Reason

After the success of the February 8, 1963 coup and the Ba'ath Party taking power in Iraq, several rounds of negotiations were held between the representatives of the revolution's leadership and the new Iraqi government regarding the promises the coup plotters had made to the revolution's leadership before seizing power, the last of which was the visit of the revolution's delegation to Baghdad and both the countries of Egypt and Algeria.

In general, no results came from the negotiations; this time, the government tried to continue the discussions by sending several official delegations to President Mustafa Barzani. For this very reason, the first delegation, led by Tahir Yahya, Chief of Staff of the Army and member of the National Council of the Revolutionary Command, met with President Barzani in Chwarqurna. President Barzani handed the autonomy project and the revolution's demands to the visiting delegation and threatened that if those demands were not met by the end of spring, the war would start again. The project was presented to the National Council of the Revolutionary Command, which wanted to reduce their demands. For this purpose and to change the position of the revolution's leadership, another delegation returned to Chwarqurna and met with President Mustafa Barzani there once again, and they agreed on several points to resolve the problems. On March 11, 1963, the National Council of the Revolutionary Command issued a statement in which they had settled the Kurdish issue and its demands.

There was nothing for the Kurds in the statement of the National Council of the Revolutionary Command, and the negotiations did not yield a good result either. Regarding this issue, President Mustafa Barzani found it necessary to consult with the Political Bureau and patriotic leaders for such a national issue and to hold a general congress. For this purpose, he sent his special messengers to every corner of Kurdistan to send their representatives to the congress. After the preparations were finished, on March 16, 1963, representatives of all segments of society, including different nations and religions, leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), commanders of the Peshmerga units of the September Revolution and leaders of revolutionary tribes arrived in the city of Koye.

Holding the congress

The congress was held from March 18 to 22, 1963, under the chairmanship of President Mustafa Barzani, under the umbrella of the Peshmerga forces of the September Revolution at the house of Kake Ziyad Agha of Koye. 2500 people participated, 200 of whom had the right to vote. The purpose of the congress was to formulate the Kurdish demands from the Iraqi government. As a result, a delegation led by Jalal Talabani was formed, consisting of Salih Yousfi, Masoud Mohammed, Hussein Khanaqa, Abdul Samad Mohammed Bena, Habib Mohammed Karim, Agid Sadiq, Shakhawan Namiq, Babakir Rasul, Mustafa Aziz, and Ihsan Sherzad, and in March 1963, they sent the delegation to Baghdad.

All negotiations remained without results; the coup authorities in Baghdad were thinking of unity with the Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Syria to become a single united Arab republic. Furthermore, the Kurdish delegation led by Jalal Talabani also visited Cairo, the capital of the United Arab Republic, for the second time with an Iraqi government delegation to gain the support of Gamal Abdel Nasser.

However, the negotiations were fruitless, and in early June 1963, the Iraqi army again started its unilateral and sudden war against Kurdistan. Part of the delegation fled from their homes and places, and some were arrested at Kirkuk airport on June 9, 1963, when they returned to Kurdistan.

Source:

1. Masoud Barzani, Barzani and the Kurdish Liberation Movement 1961-1975, Volume 3, Part 1, (Erbil, Ministry of Education Press, 2004).

2. History of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Congresses and Conferences (Program and Internal Regulations), volume 1 and 2, (Erbil - Rojhelat Press - 2021).

3. Habib Mohammed Karim, Tarikh Al-Hizb Al-Dimuqrati

 Al-Kurdistani-Al-Iraqi (fi Mihatat Raisiyah 1946 - 1993), (Duhok - Matba'at Xebat - 1998). 

4. Mahmoud Al-Durra, Al-Qadhiyah Al-Kurdiyah Wa Al-Qawmiyah Al-Arabiyah Fi Ma'rakat Al-Iraq, (Beirut - Manshurat Dar Al-Tali'a - 1963).

5. Ahmed Dilzar, Memoirs of the Days of My Life, (Erbil - Ministry of Culture and Youth - Shahab Press - 2019).

6. Chris Kutschera, Le Mouvement National Kurde, translated by Ibrahim Younsi, Second Edition, (Tehran - Entesharat-e Negah - 1377 A.H.S).

7. Salah Rashid, Mam Jalal Didari Temen, from Youth to the Republican Palace, (Sulaymaniyah - Cardo Press - 2017).

8. Salah Al-Khirsan, Al-Tayarat Al-Siyasiyah Fi Kurdistan Al-Iraq, Qira'at Fi Malafat Al-Harakat Wa Al-Ahzab Al-Kurdiyah Fi Al-Iraq 1946-2001, (Beirut - Matba'at Al-Balagh - 2001).