Barzani: Now is the best moment to declare independence

KAK MESUD SPEAKS ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS; THE KURDS & INDEPENDENC – BUT IS IT REALLY THE DECISIVE MOMENT NOW ?

14.04.2014 – Kurdo Shaban – BasNews, Erbil – President Massoud Barzani declared that there has been no better time for Kurdish independence than right now. In an interview with Sky News Arabia the Kurdish president pointed out that independence is a natural right of the Kurdish people, like any other nation. However, he stressed, there is no knowing when it will be achieved.

“Kurds have sacrificed more than most people, despite this we have achieved less rights than other nations,” said Barzani. However, noted Barzani, this does not mean that Kurds in other parts of the region have not faced difficulties. Syrian Kurdistan is facing a crisis that is greater than those in other areas. Furthermore, no Kurdish region from Syria, Iran or Turkey has been formally recognized, yet Turkey has taken good steps.

“The mistakes made by the Sykes-Picot Agreement must be rectified and now is the best time to do so and the people must decide how they want this to be done,” said Barzani.  He explained that now that Iraq is becoming increasingly divided there are no relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq proper. According to Barzani it is time for the Kurds of Iraq to rule through a confederal system as the current federal one has failed.

“What we want is to have a self-ruling system and to make our own decisions and not obey Baghdad or anyone else’s ones. I am sure Kurdistan’s independence is close, first will come the Kurdistan Region followed by other Kurdish regions,” said Barzani.  

“We are people of the mountains and we respect our mountains which have saved us,” said the president. About his relations with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, Barzani explained that he sent the leader a letter expressing his support for the peace process and his willingness to help release him from jail. In regards to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Barzani said: “We were expecting Maliki to defend Kurds and that is why we thought he deserved it [PM] but it resulted in the opposite effect.”