Local official claims progress in talks between Damascus and Syrian Kurds

A member of the Syrian Democratic Council’s (SDC) Leadership Committee has confirmed to Kurdistan 24 that meaningful progress has been made in recent talks between a Kurdish-led delegation from a local administration in northeastern Syria and Damascus as the result of a Russian initiative.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - A member of the Syrian Democratic Council’s (SDC) Leadership Committee has confirmed to Kurdistan 24 that meaningful progress has been made in recent talks between a Kurdish-led delegation from a local administration in northeastern Syria and Damascus as the result of a Russian initiative. 

Mustafa Mashaykh said on Monday that as part of the delegation he visited Syria’s western coastal Khmeimim Air Base, operated by the Russian military, and also met with a Russian delegation in Qamishli (Qamishlo) before the New Year. 

“There was a positive exchange; we had our questions and the Russians had their own,” he said. “There, we emphasized that we Kurds and other components of Northeast Syria are ready for negotiations with the [Syrian] regime, and we would like to resolve differences through dialogue.”

“As political parties, the Kurdish question was the main topic, and we consider that to be a national issue.”

After the Russian meeting, negotiations were held with Syrian government officials in Damascus, notable among them National Security Director Ali Mamlouk. Members of the Kurdish delegation included senior SDC leadership member Ilham Ahmed, senior member of the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party Ahmed Suleiman, and Sanharib Barsoum, the co-chair of the Syriac Union Party.

“Negotiations were held in Damascus with the Syrian regime, with [the] guarantee and monitoring of the Russian delegations we had met in Khmeimim. The Russian delegation met both parties before the negotiations.”

Future talks, he added, would take place “in the coming days,” and would be “continued through committees which are awaiting final approval.”

A key issue of upcoming discussions, he claimed, will focus on the question of autonomy in Kurdish-majority parts of northern Syria. In earlier failed talks, Syrian Kurdish leaders called for some degree of autonomy, but Damascus insisted on a full return of all territory within Syrian borders to the central government.

Read More: SDC spokesperson says negotiations with Damascus stalled 

Local authorities, however, are in a much weaker position since being forced to make a deal with the Syrian government to deploy national forces to protect the border against Turkish attacks that began on Oct. 9. 

Read More: Syrian Kurdish leader says deal reached with Damascus and Moscow 

More recently, Mashaykh told Kurdistan 24, there has been new hope for further progress.

“We told both Russian delegations in Qamishlo and Khmeimim that the Damascus-proposed Local Administration Law is not adequate for our areas, since it does not offer a solution to the Kurdish question, administration, and military forces (SDF).” 

A roadmap presented to Moscow in January 2019 by the local Kurdish-backed administration in northeast Syria proposed that the area remain autonomous from Damascus. 

Read More: Kurdish roadmap to Damascus proposes continued autonomy, SDF to become border guards 

“We have a road map to resolve the issues in Northeast Syria and also the entirety of Syria” with respect to subjects such as the economy, military, and education, he explained. 

“The Syrian regime’s seriousness for securing solutions will be tested in their approach to the Kurdish question, then the Administration and the military [SDF]. So far, we have both agreed to continue dialogue and negotiation.”

Russia, he continued, is making “serious efforts” to bring the two sides “close to each other and resolve differences.”

He also said that the US, which has imposed sanctions on Damascus, is aware of the talks, stating, “When the [Syrian] opposition can meet with the [Syrian] regime in Geneva, we can negotiate with the regime in Damascus, Qamishlo, Khmeimim, or elsewhere; the important thing is what will be the outcome of these talks regarding the Kurdish question and the greater Syrian crisis.” 

“We are trying to get the sort of results that will satisfy the Syrian people as a whole,” he concluded.

“It is a nation that preserves its dignity and wants to build a new Syria, a state of law, civilization, and democracy; an inclusive Syria which will guarantee rights to all Syrians.”

Editing by John J. Catherine