Hoshyar Mahmud Mohammed Zebari, also simply known as Hoshyar Zebari (also spelled ''Hoshyar Zebari/Zibari'', Kurdish: ''Hişyar Zêbarî''; born 23 September 1953) is an Iraqi politician who formerly served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq in 2014 and also as the

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

until 2016. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003 until 2014.

Biography

Zebari was born to a

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

family in

Aqrah Akre or Aqrah ( ku, ئاکرێ, Akrê, ar, عقرة, syr, ܥܩܪ, Aqra') is a city in the Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan Region in Iraq. Akre is known for its celebrations of Newroz. Etymology The name "Akre" stems from the Kurdish word "Agir" ...

, a city of

Duhok Governorate ar, محافظة دهوك , image_skyline = Collage_of_Dohuk_Governorate.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , image_seal = ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and grew up in

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from

The University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by Decree, royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of Education in Jordan# ...

in 1976. He also earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Sociology of Development from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the an ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in 1980. While studying in United Kingdom, he led the Kurdish Students Society in Europe and also served as the

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Overseas Student Committee from 1978 to 1980. He joined the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party ( ku, Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê; پارتی دیموکراتی کوردستان), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the largest party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Gov ...

in 1979. In the 1980s, he fought as a member of the

Peshmerga The Peshmerga ( ku, پێشمەرگه, Pêşmerge, lit=those who face death) is the Kurdish military forces of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga, along with their security subsidiaries, ...

against the Iraqi government under

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein ( ; ar, صدام حسين, Ṣaddām Ḥusayn; 28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003. A leading member of the revolution ...

. He went on to become a member of KDP's Central Committee as well as its Political Bureau. In 1988, he was given the charge of its foreign relations and represented the party in

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and United Kingdom. In 1992, he was appointed as a member of the executive committee of the

Iraqi National Congress The Iraqi National Congress (INC; Arabic language, Arabic: المؤتمر الوطني العراقي ''Al-Moutammar Al-Watani Al-'Iraqi'') is an Iraqi political party that was led by Ahmed Chalabi who died in 2015. It was formed as an umbrella I ...

, as well as its Presidential Council in 1999. After the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, he was appointed as a member of the

Iraqi Governing Council The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) was the provisional government of Iraq from 13 July 2003 to 1 June 2004. It was established by and served under the United States-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The IGC consisted of various Iraqi pol ...

. He was appointed Foreign Minister of Iraq in September 2003. In July 2012, Zebari said that

al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI; ar, القاعدة في العراق, al-Qā'idah fī al-ʿIrāq) or Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia ( ar, القاعدة في بلاد الرافدين, al-Qā'idah fī Bilād ar-Rāfidayn), officially known as ''Tanzim Qaidat a ...

members went to Syria, where the militants previously received support and weapons. On 11 July 2014, Zebari was replaced as foreign minister by

Hussain al-Shahristani Hussain Ibrahim Saleh al-Shahristani (born 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served in different cabinet posts, including as Iraq's Minister of Higher Education. Early life and education al-Shahristani was born in 1942 in Karbala, Iraq. He hail ...

, Iraq's deputy prime minister, who assumed the position in an acting capacity, after Kurdish politicians withdrew from the government of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Nouri al-Maliki Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki ( ar, نوري المالكي; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party and was the prime minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and the vice president ...

. On 8 September 2014, he was appointed as a Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq under the government of the new Prime Minister

Haider al-Abadi Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi ( ar, حيدر جواد كاظم العبادي; born 25 April 1952) is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication fro ...

. On 18 October 2014, he was appointed as the

of Iraq while

Rowsch Shaways Rowsch Nuri Shaways (Kurdish: ڕۆژ نووری شاوەیس, Arabic: روز نوري شاويس) (15 – 1947 February 2021) was a Kurdish politician who served as the first Prime Minister of the KDP-controlled part of Kurdistan. After the invas ...

was appointed as the new Deputy Prime Minister in his place. On 21 September 2016, he was dismissed from his position as Finance Minister after losing a

no-confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

motion over allegations of corruption. Iraqi politicians and officials called on the government in October 2017 to investigate Zebari for nepotism, after it was revealed that he had appointed his wife and seven of her family members to embassies of Iraq in various European countries. Zebari tried to participate as a candidate in the presidential elections in 2022, but was banned by the

Federal Supreme Court of Iraq The Federal Supreme Court of Iraq ( ar, المحكمة الاتحادية العليا, ''Al-Mahkamah al-Ittihādiyah al-‘Ulyā'') is the independent judicial body of Iraq that interprets the constitution and determines the constitutionality of ...

over corruption allegations against him dating back to 2016. He protested the decision, stating that no court had convicted him.

Personal life

Zebari is an

Iraqi Kurd Iraqi Kurds ( ar, العراقيين الكرد, ku, کوردەکانی عێراق) are people born in or residing in Iraq who are of Kurdish origin. The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Iraq, comprising between 15% and 20% of the count ...

and a

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagree ...

. His father was Mahmoud Agha al-Zebari, the chief of the al-Zebari clan, who was assassinated by the

Iraqi Intelligence Service : The Iraqi Intelligence Service (Arabic: جهاز المخابرات العراقي, ''Jihaz Al-Mukhabarat Al-Eiraqii''), full name in Arabic language , Arabic]: جهاز المخابرات العامة العراقية "Jihaz almukhabarat aleama ...

in 1981. Three of his older brothers were also killed by

's regime. His family currently consists of three younger brothers and two younger sisters. He is also the uncle of

Massoud Barzani Masoud Barzani ( ku, ,مه‌سعوود بارزانی, translit=Mesûd Barzanî}; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region of ...

, the former President of Iraqi Kurdistan. His late sister Hamael Mahmoud Agha Zebari had married

Mustafa Barzani Mustafa Barzani ( ku, مەلا مسته‌فا بارزانی, Mistefa Barzanî; 14 March 1903 – 1 March 1979) also known as Mela Mustafa (Preacher Mustafa), was a Kurdish leader, general and one of the most prominent political figures in mode ...

and gave birth to Massoud. He holds

dual citizenship Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on ...

, being a citizen of both Iraq and United Kingdom. Zebari has married twice. His second wife is Hana Abdul-Sattar al-Dulaimi, the daughter of Abdul-Sattar al-Dulaimi, who was an advisor of Saddam Hussein. His first wife was born in

Amedi Amedi or Amadiya ( ku, ئامێدی, Amêdî, ; Syriac: , Amədya), is a town in the Duhok Governorate of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is built on a mesa in the broader Great Zab river valley. Etymology According to Ali ibn al-Athir, the name ...

References

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External links

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Richard Haass meets Hoshyar Zebari

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

(CFR), June 8, 2004
Iraq's Foreign Minister Confirms Support for New US Strategy
VOA, January 14, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Zebari, Hoshyar Members of the Council of Representatives of Iraq Government ministers of Iraq 1953 births Living people Alumni of the University of Essex Kurdistan Democratic Party politicians Iraqi Kurdish people Foreign ministers of Iraq Finance ministers of Iraq Kurdish Sunni Muslims Iraqi Sunni Muslims