Kurdish National Congress: No peace in Mideast without solution to Kurdish question

BRUSSELS, Belgium-- 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 in Brussels as Kurdistan National Congress (KNK) concluded its 16th assembly on Saturday.

 

Over 250 envoys took part in the two-day platform representing nearly all Kurdish political parties in Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq.

 

In the final statement, the KNK emphasizes on "the natural and national rights of the Kurds and Kurdistan to self-determination," and calls for more openness and democratic approach in their struggle for self-rule.

 

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 ISIS 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.