Arab tribes, separatist Kurds from US-occupied Syria in Damascus for 'national unity talks'
Damascus is seeking to return northeast Syria to its soverign control after years of illegal Kurdish-US occupation
Academics, political figures, and independent tribal figures from northeast Syria are attempting to open a direct dialogue between all Kurdish parties occupying the region on the one hand and the Syrian state on the other, Sputnik reported on 15 October.
An informed Kurdish source told the Russian news agency that a delegation from the so-called National Initiative for Dialogue in Al-Jazeera has been visiting Damascus for meetings with Syrian government officials. Their aim is to bring “viewpoints closer together to conduct a dialogue between the Syrian state and the Kurdish parties.”
Northeast Syria, known as Al-Jazeera in Arabic, is currently occupied by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in cooperation with US troops. The US and SDF collaborated to conquer parts of Syria previously occupied by ISIS, including the country’s major oil fields, to keep them outside the sovereignty of the Syrian government.
At the same time, Turkiye is opposed to the current autonomous or “self-administered” Kurdish entity on its border and has invaded parts of northern and eastern Syria several times in recent years. This has pressured the SDF to reconcile with the Syrian state for protection. In the past two years, the SDF has faced a rebellion from Arab tribes enjoying support from Damascus.
Sputnik reports that according to the source, the initiative focuses on “promoting unity and sovereignty of Syrian territory, the rejection of all occupations, the exit of all foreign forces, in addition to the unity of the comprehensive Syrian national identity, the preservation of sub- and local identities, and the emphasis that national wealth belongs to all Syrians and is distributed fairly in order to achieve the optimal benefit from wealth for the Syrian citizen.”
The source explained that before traveling to Damascus for the talks, the representatives of the initiative met in the city of Hasakah with the leadership of the SDF and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), who confirmed their readiness to dialogue with Damascus without any conditions.
The source confirmed that “the initiative’s representatives met with a number of officials in Damascus, to propose a solution to the Kurdish problem in Syria, within the national framework in accordance with international conventions, and that these academics focus on recognizing the Kurds’ cultural, social and political rights and participation in the government and parliament.”
The source described the meetings held with the National Dialogue Committee, which was formed by the new leadership of the ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party in Syria, and other meetings with officials and government agencies in Damascus as “good and fruitful.”
The source explained that Syrian government officials are open to dialogue with all parties without preconditions but refuse to discuss the concept of federalism, which would allow northeast Syria to remain a “self-administered” Kurdish region separated from Damascus.
Idlib governate in northwest Syria is also under occupation, but by extremist groups formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda and supported by the US and Turkiye, most notably Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led by Abu Mohammad al-Julani.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on 14 October that Russian fighter jets carried out 12 airstrikes in several areas in Idlib and Latakia countryside. Russian forces have been present in Syria since intervening to stop Al-Qaeda groups, including ISIS, from occupying Damascus and toppling the government in 2015.
SOHR sources reported that the Syrian army forces brought in additional military reinforcements to Idlib from the suburbs of Aleppo and its western countryside.
Damascus fears renewed attacks by extremist militants from Idlib in conjunction with ongoing Israeli airstrikes on various targets in Syria. Israel regularly strikes Syria amid its ongoing war with Iran and the Axis of Resistance, of which Syria plays an important role.