Syrian Kurdish Groups Sign Treaty Proposal in Erbil

[kirkuki]

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region -- The Kurdish National Council (KNC) has signed an agreement with the People’s Council that aims at increasing cooperation and eradicating arms in Syrian Kurdistan. Observers believe that the implementation of this treaty will benefit Kurdish interests in Syria.

The Syrian revolution has encouraged Kurdish political parties and groups to form a united front. Eleven Kurdish parties formed an alliance as the Kurdish National Council, but the Democratic Unity Party (PYD), affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), refused to join and created its own council, the People's Council, instead.

This division has created a lot of tension among Kurds at a time when the Syrian regime is heading towards collapse and a political vacuum is on the horizon.

In a meeting in Erbil on June 11, leaders of both councils signed a seven-point treaty proposal which includes the formation of a joint committee, ceasing hostile media campaigns against one other and eradicating arms in Syrian Kurdistan.

Mahmoud Muhammad, a leader of the PYD, told Rudaw, "The implementation of this treaty is very important for Kurdish unity. It was the culmination of a series of meetings and talks between the leaders of these two councils in Syria.”

Hussein Kocher, a representative of the PYD in the Kurdistan Region, said that the proposed treaty will be conveyed to leaders of both councils in order to outline cooperation protocols to be implemented in the future.

"The implementation of this treaty is essential for the eradication of the negative phenomena in Syrian Kurdistan. If implemented, it will take care of the defense needs for Kurdish society," said Kocher.

Kocher noted that the proposal needed to be signed in Qamishli city in Syria. "But the invitation from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to the People's Council for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region made it more appropriate to meet in Erbil and sign the proposal."

Tahir Safok, member of the Kurdish National Council, believes signing the final agreement in one of the Kurdish cities of Syria "will have a greater impact on people's sentiments and give them hope."

Safok said, "Reaching the final agreement between the two councils is fateful and the obstacles need to be overcome through mutual trust."

The proposal was signed in the presence of Hamid Derbandi, a representative of the Kurdistan Region Presidency. Both parties considered this an important step.

Muhammad believes the presence of a Kurdish mediator will expedite the signing of the final agreement.

Kocher said that it would “prevent both councils from interpreting the articles of the agreement differently in the future."

During the signing ceremony, Derbandi expressed his wish that the proposal be implemented because “it is in the interest of both parties," adding that "the signed document consists of a number of proposals which in the future might turn into a wider and stronger agreement."

Rudaw