MESOP REPORTS : PKK-AFFILIATED Kurdistan National Congress KNK holds 16th general meeting in Brussels

2 Oct 2016 – MESOP  – NRTTV – BRUSSELS,— The Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) held on Saturday its sixteenth general meeting in the Belgian capital of Brussels, which was attended by delegates, parties and organizations from four parts of Greater Kurdistan.The occasion was held with the participation of about 250 representatives of Kurdish parties and members of Kurdish forces to put the national unity and solidarity of Kurds in the spotlight on behalf of peace in Kurdistan.

Discussions also emphasize Kurdish issues and the latest developments in the four parts of Greater Kurdistan (northern Iraq, northern Syria, southeast Turkey, northwest Iran).There will be no stability in the Middle East before “the just demands and aspirations” of the Kurdish people are fulfilled while Kurdistan itself has become “the focal point for democratic change in the region,” representatives of Kurdish factions from all four parts of Kurdistan declared in a statement.

The declaration describes Iran and Turkey’s “regional agendas” as the main obstacles for further Kurdish independence and calls for more “Kurdish unity and democratic struggle” in confronting the two regional superpowers.

“Baghdad and Damascus have becomes tools for Iran to prevent Kurds and Kurdistan from development, while the Turkish state has based its policies on destroying and defeating the Kurds,” the statement reads. “It is therefore imperative for the Kurds and Kurdistan to adjust their common position accordingly and unite against the Turkish and Iranian plans and take the steps together and with determination,” it says.

According to the statement Iran has continued its policy of denial of Kurdish rights with mass arrests and executions of Kurdish dissidents.“In response the Kurds and Kurdistan should show strong support for our people in Eastern Kurdistan (Iran),” it recommends.The national and democratic movement in Syrian Kurdistan has entered a new stage, according to the statement, which could also give new hopes to a future federal Syria.

“Wherever the Islamic State IS has been driven out, the administration of that area has been given to the local people to manage,” it says.The statement also says that “Turkish occupation of Syria and Kurdish lands are not acceptable and the Turkish state must withdraw its forces,” from boarding areas in Syria.

Rafiq Ghafur, a KNK representative, told NRT the annual occasion is anticipated to last two days and aims to maintain closer assessments among various Kurdish political parties across the Greater Kurdistan.The general meeting is an effort to shed light on work to resolve issues facing Kurds, Ghafur said.

KNK members will discuss past efforts taken by the congress concerning the Kurdish nationalist movement on the second day of the occasion and plans as well as strategies for the future.

Formed by Kurdish politicians, lawyers and activists, the KNK seeks peaceful and democratic means in raising Kurdish problem in Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran. The KNK is a coalition of organizations operating across Europe and has its main office in Brussels as well as many other cities in Europe to bring attention to political issues and human rights violations in Kurdistan. www.mesop.de