PKK Supports Initiative to Reconcile Syrian Kurds Ahead of Geneva Conference

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdistan Communities’ Union (KCK), an umbrella group for all wings of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), has thrown its weight behind an Erbil-backed final effort to reconcile the two rival Kurdish councils in Syria.

“We give full support to the meeting expected to be held In Erbil,” the KCK said in a statement seen by Rudaw.

The mediation, between the Kurdish National Council (KNC) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) – widely regarded as the PKK’s Syrian wing -- is being brokered by two senior Kurdish officials from Turkey, MP Leyla Zana from Diyarbakir and the city’s mayor Osman Baydemir.

Both are in currently in Erbil for further discussions about an upcoming meeting between PYD leader Salih Muslim and Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani, who has warned that this will be his final effort at reconciling the two councils.

The KNC, which is backed by Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party, has opposed a unilateral interim government declared by the PYD last month in Syria’s Kurdish regions, known to Kurds as Rojava.

“The meeting hosted by Mr Massoud Barzani will create very important results for the Rojava revolution. The revolution will gain more strength,” the KCK statement said.

According to Rudaw sources, Barzani has declared that this is his last effort to bring the KCK and PYD together, warning that the KCK should cut ties with the PYD should the reconciliation fail. The KCK and KNC signed a cooperation agreement in Erbil in July 2012 under Barzani’s mediation. They agreed to cooperate under a new Kurdish Supreme Committee, but have bickered ever since.

The PYD's relations with Erbil soured in late October, when the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) refused entry to the PYD leader, after he was in Rojava to attend the funeral of a son killed in fighting with al-Qaeda-backed jihadist forces.

The KCK statement stressed the importance of a unified Kurdish voice at the upcoming Geneva II meeting, expected to be attended by 30 countries and the main Syrian opposition on January 22.

“The Kurdish Supreme Committee’s common approach to the regime and the opposition forces, its common attitude towards Geneva II, and its support for the interim rule would play an important role in the settlement of the Kurdish question and the democratization of Syria,” said the KCK statement.

“We call on all Kurdish political forces, particularly on the political forces in Rojava, to act responsibly in this historical period and live up to the expectations of the Kurdish people,” it added.

According to the statement, the PKK and KDP have been in touch to coordinate efforts.

“As a result of the contacts and meetings between PKK and KDP, a meeting between both of the Rojava assemblies and the revival of the Kurdish Supreme Committee was ensured,” the statement noted.

A high level meeting is expected in Erbil in the coming days, attended by Barzani, Muslim and leaders of the other Syrian Kurdish parties.