PYD Leader Salih Muslim Meets With Iraqi PM in Baghdad 22/12

[Piling]

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—A Kurdish delegation led by Salih Muslim, the head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) arrived in Baghdad this week and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

“The meeting (with Maliki) was to discuss the crisis in Syria and to find a peaceful solution for it,” Muhammad Rasho, a senior PYD representative told Rudaw.

Rasho said that the PYD delegation and Iraqi PM Maliki agreed, “That there is a struggle for power in Syria, but regime change should happen through a democratic process not through war,”

PYD is the only Kurdish group in Syria that has joined the Cooperation Committee, an opposition group established in Syria with the endorsement of Bashar Assad’s regime.

The founder of this group, Haitham al-Manaa, and members of his committee believe the crisis in Syria can be solved through dialogue.

“We believe that as a neighbor and brother Iraq plays a great humanitarian role, especially by helping 60,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq,” al-Manaa told the media following his meeting with Iraqi officials. “Iraq has sent assistance to internally displaced people in Syria and will possibly have a role in rebuilding Syria.”

This is PM Maliki’s second meeting with representatives of the Cooperation Committee in the past several months.

“PM Maliki called on the Syrian opposition to find a peaceful way out of the current crisis,” wrote the official website of the Iraqi prime minister. “Mr. Maliki is concerned about the continuation of violence and bloodshed in Syria.”

Since the start of the Syrian revolution, Iraq’s Shia prime minister has given unequivocal support to the Assad regime.

"The killing or removal of President Bashar in any way will explode into an internal struggle between two groups and this will have an impact on the region," the Telegraph newspaper quoted Maliki this time last year. "It will end with civil war and this civil war will lead to alliances in the region. Because we are a country that suffered from the civil war of a sectarian background, we fear for the future of Syria and the whole region."

Muslim’s visit to Baghdad has been criticized and defended by Syrian Kurds from both ends of the political spectrum.

“Salih Muslim meeting and shaking Maliki’s hand is another horrible and unethical act by this movement (PYD) which our people have suffered from for decades,” wrote Abdulrahman Ali on denge-derike.com.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim Ibrahim, a Syrian Kurdish political writer wrote on xeber24.net, “Muslim’s visit isn’t a national treason and whoever interprets it that way, is ignorant to politics, history and revolutions,”

[Piling]

PYD political line seems to be as so ambiguous in Syria than in Iraq… Or perhaps they decide to join, at the end, the axis Russia-Iran-Syria-Maliki against the alliance USA-Turkey-SNC- KRG.

Read that on twitter. Ping-Pong game :

Kurds in Syria: PYD had accused KNC leader of being close to Turkey. KNC leader accused PYD leader of meeting Iranian revolutionary guard.

[Nubahar]

Today mr. Salih speak to GK tv. and he say: Maliki give to promise for humanty helps. and all of the needs am i believe?

[Kurdistano]

Today mr. Salih speak to GK tv. and he say: Maliki give to promise for humanty helps. and all of the needs am i believe?

have you forgotten what Maliki said? He wants to candidate against Barzani. He is trying to picture himself as humanitarian Kurd friend

[Piling]

http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/syria/5601.html

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.