Kurdish Politician Says Russia, Iran, Turkey Still Disagree On Fate Of Northeastern Syria

Ahmad Suleiman, a member of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party political bureau, told Sputnik on Wednesday that the guarantor states of the Syrian truce - Russia, Turkey and Iran - have apparently not resolved differences in their views on the status and future of the Kurd-populated northeastern part of Syria

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2019) Ahmad Suleiman, a member of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party political bureau, told Sputnik on Wednesday that the guarantor states of the Syrian truce - Russia, Turkey and Iran - have apparently not resolved differences in their views on the status and future of the Kurd-populated northeastern part of Syria,

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a tripartite summit on Syria in Ankara. Among everything else, the three leaders discussed the situation in northeast Syria and emphasized in a joint statement following talks that security and stability in this region can only be achieved based on respect for the Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"I do not think that the three countries have achieved so far any agreement on a solution for the [northeastern] region. It depends on understanding with the United States, and it is not yet possible," Suleiman said.

Turkey, which designates Kurdish militia as terrorists, seeks to establish control over a buffer area near its border, and has been in talks with the United States lately to set up a safe zone there. Damascus has opposed this plan, calling it a violation of Syria's territorial integrity.

"I believe that the inability to reach a consensus regarding this region has made agreement on other issues difficult for these countries, such as the issue of Idlib, which is one of the most significant questions for Russia, Iran and the Damascus government," Suleiman continued.

Two days after the Ankara summit, despite the joint statement of the presidents and its specific reference to the situation in the region, Erdogan announced that Turkey would begin its operation in northeast Syria in two weeks if talks with Washington on a safe zone fail to bring about any results, a warning that he has voiced numerous times before.

In August, Washington and Ankara announced that they had agreed to create a joint operations center to coordinate and manage the establishment of a safe zone in northeast Syria. Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused the United States of purposefully delaying talks on the safe zone.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, made up of mostly Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters, have been key allies of the United States in northern Syria, where US soldiers are still stationed. Turkey views the Kurdish forces as a threat to national security and had repeatedly threatened to launch an incursion into northern Syria in order to force them out of the territory. Should a safe zone be created, YPG would have to remove its forces and weaponry from the area.