Kurds Continue Meetings with Damascus over Delivering Control of Occupied Regions

Damascus and the Kurds continue to meet on how to merge the Kurdish community into the nation after the delivery of the Kurdish-held territories on Eastern Euphrates to the Syrian government as Kurdish sources told an Arab paper that the US is making strong efforts to defuse the talks.

News ID: 71090

Date: 05 July 2018 - 20:13

TEHRAN (Defapress)-The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted informed sources as saying on Thursday that meetings between the Syrian government and the Kurdish forces have recently increased but they have not yet produced remarkeable results.

They added that the Kurds have opted for delivering control of the Eastern Euphrates after Washington withheld its support for the Kurdish militias in Manbij and Afrin.

Meantime, Turkey is preparing for an agreement with the Americans in Eastern Euphrates after its recent elections, which would give the Kurds a hard time if made.

The sources told the Arab paper that the possibility has increased for an agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurds at present as Americans are trying to hinder any such agreement.

Al-Watan reported earlier this week that Kurdish militia groups are showing strong signs in their talks with Damascus authorities of their desire to give up their quest for autonomy and surrender the Kurdish-ruled territories to the Central government in return for insignificant demands.

It reported that several meetings were held between senior officials of Damascus government and the Kurdish militias in the town of Qamishli in Northern Syria and also in Damascus.

"Under an agreement held by the two sides, the Kurdish groups have agreed to take a number of actions that also include collecting the entire images of Abdullah Ocalan, one of the founding members of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, as well as the Kurdish militias' official signs and flags from all their territories," the report continued.

It went on to say that retreat of all Kurdish militias to Hasaka province and erecting joint checkpoints to be run by the Kurds and the government forces across Hasaka province are also among other terms of the agreement.

Other sources said that the agreement endorsed by the Kurds and the army entails several more paragraphs that include the presence of the Kurdish militias among the ranks of the Syrian army, surrender of Tal Kojar and Simalka border-crossing with Iraq and al-Darbasiyeh and Ra'as al-Ein border-crossing with Turkey to the Damascus army and delivering control over oil and gas fields to the Syrian Oil Ministry.

The sources further said that, in return, the Kurds have asked for the start of Kurdish-language courses in the educational program in Kurdish regions and appointment of a Kurdish official to a high post in the Syrian oil ministry.

Al-Watan went on to say that the Kurdish units have already embarked on collecting PYD flags and the photos of its leader from streets in Qamishli and Hasaka city.

In the meantime, other Syrian media outlets said that the Syrian Democratic forces' decision to hand over Raqqa city to the army will be the first confidence-building measure between the two sides.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad had earlier warned that the Kurdish militias would face the tough option if they prove to be unwilling to resolve their differences with Damascus through talks.

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