Mustafa Hijri, leader of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) recently spoke with Rudaw’s Jaafar Mubasher about incoming US President Joe Biden and his affect on Iran and its Kurdish minority.
The PDKI is a Kurdish party which has waged an on-and-off guerrilla war against the Iranian government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
He also discussed the potential unification of the different branches of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) in the December 19 interview, as well as Rasan – a project to increase their political and military presence in Iranian Kurdistan, or Rojhelat.
Hijri said a KDPI reunification is likely in 2021, and that their side is “100 percent certain” about the approach.
Rudaw: What are the PDKI’s plans for the new year?
Mustafa Hijri: The efforts of the PDKI will continue as normal in terms of Rasan, but some of it will depend on how things turn out with the arrival of Biden as the new President. His plans for the Middle East and Islamic Republic of Iran will affect our plans. I do not mean we will wait to see what they do, but their actions are a factor for us. We work for the Iranian opposition and the Kurdish people in Rojhelat. Rasan will continue with its activities and I hope we get better opportunities to enrich our efforts in all different aspects.
Are those opportunities linked to abroad or within Iran itself?
It is both within Iran and outside Iran too. Even in Iran, we are waiting for many things to clear up with the coming of Biden. The way Biden and America acts toward the Islamic Republic of Iran will become clear. When it comes to the neighboring countries in Middle East, it is also important to look into their behavior, such as Turkey and Baghdad, and it is important to look into their view on Kurds.
Do you think Biden will be softer with Iran?
I believe that Joe Biden can impose the points set on Iran by US foreign policy during Trump’s time. Iran has weakened compared to when negotiations first started, and has lost many strong features, and that is why they will concede to what Biden suggests. Biden will definitely take advantage of this weakening of the Islamic Republic in America’s favour. What they have announced works for the internal situation in Iran and the neighboring countries where Iran has been working under the name of “extending its revolutionary activities,” threatening American allies, most importantly Israel. Another important point is defending human rights in Iran. If Iran abides by these points, it is likely that Biden will ease the sanctions on Iran.
During Obama’s administration, and with the nuclear deal, Iran was getting stronger and extending its influence in the region. It was during this time you announced Rasan. If Biden’s cabinet turns out similar to Obama’s, what will you do?
I think even though the democrats generally have very similar policies, it is hard to compare such times to now. During that time, Iran was strong; they were strengthening their militias and were extending their power to Middle Eastern countries— they had good oil revenues that they could use to strengthen their militias. Another important thing that happened recently is Israel’s peace agreements with Arab countries — Iran is now going to face off with Israel in Arab countries. The situation in Azerbaijan and Nagorno- Karabakh is also a factor, because Iran was the main loser in that case after Armenia. I would like to also point out the most important part, which is the role of the Iranian people. In the past four to five there have been many uprisings inside Iran, people are getting angry with the government, and there is conflict within different parts of the government. When we look at the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], which until recently the Islamic Republic portrayed as a united force, recent activities that have allegedly been committed by Israel or other parties inside Iran shows us that they are not so united —the assassination of Fakhrizadeh and the leaking of 5,000 government documents by Israel a few years back all show that there is conflict within the IRGC. A normal person within the IRGC would not be able to perform such acts, unless there are bigger people that work for other countries. I believe that Obama’s time will be repeated, in terms of working against Iran in collaboration with its allies, and not like Trump did, alone.
If there was an agreement and sanctions were lifted, would you continue Rasan and the armed struggle, or are you looking to enter talks and negotiations with Iran? Do you believe in negotiating with Iran?
As a political organization, we cannot deny negotiations and talks at any point. Our aim is to establish a democratic federal Iran, meaning we are trying to achieve our aims within Iran. Since we want that, we cannot deny talks with Tehran. This does not mean that we believe Iran will grant our requests, but we should try all different methods, and negotiation is one those methods, even if we believe it will not give us anything. We do not want the PDKI to be a party that does not believe in dialogue and only wants to achieve their goals through fighting.
Will people see the reunification of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 2021?
If we do not reunite in 2021, then we will never reunite. There are certain details that need to be worked on. I do not want to lie, that is why I cannot give an exact time for reunification.
Do you think the process has slowed down?
Mustafa Hijri: No I do not see a slowing down, both sides are really serious in their efforts.
Can you tell us that you are 100 percent certain about reunification?
100 percent is hard in politics. I can say from our side we are serious about this unification, because this is important for the unity of Kurds in Rojhelat [Iranian Kurdistan] in our opinion.
People say you need to unite. What do you leaders say to these requests?
I cannot say it is 100 percent, but from our side it is 100 percent certain if the other parties are serious about this case.
