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Middle East, North Africa MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA Talks to Unify Kurds in Syria OE Watch Commentary: The Kurdish movement in Syria is divided into two major rival parties: the self-declared Autonomous Administration (NES) led by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) which forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF); and the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), an umbrella group of Syrian Kurdish opposition parties. Discussions to unify Syrian Kurds go back to the inception of the Syrian civil war. In 2012, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region at the time, Masoud Barzani managed to broker a deal between the PYD and ENKS. In 2014, the two sides signed a deal to unify their political and military powers. However, none of these deals were ever solidified. The talks to unify Syrian Kurdish factions resumed once again in April. The excerpted interview with Salih Muslim Muhammad, the most prominent leader YPG-SDF fighters near the Euphrates east of Raqqa. of the Syrian Kurds and the former co-chairman of the PYD, discusses Source: VOA News via Wikimedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:YPG-SDF_fighters_near_the_Euphrates_east_of_Raqqa.png, Public Domain the progress of the negotiations. Salih Muslim stated that the first round of negotiations was positive and noted that unity among the Kurds in Syria would set an example for Kurdish populations in other countries. Issues discussed in this round of negotiations included political issues among Kurds, the future of relations with the Syrian regime and relations with other Syrian opposition groups. Now all sides are expected to come back for a second round of negotiations, “to begin soon.” The second round will focus on finding common ground regarding how Kurdish political parties and Kurdish forces will manage their relations with each other. They will also decide how the Kurdish areas will be governed. They will revisit the agreement signed in 2014 in Erbil. Once the leadership of both sides reach an agreement, the next stage will be spreading this reconciliation at the grass-roots level to achieve Kurdish national unity. Salih Muslim also warns that countries that may fear Kurdish unity may express their displeasure and try to undermine the negotiations. End OE Watch Commentary (Gündüz) Source: “Salih Muslim: Pêvajoya duyemîn a diyalogê dê di demek nêz de destpê bike (Salih Muslim: The second round of dialogue will begin soon)” Hawar News, 1 June 2020. https://www.hawarnews.com/kr/roportaj/salih-muslim-pvajoya-duyemn-a-diyalog-d-di-demek-nz- de-destp-bike-r132.html Salih Muslim confirmed that the first phase of the Kurdish-Kurdish dialogue was positive, he pointed out that the Kurdish National Unity parties will join the second phase of discussions, which is expected to start soon, indicating that achieving the unity of the Kurdish rank and file will affect the situation in Syria, Kurdistan and the Middle East in general. … The most important thing was that talks took place in Rojava. Without a doubt there was divergence, different opinions and distrust between the parties, and some parties played a negative role and sought to divide the Kurds. The first step of talks occurred between the Democratic Union Party and the Kurdish National Council. We managed to agree on several common points and the talks proceeded positively. It is noteworthy that there was no difference in political views on the main issues, such as relations with the Syrian regime, opposition forces, and external relations. The focus of the discussions in the first phase focused on common political issues... … Only the Democratic Union Party and the Kurdish National Council participated in the talks. Some observers were satisfied with expressing their views on the topics discussed, and those who joined the talks from both sides were positive. … The first phase came at the request of the Kurdish National Council, which said that there are many issues that must be discussed with the Democratic Union Party, and they wanted to know our point of view. During the recent talks, it was suggested that the negotiations be conducted under the terms of the 2014 Duhok agreement, but with some amendments according to the current status quo, because several changes occurred in the region, and the agreement was between the People’s Council of Western Kurdistan, the Kurdish National Council, and other parties. … The administration in our regions is led by the Kurds. It was established to embrace everyone within it. So unity will have a direct impact on the situation in Syria; Everyone will count on the Kurds as it will have an impact in the rest of Kurdistan and the Middle East. I believe that if the Kurds were able to conclude an agreement between them correctly and honestly, they would be pioneers of the democratic project in the Middle East, and the Kurdish people have this ability politically, ideologically and intellectually. OE Watch | July 2020 54.
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