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Kurdish Progressive Party to Asharq Al-Awsat: Damascus’ Opting for Military Solution Led to Foreign Meddling

Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party politburo official Ahmed Sulaiman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party politburo official Ahmed Sulaiman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kurdish Progressive Party to Asharq Al-Awsat: Damascus’ Opting for Military Solution Led to Foreign Meddling

Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party politburo official Ahmed Sulaiman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party politburo official Ahmed Sulaiman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party, one of Syria’s oldest Kurdish parties, believes that efforts to normalize relations between the Damascus regime and Ankara came at Russia’s request and Iranian encouragement in wake of the summit held between Russia, Türkiye and Iran in July.

Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party politburo official Ahmed Sulaiman said they have called for dialogue with Bashar al-Assad's regime to “resolve the Kurdish issue for which we have strived for.”

However, the regime’s resorting to the military option “has complicated the scene.”

In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sulaiman acknowledged the need to “reassure” Türkiye that the situation in Syria is not a threat to its national security.

The Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party was formed in 1957. It has been striving politically for years to resolve the Kurdish issue as part of a comprehensive political solution in Syria. This lies in the transition to a pluralist democratic system that recognizes Kurds in the country and grants them their legitimate rights. Party officials have over the past 11 years of war held direct talks with regime officials to help reach their goals.

“Perhaps any breakthrough in relations between Ankara and Damascus will favor the Syrian regime above all else,” Sulaiman told Asharq Al-Awsat from Qamishli.

“We support having normal relations between Syria and neighboring countries, including Türkiye,” he added.

Contrary to what Turkish officials claim, the situation in Syria does not pose a threat to their national security, he went on to say.

At the same time, resolving the situation in Syria must not take place at the expense of the Syrian people, especially the Kurds, he stressed.

“We all know that Türkiye’s first and last demand is preventing the resolution of the Kurdish issue in Syria. Should Ankara reach understandings with Damascus, it will insist that the Kurds lose all their administrative and military gains and limit the power of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” said Sulaiman.

After the battles in Ain al-Arab in 2014, the occupation of Afrin in 2018 and Ras al-Ain and Tall Abyad in 2019, and the migration of thousands of Kurds to neighboring countries and Europe, Kurdish forces should have preserved their independent political decision-making to protect their cause, he remarked.

They should have kept a distance from regional and international meddling in Syria, he added.

Kurdish parties may have made tactical gains, but they squandered potential opportunities to resolve the Kurdish issue, he lamented. The issue is now at the mercy of regional and international interference in Syria.

“Therefore, any solution these international parties may reach over Syria will take place at the expense of the Kurdish people and their rights in the country because they are viewed as the weakest link and least influential on these parties,” he explained.

The Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party had since the eruption of the war been calling for direct negotiations and dialogue with the regime.

Sulaiman said: “We have called for dialogue with the regime to discuss possible solutions, especially regarding the Kurdish issue.”

“The regime, however, opted for the military solution and complicated the possibility of reaching a national solution,” he added.

“Even worse, it opened its arms wide for foreign meddling,” Sulaiman remarked.

Asked if the Progressive Party had held direct meetings with regime and government officials, he replied that such talks were held in Damascus.

The last of these meetings was held in April, revealed Sulaiman.

“We believe that dialogue with the regime demands united Kurdish ranks and a common position over the rights of the Kurdish people,” he went on to say.

“This is why our party visited Damascus. The talks focused on the mechanisms needed to open serious channels of dialogue and understand the regime’s position clearer and its vision of addressing the crisis and resolving the Kurdish issue in specific,” he stated.

“Resolving the Kurdish issue lies in Damascus. Without reaching this conviction, there can be no real solution to the issue in Syria,” he declared.

“We welcome the role played by the United Nations and international mediations, especially Russia’s influence through its close ties with the regime,” he said.

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UN Envoy to Sudan: Foreign Arms Fuel Military Illusions, Prolong War

The United Nations’ special envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra (UN Photo) 
The United Nations’ special envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra (UN Photo) 
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UN Envoy to Sudan: Foreign Arms Fuel Military Illusions, Prolong War

The United Nations’ special envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra (UN Photo) 
The United Nations’ special envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra (UN Photo) 

The United Nations’ special envoy to Sudan, Ramtane Lamamra, has issued a stark warning about the continued flow of weapons into the war-torn country, saying it only “feeds military delusions” and delays peace.

In his first in-depth interview since assuming the role earlier this year, Lamamra told Asharq Al-Awsat that peace in Sudan cannot be imposed from outside but must be forged by Sudanese themselves through collective will and unity.

“Peace is not imposed, it is made,” he said. “And if Sudanese do not make it, it will not come to them from the outside.”

Lamamra, an Algerian diplomat and former foreign minister with decades of experience in African mediation, emphasized that no military solution is possible in Sudan’s conflict. Instead, he called for an urgent political settlement, warning that “each day of delay means more fragmentation, more bloodshed.”

Following meetings in Port Sudan with Sovereign Council leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and ongoing communications with the leadership of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Lamamra acknowledged that the path to peace remains long and difficult.

He condemned what he described as a dangerous “logic of dominance” driving the conflict—a belief that complete military victory is possible, regardless of the cost to Sudan’s social fabric. “Some actors still think peace can wait until one side wins,” he said. “But that’s a delusion. There is no military solution.”

Instead, he stressed: “Sudan needs a political solution based on compromise, not revenge.”

Since taking office, Lamamra has focused on coordinating rather than expanding international mediation efforts. He voiced concern about the “overcrowding of mediators,” which he said has allowed Sudanese factions to exploit international divisions.

To address this, Lamamra launched a consultative group that includes the African Union, the Arab League, and peace-sponsoring countries. The group has met in Cairo, Djibouti, and Mauritania and plans to convene again in Brussels under EU sponsorship.

“What we need is not more mediators, but consensus around a unified vision,” he said. “Multiple tracks have allowed some parties to bet on contradictory international positions, delaying serious efforts toward peace.”

He pointed to UN Security Council Resolution 2724, which tasked him with coordinating peace efforts, emphasizing that its implementation hinges on aligning international efforts behind a single, realistic peace strategy.

Asked whether Sudan’s war has faded from global attention, Lamamra acknowledged that media coverage may fluctuate but said the humanitarian catastrophe continues to deepen.

“The suffering is daily and ongoing,” he said, highlighting the dire conditions in North Darfur and the rapidly deteriorating situation in Zamzam camp. “The tragedy breaks the heart.”

With over 13 million internally displaced and millions more seeking refuge abroad, Lamamra described Sudan as the site of the world’s largest humanitarian crisis today. “This is a country under siege by arms, division, and international silence,” he said.

He praised the special attention paid by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has longstanding ties to Sudan dating back to his leadership of the UN refugee agency.

Lamamra was especially vocal about the dangerous role of foreign military support. “Feeding the war with weapons is not support for resolution—it is participation in prolonging delusion and division,” he said.

He accused some regional and international actors of backing Sudanese factions in hopes of future influence. “They forget that war leaves nothing intact to control,” he noted. “It’s in no one’s interest to see Sudan collapse.”

The envoy reiterated the UN’s calls for a total halt to arms shipments and strict enforcement of Security Council resolutions aimed at cutting off military funding.

Despite international interference, Lamamra emphasized that the ultimate responsibility for ending the war lies with Sudanese themselves. “History will judge them first and foremost,” he underlined.

Lamamra said the Jeddah Declaration—an agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia to ensure humanitarian access and civilian protection—remains a viable starting point for peace efforts. He commended Riyadh’s efforts and urged regional actors to intensify pressure on warring factions.

He also pointed to the upcoming Arab League summit in Baghdad as a potential turning point. “Sudan is central to the Arab identity. This is not a crisis that allows for neutrality,” he said.

In a direct message to the Sudanese public, Lamamra expressed admiration for their resilience. “I visited Port Sudan recently and met with leaders and citizens. I was moved by their hospitality and strong will to take charge of their future,” he said.

He pledged the UN’s continued support, acknowledging the scale of the humanitarian challenge: “Children, women, and innocent civilians are being stripped of life’s basic necessities. This crisis demands a moral awakening—not just from governments, but from everyone who hears and sees.”

Lamamra concluded: “Peace is not a one-time event—it’s a long-term project. And if we don’t begin now, there may be nothing left to build on in a few months.”