ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The leader of a Kurdish opposition party on Tuesday said they had “positive” talks with the ruling authorities of northeast Syria concerning the future of Syria, in the presence of the US-led global coalition to discuss Kurdish unity in the country, two weeks after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad.
Sulaiman Oso, president of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), told The New Region that they met with Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria on Monday. During the meeting, he said, they told Abdi that the SDF should disassociate itself from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) — a key demand from Turkey and new Damascus authorities.
“We had a positive meeting,” Oso said. “We told them that one of the dangers in our region is the existence of the PKK. Syrian people and authorities in Damascus have loudly said they do not accept the presence of the PKK fighters in these regions [northeastern Syria]. In the meeting, we told them in a transparent way that the presence of the PKK has become a problem, and it may cause a great issue for us from Kobani to Derik."
Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the backbone of the US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF, to be inextricably linked to its domestic foe, the PKK. However, the YPG insists that they merely subscribe to a similar ideology.
The SDF, considered the Kurdish de facto army in Syria and the US’ primary ally in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the country, controls the bulk of northeastern and eastern regions of Syria, amounting to a quarter of the country's territory.
Clashes have erupted between the Kurdish forces and Turkey and its affiliated rebel groups in SDF-controlled areas since the start of the anti-government group’s campaign in late November, resulting in casualties and leading to the displacement of thousands of civilians.
There are currently intensifying clashes taking place between the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups and the SDF in and around the city of Manbij.
Ankara has said it would press on with military preparations in northern Syria against the SDF until the groups are disarmed, claiming that the Kurdish-led force is a security threat to Turkey.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday said there was no place for the PKK in “new Syria” while adding that the new authorities in Damascus would impose their rule over the whole of the country.
“This is not a time to wait and see. We must take action. The territorial integrity of Syria is non-negotiable. We want to reiterate that there is no place for the PKK/YPG in Syria,” Fidan said during a press conference along with the country’s new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Sunday evening.
The ENKS, an umbrella of Syrian Kurdish opposition groups, was established in October 2011 in Erbil, soon after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. Since its foundation, the opposition group has maintained a rocky relationship with the ruling authorities of northeast Syria.
Soon after Assad’s ouster, the Kurdish National Unity Parties (PYNK) - a coalition of 24 parties that have close ties with the ruling authorities of northeast Syria - announced they were ready to hold talks with the ENKS to establish a unified Kurdish front.
The ENKS leader, Oso, said the SDF "promised that they would solve” the issue of the PKK in Syria
“They [the SDF] said they were ready to move the PKK fighters out of Syria,” Oso said.
“The ENKS was founded for Kurdish unity and unanimity,” Oso said. “We told them we were ready to join arms and unite."
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