[Peace-discuss] statement by People's Democratic Party Rojava

Wed Oct 15 00:16:45 EDT 2014

Home <https://www.greenleft.org.au/>

  Rojava under threat, Turkey must end ISIS support -- statement by
  People's Democratic Party (HDP)

Tuesday, October 7, 2014
People's Protection Units (YPG), which is fighting ISIS forces, in Rojava.

The statement below was released by the foreign affairs committe of the 
Turkish left-wing People's Democratic Party (HDP) on October 3. The HDP 
is a strong support of Kurdish rights. HDP presidential candidate, 
Kurdish activist Selahattin Demirtas, won almost 10% o0f the vote in 
Turkey's presidential elections in August. The statement is reprinted 
from HDPEnglish.wordpress.com 
<http://hdpenglish.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/statement-by-hdp-on-recent-developments-in-rojava/%3Cbr%20/%3E> 
and has been edited for clarity.

***

Today, the peoples of the Middle East face the threat of a large-scale 
massacre. Peoples of the region, and particularly Syria and Iraqi 
peoples, are carrying out a historical resistance against ISIS terror.

These heavy attacks of ISIS, especially on the Kobane Canton of Rojava 
[a Kurdish area in Syria] , are meeting with big resistance and struggle 
by Kobane people and the People's Protection Units (YPG) forces. This 
resistance in Kobane is under the siege from four sides, yet 
increasingly continues.

It is widely accepted by all sensitive parties that there are some 
states of the region and their Western allies have responsibility for 
strengthening of ISIS and the brutal attacks and massacres it has 
carried out before the whole world.

Hegemonic forces have been playing games in the region, by all kinds of 
cultural, political and economic means, shaping the lands and peoples of 
the Middle East since World War I. These forces have to face up to the 
horror of the ISIS monster that the Kurds and other democratic forces 
are seeking to destroy today.

This situation also offers an opportunity to sovereign states with 
historical interests in the region to reconsider their Middle East policies.

*Turkey*

Turkey is one of the countries who have primary responsibility for the 
existence, growth and spread of ISIS. The AKP government's offensive, 
based on a sectarian and discriminatory foreign policy, is criticised by 
almost the entire world today. This policy's role in the total war 
against ISIS in Kobane is quite noteworthy.

This foreign policy has mainly shaped by the initiatives toward Assad 
regime's collapse and preventing an autonomous Kurdish area in the 
region. The mobility of ISIS members at the borders of Turkey, and 
global jihadist reinforcements coming from Turkey's borders, lead the 
expansion of the threa for the peoples of Middle East.

The peace process in Turkey, which there are attempts to advance, has a 
direct relationship with developments in Rojava and Kobane. In this 
regard, Turkey government's warlike and aggressive attitude towards 
Rojava and Kobane negativel affects the process, which is already fragile.

In this context, Turkey's policy must change immediately for both the 
peace and tranquility in the Middle East and the advance of peace 
process in Turkey. The democratic world community should put pressure on 
the government in this direction.

The Kurdish people and YPG forces, which are fighting against such a 
wild organisation like ISIS not only for Kurds but also for all 
humanity, should not be left alone by international community.

International forces should not refrain from military aid to these 
resisters. The democratic autonomous system in Rojava, which is a 
guarantee for the whole democratic future of the Middle East, should be 
supported. Today, Kurds are on the scene of the history with all their 
power and any policy which excludes Kurds has already expired.

*Urgent situation*

Kobane Canton, which is governed by Kurdish, Assyrian, Armenian and Arab 
peoples in the form of a legitimate assembly, has been under siege and 
military attack since September 15 by heavy weaponry and by thousands of 
ISIS fighters in a bid to diminish the peoples' common will.

The attempts to capture the Kobane Canton by ISIS have been tried many 
times. Due to Kobane Canton's strategic importance and its logistic 
possibilities from Turkey's border to Syria and Iraq, ISIS has 
concentrated on seizing Kobane. Because of previous ISIS attacks in the 
region, tens of thousands civilians had to migrate to Kobane Canton as a 
safe region for all civilians.

The international community must urgently take necessary steps against 
this ongoing ISIS military siege on Kobane in order to prevent new 
massacres, as happened in Shengal [in Iraqi Kurdistan]. Therefore, a 
military aid program for Kobane should be organised as soon as possible.

In this context, Turkey must stop directly or indirectly supporting 
ISIS. According to the last evidence, weapons and military equipment 
have been transported for ISIS by Turkish state's railways. It is clear 
that ISIS commits serious crimes against humanity and paradoxically the 
Turkish government is part of this crime.

Turkey's shortsighted policy in regards to ISIS causes instability and a 
chaotic situation in the Middle East. On the other hand, Turkish 
government's buffer zone plan may expand the violence to Turkey.

Therefore, it is necessary for international political actors to 
constrain Turkey from sabotaging the Kurdish people's struggle by 
supporting ISIS.

We urgently call upon international public opinion to provide open 
political/diplomatic, military, economic and humanitarian support for 
Kurdish Cantons in Syria, which can be a model for a democratic Syria.

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       From GLW issue 1028

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