Aldar Khalil, a senior leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), expressed his willingness to negotiate directly with the Assad regime. Khalil called for the dialogue on Security Council Resolution 2254 to be transferred from Geneva to the Syrian capital, Damascus.
“Whoever governs in Damascus is the one who represents Syria in international forums,” Khalil said in a televised interview. “So, if we are to reach a solution, there must be an agreement with Damascus,” he said, referring to the Assad regime.
“We have to think of another formula, where the solution must be discussed with the regime. This discussion should not occur in Geneva, but in Damascus,” Khalil said. “What is wrong with us sitting down, talking, and presenting possible solutions to reach a solution to all the issues facing Syria?”
The Assad regime has already called for negotiations on the Syrian issue to be transferred to Damascus, which Khalil supported. Khalil noted that “the Autonomous Administration and the PYD are ready for direct dialogue (with Assad), without going to Geneva.”
Khalil’s speech forms part of a strategy started by PYD and Autonomous Administration officials in the past few days, which has coincided with Turkish threats to launch a military operation in the coming period.
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PYD stands accused of being directly linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is on international terrorism lists.
A few days ago, the prominent leader of the Workers’ Party, Jamil Bayek called on the Autonomous Administration in eastern Syria to reconcile with the Assad regime and unite against Turkey.
In an interview with the newspaper al-Nahar al-Arabi, Bayek said that the “correct” solution is reconciliation between the Autonomous Administration and the Assad government. This position recognizes that Turkey is seeking to prevent this level of unity by launching attacks on SDF military positions in Syria.
Bayek, who is the PKK’s second-in-command after Abdullah Ocalan, said that his party’s relationship with Hafez al-Assad and his family was “close and warm.”
The regime rejects conditions provided by Autonomous Administration officials in Damascus, which are to reach an arrangement for some form of autonomy in northern and eastern Syria.
The regime has repeatedly threatened a military operation to control the territories under the Autonomous Administration’s control, estimated to be about 27 percent of Syria’s territory.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
