Kurdish Quest for Independence and Prospects for Statehood 31.3.2006 

Last Sunday we celebrated the second anniversary in Qamshley, where our people in Western Kurdistan gave their blood in the cause of their nation, believing that one day they will have their country. Two years later for the first time in the history of the Kurds in Syria they held their first conference in the hall of Congress where every one listened to the injustice committed against them. 

The second Ba'ath regime policy against the Syrian people has been exposed for the entire world. For the first time the occupiers of Kurdistan under the true test of democracy, their regimes under pressure from their people demanding removal of these governments for a new one where they respect human rights, freedom, and democracy.

After successful meetings of the Syrian oppositions in Paris and Washington, the Syrian government answers these calls by implementing three new red lines against the Syrian opposition and journalists intended to choke further the liberties and freedom of activists and dissidents:

1. Syrian opposition inside the country is forbidden any further from associating with or meeting with the Syrian opposition outside the country.
2. Prohibits any Syrian from demonstrating in the streets.
3. Reporting of military news or movement of troops without the tacit approval of State security apparatus.

If the President of the Islamic regime in Iran can bully the entire world and insist on building nuclear weapons and defy the call of the international community to stop its program, and if he can threaten to eliminate other countries from existence, imagine what he will do to the people of Iran when they oppose their Islamic policy.

Since Mr. Najadi become president, he has launched a more aggressive policy against the minorities and especially against the Kurds. We call on the UN to stop the Iranian government from implementing their hostile policy against the Kurds and other minorities and grant them the right of self- determination.

While Turkey is trying with the help of the US to be part of the European Union and to show a democratic face, it continues the unjust policy against the Kurds and disobey the request from the European Union to grant the Kurds their rights.

They are not stopping on denying the Kurds in Turkey only, but they are also perusing publicly their mission to deny the Kurds in Iraq their rights too and interfering with the internal affairs especially in the city of Kirkuk and threatening to use force to destabilize the democratic process in Iraq if the Kurds gain control of Kirkuk under the new constitution. This is a clear violation of international law and the United Nation's charter.

When will the international community stop Turkey from publicly making such threats to the new-born democracy in Iraq and grant the Kurds in Turkey their full rights of self-determinations? The Kurdish people support Turkey's admission to the European Union but not before granting them their rights and showing that it truly believes in democracy and human rights.

The unfortunate unrest in Iraq and the wave of terrorism have handicapped the high hope for true democracy in Iraq to be a model for the entire region. The Kurds in Iraq have worked very hard to implement the process of democratization in Iraq and participated actively in all the elections and have become the glue to hold Iraq together.

The Kurdish leadership in Baghdad has been trying to close the gap between the Shiite and the Sunni to bring stability to Iraq, knowing very well the aspiration of the Kurdish people demanding their right of self-determination in two unofficial referendums. Yet, they are working within the new Iraqi constitution to grant the Kurdish rights especially article 58 where the fate of the Kurdish city of Kirkuk is defined. Also, the rights of the victims of Halabja and Anfal must be recognized.

Today, violence in Iraq is escalating rapidly; therefore, we call on the Kurdish parliament in the event of a default by the central government on the present understanding of a Federal Kurdish State in southern Kurdistan, the Kurdish Parliament must seriously consider the declaration of a fully Independent Kurdish Nation - State and ask the International community, especially our allies, to support such an act.

KNC for the first time held an Independence Conference in Southern Kurdistan at the University of Salahadeen and Silemani last year to provide answers regarding independence, and to give a deeper and wider understanding of the obstacles facing independence.

The Kurdish martyrs sowed the seed the hope, freedom, democracy and aspiration for independence by their blood knowing that that day must come sooner or later. One can ask how a nation can ask for independence without unity among them to be a foundation of their struggle for their rights.

Here are some key points as a road map to independence:

1. Putting the Kurdish house in order by bringing together diverse Kurdish political parties and sociopolitical forces and coordinating a Common Kurdish National Strategy and agenda for independence.

2. The responsibility for developing a unified national strategy for independence falls upon the Kurdish people themselves

3. Kurdish political parties from all parts of Kurdistan need to coordinate their efforts towards independence through a common strategy and agenda.

4. Establish relations with the international community, in particular the EU and the US, on the basis of mutual respect and shared benefits.

5. The southern-Kurdistan Regional Governments need to groom and broaden their relationship with the neighboring countries on the basis of mutual respect and non-interference.

6. Intimate relations with the various ethnic and religious groups in the region, based on common values, history and culture, must be a priority to enhance the possibility of peaceful co-existence.

7. Turkey’s membership in the EU brings democracy to Turkey and gives Northern Kurds the possibility of establishing a Kurdish parliament in Turkey and a Kurdish bloc in the EU parliament. Such a bloc would be able to draw support for Kurdish independence. Therefore, Kurds must support Turkey’s membership

8. Kurdish independence will create a vibrant economy that brings prosperity to the region and strengthens the global economy.

9. Kurds must lobby the UN for a referendum on independence in Southern Kurdistan that reflects the true wishes of the Kurdish people.

10. Kurds must seek to influence the international community for a guarantee that gives international protection to the emerging Federal Kurdish state in Southern Kurdistan.

11. The establishment of an independent Kurdistan that is protected by the international community will, in and of itself, ensure that the Kurdish people are not subject to genocide and/or grave human rights violations in the future.

12. An independent Kurdistan will join the international community in its fight against terror.
Following the outcome of this conference and call for unity, KNC launched an initiative to bring the Eastern Kurdistan parties together to form an alliance that would strengthen the Kurdish cause in the fight for democracy and the rights of Kurdish people in Kurdistan living within the borders of Iran.

KNC initiated discussions with the Kurdish parties who had voiced their interest, as the first step towards realizing a united front amongst all Kurdish parties of Eastern Kurdistan in their struggle to obtain their human and national rights. On March 7th, 2006, the interested parties met in Hawler for the first time to address the issue of forming a front.

A great deal of discussion was concentrated on the vision of the parties to form the front based on consensus, not on voting power, which makes every one an equal partner. Discussions were also focused on finding the best mechanism for enlarging this front to be more comprehensive and include more parties and organizations which believe in the principle of unifying Kurds in the fight for self-determination. Follow up meetings are requested by all parties to discuses further to form the front and for KNC to continue its effort to bring these parties together.

KNC actively supported and co-sponsored the conference on democratization in Syria and the rights of the Kurdish people in Western Kurdistan in Washington last Monday, and it appealed to the Kurdish parties to from a united front to reinforce their call for self-determination.

KNC calls on the US, UN, European Union and the democratic international community to:

1. To recognize the rights of the Kurdish people equally in all parts of Kurdistan, and stop labeling the Kurds as “Bad Kurds and Good Kurds”
2. Conduct a national referendum throughout Kurdistan, asking the Kurdish people once what they want and to stop the policy of making decisions for them behind doors.

KNC promises that it will continue to lobby on behalf of our nation until we achieve our goal of a United Free Kurdistan.

I said it before and I am saying it today again: They say Kurdistan of Turkey, Kurdistan of Iran, Kurdistan of Syria, and Kurdistan of Iraq ---where is Kurdistan of the Kurds?

Thank you.

Saman Shali
KNC – President
March 18, 2006 

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