ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The government in Damascus envisions a “peaceful” path to exerting power over the Kurdish northeast and not a military one, Syria’s defense minister told the Washington Post in an interview published on Thursday.
“The military solution will cause bloodshed on both sides,” said Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra. “According to our assessment, the solution will be peaceful. We are not inclined toward a military solution.”
Syria’s new authorities are in talks with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) about the future of the region they control in the northeast of the country, known as Rojava. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said earlier this week that the Kurds have agreed to restrict weapons to the hands of the state, but significant differences remain between the two sides.
The Kurdish administration has been critical of Syria’s interim authorities. It said that “terrorists” attended a conference in Damascus this week, pointing to a militia leader who is accused of human rights abuses against Kurds, including the murder of a female politician.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has said that the new Syria must be “decentralized, secular… based on democracy that preserves the rights of all its components.”
Under the Baathist regime, Kurds faced systematic discrimination. During the civil war, they carved out an area of control and established their own administration that gained worldwide attention for its promotion of the rights of women. They also formed global military alliances as part of the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and the United States has 2,000 troops based in SDF-controlled territory.
Defense Minister Abu Qasra told the Washington Post that the US military presence in the country is “under negotiation.”
“Everyone was waiting for Trump to come to power, and the issue needs some time between the US administration and the new Syrian government,” he said.
Speculation is that Trump will make a decision soon about US troops in Syria.
Abu Qasra said they are also negotiating with Ankara about a reduction or “redistribution” of Turkish troops who are in the north and northwest of the country.
Damascus is also open to letting Russian air and naval bases remain as long as they serve Syrian interests.
“When Bashar al-Assad decided to go to Russia, he thought that it was impossible for us to reach an agreement” with the Russians, he said. “Perhaps relations with them will be restored in a way that serves Syria’s interests first and then their interests.”
Russia was a staunch supporter of Bashar al-Assad and provided military support to the regime in its years-long conflict with rebel and militia groups, including Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which ousted Assad and is the main force in the new Syrian government.
“In politics, there are no permanent enemies,” Abu Qasra said.
A Russian delegation led by deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov had talks with Sharaa on January 28. Bogdanov said “We expressed gratitude for the fact that our citizens and facilities were not damaged as a result of the events of recent weeks,” according to Russian state news agency Tass.
Under Assad, Russia operated the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and the Tartus naval base on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
