Cooperating with the Damascus regime “unconditionally” will only grant it some form of legitimacy and will not lead to a political solution to the Syrian conflict, said İlham Ehmed, co-chair of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) on Saturday.
The remarks of the Kurdish politician reveal the SDC’s position on ongoing efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria and the situation in the war-torn country in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, said news site Asharq Al-Awsat.
Russia’s well-known support for the Syrian regime has prevented any positive results in normalising ties between the Kurdish-led administration in the northwest of the country and Damascus, Ehmed said.
“We did not sense any neutral position from the Russians towards the conflict during our meetings with them,” she said. “This was the main reason why we could not reach the desired result with them,” she added.
The SDC co-chair also answered questions on the Russian-brokered rapprochement process between Turkey and Syria, which led to the first high-level meeting between officials of the neighbouring countries last December, and the reaction of the rebel forces coalition to this new era in the 12-year conflict.
“Unfortunately, the coalition statements have always supported Turkey, including its stance on normalisation,” she said. But recalling protests against an Ankara-Damascus deal organised in rebel-controlled areas, Ehmed said: “This was a message to the forces that control these areas. Our hand is extended to hold dialogue with the parties that staged these protests.”
“The need to present an Arab project to resolve the Syrian crisis, for Turkey to pull out from northwestern Syria and for Iran to cease its flagrant military interference,” were the main points the SDC underlined in meetings with the officials of Arab countries, according to Ehmed.
“We also urged the Arab League to draft a roadmap for a political solution and play its role in putting a stop to the war, ending the suffering,” she said.
On 6 February, Turkey’s southern provinces and northern Syria were hit by twin earthquakes that have caused massive destruction. Ehmed commented on the possibility that the large-scale disaster may alter relations between the main parties in the Syrian conflict and lead to a change in policies.
“This has not happened in Syria. I see no positive indications that the situation will change in this divided country, given the ongoing disputes between the warring parties and regional and international agendas that have imposed themselves on the country,” she said.
“Moreover, the rejection of aid provided by the Kurdish autonomous administration and its political council is the greatest evidence that the situation in this country will not change,” Ehmed added.
