Syria
Representatives of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) reading a statement calling for national dialogue in Syria on December 16, 2024. Photo: DAANES
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Monday called for dialogue “to build a new Syria” following the collapse of the Baathist regime, and to have a “unified stance” in the country’s transitional period.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) said in a statement that with the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria has entered a new phase, and called on Syrian parties to “reconsider their approaches to each other” and put the national interest ahead.
“In order to successfully navigate this transitional period, we must join hands, unite, and draw a shared roadmap. The policy of exclusion and marginalization that destroyed Syria must end, and all political actors must participate in building the new Syria, including in its transitional period,” the statement read.
In late November, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led a lightning-quick offensive against the Syrian army, seizing the northern cities of Aleppo, Hama, and Homs before capturing the capital Damascus as Assad fled the country, ending over five decades of Baathist rule in less than two weeks and bringing the country’s 13-year long civil war to an end.
HTS is the former Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and the prominent force among dozens of rebel factions. The group has long controlled a rebel enclave in the northwestern province of Idlib. It has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization.
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, HTS leader, has sought to reassure Syrians, especially minorities, who are concerned about what could lie ahead under possible HTS rule.
“We believe that cooperation between the Democratic Autonomous Administration and the political administration in Damascus will be in the favor of all Syrians and will contribute to facilitating a successful end to this difficult phase,” the Kurdish administration added.
Two days before the collapse of the Syrian regime, Mazloum Abdi, general commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that they have been in contact with the HTS, mainly regarding the Kurdish population in Aleppo, adding that they have not clashed with the group.
Following the collapse of the regime, the HTS formed a transitional government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir, set to remain in power until March 2025.
No date has been set for a comprehensive national talk across Syria.
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