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Kurdish National Congress Seeks Unity Amid Divisions

The Kurdish National Congress, to be held in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region on Aug. 24, will seek a common agenda for Kurds divided over the war in Syria.
Men hold Kurdish flags and a poster of Kurdistan leader Masoud Barazani during a Nowruz celebration organized by Kurdish groups at the seaside town of Rawshe in Beirut, March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Sharif Karim (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR3FA2H

Though the Kurdish National Congress may dream to unite the Kurds and have a common Kurdish strategy in their struggle in the new Middle East, intra-Kurdish politics and conflicts in each part of Kurdistan may make this impossible.

For the first time in modern Kurdish history, on July 22, representatives of Kurdish political parties from four parts of Kurdistan met in Erbil to negotiate the foundation of the Kurdish National Congress, which has been the dream of Kurdish people for the past three decades. The organizing committee has decided that a three-day conference for the congress will take place Aug. 24 in Erbil, with the participation of 500-600 members.

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