Syrian Democratic Council holds symposium with locals, US representatives in Syria’s Hasakah
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political assembly representing the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria, held a session of a wider symposium in the city of Hasakah on Monday.
The symposium, which began on September 11 and will hold its final session in Deir ez-Zor on November 3, was organized with the participation of clergymen, tribal leaders, politicians, social activists, and officials of the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES), as well as a delegation from the US State Department.
No progress with Syrian government
Ilham Ahmed, the co-chair of the Executive Board of the SDC, said on Monday that they have met with the Syrian government and a document of principles has been forwarded to work on, but with no results thus far.
Ahmed said that they asked the Russian guarantor to pressure the Syrian government, but the Syrian government described the Kurds “immigrants” who came to Syria from abroad, which led to the cessation of discussions.
The seminars organized by the SDC aim to reach a comprehensive national conference for all the regions of northeastern Syria. Ahmed said, “they aim to hold these symposiums to involve all the people of the region with the opinion and political consensus of northern Syria.”
US approval
In a letter that addressed the office of the symposium, the US State Department delegation expressed the US’s support of such meetings, stating, “We strongly support this initiative, and are proud to listen to these discussions.”
It added, “the USA wants to see real participation of the political administration in North East Syria, and hopes that the administration meets the needs of all communities.”
Finding an effective solution within Syria
Ahmed stated that Geneva and other conferences would not bring any political solution, especially as such conferences deliberately exclude representatives from northern Syria.
She added that the Syrian government’s mentality has not changed since 2011, notwithstanding the displacement of half of the country’s population and the destruction of a vast majority of the infrastructure in Syria as a result of the war.
Dialogues between communities
In its sessions, the symposium plans to address intra-Syrian dialogue, the dialogue with the opposition, the dialogue with the Syrian government, and the intra-Kurdish dialogue and its reflection on the Syrian political solution.
The topics of the historical relations between the peoples of the region and the mechanism for developing participation in self-management will also be discussed.
Earlier, Riad Dirar, co-chair of the SDC, said that holding a series of dialogues and conferences with the people of northern Syria is a continuation of previous dialogues aimed at achieving a common political vision for the people of the region, and it could end with holding a broad conference at the level of North and East Syria.
Dirar said in a special statement to North Press, “The statement about holding meetings and seminars in North and East Syria is the completion of the SDC dialogues with Syrian forces after holding conferences for intra-Syrian dialogue in the town of Ain Issa and the city of Kobani, and after holding six discussion workshops in Europe with Syrian personalities.”
He added the dialogues that will be held by the SDC will be with intellectuals, academics, tribal leaders, and representatives of the region and those concerned with its affairs.