Jia Kurd to Asharq Al-Awsat: Moscow Meeting Legalizes Turkish Occupation


The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Jia Kurd to Asharq Al-Awsat: Moscow Meeting Legalizes Turkish Occupation


The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The head of Foreign Relations at the Kurdish The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), Badran Jia Kurd (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Badran Jia Kurd, a Kurdish official who heads the foreign relations department of The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syrian (AANES), has warned that the new agreements between Damascus and Ankara "will be at the expense of the Syrian people."

On Tuesday, the quartet meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia, Iran, and Syria agreed to continue consultations regarding Syria.

Jia Kurd explained to Asharq Al-Awsat that without clear criteria for a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian situation, any consensus would lead to the political legitimization of the Turkish occupation.

He stressed that these meetings target the Kurdish Autonomous Administration project, saying it was a new attempt to push Syria towards civil war.

The official said the recent meeting in Moscow comes in a preliminary context to improve diplomatic relations between Damascus and Ankara and is a continuation of the Astana meetings.

He noted that the Syrian people do not have high hopes for such meetings, noting that the crisis has become "global," and bilateral or tripartite meetings cannot determine the basic features of the final political solution, especially since the Syrian decision has been usurped.

The meetings are "a waste of time" and a "lost bet on time," said Jia Kurd, adding that such "suspicious meetings cannot bring about a political solution that guarantees the rights of all Syrians."

He believes the talks would further complicate matters in light of Türkiye's destructive role in Syria.

The Kurdish official indicated that the authorities agreed with Damascus in demanding the complete and total withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Syrian territories and the need to stop interfering in internal affairs.

He explained that any process of reconciliation and normalization must occur under international law and the standards governing relations between countries, which would otherwise legitimize the occupation.

Jia Kurd called on the Syrian regime to launch a genuine dialogue with all the Syrian factions, urging Syria to be an active country and engage with its regional and global regions.

The Syrian regime needs to overcome the internal crisis and formulate a new policy for the country, setting guarantees and creating conditions for the return of all Syrians to their areas of origin.

However, the official ruled out reaching "new consensuses" under the current circumstances saying the conditions are not appropriate and not ready for such talks amid the ongoing Turkish occupation of the Syrian lands.

Jia Kurd denied that these meetings would turn overnight into a stabilizing factor and offer solutions amid Türkiye's continued occupation and the endless support for terrorist and extremist groups that commit massacres daily against the people.



Israel Pounds Central Beirut, Suburbs after Major Evacuation Warnings

A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
TT

Israel Pounds Central Beirut, Suburbs after Major Evacuation Warnings

A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin
A damaged building is pictured through the wreckage of a vehicle, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammed Yassin

Israel mounted waves of pounding airstrikes in Beirut on Tuesday as its security cabinet discussed a ceasefire deal in Lebanon with its Hezbollah foes that could take effect as soon as Wednesday.

A senior Israeli official and Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib appeared optimistic a deal could be reached, clearing the way for an end to a conflict that has killed thousands of people since it was ignited by the Gaza war last year.

Despite the possibility of an imminent diplomatic breakthrough, hostilities raged as Israel sharply ramped up its campaign of air strikes in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, with health authorities reporting at least 18 killed.

Israeli warplanes launched repeated strikes across Beirut throughout Tuesday, mostly in the southern suburbs that are a stronghold for Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A single cluster of strikes in Beirut that Israel's military said included attacks on 20 targets in just 120 seconds killed at least seven people and injured 37, Lebanon's health ministry said.

Israel also gave advance notice for the first time of strikes in the central Beirut area, a significant escalation of its campaign in the capital that sparked panic among residents with some fleeing north.

Strikes also targeted Tyre, in the south, and Baalbek, in the east.

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a "widespread attack" on Hezbollah targets across the city.

Hezbollah has kept up rocket fire into Israel and has previously said it would respond to attacks on central Beirut by firing rockets at Tel Aviv. Sirens sounded in northern Israel and the Israeli military said five projectiles were identified coming from Lebanon.

Hezbollah launched some 250 rockets on Sunday in one of its heaviest barrages yet. The northern Israeli city of Nahariya came under more rocket fire overnight.

‘Dangerous hours’

A Hezbollah parliament member in Lebanon, Hassan Fadlallah, said the country faced "dangerous, sensitive hours" during the wait for a possible ceasefire announcement.

With Israel's security cabinet meeting to discuss the deal, which a senior Israeli official had said was likely to be approved, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he would speak on Tuesday evening at 8 pm (1800 GMT). A government official said the cabinet meeting had started.

Israeli approval of the deal would pave the way for a ceasefire declaration by US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, four senior Lebanese sources told Reuters on Monday.

The ceasefire could come into effect on Wednesday morning, triggering a 60-day truce, a Western diplomat said.

However, there was no indication that a truce in Lebanon would hasten a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in devastated Gaza, where Israel is battling Palestinian group Hamas.

The agreement requires Israeli troops to withdraw from south Lebanon and Lebanon's army to deploy in the region, officials say. Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the border south of the Litani River.

Bou Habib said the Lebanese army would be ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, and that the United States could play a role in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Israeli strikes.

Israel demands effective UN enforcement of an eventual ceasefire with Lebanon and will show "zero tolerance" toward any infraction, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.