6 SEPTEMBER 19, 2014

ONE ON ONE
SETH J. FRANTZMAN
I
n recent months, against the back-
drop of the rise of the Islamic State
and the breakdown of Iraqs securi-
ty forces, the issue of Kurdistan has
been thrust into the limelight.
The Kurdish people number around 30
million, spread over four major countries:
Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran. Since the end
of World War I, they have been struggling
for independence or increased autonomy
in these various states.
Dr. Sherkoh Abbas is president of the
Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria,
which seeks to represent Kurdish inter-
ests. He has been outspoken about why
the West, and particularly the US, should
support the Kurds.
Active on the Kurdish issue for more
than 30 years, he sits down with The
Jerusalem Post to provide an insight into
recent developments.
Could you describe the group you
lead?
The group was created after the major
uprising in 2004 [al-Qamishli protests in
Syria]. That uprising was the frst time
ever breaking the iron curtain of fear [of
the regime that ruled over the Kurds].
After that, we had many meetings to try
to infuence the US administration. Some
were not effective in communicating our
message. We met with [George W.] Bush
administration offcials to discuss Syria.
It wasnt a unifed voice, and we decided
to look to put together a unifed body to
represent us.
In 2006 we had a bipartisan confer-
ence in the US Senate under the auspic-
es of Sen. Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and
then-senator Robert Voinovich (R-Ohio),
and after that we had a meeting in May
2006 in Brussels. [Representatives of] the
majority of Kurdish leadership, including
tribal, civic and religious, [participated]
and created the National Assembly um-
brella [organization] to speak on behalf of
the Kurdish people.
I was chosen to lead that organization
and am able to speak in the US and EU,
to promote federalism and democracy for
the Syrian Kurds in Syria. That is the cen-
tral message.
Could you tell us about your back-
ground?
I was born in Qamishli in northeastern
Syria in Kurdistan. I came to the US in
the 1980s and was educated there. I have
been working on the Kurdish issue in the
US and focusing on the Kurdish issue
in Iraq. [I have worked on] supporting a
change for Kurds in Iraq in terms of au-
tonomy and federalism.
This involved promoting Kurdish ideals
in general, because of the pressing need
when [president] Saddam Hussein was
slaughtering and gassing Kurds [in the
Anfal massacres of 1988]. When the
situation shifted and Iraqi Kurds
Handing Iran
the region
on a silver
platter
Dr. Sherkoh Abbas president of the
Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria
says in the vacuum created by the
lack of US support for the
Kurdish Regional Government,
the emerging winners are Bashar Assad
and Iran, not the pro-democracy forces
A GENERAL view of the
Kurdish town of Halabja, 260
km northeast of Baghdad, as
seen on February 1. (Reuters)
SHERKOH ABBAS, the president
of the Kurdistan National
Assembly of Syria, which
seeks to represent Kurdish
rights in the country. (Courtesy)
8 SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
ONE ON ONE
achieved the beginning of what they
wanted [in terms of greater autonomy
after 2003], we shifted the focus to Syria.
Have you been back to Kurdish
areas recently?
I have been back to Iraqi Kurdistan,
sometimes on offcial meetings, and
also Syrian Kurdistan; Ive been there
recently. I was not there publicly be-
cause as you know, the [Bashar Assad]
regime is still in control of our area. So
in essence, I havent fown in; I went in
through Turkey or Iraq.
What are the differences be-
tween what Kurds face in Turkey,
Syria and Iraq?
In Kurdistan in Syria, there is a group
linked to the Kurdish Workers Party
(PKK) which is called the Democratic
Union Party (PYD), and that group came
to the stage and espouses a philosophy
which is vague on the Kurdish issue and
does not promote autonomy, federalism
or an independent Kurdistan [in Syria].
Its name means United Democratic
Party, and no one knows with which
country it identifes. Their job is really
to manage Kurdish affairs and make
sure they [the Kurds] do not go against
the regime.
When we look at the PKK in Syria, we
see support from Assad; we see a com-
plete link to the regime, as well as to the
Iranian regime. There is a lot of answer-
ing to do.
The political parties like the Kurdistan
National Assembly Syria (KNA), and
the Kurdistan National Council (KNC,
founded in 2011), which represents
more than 18 political parties and tribal
and civic leaders, also believe we should
not get [involved] in the Syrian confict.
This is because the Syrian opposition
and regime were one as recently as 2004
and [again] in 2011, against the Kurds.
The only difference here is that they are
fghting over power; it is the same cul-
ture and mentality.
[The regime is trying to] show the
world that the Kurdish got their rights
[stateless Kurds were given citizenship
in 2011 in a government bid to get their
support] and are ruling their areas, but
in fact there is coordination with the
regime.
Is the Syrian opposition better?
Absolutely not. The Free Syrian Army
moderates are either members of the
Muslim Brotherhood or al-Qaida, and
absolutely for the Kurds are no differ-
ent than the regime. Even out of power,
they have such animosity for the Kurds.
If they gain power, what will they do?
The concern we expressed to the EU and
US is that the Kurdish issue should be re-
solved up front and not later.
Yet the Kurds are standing on the side-
lines because the Europeans and Amer-
icans did not provide any help, be it a
single dollar or weapons. [The regime
continues to manage Kurdish affairs.]
We are trying to bring international
help. The idea of promoting federalism
is a solution, to have a federated state;
this is the only way to stop the blood-
shed that we see. Unfortunately, we
have not been able to bring [in the need-
ed aid]; we advise our people to stay on
the sidelines.
There must be a third alternative that
we, the Kurds, are part of. The West and
US have not identifed the third alter-
native, and that should be democratic
groups and the Kurds [working together
in Syria].
And in Iraq and Turkey?
Across the border in Iraq, you can see
the Kurdistan Regional Government
(KRG) has done a great job in managing
its circumstances.
Yet the US administration in the last
four years has completely ignored them,
and also tried to bolster the central gov-
ernment during prime minister Nuri
al-Malikis rule [2006-August 2014], and
put on pressure to de-link from Turkey.
Turkey, compared to Iran, Syria and
Iraq, has done more positive initiatives
towards Iraqi Kurdistan. Obviously [it is
not clear] whether they meant to do so
or not, but that was a signal to the West
that the Kurdish issue is not a red line
due to NATO member Turkey.
That should have opened the door
[for the EU and US to work with Iraqi
Kurdistan], but the US administration
has not helped. However, there is pres-
sure from Congress, the US Senate and
the American public to help Kurds.
Even so, there is not a bullet being
transferred, nor help or selling them
weapons. From 2005 there [has been]
a request and agreement with the Iraq-
is to arm the Peshmerga [Kurdish mi-
litia]; that order and request to the US
has not been upheld, since the US said
the [Iraqi] central government must ap-
prove it and the central government
wont.
What they are doing is limited in
scope. It is only to send a message to
Congress and the world that [US Presi-
dent Barack Obama] is doing something
but what Obama is doing is just on
public opinion, as not a single weapon
or bullet has gone to the Kurds. They
send this to the Iraqi government, and
only give small defensive light weap-
ons [to the Kurds]. This has forced [the
Kurds], through many groups, to even
invite Iran there to protect them, and
make other arrangements with regional
players to survive.
The issue comes down to containing
the KRG from Iran, and now heavily re-
lying on them to survive.
So the Kurdish issue in Iran,
Iraq, Turkey and Syria is linked in
a complicated web?
All three countries encircling Kurd-
istan Iraq, Iran and Syria are threat-
ening it. In Turkey, there is a process to
resolve the Kurdish issue. The PKKs ob-
jective is to release [former Kurdish lead-
er Abdallah] Ocalan from prison.
Those [Kurdish groups] closer to Iran
are getting to the point where they even
coordinate in the Iraqi area.
All indications are that America lost
[in the region]. Russia and [its President
Vladimir] Putin are fexing their mus-
cles. Iran wants Iraq, Syria and
Lebanon under their control, with
RELATIVES AND Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) members in Syrias Hasakah
province gesture during the funeral last month of fellow fghters, who were killed
during clashes with Islamic State fghters in the Iraqi city of Rabia on the Iraqi-Syrian
border. (Reuters)
SHERKOH ABBAS stands with retired US general Ernie Audino. (Courtesy)
10 SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
ONE ON ONE
the Shiite crescent stretching across the
region; frankly, they succeeded. Many
Kurds are intimidated, and are starting
talks and coordinating with Iran.
Because the current [US] administra-
tion did not coordinate with the Kurds,
the result is the US spent trillions [at
the cost of] thousands of lives, and gave
Iraq on a silver platter to Iran. People see
Russia and Iran and dont trust the US
anymore, and the people on the ground
go with the strong man, and the US is
engaging Iran and allowing it to come
to Iraq.
They are not doing anything to the
Islamic State; it was started by Assad
and managed to discredit the opposi-
tion... The winners are Assad and Iran.
The people who wanted democracy, the
Arab Spring, are ignored. And of course,
there is a payout for Iran and Syria.
Is the Islamic State a major
threat?
Absolutely. We see they are being
used, people look at it as a Sunni orga-
nization... So the Americans are coordi-
nating with the Iranians... They wanted
[Kurds] to give up on the Iraqi city of
Kirkuk and keep Iraq united, and have
them not ask for more rights.
The Iranian regime is also a threat.
There is no one left in the region to pro-
tect us.
The Kurds seem to be what the
Americans want in the Middle
East, in terms of a stable, self-suff-
cient group that is not radical and
interested in democracy yet they
ignore it. Why?
How many Arab countries are there,
and how many have oil? The Iranians,
Turks, Arabs all work against the Kurd-
ish cause. Even if they [the Kurds] gain
in one part, they are attacked elsewhere.
People also look at the Kurds as a sec-
ond Zionist state that is allied to the
West and Israel, so it would be a dagger
in the heart of the Arab world. They
use money, power and infuence in
Washington to prevent the Kurds from
getting what they want.
The US also doesnt want to change
boundaries. Having Kurdish autonomy
or independence [threatens regional
boundaries]; they want Iran, Syria and
Iraq intact. Everything this [US] admin-
istration has done in the last years only
benefts Iran, and it undermines their
allies like Israel, the Kurds and demo-
cratic groups. For instance retired US
general Ernie Audino told me that Iran
has near complete infuence over 60
percent of Iraq. He indicates that if the
US does not help the Kurdish fghters in
Iraq then Iran will fll the gap and is al-
ready doing so on the ground with spe-
cial forces near Kirkuk.
What do you hope to see in the
future?
I want to see Israel, the US and EU
stop the Shiite crescent led by Iran and
stop the Islamic State; to bring the mod-
erates and the 30 million-40 million
Kurds onto our side, by promoting an
independent Kurdistan in Iraq.
At minimum, other nations should
have federalism and autonomy, and
the West should see this as a buffer. The
Kurds can play that role, but they need
the weapons and political recognition.
They have the same value as the West
and are not a threat to others, and an
independent Kurdistan can be a haven
for minorities.
What about the Israel connec-
tion?
They accuse us whether we talk or
dont talk with Israel, and that goes
back to the 60s. We have to state the
facts: How many Israelis killed Syrians?
Assad killed a quarter of a million.
The Kurds should not be fearful, but
should reach out to whoever will help
their cause and work together. We have
our own interests and so does Israel, but
we have the same interest in stopping
radicals and promoting tolerance, peace
and democracy; only Israel and Kurdis-
tan in Iraq have those values, and want
to stop that radicalism.
Americans say they cant fnd moder-
ates, but this is nonsense they need to
look to Kurds and minorities and others
who were repressed.
KURDISH PESHMERGA fghters take their positions during clashes with the Islamic
State on the front line at Buyuk Yeniga village September 4. (Reuters)
MASOUD BARZANI (left), president of the Kurdistan Region, stands with Sherkoh
Abbas. (Courtesy)
How many Arab countries are there,
and how many have oil?
The Iranians, Turks, Arabs all
work against the Kurdish cause