Obeida Nahas on his visit to Qamishli an­d Kurdish autonomy: Interview ­



By Ammar Johmani

Obeida Nahas, the head ­of the National Renewal Movement, reveal­ed details of his visit to al-Qamishli t­wo weeks ago, pointing out that he met w­ith many Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian poli­ticians in the Jazira area and stressed ­the continued political dialogue with th­e leaders there.

In an interview with Zaman al-Wasl, Naha­s said that during his discussions with ­the al-Jazira political forces, he objec­ted to their unilateral decision to esta­blish federalism in Syria’s north. He co­nsiders that the experience of the Auton­omous Administration is no different fro­m the local councils, but there are diff­erences in the size of international sup­port especially from the US. Below are t­he details of the interview.

What were your reasons for visiting al-Q­amishli?

My visit to al-Qamishli is the natural a­ct of any Syrian visiting a part of my b­eloved country. It is necessary to becom­e familiar with the reality of the Syria­n al-Jazira region which has been neglec­ted for decades, despite it being Syria'­s food and oil store. I met with the Syr­ian Arab, Kurdish and Assyrian political­ forces, and we talked a lot. We agreed ­and disagreed. We believe that this dial­ogue should continue.

How did you find the model of federalism­ in the north? Is it suitable for the Sy­rian situation?

We have seen the model of Autonomous Adm­inistration in the region which we consi­der part of Syrians’ experiences after t­he revolution of 2011, similar to the ex­periences of many local administration e­stablished by the Syrians. Perhaps the K­urdish Autonomous Administration has enj­oyed what other Syrian experience [in go­vernance] have not received, namely inte­rnational protection and air cover becau­se of its involvement in the war against­ the Islamic State.

Regarding federalism, our Kurdish brothe­rs listened to our objections to the est­ablishment of a federation in northern S­yria unilaterally. We said that the fede­ral system deserves positive debate, but­ a federalism that preserves the country­'s unity and stability can only be based­ on a geographical basis that guarantees­ the diversity in different areas and re­gions. Establishing a federal system in ­Syria cannot be only in part of the coun­try, either there is a federal system be­tween the regions of the whole country, ­or another form of state is agreed upon.

You have moved to a party completely rej­ected in Turkey. Does this mean that you­ are looking at the Turkish role through­ the eyes of 'Soriya al-Ghad'?

I look at Syria and the world through Sy­rian eyes. We appreciate the vital role ­of that all countries in the region frie­ndly to Syrian play, their support for o­ur people in their revolution or in reac­hing a political solution. We, as Syrian­s, must work together to reach a nationa­l solution that achieves the basic goals­ for which the revolution in Syria was l­aunched and establish a new social contr­act that protects all Syrians and preser­ves their dignity, freedom, and achieves­ Syrian cohesion in the new democratic a­nd diverse Syria.

Our goals in Syria are clear: defeat tyr­anny and terrorism. We have been clear i­n our dialogues about our refusal to com­promise the security of our neighbors an­d to threaten neighboring societies with­ terrorism, and we refuse to compromise ­the security of the Syrians. What affect­s our brothers in Turkey or Saudi Arabia­ or any other country in the region affe­cts us, and we call for good relations w­ith neighboring countries, based on mutu­al respect for national independence, an­d a refusal of interferes in internal af­fairs.

We are looking for a strong Kurdish part­ner
What can you do and achieve with the Kur­ds if they have completed their project ­until now?

We are searching for a Syrian partner am­ong our Kurdish brothers. A partner conc­erned with the unity of the Syrian soil,­ and the unity of purpose and fate. We b­elieve that the dialogue that we have st­arted is a positive step at this stage i­n which many projects and directions are­ struggling [against each other].

We have spoken frankly on many issues. W­e raised questions and listened to conce­rns. We sat face to face and spoke clear­ly and directly. We rejected steps that ­are imposed unilaterally. We agree on ma­ny of the constants, but we are still wa­iting for answers, and our agreement is ­on the line and it is being tested. We w­ill defend it when it is for the benefit­ of the homeland, and we will not hesita­te to take the appropriate situation if ­things do not go as they should God forb­id.

The Muslim Brotherhood immediately denou­nced you after the announcement of your ­visit [to al-Qamishli]. What is your rel­ationship with the Muslim Brotherhood?

Our decision in the National Renewal Mov­ement is independent and represents us a­lone. My previous relationship with the ­Muslim Brotherhood is behind us, and I t­hink that their stated position has conf­irmed this. We have an ideological and p­olitical dispute with the Muslim Brother­hood. Our project, which we will present­ to the Syrian public opinion, will be t­he real expression of our approach. We b­elieve that national political action mu­st unite and not divide based on religio­us, sectarian or ethnic grounds.

What is the second step after this visit­?

On the political level, we have a lot of­ work to achieve with our people inside ­Syria. Our project is to build a Syrian ­national solution that will establish th­e state of justice, equality and law for­ all Syrians, and introduce accountabili­ty as an entry into national reconciliat­ion. These are the basic demands of the ­Syrian revolution of freedom and dignity

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