ISTANBUL, Turkey – The Turkish government and its Syrian proxies are expected to announce a new administration to take over the affairs of the Kurdish city of Afrin that came under Ankara's control less than two weeks ago, Syrian opposition officials said.
The National Coalition runs the so-called Syrian interim government and is in charge of the Free Syrian Army, a coalition of armed groups — some of which helped Turkey's military incursion into Afrin.
The ENKS refused then the PYD's demand, saying that they want to help Afrin be returned to its own people.
Ahmad Subhi, a member of the Turkish-installed Afrin Civilian Council, said that they as members of the Council held meetings with the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Turkish foreign ministry, commanders from the Free Syrian Army, the National Coalition, and the United Nations in order to receive the "legitimacy" to run Afrin.
The council is based in Turkey.
Asked about the language while running affairs under the Turkish control, Subhi — himself a Kurd — who spoke to Rudaw mostly in Arabic, said language is not an issue.
Kurdish could be used on a limited scale, Subhi said, adding that Turkish or Arabic are both welcome.
"Arabic must be the official language," he stressed.
The current curriculum in areas controlled by the FSA forces does not offer education fully in Kurdish.
Ahmad Ramazan, the spokesperson for the Syrian National Coalition, a political cover for the FSA, confirmed to Rudaw the formation of the civilian council to run Afrin until an election takes place in the near future.
The majority of the Afrin Civilian Council will be formed from Kurds, followed by Arabs and Turkmen, Ramazan explained on Friday while saying the council is expected to start its work in Afrin as early as next week.
The ruling Kurdish coalition in Syrian Kurdistan or Rojava is TEV-DEM and is dominated by the PYD which doesn’t see eye to eye with the ENKS, a coalition of Kurdish parties who oppose the PYD rule in Rojava. The former accuses the latter of being close to Turkey, while the ENKS often says the PYD is in alliance with the Syrian regime.
The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies took over Afrin after a nearly two-month long military campaign that began on January 20.
"The agreement is that the people of Afrin will run the affairs of Afrin," Fuad Eliko, member of the Syrian Kurdistan National Congress (KNC, ENKS) told Rudaw in Istanbul.
The ruling Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), which was in control of Afrin since the start of the Syrian Civil War in 2011 until March called on the ENKS to withdraw its membership from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Coalition, and to denounce Ankara's military takeover.
The National Coalition runs the so-called Syrian interim government and is in charge of the Free Syrian Army, a coalition of armed groups — some of which helped Turkey's military incursion into Afrin.
The ENKS refused then the PYD's demand, saying that they want to help Afrin be returned to its own people.
Eliko said that there are many needs to be met for the situation of the Kurdish city to go back to normalcy, including the return of the people displaced because of the Turkish operation, and also the return of the Afrin refugees who fled to Turkey years ago.
Ahmad Subhi, a member of the Turkish-installed Afrin Civilian Council, said that they as members of the Council held meetings with the Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Turkish foreign ministry, commanders from the Free Syrian Army, the National Coalition, and the United Nations in order to receive the "legitimacy" to run Afrin.
The council is based in Turkey.
Asked about the language while running affairs under the Turkish control, Subhi — himself a Kurd — who spoke to Rudaw mostly in Arabic, said language is not an issue.
Kurdish could be used on a limited scale, Subhi said, adding that Turkish or Arabic are both welcome.
"Arabic must be the official language," he stressed.
The current curriculum in areas controlled by the FSA forces does not offer education fully in Kurdish.
Ahmad Ramazan, the spokesperson for the Syrian National Coalition, a political cover for the FSA, confirmed to Rudaw the formation of the civilian council to run Afrin until an election takes place in the near future.
The majority of the Afrin Civilian Council will be formed from Kurds, followed by Arabs and Turkmen, Ramazan explained on Friday while saying the council is expected to start its work in Afrin as early as next week.
The ruling Kurdish coalition in Syrian Kurdistan or Rojava is TEV-DEM and is dominated by the PYD which doesn’t see eye to eye with the ENKS, a coalition of Kurdish parties who oppose the PYD rule in Rojava. The former accuses the latter of being close to Turkey, while the ENKS often says the PYD is in alliance with the Syrian regime.
The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies took over Afrin after a nearly two-month long military campaign that began on January 20.
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