Rojava not opposed to Arab normalisation with Syria: official
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led administration of northeast Syria does not object to Arab nations welcoming Syria back into the fold if doing so brings about positive changes, a senior Rojava official told Rudaw on Saturday.
“The autonomous administration and the Syrian Democratic Council [SDC] do not have any objection and the Arab countries are free with the decisions they take,” said Bassam Ishaq, a member of the presidential council of the SDC, which is the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
However, he stressed, normalisation must not be “at the expense of the people in Syria and northeast Syria.”
After the devastating earthquake of February 6 that shook Syria and Turkey, Arab countries have expressed a willingness to thaw relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that were frozen with the Syrian conflict. Delegates from nine Arab countries, including Iraq, met on Friday in Jeddah to discuss ending the diplomatic isolation of Syria.
Ishaq pointed out this rapprochement is an Arab-only effort and lacks international support, but said the SDC has no objections as long as something positive comes out of it. “By positive outcomes, I mean the regime understands that it cannot get everything it wants, regardless of the Arabian support,” he said, pointing out that the SDF controls one-third of the country and 80 percent of its economy, as well as enjoying strong international support.
“Neither an Arab normalisation nor a Turkish rapprochement is enough to change the political equation,” in the Kurdish-controlled areas, he said.
Kurds in the northeast of the country who were systematically discriminated against and marginalised under Assad’s rule, carved out an area of control during the country’s civil war, setting an independent administration and forging strong ties with Western allies in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). They have tried to negotiate with Damascus, hoping for a solution that would see them maintain the gains they have achieved, but talks have stalled.
Iraq supports re-establishing ties with Syria. In February, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi headed a delegation of Arab lawmakers to Damascus and expressed their hope “for Syria to return to its Arab environment.”
Iraq’s foreign ministry renewed Baghdad’s supportive position in the meeting in Jeddah, the spokesperson for Iraq’s foreign ministry told state media on Friday.
Human Rights Watch in February urged Arab states not to rush to normalise relations with Assad. Governments opening up to Assad are doing so “without pressing for accountability for the crimes that the Syrian authorities have committed or the critical reforms necessary for durable peace and a prosperous post-war Syria,” the watchdog stated.
“Arab states seeking to normalise relationships should recognize that the Syrian government in power today is the same one that has forcibly disappeared tens of thousands of people and other serious human rights violations against its citizens even before the uprisings began,” it added.
The Saudi foreign ministry, in a statement released early on Saturday, said the meeting in Jeddah emphasised the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis” in Syria.
Saudi Arabia plans to invite Assad to a May 19 Arab League summit, according to Reuters.
“The autonomous administration and the Syrian Democratic Council [SDC] do not have any objection and the Arab countries are free with the decisions they take,” said Bassam Ishaq, a member of the presidential council of the SDC, which is the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
However, he stressed, normalisation must not be “at the expense of the people in Syria and northeast Syria.”
After the devastating earthquake of February 6 that shook Syria and Turkey, Arab countries have expressed a willingness to thaw relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that were frozen with the Syrian conflict. Delegates from nine Arab countries, including Iraq, met on Friday in Jeddah to discuss ending the diplomatic isolation of Syria.
Ishaq pointed out this rapprochement is an Arab-only effort and lacks international support, but said the SDC has no objections as long as something positive comes out of it. “By positive outcomes, I mean the regime understands that it cannot get everything it wants, regardless of the Arabian support,” he said, pointing out that the SDF controls one-third of the country and 80 percent of its economy, as well as enjoying strong international support.
“Neither an Arab normalisation nor a Turkish rapprochement is enough to change the political equation,” in the Kurdish-controlled areas, he said.
Kurds in the northeast of the country who were systematically discriminated against and marginalised under Assad’s rule, carved out an area of control during the country’s civil war, setting an independent administration and forging strong ties with Western allies in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). They have tried to negotiate with Damascus, hoping for a solution that would see them maintain the gains they have achieved, but talks have stalled.
Iraq supports re-establishing ties with Syria. In February, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi headed a delegation of Arab lawmakers to Damascus and expressed their hope “for Syria to return to its Arab environment.”
Iraq’s foreign ministry renewed Baghdad’s supportive position in the meeting in Jeddah, the spokesperson for Iraq’s foreign ministry told state media on Friday.
Human Rights Watch in February urged Arab states not to rush to normalise relations with Assad. Governments opening up to Assad are doing so “without pressing for accountability for the crimes that the Syrian authorities have committed or the critical reforms necessary for durable peace and a prosperous post-war Syria,” the watchdog stated.
“Arab states seeking to normalise relationships should recognize that the Syrian government in power today is the same one that has forcibly disappeared tens of thousands of people and other serious human rights violations against its citizens even before the uprisings began,” it added.
The Saudi foreign ministry, in a statement released early on Saturday, said the meeting in Jeddah emphasised the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis” in Syria.
Saudi Arabia plans to invite Assad to a May 19 Arab League summit, according to Reuters.