On November 7, Bouthaina Shaaban, a top adviser to President Bashar al-Assad, said during an interview to the Lebanese al-Mayadeen TV that what happened in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region “should be a lesson” to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
During the interview, Shaaban confirmed that the Syrian government is open for negotiations with everyone. However, al-Assad’s top advisor stressed that the division of Syria is not negotiable, in a clear hint to the SDF “Federal System” in eastern Syria.
“Everything is up to the Syrians and to discussions between Syrians, and there cannot be discussion on the division or cutting up of a part of the country or on so-called federalism,” Shaaban said.
Furthermore, Shaaban said that the September 26 statement of the Syrian foreign minister regarding possible negotiations with the Kurds over their demand for an autonomy within Syria’s borders, had been “misinterpreted”.
“I don’t think any government can discuss with any group when it comes to the topic of the country’s unity,” Shaaban noted.
Shaaban also said that the Syrian government views the Turkish and US troops inside Syria as “illegal invader”. The top advisor of the Syrian president also confirmed that the Syrian government will not give up on Raqqa city that’s now under the SDF control.
“Turkey today is a colonizer country, its forces on our soil are illegal, just as the American forces are on our soil illegally … We will deal with this issue as we deal with any illegal invader force on our lands,” she said, without elaborating.
Back on November 3, Ali Akbar Velayati, a top adviser to Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) will advance to liberate Raqqa city soon.
Shaaban’s statements shows that the Syrian government may be considering an option of armed conflict with the SDF over the Arab-inhabited areas that are currently under the SDF control.
Can anybody explain: “the Arab-inhabited areas that are currently under the SDF control”, please?
Raqqa, most of northern deir ezzor, various Arab villages occupied by SDF north of the Euphrates, west of the Iraqi border, and really far south of anything that could be stretched to be called a Kurdish area.
Thanks, Basically Raqqa and south of that parallel? That seems reasonable. Must mention that Canada, US, Russia, India, Australia, Brazil… are federal states.
Of the countries you name only India was an amalgamate of various separate entities and cultures, brought together by a foreign invader. In Russia the various republics are basically conquered by the Russians and later given self rule in Soviet times. All the other countries are artificial creations. Colonies where smaller colonies were merged together under a central government, and new states were created, as if they were separate to begin with.
Syria is something different altogether. A colonial construct, yet possessing a long history of its own, usually under foreign rule. This part of the world has been a battlefield for other powers since history began.
There are many more federal states in the world, with lot of different principles of federalism. Even the units inside federal states are not equal, and some units don’t have republic constitution. As I see it, how the different ethnics groups came to live together in the common state, is less important, it is important how they implement their federalism. The fact is, that if you have two or more ethnicity in the area you are calling state, you will either finish up in some blood bath, and genocide, or you will give certain constitutional rights to this population, based on some type of federalism. My point is, that there is no chance for many of the federal entities to become independent states in 99% of federal countries. That’s because federation model and constitution of autonomous unit doesn’t allow that. But it assure some important rights, like language, cultural, educational, and other constitutional rights. Exactly like in Russia, Canada or elsewhere. As I’m not seeing province of Quebec, as potential independent state, I don’t see necessary Kurdish federal province in Syria as bad thing for living together.
“All the other countries are artificial creations”??? ALL countries are!!! Especialy Syria. The “own” history was roughly in the same area. That doesn’t make it Syrian! Talking about artifical creation ????
And Israel the most artificial of them all – based on lies and terrorism and racism – now a totalitarian police state with faux democracy. Three of the Israeli heads of state have actually been terrorists – the only country with such a distinction.
A lot of countries are built on lies. Not only Israel. Several presidents or heads of states are terrorist during their reign. I see no special case in Israel for that matter
Here you have a map of the ethnic composition in Syria:
http://www.geocurrents.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Syria-Ethnicity-Summary-Map.png
The Kurds in Syria occupy 3 ethnic islands. All at the turkish border to Syria.
One in the west , lets call it the Afrin area
one in the middle , lets call it the Manbij area
one in the east , Hasakah province
Raqqah is clearly not part of any kurdish population.
You understand very easy that the actual occupation of Syria by the PKK-YPG has nothing to do with “kurdish” culture , politics , ethnicity or whatsoever.
Yes, these areas are on the border with Turkey because they are originally from Turkey.
A century ago the Syrian people in their nobility allowed the Kurds to enter their lands as “refugees” as they were fleeing Ottoman purges in Turkey. Now these same “refugees” are stealing and claiming these lands to be theirs just like their master Israel.
In the same logic, the Kurds in Germany can also claim part of Germany to be annexed to “Rojava”.
Huh, 100 years ago there was no Syria. Made up by Imperialists. So please stop you Allawite Minority! Talk about the Pot calling the kettle black. What you don’t see is Israel and the US is ready to turn Iran proxies into ISIS 2. What do I mean by that? I mean time to reclassify them as Terrorist number 1 to fund the industrial military machine.
Syria is quite ancient , Palestine and Lebanon where part of it . France occupied it , until just after “the War” .
Bullshit! The Kurds live WAY longer in the ME then arabs!
And Native American are way longer in the NA than self proclaimed American.
Yes, unfortunatly most of them have been wiped out and the remaining ones live a marginalized life. Except some that own casino’s
Last time i checked a pipelines were made in their sacred lands. But that aside i think it’s only sensible for NA invaders to step away and make way for Natives fully independent country for Natives only right ? After all it’s only sensible for the arab invaders to concede to the kurds so they could form a country for themselves only.
Not agreed. Immigration and emigration has always been part of homo sapiens behaviour. We are inevitable moving towards one culture and one planet, governed within one economic, sientific, judicial and cultural framework. Democracy can function on a local scale. For the planetary scale we need a parliament of nations like the UN, but without Veto rights in the security councel for a handfull. Yes there should be a security councel, but a fair one with a mayority of votes and half rotating seats and half fixed seats. The bigger countries should be federalized in case they are not yet and their states can have votes in the world parliament. Europe, North America, South America, ME, South Asia, East Asia, Africa and Australia- Pacific should form fixed seats and the amount of power should represent the number of people in each block. This is a first rough scetch that i just made up that could lead to a planet without wars, exploitation, and enviremental destruction. The current system does not function. How to implement this? No idea! Hopefully, A. I. will figure this out….
Lol. Hypocrisy at it’s finest.
In what way?
Well just take a close look of your current society first if you don’t understand. And you spent lots of time writing that fillers just to sidestep the question whether the US of A in any position to declare Kurds claim for Independent country out of someone else country territories.
I do not follow…. wheter the USA in any position to declare Kurds claim for INDEPENDENT country??? Wich country on this planet is independent???? SOMEONE else country??? Someone= ASSAD???
What are you trying to say?
If it’s too hard for you to get that’s that.
There are many maps online and you decide for your self about which source will you use, search for map with Kurdish areas before Syrian war.
Here is one example : https://syriadeeply_uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/88dcb0ad-b153-4e42-8e0a-a88724-56b054b13d30c.png
One look on this picture will explain this better than thousand words :)
This map is created in Israeli refugee state. We don’t trust in it.
yes, you can trust in hitlers asshole
This still does not take away the fact that there is nothing wrong with federalism, as well within Syria
The US SDFistan plan is not to overtly exert ‘control’ over everyone in seized territory along the Syrian-Iraqi border, but rather to have anyone inside of the isolation zone willingly become part of SDFistan and serve the US interest of physically separating Syria from Iraq/Iran. It doesn’t matter what rhetoric is used about independence or federalism or anything else. SDFistan is all about stealing Syrian land/resources to support the US-contrived state and preventing Syrian trade, pipelines or any other activity that requires physical access to it’s border with Iraq.
SDFistan is intended to be a collection of enclaves within enclaves with useless layers of committees endlessly squabbling among each other for handouts they expect from the SDF ‘government’ and foreign contributors. The ultimate welfare state of obedient slaves that have the freedom to (but not the ability) act as a unified whole. Except for denying Syria access to its borders – they will always be unified to that end (by US design). This also breaks up the SDFistan into thousands of individual, easily-bribed or coerced parts for other ‘projects’ the US might have.
The ‘Arab’ parts (to the US) really means the Saudi-Wahhabized Sunni parts that the US will empower. Most Syrian Sunni have no problem with Shia or Iran and can’t be counted on to support this scheme. They will be marginalized in SDFistan, and the Wahhabized Sunni Warlords (mostly in the oilfield areas) will be enlisted (bribed) to form the future SDF border-control army. The Kurds will object, but they won’t matter at that point.
The SDFistan plan is falling apart in most areas, but the US seems determined to keep it on life support with SDF forces clinging to whatever territory it can manage to keep. It will never be cancelled completely, though. The US will put it on the back burner for a more opportune time.
This plan is a simplification of the true situation.
It is a very good simplification of the one of possible scenarios. I don’t think that SDF has any future in east Syria, but I got some possible goals of SDF. I just look at those plans as something quite irrational.
It is still a simplification of the true situation, wich means it is not the real situation. I see Assad as part of the future for peace in Syria as impossible. He has too much blood on his hands.
That’s definitely resolvable on regular and democratic elections, once you control majority of the election territory. But nobody, except Syrian people should choose who has lesser blood on his/her hands. After all, you can state the same for the Saudi family, and the rest of the participants in middle east blood bath.
Agree, but up till now there were never true elections under Assads rule. The Saudis are worse then Assad. Second or mayebe first worst regime on the planet!
Assad would easily win an election. I live in the US, and I always wonder how the rest of the world responds to the obvious coolaid. Syrian people had seven years of war. Families are broken, people are dead. This may have started out as a ‘Les Miserables’ kind of crusade for liberties, exacerbated by Obama’s Arab Spring, but by 2017, all those people died. Like after almost a decade of any good massacre, there are pretty much only two kind of people left in Syria. First type are those who are radical Wahhabists, and use the pretext of Assad, and lies about him to justify perpetual terrorist actions in Syria because really, the blood bath is the goal, and the Second are the people, of all religions, sexes, and ages that live in Syria that want nothing to do with it. Basically, if you take the international state actors out of the analysis, ISIS, HTS, and every other terrorist organization in Syria is a violent equivalent of the American terrorist organizations like antifa and black lives matter. Just as ISIS claims an ideological pretext for its activity, the truth is there are no real Muslims in ISIS, its just a bunch of people who found a justification for what they want to do. Similarly, guys who want to attack people in cowardly mobs and loot stores assemble under any pretext and attack stores. In an election between these people, and the law and order, who do you thinks wins, hands down? Assad would win any election in Syria, honest or otherwise. To think otherwise is naive, delusional thinking of various foreign terrorist supporters. The question should not be who is in charge of Syria, but why should the US be involved in it at all. I read about vague strategic goals such as impeding Iran, and the Shia crescent, but I think a more wholesome look at the region would reveal that there are other matters in play here. I think the US could achieve kurdish interests by appealing to armenia Iraq, and Syria, along with turkey, to work out some sort of an agreement with the kurds to have a state that does not substantially threaten its neighbors. Turkey wont like this, but if everyone else refused to fight the kurds, Turkey would be powerless. On the other hand, if the kurds are egged on to upset others like Syria, Iraq, Iran then turkey will jump in and give them and gangbang.
You understand very little about real elections, this world and even less about antifa and black lives matter…. But, understandable, you live in the USA. Only the very rich get a decent education there. It is one of the sickest systems on the planet and the worst part is that most Americans believe they live in a free country with the best system!!
blah blah blah, you disagree
Yes, and your point of view is nonesense
you simply mean to say you belong to a terrorist organization I disapprove of but are too shy to say which.
I can not follow you. Isn’t terrorism about using violence? When did i call for the use of violence?
The logic is that you are making this nonsense argument in response to my post because you are offended, and that would mean you have some positive feelings about antifa, or BLM, or some islamic fundamentalist organization. The initial comment dealt with the following issue, Assad would win a popular election in Syria today. This is a fact.
Not some positive feelings, i FULLY support anti fascism, black lives matter, abortion, gender equality, LGBT rights, other animal rights, veganism, atheism, sharing wealth, stop weapon sales completly, more tax for the rich, no more militairy interference by the usa in the rest of the world and a lot of other progresive groups. All the conspiracy bullshit about progresive groups wanting to use violence is UTTER NONESENSE!!
like I thought, you are a silly militant terrorist masquerading as an SJW. The only abortion is support is the one your mother failed to get.
She chose not to….?
You are pathetic, if someone has another point of view, all you can think of is insults and ridiculous statements ?
Wich acts of terror came from Sweden? Denmark? Norway? Switserland? Netherlands? Germany? Uruguay? New Zealand? Portugal? South Africa? All these countries have several laws and movements that support the things i mentioned.. As i said, your opinion has no solid arguments, all you do is jabbering
US Deepstate have controlled US elections since they ended JFK. Most Americans are sheeple and believe their vote counts. US are trying several doors to get traction in Syria’s political structure. History such as Vietnam where US ends a leader and drops a puppet in, That may work to party down the road as war = huge profits, Yet you still do not control the people ,….another group has that going for them. Putin’s way of moving with the present Globalism is to let the crazy have their military show ,…yet maneuver to compete with the game moves. Crazy Israel ….Putin is entangled with them via the Jewish Oligarchs which are on Putin’s periphery in Russia. With various agendas in play ….the Kook Saudi Road show recently, …we recognize they Use chaos to achieve and redirect, …yet what they attempt to achieve in timeline/agenda does not always come off for them. The US PNAC and Zionists who said after 911 that a list of countries would be tumbled in 7 years type thing.
Brad, we are living in very shitty world. Eventually, what can be done, is to minimise killings, raping, chopping heads and other atrocities between people. Whatever helps, it’s better than constant war.
It’s not intended as any representation of the ‘true situation’. It’s a description of the goal of the now-failed plan B envisioned by the US and its Israeli/GCC cronies.
Some kind of ” fake authority” , to the US for multiple … bases to anchor .. territory . Kurds are confusing autonomy , with international authority .
I doubt the Syrian Kurds gave it much thought. It was the US that needed permission from someone, and they were not getting it from the Syrians. They simply exaggerated the presumed authority of the Syrian Kurds and marketed that to the world as legitimate. The US was ‘legally’ [cough…] building military bases in Syria because the PYD or or KSC or whomever said they could. Who cares if it’s ridiculous at face value – no other nations really objected, did they? (besides the Syrains, of course)
Barzani and the KRG did the same thing in Iraq by presuming authority to market Iraqi oil and sell exploration and development rights to foreigners – independent of the Iraqi government. They claim the contracts were all legal and by the rules, but will never subject their authority to confirmation by the Iraqi courts. Same with the border crossing issue. The Iraqi Kurds drew some lines on a map and said it was all Kurdish territory and they were the only ones willing to protect it. Iraq didn’t have time to debate the details and never agreed to give up their sovereign rights as part of Kurdish autonomy. Barzani and the KRG figured that isolating Iraq from it’s Turkish border and controlling the crossings were no big deal because both were now obviously part of Iraqi Kurdistan. Then the PMU showed up and ‘corrected’ their thinking.
Of course, if there are no US presence, or influence, will it be possible to arrange a new coalition and long term agreement with Kurds? Regarding the area south of Raqqa, on the east side of Euphrates, my humble opinion is that is US will not try to support SDF there. According to the US military methodology, that area is completely expendable. I might be wrong, but, after elimination of IS, the US could try to exit from Syria, on most places (they always do that in that way), and the IS elimination can assure them a story in which they are not losers. For few weeks now, western propaganda informs just about “last days of ISIS”, or nothing at all, which is always signal of “getting away from it”. Let’s think positive. :) US will “get away”, from east Syria, and it will be wise to have Kurdish people on the right side. This could leave pressure for many sides in short term, and keep some wind changing neighbours away in long term.
Nice thoughts, FF, but consider Afghanistan. The US has spent 16 years, maybe three billion dollars and buried 2500 soldiers for nothing. We apparently just want to be there, period. For exactly what? The US public will never know except for the cover story of ‘fighting terrorism’.
Likewise, the US fully intends to have an eternal presence along the Syrian-Iraqi border. The cover story will always be ‘to fight terror’, but the real goal is to interrupt the imaginary Shia arc no matter what. We’re not looking for a graceful exit or any claim of victory. We’re looking to squat there forever scheming against Assad and disrupting any trade, pipelines or military cooperation between Syria and Iraq/Iran (using proxy forces, of course). To whatever extent the Kurds can be used in that effort, we will continue to support them.
SDF is a USA terrorist organization.It is not legitimate army.Their must lay down arms.No country in this whole world is rule or protect by two armies in one country that is USA policy to create chaise for devide and rule purpose.
Chaose
yes, they would do best to BEHAVE, not keep expanding, and realize that their US and israeli backers only care what they can do for them, not for their dreams of independence at all
But what of Kurdish longings for the iconic vistas of the the deflated and arid Pleistocene surfaces of that well-known Kurd homeland, the Omar Oil fields?
This lady sounds very reasonable. Lets hope the Kurds will understand their future is in Syria and the best option is to work together with the Syrian authorities and not with backstab Yanks and their masters in Tel Aviv
Against recent statements (last 24 hours) of US command in Iraq, Iraqi forces now cooperating with SAA in eastern Syria, they are across the border, by invitation, this seems to me to be good news:
http://www.fort-russ.com/2017/11/breaking-final-victory-in-sight-as.html
No negotiations with terrorist proxies like ISISDF.
They need to either leave or be physically eliminated.
Every side negotiated with terrorist like ISIS , even SAA
Kurds have a right in Syria as Syrian citizens and not as Kurds. Again they have played the wrong card. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5e652e15a44f543213a01d1bbdc3db9a2d26ab7a77a70d793d00b86a0b4dbc95.jpg
Nobody ever asked the average Syrian Kurds anything, Bill Azzi. The ‘little people’ don’t get to play any cards, ever. Everything we have heard about the will of the Syrian Kurds originally came from the US-usurped PYD propaganda, and now comes from the US-controlled SDF propaganda. Most Syrian Kurds can tolerate Syrian rule just fine.They just want to keep crazy, well-armed foreign religious zealots from running around and killing them and their neighbors. ‘Independence from Assad’s oppressive rule’ was an embellishment constantly added by the US to further its goals. The average Syrian Kurd is a realist and sees more downside to alienating themselves from the rest of Syria simply to gain the ‘benefit’ of self-rule. You’ll never hear that in an interview, though. Reporters only seem to be able to find US lackey Kurds to interview.
Thank you for speaking this truth that rarely is spoken .
Kurdish majority area in Syria:
https://i0.wp.com/sahipkiran.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Kurdish-Majority-areas-in-Syria-.jpg?resize=634%2C447
http://image.cdn.haber7.com//haber/haber7/photos/2017/37/3myxZ_1505186430_296.jpg
Baskani – President in Turkish.
“Directors
Reuven Shiloah, 1949–53 Isser Harel, 1953–63 Meir Amit, 1963–68 Zvi Zamir, 1968–73 Yitzhak Hofi, 1973–82 Nahum Admoni, 1982–89 Shabtai Shavit, 1989–96 Danny Yatom, 1996–98 Efraim Halevy, 1998–2002 Meir Dagan, 2002–2011 Tamir Pardo, 2011–2016 Yossi Cohen, 2016–present”
Mossad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad
There is a key difference between Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan though. In Iraq both the Kurds and the government were allies of the US, so when they clashed the US had to pick a side and chose the government. In Syria the US has already picked a side and its not the side of the government. So I won’t expect any government fireworks in the direction of the SDF, unless the US decides it has had enough and pulls out of Syria, or if Assad chooses to commit suicide by Trump. Neither seems very likely.