Kurdish National Council

Kurdish National Council

Flag of Kurdistan
Abbreviation	KNC
Formation	26 October 2011 (4 years, 6 months ago)
Purpose	Kurdish autonomy
Headquarters	Qamishlo
Location	Southern Kurdistan
Region served	Western Kurdistan
Membership	26 members (General Assembly)
Chairman/President	Ibrahim Biro
Parent organization	Kurdish Supreme Committee Syrian National Coalition[1]

The Kurdish National Council (KNC, Kurdish: Encûmena Niştimanî ya Kurdî li Sûriyê‎, ENKS; Arabic: المجلس الوطني الكوردي‎ Al-Majlis Al-Watani Al-Kurdi) in Syria is a Kurdish political organization involved in the Syrian Civil War.^[2][3]

The Kurdish National Council was founded in Hawler on 26 October 2011, under the sponsorship of Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, following the earlier creation of the Syrian National Council. The organisation was originally composed of 11 Syrian Kurdish parties, however by May 2012 this had grown to 15. The key difference between the KNC and the SNC is over their approach to the issue of decentralization, with the KNC pressing for Kurdish autonomy, whereas the SNC has rejected anything more than administrative decentralization.^[4]

Several KNC parties have also on occasion come into conflict with another Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party, or PYD.^[5] In order to reduce tensions, Massoud Barzani mediated between the two groups in July 2012 at a diplomatic meeting in Hawler. As a result, the PYD joined with the Kurdish National Council to form the Kurdish Supreme Committee along with a popular defence force to defend Syrian Kurdistan.^[6] Under the agreement, cities that fall under the control of Syrian Kurdish forces will be ruled jointly by the PYD and the KNC until an election can be held. Despite the agreement before the groups, there remain allegations from the Kurdish Union Party that the PYD has forced buildings run by the KNC, which fly the Kurdish flag, to replace it with the provisional Rojava flag, which is used by the PYD. The PYD has apparently been able to do this due in part to the fact that it ensures, at times forcibly, that no other groups maintain any significant armed wing like the YPG.

List of constituent parties

Name	Leader
Kurdish Democratic Equality Party in Syria	Ni'mat Dawud
Kurdish Democratic Patriotic Party in Syria	Tahir Sa'dun Sifuk
Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria (el-Partî)	chair: vacant
Kurdish Reform Movement	Feysel Yusuf
Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria (Democratic Yekîtî)	Kamiran Haj Abdu
Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria	Shalal Gado
Kurdistan Left Party - Syria	Mahmud Mala
Kurdish Union Party in Syria (Yekîtî)	Ibrahim Biro
Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria	Si'ud Mala
The Kurdish Future Movement in Syria	Siamend Hajo
The Kurdish Future Movement in Syria	Narin Matini
The Syrian Yazidi Council

References

1. "PYD Leader Skeptical of Kurdish Agreement With Syrian Opposition". Rudaw.net. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
2. "'Last chance' to avoid civil war in Syria: Annan". Agence France-Presse. 2012-05-09. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
3. "Political Groups to Run Liberated Kurdish Cities in Syria Through Joint Committee". Rudaw. 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
4. "The Kurdish National Council in Syria". Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
5. "Syrian Kurdish moves ring alarm bells in Turkey". Reuters. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
6. "Barzani Unites Syrian Kurds Against Assad". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 2012-07-25.