible that the two leaders were merely adopting different negotiating tactics.

For much of this time, the Kurdish leadership was exiled to Iran.

But the Kurdish leadership is divided over whether to launch a direct challenge to Mr. Hussein.

Moreover, the army officers who hold the key to the future of the regime, and whom the plan is intended to win over, mistrust the Kurdish leadership.

The Kurdish leadership sent a letter to the Shiites saying they could not work with Mr. Jaafari, and demanding that he be replaced.

"Nobody will go home if this is just a deal between Saddam and the Kurdish leadership that doesn't have strong international guarantees."

Without these roots, the state of Israel would have never been able to connect sincerely with the Kurdish leadership, which was mostly tribal.