Nechirvan Barzani, the deputy chairman of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and nephew of Massoud Barzani, concluded his visit to Damascus on Monday after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Barzani expressed satisfaction with the meeting, describing it as a “positive meeting.”
The purpose of Barzani’s visit to Damascus was to provide “Kurdish reassurance” to Syria regarding the alleged Israeli presence in northern Iraq. He was accompanied by Azad Barwari, a member of the party’s political bureau, and they were received by Abdel Halim Khaddam, the Vice President of the Republic, yesterday morning.
According to the Syrian News Agency, the discussion between Barzani and Khaddam centered around the situation in Iraq, the suffering of the Iraqi people, the importance of strengthening national unity, and Syria’s desire to support the brotherly Iraqi people in regaining their sovereignty, independence, and ending the occupation. After the meeting, Nechirvan Barzani described the talks as positive, emphasizing Syria’s concern to assist the brotherly Iraqi people in maintaining their territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty. The Kurdish official reiterated the denial of any Israeli presence in northern Iraq, stating that there is no truth to the information and news regarding Israeli penetration into Iraqi Kurdistan. He further added, “We have not needed any relationship with Israel for more than 13 years. We have been living almost independently and have proven to everyone that we are a factor of stability in the region and certainly will not be a factor of instability in it.”
Damascus remains concerned about the ongoing discussions, especially in the Arab press, regarding an alleged Israeli presence in northern Iraq, following reports by American journalist Seymour Horch in the New Yorker magazine. However, both the Kurdish parties and the Iraqi government have consistently denied these reports, affirming that they will not establish relations with Israel before the Arab countries do.
