|
New Kurdish Council Sets Agenda For Syria
28.12.2011 |
|
|
|
A Syrian Kurd opposed to President Bashar Assad
waves a Lebanese flag and chants slogans against the
Syrian regime, during a protest in front of the
Syrian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 23, 2011
Photo: AP
December
28, 2011
ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', —
Abdusalam Ahmed, the co-leader of the new National
Council announced last week that they have stepped
closer to the Kurdish National Council and other
political parties based outside Syria.
Ahmed made this announcement following the Council’s
first major conference since its foundation this
month.
Ahmed said that his and the Kurdish council have
some common ideas to solve the Kurdish issue in
Syria and that a joint committee will be formed for
this purpose.
The conference, organized by Democratic Union Party
(PYD) was attended by 335 representatives from
different Kurdish groups. PYD is closely linked to
the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) and it is
critical of the Syrian opposition’s reliance on
foreign support to out the regime of Bashar Al-Assad.
“Members of our Council are elected by people from
all Kurdish regions in Syria, but the Kurdish
National Council is made up of ten different parties
and their members are selected by the political
parties, not the people. ”Ahmed told Rudaw.
However, Ahmed said, we are still in agreement on
how to solve the Kurdish issue in Syria.
Other parties are critical of this council, saying
it calls itself “Nation Council while it has only
one party.
Mustafa Ismael, lawyer and independent member of the
Kurdish National Council in Syria, said, “The Nation
Council is formed by the PYD, while the Kurdish
National Council is made up of dozens of independent
personalities.”
Ismael added, “These elections by people that they
talk about are done only among their own members,
and those elected are the activists and members of
their political party and they have no independent
members or members from a different party; therefore
this council is a council of a political party and
not of a nation.”
Muhammad Sheikh Ali, PYD leader, told Rudaw on the
telephone from Syria,www.ekurd.net
“We believe the Kurdish National Council which was
formed on October 26th of 2011 is the representative
of the Syrian Kurds and not this council.”
Pictures of PKK martyrs decorated the walls of the
conference room on December 16.
“The pictures on the wall were of martyrs of this
nation and their people were present in the
congress. We do not perceive this as a political
act, because they are the martyrs of all of
Kurdistan,” said Ahmed.
Regarding the absence of the photo of Mishaal Temo,
the Kurdish leader of the Syrian Future Movement who
was assassinated inside his home in Qamishli in
October, Ahmed said, “The absence of Mishaal Temo’s
photo was not a deliberate act. It was because he
was the representative of a political party.”
Leaders of the conference announced a solution
charter for the Kurdish plight in Syria, very much
different from the plans of the Kurdish National
Council.
There was no mention of the right to
self-determination as the Kurdish National Council
of Syria and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) of
Turkey advocate.
However, the conference called for the recognition
of the Kurdish nation in the Syrian constitution.
“Constitutional recognition is a primary demand that
was mentioned in the congress, but the right of
self-determination is a broad term and includes
Federalism, con-federalism, and autonomy. We find
democratic autonomy to be a good solution for the
Kurdish issue in Syria,” said Ahmed.
“To solve the Kurdish issue in Syria, a new
constitution needs to be drafted in which the
Kurdish nation is recognized. I believe this should
be done within the framework of preserving the
Syrian unity,” said Ali on the phone.
Currently there are three Kurdish councils, each one
of which claims to be the true representative of the
Syrian Kurds: the Kurdish National Council, the
Kurdish parties outside Syria and the Nation
Council.
“It is not right for any of us to claim that we are
the true representative of the Kurdish nation,” Ali
said. “When a free and democratic election is held
in Syria, the true weight and popularity of each
party and group would be revealed.”
Ali added, “Now, all them claim on the internet and
other social media networks that they represent the
Kurdish nation.”
By Hozan Rubar
Copyright © 2011, respective author or news agency,
rudaw.net
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
content of news information on this page
|
®
