Barzani pessimistic about the future of Syrian Kurdistan

14.11.2013 – Hawar Abdulrazaq – BasNews (Erbil): The president of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, has accused the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of acting unilaterally and violating the Erbil agreement and warned that Kurds might lose golden opportunity in Syria.

Barzani has repeatedly called on all Kurdish parties in Syria, including PYD, to unify and work for Kurdish interests in Syria. “In the last few days the PYD has acted unilaterally and has declared its own administration in Western Kurdistan. It is a unilateral act and we won’t support any one-sided decisions,” Barzani said in a written statement.

On Tuesday, a group of small parties along with some well-known personalities from Qamishlo announced a plan to implement a local administration in the Kurdish region of Syria, however other major Kurdish political parties, which are members of Kurdish National Council, weren’t part of the declaration. “I’m concerned with the future of western Kurdistan and there is a threat that Kurds will lose a golden opportunity”, Barzani warned. He also accused the PYD of helping the Syrian regime, and being an allay of Assad.

PYD has had a long-standing conflict with the Kurdistan Regional Government; and particularly with Barzani’s party (the Kurdistan Democratic Party). Tensions came to the head in Nov. when PYD co-leader Salih Muslim accused KDP border guards of not letting him enter the region, however KDP rejected the accusations. Regarding the recent bloody fightings between PYD military wing (YPG) and Islamists militants in Syria, Barzani says: “PYD has forced the Kurds to fight a war that is not ours and it isn’t in Kurdish interest, which has forced thousands of Kurdish Syrians to flee their homes. They PYD are against Kurdish unity and they have even banned Kurdish flag in Syrian Kurdistan.”

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