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Syrian Regime’s Preconditions Threaten Geneva Talks

Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, briefs the Security Council, via video conference. (UN)
Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, briefs the Security Council, via video conference. (UN)
    New York, Moscow, Ankara - Jordan Dakamseh, Taha Abdul Wahed and Saeed Abdul Razek
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Syrian Regime’s Preconditions Threaten Geneva Talks

Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, briefs the Security Council, via video conference. (UN)
Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, briefs the Security Council, via video conference. (UN)

Mystery surrounded on Monday the participation of the Syrian regime delegation in the fresh intra-Syrian talks expected to kick off in Geneva on Tuesday.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told a Security Council meeting in New York via video link from Geneva that the regime has not yet confirmed its participation in the new round of the UN-facilitated Geneva talks.

"Assuming that both parties arrive in Geneva, we will be looking to move them into beginning serious discussions and hopefully negotiations. Let me make one thing clear: we will not accept any preconditions from either party,” he added.

Arab sources said on Monday that the regime delegation had objected the Second Syrian Opposition Conference in Riyadh, which expressed the opposition’s readiness to discuss all issues in Geneva “without any preconditions.”

The sources added that any delay in the arrival of the regime delegation might threaten the Geneva operation.

Meanwhile, the US Defense Department said on Monday it is reviewing the process it uses to provide equipment and weapons to Kurdish fighters with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), but it has not halted sending weapons.

“The department is reviewing pending adjustments to the military support provided to our Kurdish partners,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Robert Manning told reporters.

The announcement came as Turkey’s Defense Minister Nurettin Cankili said on Monday that a military raid is imminent on Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) members in Syria’s northern city of Afrin, next Wednesday or Thursday.

Moscow also announced on Monday the possibility of imposing a temporary ceasefire in the "de-escalation" zone in Syria's eastern Ghouta on November 28 and 29.

Russia also postponed the Syrian National Dialogue Conference planned in the city of Sochi.

"Preparations for the congress are currently underway. It will not be held until January, but most likely in February," Russian news agency RIA Novosti said citing a diplomatic source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.

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Türkiye Says It Believes Kurdish Fighters Will Be Forced Out of All Syrian Territory

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Says It Believes Kurdish Fighters Will Be Forced Out of All Syrian Territory

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler takes part in a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 12, 2023. (Reuters)

Türkiye believes Syria's new rulers, including the Syrian National Army (SNA) armed group which Ankara backs, will drive Kurdish YPG fighters from all territory they occupy in northeastern Syria, Defense Minister Yasar Guler said on Sunday.

Türkiye regards the Syrian YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who have fought an insurgency against the Turkish state for 40 years and are deemed terrorists by Ankara, Washington, and the European Union.

The YPG spearheads an alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is backed by the United States and controls territory in northeastern Syria. Since the fall of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago, Türkiye and Syrian groups it backs have fought against the SDF, seizing the city of Manbij.

"We believe that the new leadership in Syria and the Syrian National Army, which is an important part of its army, along with the Syrian people, will free all territories occupied by terrorist organizations," Guler said during a visit to Turkish troops on the Syrian border with military commanders.

"We will also take every necessary measure with the same determination until all terrorist elements beyond our borders are cleared," he said in a video released by his ministry.

Ankara has demanded the Syrian Kurdish fighters disband, and has called on Washington to withdraw its support. The US military acknowledged last week it has 2,000 troops on the ground in Syria, twice as many as it had said previously.

On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye would do "whatever it takes" to ensure its security if Syria's new administration was unable to address its concerns.