Kurdish Leader: We Informed Moscow About Damascus’ Refusal to Talk to Us

Hikmat Habib (Hawar news agency)
Hikmat Habib (Hawar news agency)
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Kurdish Leader: We Informed Moscow About Damascus’ Refusal to Talk to Us

Hikmat Habib (Hawar news agency)
Hikmat Habib (Hawar news agency)

The Syrian Democratic Council informed Russia that the Syrian regime had refused to hold talks with the Autonomous Administration in northeast Syria, Hikmat Habib, a member of the presidential body of the Syrian Democratic Council, the SDF's political arm, said Friday.

Early this month, President of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed had announced reaching an agreement with the head of the People’s Will Party, Qadri Jamil, in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“The Russian FM had heard from the two delegations their views concerning the political solution and their attachment to the political process and the need to extend inter-Syrian talks to include all sides,” Habib said.

He noted that Lavrov asked his deputy Mikhail Bogdanov to work on increasing the number of representatives from the Autonomous Administration and the SDF, involving them in international talks on the Syrian crisis, and finding means to add them to the constitutional committee.

“When the Russian FM asked the delegation coming from Qamishli about its meetings and discussions with the Syrian government, we informed him that the regime has not initiated any practical steps towards political talks, but on the contrary, it deliberately provoked tension in the countryside of Deir Ezzor by ordering residents to stir up incitement against the Administration and its military forces,” Habib said.

Commenting on the Russian role in East Euphrates, the SDF official said that Moscow supports a ceasefire in the area through patrols, controlling borders, and stopping Turkish threats.

“From our side, we respected the truce and we reported to the Russian side Turkish violations and attacks on the area,” Habib said, adding that senior Russian officials at the Foreign Ministry confirmed that the next phase would witness calm and stability in the area.

“The Russians and their international partners would strengthen the ceasefire and would not allow further military escalation,” he noted.



Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon Bans Dealing with Hezbollah Financial Entity

A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
A view shows Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon April 4, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

Lebanon's central bank has banned banks and brokerages from dealing with a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution, according to a circular, a sign of the group's diminished sway over state affairs since its devastating war with Israel.

Keeping up military pressure on the Iran-backed group, Israel on Tuesday launched some of its heaviest airstrikes since a ceasefire in November, saying it hit training camps and weapons depots in east Lebanon. A security source in Lebanon said 12 people were killed, five of them Hezbollah fighters, Reuters reported.

Hezbollah has faced mounting pressures since the war, including financial ones.

In the circular, dated July 14 and reviewed by Reuters, Banque du Liban prohibited all licensed financial institutions in Lebanon from dealing directly or indirectly with unlicensed entities and listed Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hassan as an example.

The US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in 2007, saying Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage "financial activities and gain access to the international financial system".

Bolstered by its powerful arsenal, Hezbollah had long exercised decisive influence over Lebanese state affairs, but it was unable to impose its will in the formation of a post-war government in February.

Al-Qard Al-Hassan, founded in 1983, describes itself as a charitable organisation which provides loans to people according to Islamic principles that forbid interest. Israel struck some of its branches during its war with Hezbollah last year.

Operating as a not-for-profit organisation under a licence granted by the Lebanese government, it has more than 30 branches, mostly in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.

SHADOW ECONOMY

A Lebanese official said the central bank move had been in the works for months, and reflected US pressure on Lebanon to take action against Hezbollah's financial wing.

Nassib Ghobril, chief economist at Byblos Bank, said Lebanese banks were already careful to avoid dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan because it is under US sanctions.

"The important point is that finally the authorities are addressing the shadow economy in Lebanon, which is the real problem," he said, adding that authorities had long failed to address its "toxic effects".

In June, the European Commission included Lebanon in an updated list of high-risk jurisdictions presenting strategic deficiencies in their national anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.

Last year, global financial crime watchdog FATF placed Lebanon on its "grey list" of countries under special scrutiny.