03/04/2012 14:27
ERBIL, April 3 (AKnews) - The Kurdish National Council of Syria (KNCS) has suspended negotiations with the rest of the Syrian National Council (SNC) and has not received any memorandums of understanding from the latter, said a senior KNCS official.
shalal kadoOn Sunday the London-based Arabic Sharq al-Awast newspaper published that the SNC had forwarded a draft memorandum of understanding to the Kurdish opposition parties in Syria where it promised more rights for Kurds.
The report said that the SNC will admit to the ethnic rights of Kurds and the equality of all ethnic groups in the right to become Syrian citizens, protect ethnicity and practice their mother tongue in education.
It is believed that the draft memorandum also grants the right for Kurds to run provinces and municipalities under the banner of a united Syria.
But Shalal Gado of the KNCS said so the Kurdish Council has yet to receive such a memorandum.
He added that since the first Syrian Friends conference in Istanbul when the KNCS withdrew from the meeting "we've had no relations or negotiations with the Syrian National Council at all".
The Kurdish parties withdrew from the conference claiming it did not address the Kurdish issue in Syria.
"The Kurdish issue in the Kurdish part of Syria is the issue of a nation, not the issue of speaking in Kurdish or rule of Kurds in the Kurdish-populated areas," Gado said.
"Therefore the KNCS, which represents the Kurdish nation of Syria, believes such statements are not enough for recognizing Kurds' ethnic rights.
"Kurds in Syria demand the right to self-determination… we'll conduct a referendum and whatever is the decision of the Syrian Kurds it will become our demand.
"We don't accept for a conference in Syria or the Syrian opposition to grant us our rights," Gado continued.
He noted that Kurds demand the Kurdish parts of Syria be run by Kurds, but there should also be a federal Kurdish region in Syria.
"The Kurdish uprising will not be satisfied by any rights less than what the southern Kurdistan [Iraqi Kurdistan] enjoys," said Gado.
By Fryad Mohammed
AKnews
