In an exclusive interview with Medya News correspondent Chris Den Hond, Democratic Union Party (PYD) executive member Salih Muslim offers candid insights into the evolving Syrian crisis, stresses the urgent need for a flexible federal system, and highlights the impact of Turkish military action on Kurdish-controlled areas.
In this wide-ranging interview, Muslim examines the challenges and prospects facing Syria after years of conflict. Speaking to Den Hond, the PYD official stresses the importance of halting Turkish attacks on Kurdish-held areas, calls for inclusive talks in the drafting of a new Syrian constitution and advocates a flexible federal model to suit the country’s diverse communities. Muslim also stresses the importance of Kurdish unity, clarifies his stance on negotiations with Damascus and discusses the potential influence of Abdullah Öcalan in brokering peace.
Chris Den Hond: Ahmed al-Sharaa is talking to Erdoğan. Do you think he has an influence on the Turkish decisions?
Salih Muslim: We are expecting him to really be a President of Syria, to do something for the Syrian people, not only for the Kurdish people. First of all, there are attacks in our areas, in Tishreen (Tişrîn) Dam and Qaraqozaq. Since 60 days. These attacks must be stopped and 26 civilian people were martyred defending this area, other than the Syrian Democratic Forces. There are hundreds of people martyred defending these places. We want these attacks to be stopped, especially those done by Turkey, by air force, by drones, by shelling. First of all this should be stopped and then maybe some good relations as neighbours can be made. This conflict in Syria, everybody mainly blames Turkey since 2012 till now. So a big part of the destruction in Syria was part of Turkey, because it allowed all those jihadi groups to be trained in Turkey and to be sent into Syria. They are part of the destruction.
Those groups attacking our areas are partners of him. All those groups were in the conference and they elected al-Sharaa as President of Syria, so he is also responsible for them and he has to stop those. And those groups did not share (HTS) going to Damascus or collapsing the regime. All they have done is having attacked the Kurdish people and still attacking us.
Maybe he (al-Sharaa) is promising to change, but it will be very difficult, because all the people around him are similar to him, the same mentality, from Tajikistan, from Turkmenistan, from Middle Asia, all of them are very strict jihadist groups. It will be difficult for him to liberate himself from all those people around him.
We are talking about those forces who brought him to Damascus. He didn’t come by himself depending on his own power. Somebody helped them and directed them. It was a very good try, because they were able to get rid of the Iranians, of the Russians and to collapse the regime. It was a very successful strike. But we don’t know what will happen after that because all of them are jihadists, so I believe the world would not let Syria to turn to another Afghanistan.
Chris Den Hond: You want to be part of commissions that are preparing a national conference to write a new Constitution in Syria. Do you think that the new transitional government in Damascus will allow you to be part of these commissions and what are the important points for you to focus on?
Salih Muslim: Yes we are proposing, because we have already a project, we have a social contract and we have already established institutions. The social contract is like a constitution. That could be adapted for all of Syria. Our model should be acceptable by the West, in Europe, because all the values are the same: women rights, democracy, organising the society, so everybody should support our project. We are ready to cooperate with all the Syrians for a solution in Syria.
Chris Den Hond: Other people in Syria like the Druzes and the Southern commander also do not really want a centralised Syria. Are they supporting your demands for a decentralised Syria?
Salih Muslim: It’s not like that. We are talking about a flexible system, a flexible federalism, which is what you can agree on. We can give the example of the United Kingdom. In the UK there is Wales, Scotland, [Northern] Ireland. Three ways of federalism, each of them is different from each other. We call that flexible. So this model, a flexible federalism, depending on the areas, is the demand of all the Syrian people. Druzes want federalism, but their federalism could be different from the autonomous areas, which is a democratic self-administration. It should be a very flexible federalism depending on what the people is looking for.
We hope they will fix a committee for the Constitution or for the elections. We are willing to share in building a new Syria. But till now what happened? This conference that elected him to be president of Syria, nobody shared, except those jihadist groups. And till now even this temporary government has not accepted those people around him. There is no other component, for example, the Kurdish people, the Yazidis, there is nobody except the Sunni jihadist groups. This is not ok, we do not accept that.
But everybody should know: We are not going to obey any Constitution or any resolution that we are not agreeing in putting it. If we are not agreeing, we are not going to implement it.
Chris Den Hond: There are talks with Masoud Barzani. Do you think the Kurdish unity is something important to help you in your discussions with Damascus, or is it just concerning the Kurdish unity?
Salih Muslim: Of course, we hope the unification of all the Kurdish people is important and the demand of the Kurdish people, but for the different parts it could be different. They should coordinate for the main demands for the Kurdish people in all the parts. And this meeting happened between Mister Mazloum Abdi and Mister Masoud Barzani was just for Syria, how to coordinate and make the Kurdish people speak in one word for the demands in Rojava with the Syrian government. It’s a good step, but not enough yet. We are expecting for all the Kurdish parties to speak with one word, with one demand.
Chris Den Hond: The Turkish state allowed two meetings with Abdullah Öcalan. He will make a statement on 15 February. Can that be positive here for you in order to find a kind of solution with Damascus?
Salih Muslim: Two points: Turkey is attacking us, blaming us that we have a connection with the PKK and that we are implementing their ideas and the ideology of Mr Öcalan. So if there is any discussion, if they accept to sit with Öcalan and talk, they would give up attacking us. At least this enmity would slow down a little bit. Secondly, when the PKK rose up and took the weapons, it was just because all other ways for discussions were closed. What they have done is just a legitimate self-defense. They were trying to open the ways, politically and diplomatically, to find a solution for Kurdish issue.
Now, if the doors are open for that, and if there is opportunity for that, they (the PKK) would not need the weapons. But the problem is, PKK tried many times with the Turkish government: in 1993, in 1998, 2007, 2013 and so on. All the time the Turkish side was going to change, they made even more destructions. So we hope this time to be serious and to find a solution, because maybe our part here will be affected by a solution in North Kurdistan.
Watch and listen to this interview here on the Medya News YouTube channel and Podcast platforms:
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/salih-muslim-if-turkey-accepts-to-sit-with-%C3%B6calan-they/id1709303009?i=1000692557303
- Spreaker: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/salih-muslim-if-turkey-accepts-to-sit-with-ocalan-they-would-give-up-attacking-us–64392985
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0cJKEW3feRTmyCpVCEXD3c?si=e98b61307f3243a0
