Syria will not take part in meetings with Kurdish-led SDF in Paris, state TV says
Syria will not take part in planned meetings with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Paris, Syria's state news agency SANA quoted a government source as saying on Saturday.
The source cited an earlier forum arranged by the US-backed SDF that it said was a violation of an accord between the government and the group.
The source was quoted as saying that Damascus would not be involved in negotiations with any side that aims to "revive the era of the former region."
This comes after Turkey and Syria held talks on Thursday to assess ties and tensions with the SDF.
"The talks are expected to assess Turkey's national security concerns stemming from northeast Syria, as well as cooperation between the two countries in the fight against terrorist organizations... at a time when preserving Syria's territorial integrity and unity is more important than ever," a source told Reuters.
Turkey, Syria debate situation with SDF
Ankara considers the SDF a terrorist organization, and has pushed for it to abide by a March integration agreement with Syria.
"It has not escaped our attention that the SDF terrorist organization's voice has become louder, empowered by the clashes in Syria's south," the source told reporters at a briefing in Ankara.
"The SDF terrorist organization's attacks on the outskirts of Manbij and Aleppo against the Syrian government in recent days damage Syria's political unity and territorial integrity.'
Hurdles have arisen because there are major ideological differences between many new Syrian army commanders, who fought alongside Sharaa as part of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the SDF.
The SDF is largely a Kurdish organization that has roots in the far Left, while HTS is largely an Arab group that is extremely conservative and Islamic.
Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.
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