Syria’s new administration does not seek bloodshed with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the country’s Kurdish population, de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Thursday.
In an interview with Turkish TV channel A Haber, Sharaa said that the SDF was the only Syrian armed group to have not so far agreed to surrender its weapons to the new Syrian defence ministry.
The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) commander said he would dedicate time to negotiations with the Kurdish-led group.
“We are considering negotiating and sitting down with them. Our goal is to find a middle ground,” he said. “As is well known, the Kurdish people in that region did not even have citizenship rights in the past. Many injustices were committed in the past, especially during Bashar al-Assad’s former regime.”
Last month, talks were held between Syria’s new caretaker administration led by HTS and the SDF.
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The new Syrian defence minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, told reporters earlier this week that his administration was open to talks with Kurdish-led forces on their integration into the national army but stood ready to use force should negotiations fail.
Last Sunday, SDF’s leader Mazloum Abdi said his forces would not disarm or dissolve, but underlined their willingness to join a unified future Syrian army via negotiations with the new Syrian defence ministry.
The SDF functions in northeastern Syria within the framework of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), also known as Rojava. Under this administration, Kurdish-led forces have established educational, social, and military institutions.
Kurdish citizens can return to Syria
Sharaa said Kurds would be equal citizens in a new Syria, adding that his administration had conveyed its conditions to the SDF through talks.
“Kurdish citizens who have left their homes and gone to other countries must return to their lands and homes,” he said. “Secondly, all weapons must be in the hands of the state. If anyone, regardless of who they are, possesses weapons without the state’s approval, things will spiral out of control.”
Sharaa also said the new Syrian administration would not accept the presence of foreign armed groups in Syria.
“Particularly, we oppose them because these foreign armed groups threaten Turkey and have been involved in certain incidents in Turkey,” he said. “As you know, they were responsible for the bombings in Istanbul and Ankara.”
Turkey, a longstanding supporter of HTS, accuses the main component of the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is outlawed by Ankara.
‘Kurdish citizens who have left their homes and gone to other countries must return to their lands and homes’
– Ahmed al-Sharaa, de facto Syrian leader
Sharaa added that Turkey currently supports talks between Damascus and the SDF leadership, as external negotiations are also taking place to reach a peaceful solution.
Reuters reported on Sunday that the US – which backs the SDF – Turkey and other regional actors were trying to bridge the differences through intense negotiations.
Some Arab groups in SDF-controlled territory oppose the Kurdish group’s rule. “If this situation persists, it will, of course, lead to division,” Sharaa said.
The HTS leader claimed that the SDF had been using the fact that the group is securing Islamic State fighters and their families in camps as a way of holding on to its region.
“Sometimes they threaten us, and at other times, they engage in blackmail,” he said “We sent an open letter to the PYD/PKK and their supporters, asking them to resolve this issue.”
Sharaa said they also asked for the help of all countries, especially Turkey, to find a solution, including providing necessary assistance.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan last week said during a visit by his Syrian counterpart that Ankara was ready to transfer intelligence, equipment and capabilities to fight the terrorist groups such as IS.
