Negotiations in Syria aim to resolve one of most critical issues impacting country's future
Date
1/20/2025 6:27:50 AM
(MENAFN) Negotiations between the U.S., Turkey, Syria, and Kurdish-led forces in Syria aim to resolve one of the most critical issues impacting the country's future: the fate of Kurdish forces. These forces are considered vital by the U.S. in the fight against ISIS but are viewed by neighboring Turkey as a national security threat. Sources close to the discussions indicated that diplomatic and military negotiators have been showing more flexibility and patience in recent talks. Discussions have centered on potential agreements for Kurdish fighters to withdraw from certain areas in northeast Syria, while others might fall under the control of a new Syrian Ministry of Defense.
However, several complex issues remain unresolved, including how to integrate the well-trained and heavily armed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into Syria’s security framework and manage the territories they control, which include key oil and wheat fields. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi highlighted the group's desire for decentralized administration, a demand that poses a challenge to Syria's new government, which seeks to regain control over all areas following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Abdi stressed that the SDF is open to cooperation with the Ministry of Defense but not to being dissolved.
The Syrian government's new defense minister, Marhaf Abu Qusra, rejected the notion of the SDF remaining intact as one military bloc. The government aims to integrate all armed groups into Syria’s official forces under a unified command. The outcome of the negotiations will depend largely on continued U.S. support for Kurdish forces and whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold off on launching a military offensive against the Kurdish forces, whom Turkey considers an extension of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party). The PKK has been labeled a terrorist group by both Turkey and the U.S. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Syria’s new government should be allowed time to address the "occupation and terrorism" caused by the YPG, the Kurdish faction leading the SDF, though he did not specify how long Ankara would wait before taking military action.
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