Who will 'West Kurdistan' belong to? - I

If the celebrations for liberation from Assad are over, let's talk about the facts.

The pro-government media is announcing that the Syrian National Army is clearing areas under the occupation of the terrorist organization PKK/YPG one by one, and that the new target is Raqqa. Meanwhile, it is stated that in Manbij, which was liberated from terrorists, the rags of the organization hung by PKK members were taken down and destroyed by the public, and that children in Manbij trampled on and dragged the posters of the baby-killer Öcalan under their feet.

Wow!.. To come from a point where it was boasted that “We allowed him to be called 'Mr. Öcalan' and for his poster and the PKK flag to be carried,” and where state officials themselves, during the Imrali negotiations, emphasized that they “permitted” the terrorist leader to establish and manage the Syrian PKK and that there were Öcalan posters in homes in Syria... Well, while the terrorist leader should be tried for bringing the Syrian PKK upon us, where do we place Bahçeli inviting him to Parliament?!

WHAT DID THE US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE SAY TO YAŞAR GÜLER?

Pro-government columnists claim that the PKK, under US administration, is trying to hold on in northeastern Syria, but that no one can stand before this storm, that the US will withdraw, and that the PKK/YPG will be liquidated.

I hope that happens, but what are we going to do about these statements?

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said regarding the support for the PKK/YPG, which appears as the Syrian Democratic Forces, “There is no change in our position.”

Senator Lindsey Graham, who is close to the future US President Trump, threatened to prepare a bill to impose sanctions on Turkey if it conducts an operation against the PKK/YPG.

Where do we know this Senator from? From his saving of Pastor Brunson, from his preparation of a heavy sanctions bill against Turkey following our Operation Peace Spring—which included investigating Halkbank and the assets of Erdoğan and his family—and from his meeting with Mazloum Kobani, the head of the PKK in Syria...

CENTCOM, which acts as a patron for the PKK in Syria, is also involved. On the day Damascus fell, while conducting airstrikes on ISIS camps, it announced that “it would continue to conduct operations to weaken ISIS's operational capabilities together with its allies and partners in the region.” It is well known who the US's “allies and partners” in Syria are!..

Let's throw all of this in the trash. Well, what did US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, whom our Minister of Defense Yaşar Güler spoke with on the day Damascus fell, say?

The Ministry of National Defense sufficed by stating that “views were exchanged on bilateral and regional defense and security issues, primarily the latest developments in Syria.” Pentagon Spokesperson General Pat Ryder noted the following:

“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held a phone call today with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler to assess developments in Syria. Secretary Austin emphasized that the United States is closely monitoring the statements and actions of various opposition groups in Syria. Both he and Minister Güler agreed that these groups must take steps to protect civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, and adhere to international humanitarian norms. Secretary Austin and Minister Güler reaffirmed the importance of close cooperation to prevent further escalation of an already unstable situation, as well as to prevent any risk to US forces and their partners and the Defeat-ISIS Mission. The Secretary acknowledged Turkey's legitimate security concerns and addressed the risks posed by ISIS and other malign actors in the region.”

What is “preventing risks to US forces and their partners”? Their partners are the PKK/YPG, and they stay in the same base as US soldiers. In other words, Austin is saying; “Do not target our partners, we will consider this an attack on US soldiers”... They are “acknowledging Turkey's legitimate security concerns”; as if our only security concern were ISIS!..

“FULL ENGAGEMENT” BETWEEN THE US AND TURKEY

After the overthrow of Assad, a high-level US official who kept their name secret claimed that “Turkey and the US are acting in full engagement during this process.” No one denied it.

Let us suffice by asking “Is there 'full engagement' for the process in Syria from now on as well?” and move on to some statements by our officials.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan said on November 21 during his Ministry's budget negotiations, “If the people there have good intentions, they know their homework. All PKK cadres who went from Turkey, Iraq, and Iran must be sent away, and the Syrians there must remain.”

He also said the following in the Astana format held in Doha one day before the fall of Damascus:

“The region where Kurds are located is managed by organizations called YPG or SDF and the PKK terrorists at their head who came from Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. We will not allow this. There are legitimate Kurds there. It is very clear.”

Who are these “legitimate Kurds”? Fuat Uğur, one of the pro-government columnists, gave the answer as follows:

“Of course, the ancient and organic people of the region, the anti-PKK-YPG-SDF Kurds who have lived there for centuries. In that case, would an autonomous region managed by legitimate Kurds, just like the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq that is close with Turkey, bother Turkey? It seems that it would not. It will not. Turkey is likely negotiating this condition and sending signals to the US and Russia that it will not allow an autonomous region to be established under the control of the YPG.”

Erdoğan also said after the Cabinet meeting the other day; “Neither the PKK and its extensions in Syria nor DAESH are interlocutors of our country; on the contrary, they are adversaries. The territorial integrity of Syria must absolutely, definitely be protected. It is the Syrian people who will decide both the present and the future of Syria. As their neighbors and brothers, what falls to us is to strongly support the efforts of the Syrian people to rebuild, revive, and restore their country. I say it again: A Syria where all Syrians, regardless of whether they are Arab, Turkmen, Kurdish, Sunni, Alevi, Nusayri, or Christian, live in peace is Turkey's greatest longing, dream, and goal.”

THE ATMOSPHERE IN BARZANISTAN

Let us not remind you that Ankara made a “No Kurdish state” bargain with the US before the invasion of Iraq, but look at the atmosphere here, now that it calls itself “southern Kurdistan” and is “friends” with Barzanistan.

Why is Barzanistan important? Because all imperialist countries, especially the US and France, have been trying for years to reconcile the Rojava under PKK/YPG control with the Syrian Kurdish National Council (ENKS), which is composed of groups affiliated with Barzani. In fact, just at the end of last month, France's Syria Representative rolled up their sleeves to bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.

Following the overthrow of Assad, Ibrahim Bro, ENKS Foreign Relations Officer and member of the Syrian Negotiation Committee, said, “A new process of change has begun in Syria. We all need to be prepared for this,” while announcing that as the ENKS, they have made a series of preparations for the future of Syria and are demanding a federal structure. How prepared they are; noting that they want the name of the country to be the “Syrian Republic” and for it to be stated in the constitution that “Syria consists of a multi-ethnic and religious structure,” Bro's words regarding the PKK were also remarkable. After emphasizing that they had held negotiations with the “Rojava autonomous administration” in the past and that the ties with the PKK pose a great danger for the future of Syria, Bro emphasized that the “Rojava autonomous administration” must get rid of these ties.

NEW CONSTITUTION TIMING

While Turkey is in a celebratory mood over the developments in Syria, there is an incredible calm in Barzanistan.

Masoud Barzani summarized his assessment as follows:

“We are following the events and changes with great attention. Just as these developments have a direct impact on the political future, security, and stability of Syria, they also have a significant impact on the general situation of our region... We hope that the parties will reach an agreement peacefully that serves the interests of all components of Syria and ensures coexistence, peace, and stability.”

The Barzanistan administration also sufficed by saying, “We respect the decision and will of the Syrian people. We hope that the future Syria will be free, peaceful, democratic, and stable. The rights of all peoples and formations must be under guarantee.”

Let's go back a bit to understand this calm. A name from the party of Talabani, who is close to the PKK, was appointed to Kirkuk through a fraudulent election... It turned out that PKK members in Makhmur were brought in for the census held there years later... But Ankara didn't make a peep.

Masoud Barzani, who gave an exclusive interview to Sky News Arabia 14 days ago, while talking about Kirkuk, disputed territories, and the unification of Peshmerga forces, stated, “The Kurdistan constitution is a draft that is almost complete. Only a few articles remain. We hope that it will be finalized in the near future.” Meanwhile, he added, “We have a constitution, and the federal constitution made in 2005 is our provision.”

Recalling that at the beginning of that so-called constitution prepared by the US during the invasion of Iraq, the phrase “rights acquired at Sèvres” was included and Kirkuk was shown as the “capital of Kurdistan,” let us ask this to continue tomorrow:

I wonder if there will be anything in this new “Kurdistan constitution” draft being prepared that also covers Syria, and will Kirkuk be considered the capital again?.. You know, Kirkuk, which Bahçeli declared as our 82nd province 7 years ago, saying, “When conditions are met, when history becomes too narrow for geography, the National Pact (Misak-ı Millî) will awaken”!..

Müyesser YILDIZ

December 11, 2024