The Kurdistan National Congress held a Conference for Peace, Democracy
and a Resolution to the Kurdish Question on 13 and 14 December 2001 in Brussels.

More than 120 people representing different Kurdish political parties and
organisations as well as independent personalities and academics from all over
the world attended the meeting. Madame Mitterrand, Lord Hylton, Hans
Branscheidt and Lloyd Quinan addressed their messages of solidarity to the conference.

The President of the KNK, Professor Ismet Sherif Vanly addressed the
meeting and the participants took part in a lengthy debate on the various topics.

The shared view was that the Kurds have the right to self- determination and
that the Kurdish people should work towards reunification and the recognition
of the right to self-determination.

After lengthy discussion the conference reached the following decisions:

1) The conference condemns the 11th September atrocity in the USA. At the
same time it asks US, the UN and the European Union to condemn the systematic state terror to which the Kurdish people, have been exposed for many years; the assassination of Dr. Sadik Harafkendi and his collegues in Germany being part of the pattern of such acts.

The Conference condemns any attempt to label the National Liberation
Struggle of the Kurdish people as terrorism, and deplores the categorisation of the PKK as a terrorist organisation. It demands the removal of the PKK from such lists, and at the same time asks for immediate nullification of any decision made in support of a veto on the activities of the PKK.

2) We call upon the Kurdish Political Parties to create an atmosphere
conducive to dialogue and discussion as this is the only way forward to a permanent solution. Liberty of political activities must be respected. A guarantee of peace and democracy would lay the basis for a national strategy.

3) The conference condemns the use of arms to resolve internal conflict
between Kurdish forces in any part of Kurdistan at any time, and any circumstances whatsoever.

4) The conference, unanimously condemns the kidnapping of the Leader of
the PKK M. Abdullah OCALAN and demands his immediate release.

5) The conference calls upon the governments of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria
to recognize the rights of Kurds within the framework of the principles of
self-determination.

6) The conference asks Kurdish political parties from all parts of Kurdistan
not to use their contacts with the governments of the region against Kurds in other parts of Kurdistan.

7) The conference respects the experience of South Kurdistan and urges that
every effort should be made towards the development and reunification of the
regional government of Kurdistan. We should work for the furtherance of the
democratic dimensions of this experience. We ask that the forces in the South,
in cooperation with the International Community, make further efforts
towards enhancing these achievements and experience.

8) The KNK must, in the continuance of its efforts, work towards the
convening of another conference that will see both the participation of all those
political parties and personalities who attended this one and the presence of
those who did not attend the current conference for peace and the establishment of a Kurdish national strategy.

9) The conference hopes that KNK will continue its efforts to contact
Kurdistan`s political parties; that it will play an effective role in the peace
process in South Kurdistan and will ensure that permanent peace and
cooperation
between southern forces and the PKK will prevail.

10) The conference, in relation to terrorism, condemns the so- called
Jundul-islam in South Kurdistan.

11) The conference believes that for as long as the Kurdish question remains
unresolved by just, peaceful and democratic means, the oppression vis-a-vis
the Kurdish Nation will continue.. Within the framework of the Charter of the
United Nations, therefore, the Kurdish people have the right to self-defence through legitimate means.

Some of the signatories:

Professor Ismet Cheriff VANLY; President of Kurdistan National Congress
(KNK) - Yaºar KAYA; Ex-president of Kurdistan Parliament in Exile (DEP), KNK Executive Council - Zübeyir AYDAR; Ex-MEP from Democracy Party (DEP), KNK Executýve Council - Ali YIGIT; Ex-MEP from Democracy Party (DEP), KNK Executýve Council - Remzi KARTAL; Ex-MEP from Democracy Party (DEP), KNK Executýve Council - Nizamettin TOGUC; Ex-MEP from Democracy Party (DEP), KNK Executýve Council - Danielle MITTERRAND; President of France Liberte  Lord QUINAN; MSP
- Lord HYLTON; Member of House of Lords - Feleknas UCA; MEP European Parliament - Hans BRANSCHEIDT; medico international;Dr. Mahmut OSMAN; Politician - Adem UZUN; Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK); Prf. Esat XEYLANI; KNC-North America - Saleh GEDO; PSKS-Syria General Secretary; M Emin PENCEWINI; President of
Kurdish Institute in Berlin - Hamd SHWAN; KKP-Iraq; Sakine ZAGROS; Free Women Party (PJA) - Okkes KOLUSARI; Kurdistan Communist Party (KKP-North Kurdistan) - Fikri AHO; Beth Nahrin Asyrian-Chaeldeer - Sadýk ERMIS; Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (HIK) - Seyidxan YILDIRIM; Kurdistan Artists Union (YHK) - Bubo YILDIZ; Kurdistan Yezidi Union (YÊK) - Haci SOLEMAN; Syrian Kurdish Left Party (PCKS) - Biruske NICAR; Syrian Democratic Kurdish Party (PNPKS) - Hewa JAFF; Liberal Democrats Britain - Sorkat FATTAH; Kurdish Salvation Party (RPK) - Eqbal NURI; Association of Kurds in Exile - Nuray SEN; Confederation of Kurdish Associations In Europe (KON-KURD) - Hamdullah KANSIRAY; Union of Kurdish Lawyers - Hikmet SERBILIND; Kurdish Islamic Party (PIK) - Duriye EWNY; Journalist - Mirhem YIGIT; President of Kurdish Institut in Stockholm - Wekil MUSTAFAYEV; Ex-president of Red Kurdistan - Ali Haydar CILASUN; Novelist - Haydar ISIK; Novelist,
member of PEN - Saman SALI; KNC  North America - Prf. Izzedýn Mustafa RESUL; University of Suleymania - Prf. Dr. Salah JMOR; University of Geneve - Dr. Sýrac BILGIN; Kurdish Politician from Sweden - Seyit BEDIRXAN; Kurdish Politician from North America - Prf. Samoel KOCOI; Director of Moscow State Law Academy - Cahit MERVAN; Union of Kurdish Journalists - Muxire MUFTIZADE; President of Kurdish Women Organisation/London Mehdi ZANA; Former Major of Diyarbakýr -
Ali YALCIN; Patriotic Union - Bekir HESEN; Democratic Movement  South