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Summary of the 19th Annual Conference of the KNC
N.A.
5.4.2007 |
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April 5, 2007
Summary of the 19th Annual Conference of the KNC
N.A.March 23-24, 2007 – Irvine, California
PRESS RELEASE
“From Struggle to Statehood”
The Kurdish National Congress of North America
concluded its 19th Annual Conference on Saturday
March 24, 2007. Under the Conference theme “From
Struggle to Statehood”, the goal was to encourage
in-depth discussions on all four parts of Kurdistan
and to bring political leaders, intellectuals and
independent activists from East, West, North and
South together. As in the past 18 years, the 19th
Annual Conference got under way with the raising of
the Kurdish flag and singing of the national anthem
Ay-Raqeeb.
The Mayor of Irvine, Mrs. Beth Krom, opened the
conference by welcoming all attendees and indicated
that Irvine is a place for all cultures and peoples,
and that she was delighted to have the conference in
Irvine.
The first panel focused on Kurdish organizations and
their activities in the United State and Canada.
Mr. Goran Sadjadi, president of the Kurdish American
Youth Organization (KAYO), a KNC affiliate, spoke of
the organization’s first Kurdish Youth Conference in
Nashville, Tennessee held February 2007. He thanked
the KNC for their support and sponsorship of the
conference. Mr. Nezar Tovi also spoke on the
activities of KAYO including ways to reach out to
all Kurdish youth in the US and Kurdistan. Then Mr.
Luqman Barwari talked about the relief aid project
organized by KAYO for victims of the November 2006
floods in North Kurdistan. He presented a slide show
on the area affected by the flood, emphasizing the
ongoing need for rebuilding the area. Finally, Mr.
Brusk Reshvan spoke of the activities of Kurdish
organizations in various Canadian cities and the
need to organize their efforts to best serve our
nation.
Several guest speakers followed with a diverse set
of topics. Mr. Tahseen Atroshi, president of Kurdish
Community Center in San Diego warned about the
pullout of American military from Iraq, the future
of the Kurds, and what Kurds in Diaspora can do
about it. Mr Atroshi praised the KNC for the work
they are doing in serving the Kurdish people. Mr.
Steve Tataii discussed his three books on Kurdish
issues and noted how closely these books related to
the theme of the conference.
The second panel was devoted to the International
Conference on Kurdish Women for Peace and Equality
held in Hawler, Southern Kurdistan on March 8, 2007.
Mrs. Soraya Fallah gave an update regarding the
International Conference on Kurdish Women for Peace
and Equality. In her opening statement she stated
that the conference was an historic event and it was
indeed the first International Conference on Kurdish
Women in the Middle East. She focused on the input,
aims and goals of the conference and followed with
the conference outcome and resolutions. Mrs. Juliana
Ditty, Executive Vice President of Global Operations
and Development noted she was truly impressed by the
many individuals who traveled from the United States
to be part of this conference and their desire to
serve their nation. After traveling to Halabja she
expressed her full support for those who want to
bring to light the atrocities committed against the
Kurdish people.
Professor Sharon Faye Linzey said the International
Kurdish Women’s Conference for Peace and Equality
was a historic gathering of all those concerned for
equality for Kurdish women. It was impressive that a
good number of men also attended and saluted women’s
rights as a necessary precondition for progress in
Kurdistan. Miss Kathryn Laurraine Dovel, stated that
it was a privilege and honor to participate in the
conference and commented how the people of Kurdistan
proved to be hopeful and resilient despite decades
of suffering - showing an immense desire for change
politically, economically, and socially. Through
seeing the memorials in Halabja and Barzan, the
health deprivation within the villages, and the hope
and enormous potential within Southern Kurdistan,
she became further committed to the cause and noted
her plan to return to Kurdistan in September for
several months. “I am very excited and honored for
this opportunity, and encourage anyone who is
capable to visit this amazing land and see for
yourself the endless opportunities that are
available to assist in rebuilding Kurdistan.”
The Third panel outlined the progress of The
Halabja Committee
Dr. Fouad Darweesh said that it is very hard to
imagine that any human being can endure such pain
just because they are Kurds and urged the
international community to help ease the suffering
of the victims of the chemical attacks. Dr. Kirmanj
Gundy started by expressing his gratitude to the
late Soraya Serajeddini, executive vice president of
the KNC. He referred to the victims of Halabja as
one of the most forgotten and oppressed people in
the 21st century. All who committed such hideous
crimes, other than a few top former Iraqi leaders
and Frans Van Anraat, went unpunished. Those who
assisted the Iraqi government in obtaining chemical
weapons should be brought to justice, Gundy noted.
Dr. Saman Shali emphasized one aspect of the
committee was to bring the companies who assisted
the Iraqi government in developing chemical weapons
to the court of law, to prevent such atrocities from
ever happening again and to make them pay for what
they have done to our people. The United Nations
should be pressured to release the complete list of
all the companies involved in helping Saddam’s
government to make such weapons.
The last panel of the day related to KNC Affairs
Each of the KNC Board Members spoke on activities
for the past year and what is their agenda for the
coming year.
Accomplishments for the past year have included:
• 19 Annual Conferences in North America with
participation from leading Kurdish and non-Kurdish
scholars and
politicians
• The March 8th, 2007 International Conference on
Kurdish Women for Peace and Equality in Hawler
• November 2006, KNC delivered Medical supplies
worth $530,000 to Ministry of Health (KRG) in
Southern Kurdistan.
• Conducted Air quality test in the city of Hawler
in coordination with Ministry of Environment, Higher
Education,
Hawler Governorate and the University of Southern
California, Irvine, USA.
• Organized meeting for delegations from Eastern
Kurdistan with United States officials April 2006
• Organized the first conference for the Kurds from
Western Kurdistan in Washington March 2006.
Day 2 – March 24
After welcoming the attendees and the guest
speakers, Dr. Artin, the chair of the conference,
appreciated the hard work of all of his fellow KNC
members who helped him to organize the event. He
emphasized that despite softer attitude of Kurdish
established political parties, KNC as a pluralistic
organization should insist that nothing less than
independence for all parts of Kurdistan is
acceptable in the long run. Dr. Artin also gave the
same message during the Newroz banquet in a creative
slide show titled “Kew in Animal Kingdom”.
Professor Asad Khailany, founder of KNC made a
special presentation on the late Soraya Serajeddini
and her husband Thomas Ver Ploeg – their dedication
to human rights, their contributions, and sacrifices
toward Kurdish national rights in general and to the
KNC in particular. Professor Khailany quoted many
people from around the world expressing their
admiration for Soraya and to all members of Ver
Ploeg family for their contributions and sacrifices
to human and national rights for all. Dr. Saman
Shali added that Mrs. Serajeddini’s early departure
was a great loss to our nation and especially to the
KNC. He presented a special commemorative plaque on
behalf of the Kurdish National Congress to her
husband Mr. Tom Ver Ploeg. Mr. Ver Ploeg thanked the
KNC and everyone for their kind thoughts and
remembrance. Mrs. Serajeddini passed away on July
24, 2006.
Guest speaker Mr. Serdar Sengul spoke of the current
phase of Kurdish struggle, noting both opportunities
and risks. Coming to power in the either side of the
36th parallel creates new opportunities and areas of
problems for Kurds. Only a critical intellectual
engagement can grasp the complexities of the
situation and produce the necessary knowledge we
need to overcome problems and make the gains
sustainable. While Mr. Ali Qadri, representative of
Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran emphasized the
role of KDPI during past 61 years of struggle, and
the sacrifice of over 6,000 Peshmmerga and 3
national leaders - Mr. Qazi Mohammad, Dr. Qasemlou
and Dr. Sharafkandi.
Professor Sharon Faye Linzey related four stories of
Kurdish families in Northern Kurdistan, which serve
to illustrate the problems that the Kurds suffer are
common in the area. Whether they are from North,
South, East or West Kurdistan, Kurdish families have
suffered similar fates under the dominant powers
that continually deprive the Kurds of their rights,
homes, livelihood, and freedom. Dr. Shali read a
letters of congratulation and support from Mr.
Nechirvan Barzani, the Prime Minister of Kurdistan
Region, Dr. Mohammad Ihsan, Minister of Extra
Regional Affairs, Mr. Mohammad Haji Mahmud, General
Secretary of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party,
Mr. Ali Gazi, President of Kurdistan Freedom Party,
Mr. Hussen Yazdan Bana,VP of Kurdistan Freedom
Party, and Mr. Baba Shaikhhusseini, General
Secretary of Organization of Iranian Kurdistan
Struggle.
Dr. Saman Shali, KNC president, addressed the
attendees describing the situation in Iraq and the
commitment of the Kurdish leadership to supporting
federalism as the best solution to hold Iraq
together. He stressed the role of the Iraqi
constitution to bring trust between the Kurdish
people and central Government by implementing
Article 140, addressing the issue of the forced
Arabization in the area. Failing to implement this
article will take the country further away from
stability and security. Also, he addressed the
Kurdish issues in Iran, Turkey and Syria and
suggested the best solution is to grant Kurds in
these countries their rights for self-determination.
Dr. Shali reviewed the KNC achievements and
accomplishments for the past year and other projects
to come. The full text of Dr. Shali’s speech is
posted on KNC web site at:
www.kncna.org .
The first Panel was titled “Struggle, Challenges
and Opportunities”
Dr. Wafa Khorsheed (Moderator) stressed that a
common agreement is there among superpowers and they
will dictate world diplomatic policies that serves
their own national interest. Sometimes these
diplomatic policies are full of contradiction and
hypocrisy. Dr. Khorsheed made a comparison between
the Palestinian and the Kurdish People as an example
of the double standard dealing with these comparable
cases. He added that a strong and independent
Kurdistan is in the national interest of the US and
Europe. The need for a strong and independent
Kurdistan will override the need to support Turkey.
Turkey cannot afford to be in direct conflict with
the US and Europe.
Mr. Serdar Sengul described how Kurds have been
deprived of our own educational institutions
throughout the 20th century. One of the first
practices of the nation-states that were established
in the historical lands of Kurds was to eliminate
the educational systems. This has had tremendous
effects on Kurdish culture, Kurdish society and the
way in which Kurds pursue knowledge. At the present
period, the significance of and the need for
devising a modern Kurdish education system is
clearer than ever for Kurdish intellectuals,
politicians and technocrats. Within this context he
told the audience he is certain the madrasa system
that historically sustained the backbone of Kurdish
intellectual class would prove to be productive.
Mr. Arif Bawajani, congratulated the KNC for their
work in serving our nation and especially the work
by Dr. Saman Shali to form a front comprised of
various Kurdish parties in Eastern Kurdistan. He
added that the area is going through dynamic changes
and urged Kurds to be united to have a role and say
in these changes. He said the Kurdistan Regional
Government has many enemies like Turkey and Iran and
they are the traditional enemies of our nation,
protecting this government is duty of every Kurd.
Throughout their history the Kurdish people in
Eastern Kurdistan fought for self-determination.
Sarbesty Party believes the only way to
self-determination is by working for complete
independence and creating a Kurdish State. He also
stressed the significance of forming a united agenda
and to be prepared for the days ahead with one
united front.
Prof. Daniel Gibran, an expert on terrorism,
emphasized how the crimes of religious extremists
are in fact against their own faith and against the
achievements of the civilized world.
The Second Panel was titled “Political Dynamics
of the Region”
Dr. Hikmat Fikrat (Moderator), pointed out that
dynamics is defined by the dictionary as “an
interactive system or process of social,
intellectual or moral forces that produce activity
and change”. As such, life is all about dynamism.
From the moment we are born, we interact with our
environment, and the society, physically, mentally
and socially - a process that makes us what we are.
The same is true for any nation within a group of
nations that it cohabitates with in a region.
Historically, the Kurdish nation has always been in
a state of active interaction with the other nations
in the region. This dynamic flux in our history is
what has shaped us so far.
For Kurdistan to go forward, to attain its full
sovereignty and prosperity, we need to study the
dynamics of the political forces in the region. It
was in light of such an understanding of the gravity
of the present political situation and the alliances
among the States that surrounds the Kurdish nation,
as well as their rivalries, that the panel discussed
the challenges that face Southern Kurdistan and the
Kurdish nation at large. "The future of Kurdistan
will be more determined by policies framed in
Washington than in Baghdad," said Ralph D. Fertig,
President of the Humanitarian Law Project and
Associate Professor at the University of Southern
California. He called for active intervention in the
politics of the United States, now, in the framing
of foreign policies by the candidates and platforms
of both parties. As one place to begin, he invited
Kurdish Americans to present a draft resolution on
the independence of Iraq -occupied Kurdistan as an
element of peace and withdrawal from Iraq to the
Democratic Party state convention meeting in San
Diego on April 27 - 29.
Dr. Rashid Karadaghi said: The occupiers of
Kurdistan continue their oppression of the Kurds and
there is no hope they will
ever change their ways. The Kurds must continue to
push for attaining their rights and end the
master-slave relationship
imposed on them. They must be united and rely on
themselves even as they seek the assistance of the
US and other
Western powers.
Mr. Azad Moradian stressed that Kurds potentially
and exceptionally, are well prepared for liberal
democracy in Iran and
Middle East. He also considered that any political
opposition to the Islamic regime without the
involvement of Kurds,
Turkmen’s, Baluch, Azeri, and Arab groups would
fail. He pointed that federalism in Iran is the
first step to move Kurds
towards independency in the future.
The third panel was titled “Why Independent
Kurdistan”,
Dr. Saman Shali (Moderator) opened the panel by
asking “Why would the United States support an
Independent Kurdistan while putting their interest
with Turkey, Iran, 22 Arabic countries and over 300
millions Moslem in jeopardy? What can an Independent
Kurdistan offer the United States and the West? What
does it take to support Independent Kurdistan? Is
Kurdistan of sufficient interest to them -
geographically, economically and strategically - to
shift their attention? What will happen if the
United State leaves Iraq? We hope that distinguished
panelists answer these questions and others.”
Mr. Aris Anagnos of the Humanitarian Law Project,
stated that an independent Kurdistan is in the
national interest of the United States because the
Kurds are the best friends- in fact the only friends
- in that area. The Kurds are in danger from Turkish
aggression, which Turkey has repeatedly threatened
with the excuse that they will attack "terrorists"
because President Clinton designated the PKK as a
terrorist organization. The true goal of the Turks,
of course, is the oil of Mosul and Kirkuk, proven
and documented by declarations from Turkish
officials. Since the PKK has never attacked
Americans but mainly resisted the atrocities of the
Turkish army against the Kurdish population it is in
the national interest of the United States to remove
the terrorist designation from the PKK and eliminate
the excuse for a Turkish invasion. We need to engage
in an educational campaign with public officials,
the Congress, and the public to put that point
across.
Mr. Jeff Klein discussed the Kurdish dynamic in the
Middle East, addressing the gradual emergence of the
Kurds as a power player in the region and rise in
pan-Kurdish sentiment in all parts of Kurdistan that
has taken place since the creation of the KRG. He
stated that the elimination of Saddam’s regime
challenged the established order of the Middle East,
empowering both the Shi’a and the Kurdish people.
Saying that the Kurds are leading the march of the
democratic revolution in the Middle East, Mr. Klein
discussed threats to Kurdish interests and spoke
about eliminating sectarianism and corruption within
the Kurdish national movement and working to insure
that the Middle East of the future is one that will
include more freedom and power for the Kurdish
nation.
In his presentation, Prof. Robert Olson argued that
if the Kurds were to have an independent state in
southern Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) that it would
contribute to the political, economic and social
stability of not just Iraq, but of Turkey, Iran and
Syria. Olson also argued that such a state would
contribute to the lessening of tensions and
hostilities among the central governments and the
administrations of the largely Kurdish regions of
the four states in which most Kurds live. He argued
further that a Kurdish independent state in Iraq
would also contribute to the economic development
and vitality of the Kurdish regions, via
international funds, of Turkey, Iran and Syria
allowing for the central governments of these three
states of allocate funds to other regions of their
countries.
Mr. Kevin McKiernen, the renowned journalist and
documentary director spoke of the situation in Iraq
and noted that, while much of Iraq is literally on
fire, Iraqi Kurdistan seems to be enjoying a Golden
Age, with the potential for a Swiss-like tourist
haven or a financial center like Hong Kong or
Shanghai. Nonetheless, the Kurds may find it wise in
2007 to strengthen their base with Kurds in
neighboring countries. Sic transit gloria mundi…the
glory of this world passes quickly. With the looming
showdown over Kirkuk, there is reason to doubt that
the U.S. will back the census and referendum called
for in the Iraq constitution.
The conference ended with calls and
recommendations to the International community and
the Kurdish leaderships:
1. Call for Unity among all the Kurdish parties and
organizations for the creation of a National
strategy to take on the new challenges facing our
nation in all parts of Kurdistan.
2. Draft resolution on the independence of
Iraq-occupied Kurdistan as an element of peace and
withdrawal from Iraq.
3. The conference calls on KNC to continue their
efforts to form a united front among the Kurdish
parties in Eastern Kurdistan.
4. The conference calls on KNC to make same efforts
to bring together and unite different parties in
Western Kurdistan to form the same front in Northern
Kurdistan.
5. The conference emphases on the importance in
forming a strong lobby to inform the United States
and the United Nations of the plight of the Kurds
and the rights for self-determination by holding
conferences and public hearing in the US and Canada.
6. Call on KNC to form a committee to lobby for the
implementation of article 140 in the Iraqi
constitution which deals with disputed area resulted
from Arabization policy of Saddam’s regime.
7. The conference calls on Halabja committee to
continue its work until Justice is done in the court
of law for the victims of the chemical weapons.
8. KNC to continue it is work with Kurdistan
Regional Government to serve our people in any
capacity they can.
9. KNC to follow up with recommendation and
resolutions of the International Conference on
Kurdish Women for
peace and Equality and to coordinate its efforts
with Ministry of State for women’s affairs and the
women organizations (NGO) in Kurdistan.
The Kurdish National Congress of North America
P.O. Box 1663 P.O. Box 43098 P.O. Box 545
Lake Forest, CA Mississauga, ONT Millersville, MD
92630 USA L5B 4A7 CANADA 21108 USA
Tel/Fax: 949-583-1417 Tel: 905-306-7300 Tel:
410-350-4301
http://www.kncna.org
For more information please email: knc[@]kurdishnationalcongress.org
and visit
www.kncna.org
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