REPORTAGE
Ilham_Ahmed: Negotiations with Damascus must take place under international auspices and guarantees, and SDF will be part of the Syrian army in the future
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to hold direct dialogue with the Syrian government with the aim of reaching agreements on how to coexist together in one country, considering that “Iraq is a good example that can be used.”
For its part, (AANES) welcomed the dialogue with the Syrian government under the auspices and guarantee of Russia, and expressed its willingness to enter into direct negotiations, provided that the specificity of its regions and military forces is taken into account.
During an exclusive interview with The head of the Executive Board of the Syrian Democratic Council, Ilham Ahmed, the “Ugarit Post” network raised several questions about the motives of the Russian Foreign Minister’s statements to open a dialogue between the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration.
The following is the full text of the dialogue conducted by “Ugarit Post” with Ilham Ahmed:
What are the motives behind the statements of the Russian Foreign Minister, in which he called for opening a dialogue between the Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration, especially at the present time?
We hope that the aim is not only to strengthen the negotiating position with Turkey and Iran, the two partners of Russia in the Astana meeting.
We hope that Lavrov will have a real practical plan for dealing with the issue of the relationship between the Autonomous Administration and the central government in Damascus.
We believe that Russia has the necessary potential to influence Damascus, and we call on Mr. Lavrov and the Russian leadership not to question the vision of the Syrian Democratic Council and the Autonomous Administration project, and that the Autonomous Administration affirmed its commitment to the unity and sovereignty of Syria and contributed mainly to the fight against terrorism.
Are there preconditions for the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria to hold a dialogue with the government?
They are not preconditions, but we have a project that is considered an entry point for a solution, and we seek to convince the parties of this project, which all the people of the region participated in and laid its foundations from its various national and religious components and made great sacrifices for it.
We were clear about this regarding the Autonomous Administration project and also with regard to the “Syrian Army” that should be” The Syrian army is the general national institution to which carrying weapons is restricted, and it does not interfere with politics. Syrian Democratic Forces, which have seriously contributed to the war on terror and are still working to promote coexistence, should be involved within the Syrian army institution on the basis of formulas and mechanisms to be agreed upon.”
What are the reasons for the failure of the previous talks that took place between the Autonomous Administration and the government?
The previous talks stumbled due to the intransigence of the “regime” and its insistence on rejecting dialogue and not accepting the recognition of the new facts that crystallized as a natural result imposed by circumstances and Which represents the will of a large part of the Syrian people.
Has the international coalition obstructed the dialogue between the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian government?
The international coalition is a major contributor with the Syrian Democratic Forces in the fight against terrorism, and the coalition has a clear position on all sides, but we proceed from our convictions and the interests of our people and have independence in decision-making, as evidenced by the fact that we did not reject dialogue with Damascus under Russian auspices.
