HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Gabriel Moshe, an official in the Office of Relations in the Assyrian Democratic Organization (part of the Syrian opposition coalition and active in Syria’s Qamishli), said on Monday that a “US delegation” hinted to the officials of the Syrian opposition coalition to prepare for a dialogue with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
In an exclusive statement to North Press, Moshe added that the US remarks came within the framework of “focusing on the necessity of the unity of the Syrian opposition’s stance to the east and west of the Euphrates.”
This took place during a meeting held between a delegation from the US State Department and a delegation from the opposition coalition during the past period, following the meetings of the Constitutional Committee.
The US approach coincides with the participation of representatives of the State Department and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the intra-Kurdish dialogue which started about six months ago.
Discussions are currently taking place between the PYD-led Kurdish National Unity Parties and the Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS).
The Kurdish National Unity Parties are aligned with the AANES, while the ENKS is part of the opposition coalition.
So far, the two blocs have reached preliminary understandings about forming a unified position for the Kurds of Syria consisting of 40 members, where each bloc will have 40% representation.
The remaining 20% will be represented by independent figures and members of civil society organizations, according to the understanding.
A mobilization against Damascus
Jamal Sheikh Baqi, secretary of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party (which is a part of the Kurdish National Unity parties), said that the United States “is trying to mobilize the forces opposing Damascus as a prelude to force the latter to start a political process.”
Faisal Yusuf, a member of the ENKS presidency, agreed with Sheikh Baqi and said, “The US seeks the unify the opposition forces, including the Kurdish forces to the east of the Euphrates, to pressure the implementation of the international resolutions related to the Syrian issue.”
“Reaching a Kurdish consensus is an opportunity to enhance the Kurdish role in the negotiations for a political solution in Syria,” he added.
So far, AANES representatives have not participated in the international negotiations on Syria due to the Turkish refusal to include them.
Moshe believes that the success of the intra-Kurdish dialogue is a prelude to broad dialogues between all parties to reach consensus and understandings, “thus enhancing the chances of a political solution in Syria.”
“But the political forces to the east of the Euphrates, whether the Autonomous Administration or those represented within the [opposition] coalition, have only a weak position in the face of the regime,” he added.
Excluding two parties from the dialogue
Despite the announcement of the SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Abdi that the initiative includes all the Kurdish parties, the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria and the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria remained excluded from the discussions, and there are no signs of them joining the dialogue.
“ENKS stipulated that the discussions be between it and the Democratic Union Party (PYD),” Ahmad Suleiman, a leader in the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in Syria, told North Press.
However, ENKS denied these accusations during an undeclared visit by a delegate from the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (PDK-S), the largest party in the ENKS, to the Progressive Party headquarters in Qamishli.
Although they did not participate, Suleiman declared his party’s support for the unified position to be announced by the two blocs. However, he refused to consider it a “Kurdish unified position,” but rather an “agreement between two Kurdish blocs.”
A few days ago, Mazloum Abdi denied what was posted on social media about the requirement of the two blocs to exclude the two parties from the unified position.