The US Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, arrived Sunday in al-Hasakah and held meetings with leaders of the Kurdish parties and the leader of the Arab-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi.
Kurdish sources said that Jeffrey would sponsor the signing of a political agreement and the establishment of the supreme Kurdish authority between the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD) and parties of the Kurdish National Council (KNC).
Jeffrey's visit to the east of the Euphrates comes amid US military reinforcements after repeated clashes with Russian forces in the area.
A new batch of Bradley-type combat vehicles, advanced radar systems, and 100 US soldiers were deployed in northeastern Syria. In addition, the coalition increased its flights over the region to provide air support for US and coalition forces in their battles against ISIS sleeper cells.
The sources revealed that Jeffrey conveyed to the leaders of the Kurdish parties the support of the US administration, hoping to reach a political agreement between the two parties of the Kurdish movement in Syria.
Jeffrey also indicated that the administration is working to mobilize the forces of the Syrian opposition, to support the US position in holding Damascus and its ally Moscow responsible for failing the political process, continuing the military operations, as well as obstructing any progress in the work of the Constitutional Committee and the implementation of the UN resolution 2254.
The US State Department envoy, Zahra Bailey, recently asked the negotiating parties in the Kurdish talks to discuss the remaining outstanding issues in the third round of the talks.
The sources reported that these issues include: the Kurdish council’s request to change the education plan in areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and coordinating with UN agencies and UNICEF to verify certificates and previous educational stages.
The issue of the return of the Rojava Peshmerga forces and how it could be deployed in the region will also be discussed during the next round of talks.
Bailey requested that the issue of Kurdish interference and the relationship between the Democratic Union ruling party and the Kurdistan Workers Party in Turkey be addressed in future rounds.
The issue of the council’s detainees, the absentees, recruitment, and SDF deployment in Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and the rest of the Arab cities remained for subsequent rounds.
