UN Envoy Encourages Kurdish Parties in Syria to Engage in Dialogue

US envoy Nicholas Granger (second left) during his meeting with leaders of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in the city of Qamishli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US envoy Nicholas Granger (second left) during his meeting with leaders of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in the city of Qamishli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UN Envoy Encourages Kurdish Parties in Syria to Engage in Dialogue

US envoy Nicholas Granger (second left) during his meeting with leaders of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in the city of Qamishli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
US envoy Nicholas Granger (second left) during his meeting with leaders of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in the city of Qamishli. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

US State Department Special Envoy to Syria Nicholas Granger is urging Kurdish parties to return to intra-Kurdish talks and resolve outstanding contentious issues between them.

Granger held meetings with leaders of the opposition Kurdish National Council and officials of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

In a meeting held in the northeastern city of Qamishli, Granger told Kurdish parties that US forces deployed in eastern Syria will remain and continue with their missions to guarantee the defeat of the terrorist ISIS group and promote security and stability.

Granger affirmed the US administration’s commitment to resolving the Syrian crisis through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

Moreover, the envoy discussed the course of dialogue between Kurdish parties, which have been suspended for two years.

In a phone remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Kurdish official Mohammad Ismail said the delegation headed by the US diplomat “confirmed that Granger was mandated by the US administration to meet and listen to all parties.”

“Granger conveyed Washington's view on many issues in Syria,” said Ismail, explaining that the envoy had discussed the steps for normalization of ties between Türkiye and the ruling Syrian regime, and the US position that opposes any normalization with the Damascus government.

Ismail pointed out that the Kurdish delegation that met with Granger had conveyed concerns about the recent escalation on the Syrian-Turkish border.

Also, the Kurdish delegation discussed the impact of Turkish ground and air attacks on the stability of the region.

Delegation members also relayed concern about waves of displacement.

“The new envoy conveyed to us his support for the Kurdish cause and its people,” members of the delegation said, adding that Granger had reviewed with them the deteriorating economic and living conditions experienced by Kurds in Syria.



Marzouki’s Case Referred to Anti-Terrorism Unit, Former Tunisian President Faces 20 New Charges

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
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Marzouki’s Case Referred to Anti-Terrorism Unit, Former Tunisian President Faces 20 New Charges

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)
Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki (AFP)

Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki announced on Tuesday that he had been informed his case had been transferred to the Anti-Terrorism Judicial Unit. He now faces 20 charges, including inciting internal unrest and spreading false information.
Marzouki wrote on X that his brother, Mokhles, was summoned on Monday to the police station of El Kantaoui (governorate of Sousse) to sign a document stating that Moncef Marzouki’s case had been referred to the Anti-Terrorist Judicial Unit.
Marzouki wrote that he had already been convicted to four and eight years in prison in two separate cases.
He concluded his post with a famous quote borrowed from Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi, “Night will no doubt dissipate.”
Last February, a Tunisian court sentenced former president Moncef Marzouki to eight years in prison in absentia.
The charges against Marzouki, who lives in Paris, stemmed from remarks he made that authorities said violated laws and triggered incitement to overthrow the government.
Marzouki served as the first democratically elected president of Tunisia from 2011 to 2014.
This is the second time Moncef Marzouki has been sentenced for comments made at demonstrations and on social media. In December 2021, he received a four-year sentence for undermining state security.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Defence Minister Khaled S'hili announced that Tunisia's national army had dismantled terrorist camps, neutralized 62 landmines, and seized various materials and equipment in 2024, as part of ongoing efforts in the fight against terrorism.
As of October 31, the Tunisian army had conducted 990 anti-terrorist operations in suspected areas, including large-scale operations in the country's mountainous regions. These operations involved over 19,500 military personnel, according to Defense Minister Khaled S'hili, speaking at a joint session of the two chambers of parliament.
He then confirmed that these operations led to the arrest of around 695 smugglers and the seizure of 375,000 drug pills.