Barzani: Iraqi Kurdish Leader: PJAK And PKK Rebels Should Lay Down Arms

29/08/2011 RUDAW SPECIAL – Nechirvan Barzani, deputy head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), recently traveled to Iran on a diplomatic mission aimed at ending the Iranian bombardment of Iraqi Kurdistan’s border areas. The artillery attacks, which Iran said were clashes with the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK), claimed civilian lives and raised concerns that Iran was crossing into Iraqi territory.

Rudaw’s editor-in-chief, Ako Mohammed, sat down with Barzani, the Kurdistan region’s former prime minister, to discuss the details of his visit to Iran and a range of other issues. Rudaw: You just returned from a visit to Iran. What did you discuss regarding shelling of the border areas and what agreements did you reach?

Nechirvan Barzani: Our talks went beyond that (the shelling). Our visit to Iran was ordered by Kurdistan Region President (Massoud Barzani) and the Prime Minister (of the Kurdistan Regional Government Barham Salih) was aware of it. The main issue on our agenda was tensions in the Kurdistan Region’s border areas. We met with the Islamic Republic’s senior political, diplomatic and military officials.

The Kurdistan Region’s policy is not to cause complications or intervene in neighbors’ affairs. Not only that, we want to have good neighborly relations with those countries based on mutual respect. But unfortunately, along the border areas the Kurdistan Region shares with Iran and Turkey, there is the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) and PJAK problem.


Of course those two groups are inseparable, because they have the same system and force. They are not different. Their presence in the mountainous border areas and the Kurdistan Region’s border villages has caused problems between the Kurdistan Region and its neighbors. Regarding Iran, I should say that unfortunately PJAK and PKK aren’t taking the Kurdistan Region’s interests into consideration. They always provide an excuse for those countries to attack the Kurdistan Region’s territory.

We now run a government and are no longer a (guerilla) force in the mountains. We are responsible for the life and well-being of the people of Kurdistan Region. Residents in border areas should not be at the mercy of Iranian and Turkish attacks because of attacks by PJAK and PKK.

“I have said before and will say it again now: PJAK needs to give up its armed struggle”

Moreover, according to international law, you should not allow your soil to be used by another force to attack your neighbors. This is what PJAK is now doing. PJAK sends forces to Iran from its bases inside the Kurdistan Region; they ambush and kill Iranian soldiers and then return to their bases. This isn’t acceptable according to international principles and the Kurdistan Region cannot accept it.

This has now become a problem between the Kurdistan Region and Iran. During our visit to Iran, the Iranians told us they are not against the Kurdistan Region, but they told us frankly that they want the Kurdistan Regional Government to control its borders. They want to have the Kurdistan Region’s forces on the other side of the border. They said it isn’t reasonable that there are some people along Kurdistan’s border areas who launch attacks into Iran from time to time.

I have said before and will say it again now: PJAK needs to give up its armed struggle. The main victims of PJAK’s actions now are the people of Iranian Kurdistan and the people of Iraqi Kurdistan — because their actions will not change anything except creating pressure and hardship for the Kurdistan Region. There are several other parties from Iranian Kurdistan, such as the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, Komala and others who are now based in (Iraqi) Kurdistan. They carried out armed struggle in the past and could still do so, but they don’t because of the Kurdistan Region’s interests. They have political activities.

I believe that PJAK also needs to make a decisive decision. In our opinion, it needs to give up armed struggle and lay down its arms. Today the Kurdistan Region has its own security plan, and it is the Kurdistan Region which is our priority.

Rudaw: Have you had any talks and made any decisions about deploying the Peshmarga and border guard units in the border areas and have the PKK removed their bases from those places?

Nechirvan Barzani: We are now in the process of extensive diplomatic campaign and are holding talks with all sides so as to realize that goal. We don’t want for problems to exist or for any side to face problems or for any fight to break out. We are now trying through peaceful and diplomatic means to have our forces deployed in the border areas.

Rudaw: A while ago, an Iranian newspaper said that the president of the Kurdistan Region supports PJAK and has allocated an area inside the Kurdistan Region for them. Did the Iranians make any complaints to you to that effect?

Nechirvan Barzani: Quite to the contrary, they clearly acknowledged that it must have been some irresponsible people making such remarks. The Iranians said they do not have any criticism of the Kurdistan Region or the president in that regard and they understand the situation very well. Iran’s demand is very clear. It says your territory cannot be turned into a safe haven for attacking Iran. As far as the norms of neighborly relations are concerned, that is a very legitimate demand. Secondly, they say we want to deal with your forces on the border areas and not PKK and PJAK’s.

Rudaw: But PJAK says its forces haven’t carried out any attacks in about a year.

Nechiravn Barzani: I don’t think that’s the entire truth. If that is the case, they have to clearly announce it. Why don’t they publicly say they have halted armed struggle? Some of their members have been arrested in Iran and are now in prison and many of them are Turkish citizens.