Kurds plan Damascus talks as visions for Syria collide
Aldar Xelil of Democratic Union Party (PYD) attends an interview with Reuters at his office in Hasaka, Syria, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
Aldar Xelil of Democratic Union Party (PYD) attends an interview with Reuters at his office in Hasaka, Syria, May 21, 2025. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
HASAKEH, Syria - Syrian Kurdish parties will send a delegation to Damascus soon for talks over their region's political future, a leading Kurdish politician said, as they seek to advance their goal of regional autonomy despite opposition from the Islamist rulers.
More than six months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Kurdish demands for regional autonomy have emerged as one of the main fault lines in the new Syria, opposed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his powerful allies in neighbouring Turkey.
Oppressed by Assad, rival Syrian Kurdish groups last month issued a shared vision calling for the unification of the Kurdish regions as a political and administrative unit within a federal Syria, aiming to safeguard Kurdish gains during the war.
"Our Kurdish vision document will be the basis for negotiations with Damascus. The delegation is close to being ready to negotiate with Damascus," Aldar Xelil, a member of the presidential council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the dominant faction in northeastern Syria, told Reuters.
But he added: "We may face some difficulties because their position is still inflexible."
His comments point to the limited progress in bridging gaps between the sides since they signed a deal in March aimed at integrating the Kurdish-led security forces and other governing bodies in northeastern Syria with the central state in Damascus.
The Kurdish-led authorities have already had contacts with Damascus, including via a committee tasked with discussing the future of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a powerful security force backed by the United States.
Last month's Kurdish declaration was adopted by both the PYD and its main rival, the Kurdish National Council (ENKS).
'WE SEEK DISCUSSION'
Following the declaration, Sharaa's office issued a statement rejecting any attempt "to impose a partition or create separatist cantons" without a national consensus.
The Kurdish groups have in turn rejected the transitional arrangements drawn up by his administration, including a constitutional declaration that focused power in Sharaa's hands and strengthened the role of Islamic law.
Xelil described the steps taken by Damascus as unilateral but added: "We seek discussion and participation."
Calls for federal rule have gathered momentum in Syria since March's mass killings of members of the Alawite minority by Islamist militants in western Syria's coastal region, with some Alawites also calling for decentralized rule.
Xelil said the role of the Kurdish-led security forces was to ensure the "security and safety of this region" and if this is "not guaranteed constitutionally, legally, and politically, then discussing the issue of weapons will be futile".
Turkey, which has emerged with big influence in the new Syria, has long opposed Syrian Kurdish autonomy. After last month's announcement, President Tayyip Erdogan dismissed calls for federalism as "nothing more than a raw dream".
Turkey's suspicion of the dominant Syrian Kurdish group stems from its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which earlier this month decided to dissolve itself and end decades of armed struggle with Turkey.
Xelil said he expected the PKK move to impact Turkey's position on Syria.
"Turkey viewed the presence of the PKK or groups influenced by it as a pretext for attacking northeastern Syria," he said. "There will be no pretext for Turkey to attack the region." REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
China says it is working with France on trade differnces, no sign yet of a cognac deal
FILE PHOTO: Bottles of Remy Martin VSOP cognac, Remy Martin XO cognac and St-Remy XO Brandy are displayed at the Remy Cointreau SA headquarters in Paris, France, January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo China says it is working with France on trade differnces, no sign yet of a cognac deal BEIJING/PARIS - China and France have agreed to resolve their trade disputes through dialogue, China's foreign ministry said on Friday, though there was no indication that agreement had been reached in talks on lifting Chinese levies on European brandy. Talks to resolve the cognac dispute accelerated this week with China's commerce minister Wang Wentao meeting his French counterpart in Paris on the sidelines of an OECD conference, and technical talks on the matter taking place in Beijing. The latest round of negotiations have raised hopes of a settlement, two industry sources with knowledge of the discussions said. "The two sides have reached consensus on resolving economic and trade issues through dialogue and consultation", the Chinese foreign ministry said after a call between the Chinese and French foreign ministers. Chinese anti-dumping measures that applied duties of up to 39% on imports of European brandy - with French cognac bearing the brunt - have strained relations between Paris and Beijing. The brandy duties were enforced days after the European Union took action against Chinese-made electric vehicle imports to shield its local industry, prompting France's President Emmanuel Macron to accuse Beijing of "pure retaliation". The Chinese duties have dented sales of brands including LVMH's Hennessy, Pernod Ricard's Martell and Remy Cointreau. Beijing was initially meant to make a final decision on the duties by January, but extended the deadline to April and then again to July 5. China is seeking to strengthen trade ties with the 27-member bloc as relations with the United States have soured in the escalating trade war. "France will not compromise on ... the protection of its industries, such as cognac," French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said after talks with Wang on Wednesday. Chinese officials, meanwhile, signalled to industry officials during three rounds of technical meetings in Beijing this week they wanted to settle the matter, one of the sources said, but added some sticking points remained. With annual imports of around $1.7 billion last year, China is the French brandy industry's most important measured by value and the second-largest by volume after the United States. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
South Korea's Lee, Trump agree to work towards swift tariff deal, Lee's office says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the new U.S. ambassador to China, former U.S. Senator David Perdue, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo FILE PHOTO: South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a ceremony to mark the 70th Memorial Day at the Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul, South Korea, 06 June 2025. JEON HEON-KYUN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo SEOUL - U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung agreed to work toward a swift tariff deal and shared stories about their experiences in their first phone call since Lee was elected, his office said on Friday. Trump has imposed tariffs on South Korea, which has a bilateral free trade deal, pressed it to pay more for the 28,500 troops stationed there and increased competition with China. The future of South Korea's export-oriented economy will hinge on what kind of deal Lee can strike, with all of his country's key sectors from chips to autos and shipbuilding heavily exposed to global trade. His term began on Wednesday. "The two presidents agreed to make an effort to reach a satisfactory agreement on tariff consultations as soon as possible that both countries can be satisfied with," Lee's office said in a statement. "To this end, they decided to encourage working-level negotiations to yield tangible results." Trump invited Lee to a summit in the U.S. and they plan to meet soon, according to a White House official. The two leaders also shared stories from the campaign trail, including of assassination attempts and political difficulties, and agreed that strong leadership emerges as they overcome difficulties, Lee's office said. Lee survived a knife attack and underwent surgery when he was stabbed in the neck by a man during an event last year. Trump and Lee also talked of their golf skills and agreed to play golf when possible, Lee's office said, while Lee mentioned that he was gifted a hat with Trump's signature on it. South Korea, a major U.S. ally and one of the first countries to engage with Washington after Japan on trade talks, agreed in late April to craft a "July package" scrapping levies before the 90-day pause on Trump's reciprocal tariffs is lifted, but progress was disrupted by upheavals in its leadership. Lee, a liberal, was elected on June 3 after the U.S. ally's former conservative leader, Yoon Suk Yeol, was impeached and ousted. Lee said on the eve of the elections that "the most pressing matter is trade negotiations with the United States." Lee's camp has said, however, that they intend to seek more time to negotiate on trade with Trump. While reiterating the importance of the U.S.-South Korea alliance, Lee has also expressed more conciliatory plans for ties with China and North Korea, singling out the importance of China as a major trading partner while indicating reluctance to take a firm stance on security tensions in the Taiwan Strait. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Canada's Carney invites India's Modi to June G7 summit in Canada
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to attend the ceremonial recption of Angola's President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco at the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace in New Delhi, India, May 3, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/ File Photo NEW DELHI/TORONTO - Canada said Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming Group of Seven summit in a phone call on Friday, as the two sides look to mend ties after relations soured in the past two years. Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to remain in contact and looked forward to meeting at the G7 Leaders' Summit later this month, a readout from Carney's office said. India is not a part of the grouping but can be invited as a guest to its annual gathering, which will be held this year in Kananaskis in the Canadian province of Alberta, from June 15 to 17. "Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister (Carney)...thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this forward to our meeting at the Summit," Modi said earlier in a post on X. Modi also stated in his post on Friday that India and Canada would work together "with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests." Ties between the two nations deteriorated after Canada accused India of involvement in a Sikh separatist leader's murder, and of attempting to interfere in the country's 2019 and 2021 elections. Canada expelled several top Indian diplomats and consular officials in October 2024 after linking them to the murder and alleged a broader effort to target Indian dissidents in Canada. New Delhi has denied the allegations, and expelled the same number of Canadian diplomats in response. India is Canada's 10th largest trading partner and Canada is the biggest exporter of pulses, including lentils, to India. "The two leaders discussed the longstanding relationship between Canada and India, including deep people-to-people ties and significant commercial links," the readout from Carney's office said. "Importantly, there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns." Ottawa holds the rotational G7 presidency this year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
