It is finally out that the Islamic Republic of Iran and its Kurdish parties have held talks. Most interestingly, Iran’s intelligence minister himself revealed the secret and said: “If necessary we would even talk to terrorists.”
Whatever the details of the talks, they are indeed historical for two sides that once labeled each other devils (Satan). But trusting the devil is not easy.
I was recently talking to an informed Iranian official who said that there are two state views in Iran on the Kurdish issue.
One is that Iran can no longer treat the Kurdish question the way it has done for the past four decades. Proponents of that view see that the situation of Kurds in Iraq, Turkey and Syria has changed dramatically, and that unless Iran gets its act together, the time bomb may explode in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat).
A second group believes that, because Rojhelat is not going through the turmoil that is swirling through other parts of Kurdistan, that means Tehran’s policies towards its Kurds in the past forty years have been correct. Therefore, they see no need for any change.
For their part, the Iranian Kurdish parties have met with figures who have introduced themselves as representatives of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian official told me: “The Kurdish parties know, too, that in Iran there are various centers of power. Often, the intelligence ministry may do something which would be reversed by another powerful institution. The person with the final word in Tehran is Ayatollah Khamenei.”
Let us assume what this official was saying isn’t quite true and that the Kurdish parties did indeed meet with envoys of the supreme leader – which is not the case. The main question would still be: will these talks lead anywhere?
Remember that the Kurdish parties had met separately with the Iranians and each had laid out its views for a solution. Remember, also, how different are the views of these parties.
So, which party will Tehran agree with, and which will it reject. It said that the Kurdish parties in Iran are planning a meeting soon to agree to some common ground. This would be a welcome step, if it is to prepare for negotiations. No one party can go it alone with Tehran, even if it is just out of fear of losing supporters.
The other -- and equally serious question – is this: is Iran sincere in talking to the Kurdish groups? As the Iranian official was saying, these talks are indicative of Tehran’s understanding of the reality in the region. This could be true, but some other indicators point to another analysis.
Iran’s Kurdistan Democratic Party has had two very bitter experiences with the Iranian intelligence service: their leader Abdulrahman Ghassemlou was assassinated by Iranian intelligence agents during negotiations. His successor, Sadegh Sharafqandi, was also murdered three years later, in what was believed to be the act of Iranian agents.
Once again, Iran’s intelligence agency is back for talks. This makes one doubtful about the outcome of any negotiations.
But the situation inside Iranian Kurdistan shows that change is inevitable: either Tehran should come forward, or sit back and wait for the expected upheaval.
On the other hand, Kurds in Rojhelat are fed up with the silence and inactivity of their parties. So much so that many no longer listen to these parties and take matters into their own hands.
This is what happened in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava): it was the youth movements that led the protests, and the political parties followed. So it seems that the best way for Iran to keep the situation under control is to bring these parties back into the picture through negotiations. What is obvious from the start is that no immediate outcome is to be expected.
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