Russia Presents Roadmap to Mediate Between Damascus, Kurdish Administration

 Russian military police take part in a joint Turkish-Russian army patrol near the town of Darbasiyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, along the Syria-Turkey border, November 11, 2019. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)
Russian military police take part in a joint Turkish-Russian army patrol near the town of Darbasiyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, along the Syria-Turkey border, November 11, 2019. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)
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Russia Presents Roadmap to Mediate Between Damascus, Kurdish Administration

 Russian military police take part in a joint Turkish-Russian army patrol near the town of Darbasiyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, along the Syria-Turkey border, November 11, 2019. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)
Russian military police take part in a joint Turkish-Russian army patrol near the town of Darbasiyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province, along the Syria-Turkey border, November 11, 2019. (Delil Souleiman/AFP)

A Russian military delegation held extensive meetings with Kurdish leaderships and leading figures in Qamishli, east Syria, at the end of 2019 to discuss the fate of ongoing negotiations between the Kurdish self-administration and Damascus.

Sources revealed that the delegation carried a 10-point roadmap stipulating that Kurds join the works of the Syrian constitutional committee and to represent the Kurdish political movement in the Syrian government.

Other points focused on the deployment of Syrian guards along the Syrian northern border from the Semalka crossing to the city of Manbij in the countryside of eastern Aleppo.

The Russian delegation also suggested the launch of a dialogue between the Kurdish self-administration in the north and east and the Syrian government.

In addition, the roadmap lists the need to form joint economic and military committees and to issue official papers for Kurds and official certificates for Kurdish students.

Also, the delegation enlisted that the two sides should coordinate to benefit from energy resources, particularly the Euphrates dam in the town of Tabqah, located in the Raqqa province, adding that the Syrian Army must withdraw from schools and universities in Kurdish areas.

The roadmap also suggests opening the road that links the city of Aleppo to the Iraqi border, through the town of Bukamal and to “remove the Kurdish threats and dangers and work on the safety of the Syrian Army checkpoints spread east the Euphrates.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Russian delegation travelled first to Damascus and held talks with the government on Dec. 25 and 26 before heading to Qamishli on the night of Dec. 26 to meet leading officials from the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The sources predicted that the Russian delegation returns to Damascus in the next coming days to present new proposals after listening to the views of all concerned parties.



Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
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Arab League to Convene Emergency Meeting to Address Israeli Threats Against Iraq

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. (Reuters file photo)

The permanent delegates to the Arab League will convene an extraordinary session on Sunday, chaired by Yemen, in response to a request from Iraq.

Arab League Assistant Secretary General Ambassador Hossam Zaki said on Saturday that the meeting will focus on a memo from the UN Security Council president, which contains the Israeli occupation's claims of increased attacks from Iraqi territory since September, SPA reported.

"The General Secretariat of the Arab League received Iraq's request to hold an extraordinary session of the Arab League Council.”

“The request was circulated among member states for consultation, and it was agreed to hold the meeting tomorrow at the General Secretariat," Zaki said, adding that several Arab countries have expressed support for Iraq's initiative.