“We want our rights as a Syrian constituent. I am a Kurd and I have suffered enough. I demand that the rights of all Syrians be fulfilled, not just the Kurds,” Mahdi al-Ali told Rudaw’s Nalin Hassan. He further urged unity among Syria’s Kurds stressing that “if we are united, we will be able to secure our rights and participate in building [the new] Syria.”
Ali said that Kurds under the Assad-led Baath rule in Syria were subject to “extreme pressure and marginalization, deprived of their basic rights.” Hinting at the denial of the Kurdish people’s right to learn their native language in schools under Assad, he noted that most Kurds in Hama province cannot speak their native language.
According to Ali, there are about 14 Kurdish tribes in Hama province, comprising 700,000 Kurds, with an additional 70,000 in neighboring Homs. Despite this sizable population, he notes that Kurdish tribes are “not represented in the local government” in Hama and were excluded from the National Dialogue Conference sessions in Homs.
Following his appointment as Syria’s transitional president on January 29, Ahmed al-Sharaa, vowed to hold a National Dialogue Conference to pave the way for “free and fair elections.” On February 11, he established a committee tasked with laying the groundwork for the conference and meeting with various sectors of Syrian society.
Importantly, the absence of Kurdish representation from the committee has sparked wide criticism. The committee’s spokesperson told Rudaw on Wednesday that the National Dialogue Conference sessions will see the participation of “Kurdish elites.”
The northeast Syria’s (Rojava) main parties, the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC), in late January agreed to send a joint delegation to Damascus to discuss the future of Kurds in the new Syria.
According to Ali, the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava has reached out to “collaborate and coordinate with the Kurdish tribes in Hama.” In response, Ali said, “We are open to any national cooperation that serves everyone.”
Earlier this week, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani urged Syrian Kurds to “go to Damascus united” and act as “homeowners, not guests,” in the process of rebuilding Syria. President Barzani emphasized the importance of unity, pointing out that the successes of the Kurdistan Region’s parties were a direct result of their collective efforts.
