Syrian Kurds Ready for Dialogue with Damascus
Arab World
Damascus - Asharq Al-Awsat
The Kurdish Autonomous Administration, which controls large areas in northern and northeastern Syria, has expressed its willingness to meet with the Syrian government, in a move that comes in parallel with an accelerating Arab openness towards Damascus. In a statement distributed on Tuesday night and reported by AFP, the Administration said: “We affirm our readiness to meet and talk with the Syrian government and with all Syrian parties to hold discussions and present initiatives for a solution.” It also urged “Arab countries, the United Nations and international forces... to play an active and positive role in searching for a common solution.” Since 2018, the Autonomous Administration has engaged in several rounds of talks with Damascus, without achieving any results. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly accused the Kurds - who spearheaded the confrontation against ISIS and managed to defeat it in large areas in north and northeastern Syria, with American support - of “collaborating” with Washington, which is leading an international coalition against the extremist organization. In an interview during his recent visit to Moscow, last month, Assad responded to a question about the Kurdish units, saying that any party or individual “working for a foreign power is simply a traitor and a collaborator.” Underlining Syria’s “territorial integrity”, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration called for the country’s resources to be shared “fairly”, including oil and gas fields, which are mostly located in the areas under its control. The Kurdish authorities noted that they were ready to share resources including oil and gas “through an agreement with the Syrian government” following “dialogue and negotiation”. The Kurds are afraid of losing the gains they made during the first years of the conflict, after they suffered for decades from a policy of marginalization imposed on them by the successive Syrian governments. They were also excluded from several rounds of negotiation, including the UN-led talks in Geneva between representatives of the government and the opposition.
from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4284401/syrian-kurds-ready-dialogue-damascus
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