Ferhat Abdi Sahin during a summit for tribal leaders in northeastern Syria on May 3. Source: ANHA.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are holding “indirect talks” with Turkey through mediators in order to settle their differences in a peaceful manner, the US-backed group Commander-in-Chief, Ferhat Abdi Sahin, revealed during a summit for tribal leaders in northeastern Syria on May 3.
Sahin, who is known by his nom de guerre Mazlum Kobane, said that his group is willing to reach an agreement with Turkey, if Ankara agrees to stop its intervention in Syria and respect the country’s sovereignty.
“If the Turkish state wants a political solution it should return Afrin to its people, without the return of Afrin’s people to their homes, and the return of Afrin to its normal condition no solution can be reached,” Sahin said, according to the Hawar News Agency (ANHA).
The SDF is currently controlling most of northeastern Syria, where Turkey is planning to establish a “safe-zone.” A day earlier, Turkey’s foreign minister said that his country is about to reach an agreement with the U.S. on the details of the planned zone.
Sahin’s statement indicates that the SDF is a part of the ongoing talks between Turkey and the U.S. However, it remains unclear how Washington could bring the two warring sides together.
Regarding the ongoing war on terrorism in Syria, Sahin said that the military presence of both the U.S. and Russia in the country is legitimate. The commander added that Afrin, Jarabulus and Idlib are still occupied by terrorist groups and that the war has not ended yet.
“The presence of international forces to protect our people from terrorism is a legitimate presence, until all Syria territory is cleared from terrorism,” the Kurdish commander said.
Previously, the SDF took a negative stand on the Russian military deployment in Syria, while it justified the illegal U.S. presence in the war-torn country. This new stand indicates that the SDF is also seeking a peaceful solution with Moscow’s main ally in Syria, the Damascus government.
The SDF demands Turkey respect Syria’s territorial integrity! Right. Here is how Erdogan should respond:
Erdogan to SDF leadership: Turkey agrees to SDF demand and will follow the SDF’s example in respecting Syrian sovereignty.
SDF leaders are deeply flattered by Erdogan’s humility and exclaim – Erdogan is not so bad. SDF issues a statement: We are pleased that Turkey has agreed to settle their differences with the SDF and will follow the SDF’s lead as a role model for restoring sovereignty, peace and harmony in Syria.
Soon after, Turkey invades Eastern Syria and crushes the SDF while the US does nothing but sit back and order the popcorn.
The SDF bitterly protest and exclaim that Turkey broke their word.
Erdogan calmly replies: we followed the letter of our agreement. We respected Syrian territory following the SDF’s example, which was to totally disrespect Syrian sovereignty.
Stubbernes as well as agriculture was develloped and innovated in ME :)
I seem to read often a double meaning in your posts and this one is intriguing…
No, not really. They just think they can use Russia to postpone or remove the threat of a Turkish attack. They won’t seek any solution with the Syrian government as long as they think the US is supporting them. How many times they freaked out because they weren’t sure about the continuation of US support and signaled that they are ready for negotiations? In each and every time they stopped as soon as they were assured about the support.
That’s not how a party which is interested in “peaceful solutions” act.
You need to add the pride of the exelent solutions in Astana. Hip hop for Astana and the many good meals, free transportations and hotel visits.
What has Astana done. Well, ceasefire when Russians and Assads has lack of ammo.
I hardly see any Syrian Goverment. Half of the Syrians are not even in their own homes.
Agreed, they are interested only in themselves, and they are not very good at even that. I posted below my thoughts on how Erdogan should respond. Cheers.
lol SDF is only 100% right about 1 thing only – that Russia’s presence in Syria is legitimate and legal under UN/international law. And majority of Syrian people support Russia in their country to help defeat jihadi terrorists and bring back stability/improve the economy.
But they’re 100% wrong about USA – whose presence in Syria was requested by Israeli elites and CEO’s of the US Military Industrial Companies – contradicts international law – completely illegal and is an occupation of another UN member’s sovereign territory. If SDF keep working with an occupier who was not invited by the majority of Syrian Government OR it’s people, then don’t expect them to be able to negotiate anything meaningful or be liked by anyone in Syria… but I’d still rather have SDF control East Euphrates than Turkey anyday… as do most people
How the presence of foreign forces in Syria could be legitimate that has entered Syria by using own proxies.
Erdogan can’t give Afrin back anymore, he’s already moved heaps of anti Assad Syrian refugees into their homes, there’s nowhere left for the Kurds to move back to.
“Erdogan can’t give Afrin back any more….”
Erdogan can take those Anti Assad refugees to Turkey. Then the Kurds can go back to Afrin, replant their Olives that those refugees ruined, and everybody will be happy. [I’m dreaming again]
He just shipped them in from Turkey to solve his own refugee problem [which he helped create] and is now in the process of creating the same problem in Assad’s backyard.
You are dreaming Astrid, but there’s nothing wrong with that, I dream too, even if I have to wake up to the crappy reality.
In any other modern conflict anyone who displaced over 300,000 people from their homes and replaced them with their own displaced people would be called a war criminal, and rightfully accused of ethnic cleansing, but in Erdogan’s case the United Nations and it’s other many branches have remained deafeningly quite. Cheers.