USCIRF demands US recognize Syria’s Autonomous Administration
WASHINGTON, US (North Press) – On Sunday, the US Committee for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to urge the State Department to provide support and political recognition for the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, amid the challenges facing the region.
The meeting coincided with the call of the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, to recognize the Autonomous Administration, and to launch a hashtag campaign demanding that on social media.
The meeting included a discussion of the committee members with Blinken about the violations related to religious and social freedoms that occur in the areas controlled by Turkey in northern Syria, such as the city of Afrin. The committee also presented a set of political recommendations to enhance the efforts of the US government to establish political and social stability in the region.
The committee asked the US Secretary of State to grant a special exemption to northeastern Syria from Caesar’s sanctions, and to politically recognize the Autonomous Administration as the legitimate government of northeastern Syria.
The committee recommended encouraging non-governmental organizations to finance and develop sectors of religious and social freedom in northeastern Syria, and to work on awareness-raising programs and alleviation of ethnic and sectarian tensions.
One of the recommendations is also to push for strengthening the local governance of the Autonomous Administration by involving it in all activities related to UN Resolution 2254, so that the Autonomous Administration will be a key political player in the political transition process in Syria.
Michael Rubin, a former official in the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) called for the application of US sanctions on Turkey for violating religious freedom in the areas it controls in Syria.
He called on the United States to remove the PKK from the list of terrorist parties.
USCIRF also called on Joe Biden’s administration to renew the campaign of pressure on Turkey with the aim of pushing it to announce a clear timetable for the date to withdraw from the Syrian regions that it occupied over the last years.