How Assad’s Rejection of Secret US Talks Led to His Downfall

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A French investigative report has unveiled details of secret diplomatic talks between Syrian officials and US representatives, aimed at forging a rapprochement between Washington and Damascus. 

However, the adamant refusal of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to engage in dialogue ultimately contributed to his political downfall, according to a report by Le Figaro.

Washington’s Overture and Assad’s Surprising Rejection

According to the source, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, the Biden administration made a discreet overture to Assad in early 2024 through an intermediary Arab state. 

A senior official from this state personally delivered a message to then-Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, conveying Washington’s interest in initiating backchannel discussions on specific issues, with the possibility of broader negotiations in the future.

Assad’s response was swift and resolute: “No, we do not talk to the Americans.”

The blunt rejection stunned the Arab intermediary, who immediately consulted his country’s leadership. A direct appeal was made to Assad, emphasizing the impracticality of dismissing such a strategic opportunity.

Despite his initial resistance, Assad eventually permitted a Syrian delegation to travel to the intermediary state, led by former diplomat Imad Mustafa, who had previously served as Syria’s ambassador to both the United States and China. The US side, signaling serious intent, dispatched Brett McGurk, a senior Middle East envoy under President Biden.

Negotiations Undermined by Assad’s Stubbornness

The Syrian delegation, under constant surveillance, included two intelligence officers—a standard maneuver in Assad’s regime, where internal distrust was rampant. Prior to their departure, Assad issued explicit instructions:

“Do not, for a single moment, think you are negotiating with the Americans! You are to reject every offer they make.”

As negotiations unfolded, Brett McGurk outlined a concrete US proposal: Syria would assist in locating Austin Tice, an American journalist who vanished near Damascus in 2012. In return, Washington would withdraw its forces from the strategic Conoco and al-Omar oil fields in northeast Syria (Rojava), allowing Syrian government troops to assume control.

However, the offer came with two non-negotiable conditions: Damascus must ensure that no Iran-backed militias operate in these areas, and the territory surrounding the oil fields must not be used as a launching ground for attacks against US forces.

At the close of the first negotiation round, McGurk privately approached a Syrian delegate, suggesting they exchange WhatsApp numbers for direct communication. While the delegate agreed, the arrangement was short-lived. Upon returning to Damascus, Assad erupted in fury:

“Who authorized you to give out your phone number? Delete it immediately, and you will not return for further talks.”

A Self-Sabotaged Opportunity

Arab leaders, recognizing the strategic importance of the talks, urged Assad to reconsider. He initially signaled openness but later abruptly ended the initiative, sending a final message to the mediators: “Forget it. We are done.”

For Syrian diplomats, the rejection was nothing short of self-sabotage. One negotiator lamented:

"Our country was in dire straits—isolated, impoverished. Yet we were forced to reject an offer that could have helped lift us from the abyss."

By October 2024, just weeks before the decisive battle of Aleppo that sealed his fate, Assad issued his final refusal. This, coupled with his unwillingness to engage with Turkey over Idlib—despite urging from Iran, Russia, and Iraq—ultimately led to his abandonment by all allies.

When his forces collapsed on December 8, Assad had no escape route. In his final days in power, the very refusal to negotiate that once defined his defiance had become his undoing.