Kurdish-led SDF says Damascus not ready for political settlement

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in a statement on Monday underlined that Damascus is not ready for negotiations with the Kurdish-led forces.

The statement came after an SDF Military Council meeting, during which leading commanders discussed the current situation in northeast Syria, the war against ISIS remnants, and escalating Turkish threats.

The SDF General Command said that the Bashar al-Assad-led government in Damascus is not ready for a political settlement in Syria.

Assad is instead exploiting “Turkish threats on Syrian territories and the deteriorating economic situation of the Syrian people caused by the government itself.”

The SDF--the armed forces of the administration governing northeast Syria--stated Damascus wants a return to the pre-2011 era when it had complete control of the country. “Our people must realize this fact and confront this tyrannical policy,” it added.

The Kurdish-led forces noted the seriousness of Turkish threats to attack northeast Syria, stressing that fighters must continue to be in a state of alert and combat-ready.

Northeast Syrian officials fear Ankara is on the verge of launching yet another offensive against the US-backed forces after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened such a move in a recent speech.

This comes as Syrian government officials continue to accuse the SDF of “separatism” and working for foreign powers. The Kurdish-led administration, however, has repeatedly expressed its readiness to negotiate with Damascus on the future of the country.

In a statement on Monday, the SDF-allied Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) blamed Damascus for the Syrian crisis and called on Assad to resort to dialogue to resolve it.

“We believe that accusations through the media do not serve the Syrian solution nor Syrian people.”