KDP-Lebanon president: The main obstacle and threat to Kurds in Lebanon is just Hariri
- KurdishMedia.com - By Kamal Chomani
- 01/11/2008 00:00:00
Kurdistan (KurdishMedia.com) 01 November 2008: The Kurdistan Democratic Party or kDP in Lebanon was established on the 1st of July 1960 under the leadership of Jamil Meho.
On September 24th 1970, the Lebanese authority under the Lebanese Constitution legally authorized KDP in Lebanon to begin its agenda among the Kurds in Lebanon.
Abdul Karim Meho the Party's president in an exclusive interview will talk about the situation of Kurds Lebanon and the threats on the Kurdish movement in Lebanon. He also reveals the secrets between the KDP-Lebanon and bad relations with KRG.
KurdishMedia.com: How is the situation of Kurdish people in Lebanon, are they under the oppression by the authority or have rights as Arabs and others have?
Abdul Karim Meho: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to express my party political and social views through this interview.
As for physical and torture oppression, no we don’t have such a thing at all here in Lebanon, but as for political, social and cultural rights, yes we do have oppression, because the Lebanese authority keep denying it and never give us any assistance in that matter, and on the other hand, we have the major political leaders, Muslims and Christians, they both ignore our rights in this field, and they never support us at all as they should do, and we feel prejudice from their side because they never hesitate to support other ethnic groups in Lebanon, like Assyrians, Armenian, alwii, and so on, and unfortunately we face bad discrimination from one of the Muslim Sunni leader Mr saad Hariri, as he is continuously keep obstacles and pressure against our movement on the Lebanese soul and that for his political interests that doesn’t want the Kurds to have any representative in the Lebanese parliament or one minster in the government or jobs in the legal and local departments, so we are deprived from our basic social and political rights here in Lebanon.
KurdishMedia.com: What's your aim as KDP-Lebanon in the country? What’s your works there, are you free to do whatever you like, how's Kurdish view towards the country?
Abdul Karim Meho: No, our party is not active free at the moment; I have a court case against me because of my political and patriotic stands against the Syrian presence in Lebanon. And Mr Hariri is using it against me presently to tie me up, and force me to work according to his political agenda, but we never going to give up, and this month I have a court hearing again, and because of this case, our party can not work freely as it should do, we facing major pressure from him, but remember we faced the worst during Syrian control of Lebanon but we never gave up and we prevailed at the end, so we strongly believe we will prevail against Hariri and his oppression against us.
Our aim is crystal clear, we need to be treated as a Lebanese Kurds equally like all other ethnic minority here, we have worked hard for this country during Syrian control, so we want the authority to respect our political agenda that has worked for free and independent state of Lebanon, and sacrificed for its liberation during our exiles, and no body can deny that, so we want to have representative in the parliament, we want the government to offer help and aid like establishing Kurdish culture centre, we want more care and understating, we want help towards our children educations, we want lots of things, because we have worked hard for this country and its part of our rights to claim it.
Lebanese Kurds are loyal to their country Lebanon, they love it and they will do anything to protect it, the Kurds loyalty to Lebanon is unquestionable.
KurdishMedia.com: Lebanon is the country of multi-cultures, religions and nations how are you deal with the differences?
Abdul Karim Meho: For ordinary Lebanese Arab citizens we don’t feel any discrimination against us, but when it comes to the political leaders, yes we feel it, especially when they refuse to support our claims and rights. But in general we feel good and still have a space of freedom.
KurdishMedia.com: how is your relations with the other Lebanon parties and organization; do you have any relation with the Lebanon powerful parties and government?
Abdul Karim Meho: We do have relation with various political parties and social organizations, and its normal based on respect, as for the major parties, we have lots of political differences, but that doesn’t mean we are enemies, we practice democracy here, we do agree on certain things and we disagree on other things, that’s part of the political life here, but our major problem is Mr Hariri, he is the one who’s denying our political rights, he fear Kurdish unity in Beirut, he fear their solidarity, he fear them in many things, and that’s why he use his power to prevent us from achieving our goals.
KurdishMedia.com: Syria oppresses Kurds in the country; do you ever try to help Kurds in Syria or Turkey?
Abdul Karim Meho: No body on earth can deny our support to the Syrian Kurds, we have helped them a lot through our media, and in different fields, and that’s due to our strong belief in their political and cultural rights in Syria.
KurdishMedia.com: How many Kurds are living in Lebanon? Are they with you or with other political parties?
Abdul Karim Meho: The estimate number of Kurds in Lebanon is 150.000.
Remember that we were in exile for over 20 years, and after I came back, I found that our society is so much divided, they are used by other Lebanese parties, so it will take time to re-organize ourselves, its not easy job, but we will do it in the near future, and remember too, that Hariri is the major obstacle against us, he is against our unity, and will do anything to keep us divided.
KurdishMedia.com: I think Lebanon Kurds had been departed after foundation of Turkey's republic by Ataturk. Do you have Lebanon identity?
Abdul Karim Meho: 80 per cent of the Lebanese Kurds have Lebanese nationality.
KurdishMedia.com: I think you have an Islamic view, how do you see the changes in Lebanon?
Abdul Karim Meho: Of course, I am a Muslim, and proud of it, like the way I am proud of my Kurdish identity.
It’s too soon to talk about changes in Lebanon, as for my self, I cant see any changes in the foreseeable future, because there is so much political trouble.
KurdishMedia.com: Is Lebanon giving Kurdish minority rights? Do you have it? Which ranks do you have had in Lebanon as a minority?
Abdul Karim Meho: I explained to you this question in my previous answers. Rights, what rights? We are truly third class citizens here.
KurdishMedia.com: are optimistic by the future of Lebanon and its reflection on the Kurdish issue?
Abdul Karim Meho: We have to be optimistic, because without peace and democracy this country will go no where. We hope changes happen after the coming general election, and it may reflect on us, at least we hope so.
KurdishMedia.com: Do you have any relation with the other Kurdish parties in Iraq, Iran, Turkey or Syria?
Abdul Karim Meho: Yes, I had when I was in exile, but here in Lebanon I respect my country and I don’t do anything against its interests.
KurdishMedia.com: I think Your Party's views are more social not political, but what's the solution of Kurdish issue in Middle East?
Abdul Karim Meho: How can we work politics when we are deprived from our basic social rights, we have to shout loud all the times, if socially I am not comfortable, how can I be politically.
KurdishMedia.com: what's your activity's in Lebanon?
Abdul Karim Meho: I meet lots of Kurdish ordinary people, and explain to them our political message and aims, most of them are happy, but it will take time before we start strongly.
KurdishMedia.com: How do you see the Kurdish government in Iraq? Do you have any relations? Why you see KRG as a negative line on the Kurds in Lebanon?
Abdul Karim Meho: We felt very happy when our Kurdish brothers in northern Iraq obtained their rights, but we never had any opportunity to meet KRG representative.
Its wrong to say we have negative line against them, that’s not true, and let me tell you this secret, that I have met president Massoud Barzani representative in London many times, and we negotiated on how we should re-establish the ties between us, we agreed on almost every thing, but when it came to Mr Hariri issue, the negotiation collapsed, and we never met again.
We don’t have any problem when they establish good ties and relation with the Lebanese authority, but we don’t like it when they support other Lebanese groups especially on the Christian side and never help us or even look at us, we will not accept that at all, so that why we raise our voices against them from time to time, and its not true that we are envies or jealous of them, on the contrary, we wish them all the best, and we hope they go forward all the times, and truly we wish them to declare independent state of Kurdistan like all other nations.
KurdishMedia.com: if you have something else that you think we have forgotten. Please elaborate for the readers.
Abdul Karim Meho: I have to thank you from my heart for giving me this opportunity to express my views, and trust me, we are Kurdish nationalist, our heart is always with our brothers in all parts of Kurdistan, we love them, we support them, and we wish them victory in their cause.
Kamal Chomani is a freelance journalist based in Kurdistan chomani_85@yahoo.com
- KurdishMedia.com - By Kamal Chomani
- 01/11/2008 00:00:00