Kurdish Opposition Groups Question Syrian Delegation’s Meeting With Maliki
The leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim. Photo from firat news agency.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Details of a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and a Syrian alliance that is considered close to the embattled regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be made public, Kurdish opposition groups said.
Last week a delegation from the National Coordination Committee (NCC), which included Salih Muslim of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), met with Maliki in Baghdad.
The United States and European countries do not recognize the NCC, but it has close ties with Russia.
“Maliki is considered to be on the Syrian regime’s side. Therefore, the Coordination Committee has to admit whether Maliki promised support for the revolution or if the Committee and Maliki talked about other things under the table,” said Faisal Yousif, head of the Kurdish National Council (KNC) in Syria.
“The people of Syria have a right to know what the Coordination Committee has asked of Maliki,” he added.
“The Coordination Committee does not serve the Syrian revolution. It tries to drive the Syrians away from the revolution,” said Mustafa Ossi, secretary of the Kurdish Freedom Party in Syria and a member of the KNC.
Muslim “should have met with and consulted the Kurdish National Council before his meeting with the Iraqi prime minister. But sadly, he did not. This action does not serve the Syrian revolution, just as it does not serve Kurdish unity,” Ossi said.
Muslim “has to apologize and explain why he did this,” Ossi added.
Recently, the KNC turned down an invitation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry because the PYD was not included in the invitation.
“Mr. Muslim did not value our stance on the Turkish invitation, and he does not respect the Erbil Agreement. He went on to meet with Maliki without consulting the National Council. His excuse might be that he is a member of the Coordination Committee, but still he could refuse meeting with Maliki,” Yousif said.
But for his part, Muslim defended his decision to visit to Baghdad as the leader of an independent opposition group.
“I am free to decide and I don’t take instructions from anyone.” Muslim told Rudaw after his return from Baghdad. “We are an independent political party with our own agenda and plans. I act as it is expected of me.”
The PYD leader also said that the Iraqi prime minister agrees with the legitimacy of the Syrian revolution.
“Maliki told us frankly ‘the Baath regime you are fighting is the same as the one we had in Iraq and there is no difference between Saddam Hussein and Bashar Assad.’” Muslim said.
http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/5601.html
