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Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Where to?

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Irbil, Iraq, July 6, 2017.
Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Irbil, Iraq, July 6, 2017.
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Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Where to?

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Irbil, Iraq, July 6, 2017.
Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Irbil, Iraq, July 6, 2017.

When the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was established by the deceased political Jalal Talabani in June 1975, the political scene in Iraqi Kurdistan was free of any Kurdish political organization due to the collapse of the Kurdish revolution, which was led by Kurdistan Democratic Party under the leadership of deceased Mulla Mustafa Barzani.

Months after its establishment, PUK announced the Kurdish revolution against the Iraqi ruling regime as if it wanted to present itself as a substitute for the Kurdistan Democratic Party on the political scene. Throughout a decade and a half, PUK underwent a bitter military battle in the mountains of Kurdistan not only against the ruling regime in Baghdad but only against the majority of leftist Kurdish political organizations and blocs.

It seems that Talabani political cunning and vision have changed the political equations and brought down the balances of power in the Kurdish interior.

PUK attracted Kurdish leftist forces in which the approaches, belongings and political visions met. The internal condition in the union remained this way until 2008 when the second man and one of its founders Nawshirwan Mustafa decided to secede from it and form the Movement for Change. Subsequently, internal problems and political conflicts aggravated.

The scene was repeated with the second man Barham Salih dissociation.

Despite all this, Saadi Ahmad Pira, spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), stated to Asharq Al-Awsat that the union is still strong and united because it is a mass party that has been struggling since around five decades and has deep roots in the Kurdish community not to mention the wide mass foundation that wouldn’t abandon it no matter what.

Pira added that there is an anonymity on the conference to be held this year since the committees entrusted with organizing the conference are done with most of the required arrangements.

Council member Asos Ali declared to Asharq Al-Awsat that the party will move towards more solidarity after the conference, and will rearrange its papers in preparation for its future tasks.

“The new leadership to be concluded from the conference will be capable of putting an end to internal conflicts and moving the party into a new stage,” he added.

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France's Macron Wants EU to End Syrian Sanctions 

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greet each other after a joint press conference following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greet each other after a joint press conference following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
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France's Macron Wants EU to End Syrian Sanctions 

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greet each other after a joint press conference following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa greet each other after a joint press conference following a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. (AFP)

France's president said on Wednesday he would urge the EU to end sanctions on Syria when they come up for renewal in June and lobby the US to follow suit as well as keep its troops there to ensure Syria's stability.

Speaking alongside Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was in Paris for his first trip to Europe since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in December, Emmanuel Macron said it was the international community's duty to ease Syria's economic plight.

"I told the president that if he continues on his path, we would do the same. Namely by first progressively lifting European sanctions, and then we would also lobby our American partners to follow suit on this matter," Macron said.

He later added that he would propose EU sanctions be allowed to expire on June 1.

With the World Bank estimating Syria's reconstruction costs at more than $250 billion, Sharaa wants sanctions relief to kickstart an economy battered by 14 years of civil war. During that period, the US, European Union and Britain imposed tough sanctions on the Assad government.

The EU has lifted some sanctions, while some others that target individuals and entities are due to expire next month.

Renewing those would require consensus among the 27 member states, although the bloc could opt for a limited renewal or exempt the Central Bank or other entities critical to economic recovery.

"Sanctions are an obstacle we discussed at length. I explained all the consequences and impact and said the sanctions were imposed on previous regime and nothing justifies the sanctions being maintained,” Sharaa said.

Sharaa received a UN exemption to travel to Paris as he remains on a terrorism sanctions list for his previous leadership of the armed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, a former al-Qaeda affiliate.

The two leaders discussed how to ensure Syria's sovereignty and security, treatment of minorities after recent attacks on Alawites and Druze, efforts against ISIS militants and coordination of aid and economic support, French officials said.

Indirect talks with Israel

Sharaa said that his country is holding indirect talks with Israel to prevent recent hostilities from getting out of control.

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes on parts of Syria last week, saying it aims to protect the country’s Druze minority from coming under attack by pro-government gunmen.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, al-Sharaa said, ″Regarding negotiations with Israel, there are indirect talks through mediators to calm down the situation so that they don’t get out of control.” He did not say who the mediators are.

There was no immediate public comment from Israel. Israel has its own Druze community and officials have said they would protect the Druze of Syria and warned ISIS groups from entering predominantly Druze areas.

The visit marked a diplomatic boost for Sharaa from a Western power at a time when the United States has said it does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria.

Reuters reported in April that Syria had responded to a US list of conditions for potential partial sanctions relief after Washington in January issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid to Syria.

In exchange for fulfilling all US demands, Washington would extend the suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March.

Over the past months, France acted as an intermediary between Sharaa and the Kurds as sources said the US would reduce its 2,000 troops in Syria by half over the coming months.

Paris has been holding talks with the US on how to handle Washington's withdrawal and how France could play a bigger role. Macron said he was trying to convince the US to lift sanctions and delay withdrawing troops as that could destabilize Syria in this transitional period.

France welcomed Assad's fall and has increasingly fostered ties with Sharaa's transitional authorities. France last month appointed a charge d'affaires in Damascus with a small team of diplomats as a step towards fully reopening its embassy.