The Syrian Opposition Coalition, headed by Nasr Al-Hariri, and members of the General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council held a virtual meeting to discuss a number of common issues, most notably the unity of the Syrian opposition and the talks that the Council has recently been holding with the PYD.
The two sides discussed the latest developments regarding the situation on the ground, especially the Assad regime and its backers’ breaches of the ‘de-escalation zone’ agreement in the liberated areas as well as the terrorist bombings bearing the hallmarks of the PKK, ISIS, and the Assad regime. They also discussed the detection of coronavirus cases and the efforts being made by the Syrian Interim Government to prevent a major outbreak of the virus in the region.
Nasr al-Hariri talked about the Syrian National Army’s withdrawal of military formations from populated areas in order to provide an opportunity for civil life and to reinforce the plans of the Syrian Interim Government to achieve good governance.
Al-Hariri talked about the developments in the political process and the invitation sent by the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen to hold a third round of discussion by the Constitutional Committee on August 24, according to the agreed upon agenda. He expressed his hope that the talks will be a success and achieve a breakthrough that would compensate for the gap in the work of the Committee due to coronavirus pandemic crisis.
SOC members expressed their concerns and those of the components of the Syrian people throughout Syria, especially in the areas east of the Euphrates River about the talks being held by the Kurdish National Council with the PYD. They asked to know the latest developments in these talks and the Council’s vision of a number of issues.
Members of the Kurdish National Council reaffirmed their keenness on keeping their membership in SOC and the Syrian Negotiations Commission. They gave an overview on the understandings that the Council is discussing with the PYD as they made it clear that they are working to find a solution in accordance with UN resolution 2254, not a partial solution. They stressed that their discussions focused on disengagement of the PYD from the PKK as a prerequisite for reaching an agreement.
Members of the Council pointed out that they were unable to resolve all issues and that talks with the PYD about implementing the initial understandings between the two sides were not completed. They said that these areas must be managed by their local people, including Deir Ezzor and Raqqa.
Moreover, the two sides discussed the situation of education in east of the Euphrates River and the educational curricula the PYD has recently imposed on the people of the region. They expressed their outright rejection of these curricula as detrimental to the educational process and the status quo in the region. These curricula lacks local international recognition, which is the reason behind the displacement of the people of the region.
The two sides also discussed the return of the internally displaced people to their homes and the issue of detainees being held by the Assad regime and the PYD militia.
The two sides also agreed on the importance of carrying on with the Geneva negotiations in accordance with UN resolution 2254 and reaching a political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people. They stressed the importance of greater cooperation between the two sides in the coming period; working to strengthen relations; and addressing contentious issues on national bases.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
