Khadar Beri: Kurdish people's political, cultural rights are red lines

After announcing the names of the members of the Kurdish delegation formed according to the outcome of the "Unity of Kurdish Position and Lines" conference of April 26, Khadar Beri, director of the Kurds Without Borders Center, assessed the formation structure of the delegation and the most significant demands or principles that the Kurdish delegation should have in any upcoming dialogue with the Syrian transitional government, to secure the political, cultural, and administrative rights of the Kurdish people.

Khadar Beri explained: "After announcing the names of members of the Kurdish delegation formed based on the outcomes of the Unity of Kurdish Position, the fact is that the delegation's structure is partisan, composed of a group of Kurdish parties that have been in discord over the past years, which has negatively impacted the Kurdish issue in Syria. It was an urgent initial solution, providing the sense to everyone that they are represented within the delegation."

Beri emphasized that, "Visions in this arena continue to be limited, but this step must be read as a message to the Kurdish street that all parties that were once at odds are now within one tent, represented by the outcome of the Kurdish Unity Conference." Perry explained that the Kurdish movement, large or small, cannot be overlooked. He emphasized that "there are influential Kurdish parties on the street that have abstained from joining the delegation as a sacrifice for the conference's success, a position that is credited to them on the national level. But serious representation in negotiations with Damascus cannot be limited to a single session. Rather, it requires representatives who are knowledgeable about geography, history, and politics and who can assert the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria and decide on a model of administration with Damascus." "No negotiation on political basics."

He noted, "There are no discussions on fundamentals, which are the political rights of the Kurdish people in Syria. The Kurdish people are living on their ancestral land in the geography of Kurdistan, or so-called Western Kurdistan, which was attached to the Syrian state by agreements among the world's great powers." He stated that these rights should not be up for negotiation.

He also added that the Kurdish issue is not a security issue, as the former Syrian regime had tried to portray it, but a purely political one, and that the negotiations in Damascus must be on this political, not security, basis. He stated that negotiations on principles are a grave mistake, and what must be negotiated is "how to construct rights" and "how to convince the other party of them."

"Cultural rights are a national treasure, not a Kurdish demand."

Regarding the issue of cultural rights, he said, "They are a treasure for Syria, not a Kurdish demand. Rather, the other side's demand should be to revive Kurdish culture, a very ancient culture of thousands of years. This culture is enriching Syrian culture, and the other side needs to enhance this. On administrative matters, I believe that negotiations will be the topic of debate."

The Rights of the Kurdish People Are a Red Line

Beri emphasized that the rights of the Kurdish people are a "red line," and no one has the right to waive them, emphasizing that "any flexibility in this matter is a waiver of these rights." He explained that the Kurds are not "demanding something that is not theirs, but legitimate rights." He emphasized that he personally does not authorize anyone to waive their rights.

Beri noted that "the Kurds wish to see a democratic, pluralistic, decentralized, and federal Syria. This is not just a Kurdish requirement, but a requirement of all Syrian components, and it is the actual way to stop the bloodshed in the country."

Regarding the position of other Kurdish forces (outside of Rojava) towards this delegation, Beri said, "I believe they have a positive role, if we are talking about Northern and Southern Kurdistan, with all due respect to Eastern Kurdistan, which is unfortunately not present in Kurdish and international politics. If they are meant to be, then they have played a positive role, which led to the conduction of the Kurdish Unity Conference."

He added, "The previous disagreements between the Kurdish forces had a direct impact on the Kurdish forces and parties in Rojava and Syria, but in a positive way. According to my view, the current phase requires a larger role, even more. They should support this approach and not make the issue a partisan quota one."

He added, "The previous disagreements between the Kurdish forces had a direct impact on the Kurdish forces and parties in Rojava and Syria, but in a positive way. According to my view, the current phase requires a larger role, even more. They should support this approach and not make the issue a partisan quota one."

He stated, "The Kurdish question must be above partisan quotas. Just as we wish Kurdish rights to be above the constitution so that no one will appear decades later and tamper with them, in the same manner Kurdish rights must be above the constitution and above partisan calculations and Kurdish parties."

The Kurdish delegation must be representative of all Kurds in Syria. Khadar Beri emphasized the need to "expand the representation of the Kurdish delegation to encompass all Kurds in Syria," Kurds in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, and other Syrian cities, especially those who are proud of their Kurdish identity. He continued that "their presence in the participating or advisory committees along with the actual negotiating committees would enrich the delegation and open the horizons of a political solution in Syria, based on the fact that Kurds exist throughout the country and are entitled to full representation and demands, as well as to propel the Kurdish political movement."

T/S
ANHA