Going Back to the current ongoing intra-Kurdish negotiations in Syria, the Chief Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF general Mazloum Abdi in late 2019 launched a new initiative between Kurdish parties after the Turkish occupation of SereKaniye and Tel Abyad and Afrin in 2018. The initiative for dialogue between the Kurdish National Council KNC and the Kurdish National Unity Parties KNUP was also supported by the former US envoy William Robak. In 2020 both parties have reached the first and second phase of the agreement that includes a joint political vision for Syria, a federal system of governance, the Kurdish question, and the establishment of the Kurdish political authorities. Since September 2020, the third phase of negotiations has been a dead-end despite the fact that four American envoys have repeatedly been changed including the current one David Brownstein who is leading now the rally of the talks.
Before the US initiative for Kurdish negotiations, France also has launched an initiative in August 2019 for intra-Kurdish dialogue with the purpose to unify the Kurds to participate in the peace process in Syria, but unfortunately, the initiative did not succeed. At a glance at the long-term history of intra-Kurdish negotiations, we will be found that the first dialogue has begun between the PYD and KNC in June 2012. The two parties have signed the Hawler Agreement1and established the Kurdish Supreme Committee with three joint committees that include: Political Committee, Military Committee, Services Provision Committee. In December 2013, the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq called for the Hawler 2 conference. Despite both parties, PYD and KNC, has reached the new agreement but again they failed to succeed because of many unreasonable causes. Like other agreements, in 2014 the KNC and PYD met in the Kurdish city of Duhok under American auspices, and they agreed to form the “Kurdish Political Authority,” a 30-member body—12 representatives from each party and six from independent parties, but differences returned again as usual.
Arguably, the two Kurdish parties should understand the importance of the dialogue for the Syrian Kurds and their presence in the Geneva peace process and in the Constitutional Committee as well. Consequently, the Kurdish reconciliation will be the only way, with the American presence, to protect the Kurds from the Assad’s regime, Turkey, opposition, and Iranian militia, and with the Russian green light. Otherwise, such an opportunity of change in Syria and with the presence of such international coalition and US, might not repeat again under such period that Kurds in Syria can fulfil their ambition of autonomy or federal region.
The Levant News