Statement of the Kurdistan National Congress-KNC
to the public opinion of Kurdistan, Middle East and worldwide
on the issue of declaration of the Kurdish State
07/07/2014
After the collapse of the Kurdistan Republic in Mahabad in 1946, the Kurdish political parties cancelled the issue of the Kurdish State from their agenda, except some writers and poets calling for a Kurdish state.
But the establishment of the KAJYK organisation on 04/14/1959 raised the issue of the Kurdish State and the independence of Kurdistan in a scientific and philosophical way in its constitution, statements and studies from the aspect of Kurdayetî, especially in its first statement, called KAJYKNAMA, describing beyond any doubt the existence of the Kurds in the past, present and future on the basis of the principles of liberty and equality.
KAJYK participated voluntarily in the revolution of September 1961, and dozens of its best members gave their lives. In spite of the attempts of the Kurdish parties, being still hostile to the creation of a Kurdish state, and spreading lying propaganda against KAJYK, the members continued the KAJYK struggle in a secret style.
In 1974, for the success and unity of the September revolution, KAJYK froze some activities, and after the collapse of the revolution in 1975 some members and adherents of KAJYK established the PASOK party, all in public, to create a Kurdish state on similar principles as those of KAJYK, including military struggle.
In 1985 was the establishment of the Kurdistan National Congress for the Kurdish state by Mr Jawad Mella, General Aziz Akrawi, Dr. Jemal Nebez, Engineer Bruska Ibrahim, Professor Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Gabori, Sheikh Latif Sheikh Al-Islam, Dr Muzaffar Bartouma, Professor Salah Jmor, Sheikh Darwish Hasso and many other Kurdish national figures from all parts of Kurdistan in order to follow up the struggle of KAJYK politically and diplomatically.
In recent years, other organisations were founded on the principles of KAJYK and PASOK for the Kurdish state in all parts of Kurdistan, as "Association of Friends of Kurdayetî" and the organisation of "Khoybun".
The Kurdistan National Congress longest lived in the continuity of the struggle for a Kurdish state. Since Southern Kurdistan has elected a parliament of Kurdistan and the formation of the first government of the Kurdistan Region took place in 1992, the Kurdistan National Congress asked for the possibility to have official headquarters, similar to hundreds of bases for the Shiites and Sunnis, communists and socialists, religious communities as Assyrians and Chaldeans, Turkmens and others, but the Kurdistan Regional Government rejected the requests of Kurdistan National Congress continuously without declaring any reason!
It is worth mentioning that members of KAJYK, PASOK, the Kurdistan National Congress, and other organisations calling for the Kurdish state and having fought voluntarily for more than half a century for the Kurdish state, their names did not appear in the lists of Saddam Hussein spies which were obtained by U.S. forces from the archive of the Iraqi regime and handed over to the Kurdish parties, who are hiding them because the lists contain the names of some of their leaders!
In recent days, Mr. Massoud Barzani, President of Kurdistan Region, announced that there shall be held a referendum within months in the course of which the Kurdish people will decide on the basis of their right of self-determination whether they demand the independence of Kurdistan.
We as a national organisation are blessing this announcement, and we would like to participate in the process, part of which we have always been, but there are some points needing to be clarified:
1. Concerning the months "to organise a referendum for the Kurdish people whether they demand the independence of Kurdistan from Iraq or not" the date for the referendum is not specified, and the word "months" is very open and means more than a few months, while the events in these days are following each other very fast, and what is possible today, maybe tomorrow isn't possible any more, and nobody will be able to turn back the time.
ISIS during 24 hours occupied Iraqi areas larger than the area of Kurdistan region and dislodged the Iraqi army, and they did not announce just a state, but they announced an empire of the Caliphate which cut Iraq for the first time into three countries, and the new state of ISIS separated Kurdistan from Baghdad government.
2. What is the meaning of the talk about the announcement of a Kurdish state in the Kurdistan Parliament while the Kurdish parties attended the meeting of the Iraqi parliament on 01/07/2014 and swore the oath to protect the unity and sovereignty of Iraq?
3. In 2005 Kurdistan region held a referendum for the Kurdish people, and the result was that more than 98 % voted for a Kurdish state and the secession from the state of Iraq. But the Kurdish parties ruling Kurdistan region threw the result of the referendum in the trash and imposed federalism to the people. Are there any guarantees that they will not take a new result of the referendum in the trash again and impose confederalism, for example?
4. The timing under point 1.) and the contradiction between deeds and sayings in point 2.) of this statement remind us of the history of the Kurdish parties who missed every opportunity to establish a Kurdish state and caused a delay in the issue of Kurdish state for more than half a century.
5. We do not want to mention the names of thousands of Kurdish believers in a Kurdish state who were neglected intentionally by Kurdish parties for more than half a century. Faithfully, we are encouraging to balance to the unbalanced scale.
6. We take it for granted that there is no connexion between al-Maliki's government or other governments of the countries holding Kurdistan occupied and the project of independence of our nation which is a legitimate right for us, no matter what type of government these countries have.
7. We are asking the Kurdistan Regional Government to speed up to unite the standard military forces among the Peshmerga (the Kurdish Freedom Fighters) and the rest of the armed forces, equipped with the latest types of weapons, defensive and offensive, especially against military jets, in addition to opening the door to volunteers into the Kurdish National Army, for men and women.
Greetings,
to all of you, from leadership, members and supporters of the Kurdistan National Congress.
Yours
Dr. Jawad Mella, President of the Kurdistan National Congress.
Engineer Bruska Ibrahim, Chairman of Foreign Affairs in the Kurdistan National Congress.
Lawyer Kamil Jeer, head of the Southern Kurdistan region in the Kurdistan National Congress.
