Syrian Kurdish commander sets conditions for safe zone talks with Turkey

WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)

Amberin Zaman August 15, 2019  – Article Summary – AL MONITOR – The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces stated in an interview that a proposed safe zone between Turkey and Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria must cover the full length of the border between them. Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazlum Kobane shakes hands with the adviser for the US State Department in northern Syria, William Roebuck, at al-Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, March 23, 2019.

A proposed safe zone deal between Turkey, the United States and the Kurdish administration in northeastern Syria must run the full length of territory lying between the Euphrates River and the Tigris, the commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces asserted in an interview published today by the pro-SDF Hawar News Agency.

Striking a moderate tone on the US-led talks to establish a safe zone, Mazlum Kobane confirmed that no firm agreement on the precise nature and scope of the zone had been reached.

Kobane stressed that the SDF would not accept any plan that did not include the full stretch of the border separating the Kurdish-controlled northeast of Syria from Turkey. He did not elaborate.

But a senior SDF official speaking on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the topic told Al-Monitor, “The reason the agreement needs to encompass the whole border is because otherwise Turkey will continue to threaten unilateral action against the territories that fall outside it. We have no reason to believe that Turkey’s fundamental hostility toward us has changed.”

Read more: https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/08/syrian-kurdish-commander-conditions-us-turkey-safe-zone.html#ixzz5whsFIkaO