bhzad janOver the course of two consecutive days (21-22 September), the Syrian Democratic Council in German city of Bochum held a dialogue workshop in presence of more than 40 Syrian personalities, including politicians, academics, civil society activists and media people. The workshop included evaluating the experience of self-administration, discussing the roadmap paper to solve the Syrian crisis, the mechanisms of democratic transition and calling for a general national conference for opposition democratic powers.The attendees critisized the workshop topics.In this context the Co-Chair of the Puplic Relations Office, Jihad Omar, explained to the participants the nature of the work of the administration, which combines seven areas in north and east of Syria, pointing out that Self-Administration has proved its success in conducting the affairs of society with all its components socially, politically and organizationly, after the Syrian Democratic Forces defeated the terrorist organization ISIS. One of the attendees considered that the self-administration failed in getting recognization as a legitimate body for the area under its control.
This is reflected in not getting recognition by neither Turkey nor the Syrian opposition, as well as the Syrian regime, and it is also not recognized by the United States and Russia as a legitimate body. As a result of its mistakes, the self-administration did not participate in international forums. Omar answered by saying:” The self-administration is not ready to be a client of Turkey to be recognized by it, and is not ready to hand over to the regime what the regime wants to reproduce itself.The self-administration has great Syrian tasks and seeks recognition within a unified Syria, but this will not be at the expense of its principles and sacrifices. ” Omar continued: “At the beginning of the formation of self- Administration few years ago, representatives of this administration traveled to Istanbul and were received as official foreign ministers, but what was discussed, were demands for purely Turkish interests. Turkey wants Aleppo as it wants Mosul and Kirkuk. This issue is unacceptable, if we are considered to have failed because we did not accept division of Syria as the Turks want it, we say yes we have failed and always fail to do so.” Omar stressed that they in the Syrian Democratic Council are fighting for the whole of Syria, its liberation from occupation and tyranny, and we are not satisfied of remaining parts of northern Syria under occupation of Turkish state, for example, Afrin area. Omar added that the self-administration reiterates during its negotiations, meetings and dialogues whether with international coalition or in foreign forums and meetings, its demand that the administration should participate in political process, because the issue can not be limited only to military action, especially after victory over the terrorist organization ISIS. Omar continued that meetings that are calling for a solution to the Syrian crisis have continued, and many international envoys have taken over Syrian file, but they have failed so far to find a real way to end the sufferings of Syrian people. Perhaps the most important reason for their failure is the exclusion of representatives of the Syrian Democratic Council and self-administration. About the question of one of the participants on why the participation of the Kurdish National Council is excluded in Self-Administration, Omar explained that they did not exclude anyone but in contrast, the project of Self-Administration is open-minded to participation of everyone, but representatives of “Kurdish National Council” demand to blow up the existing self-administration and build a new administration, and this is unacceptable after our gains and sacrifices. On the ongoing preparations for the launch of Constitutional Commission in light of exclusion of representatives of northern and eastern Syria, Omar said that any committee or agreement that does not include SDC and self-administration, we will not accept the results of such commitee. He added that about 5 million people lives in the areas of self-administration, these people must have a voice in international forums, in political, regulatory and international bodies that want to approve fundamental issues related to resolution of the crisis. One of the participants said that self-administration is immature in creating spaces for international balances. Omar replied : “We are now, on top of our work, with our forces and our project because of our success in creating balances. Our relations with international parties have not been broken even with Russia, which gave Turkey the green light to occupy Afrin, We are fully aware that all parties are working for their own interest , from America to Russia to Iran, but we are also working for the benefit of our people. We did not ask America to come, America did not exist. On the contrary, America asked us to participate after our resistance in Kobani. We appealed to the international community, human rights and humanitarian organizations. They are our own forces which changed alliances.” Omar pointed out that they opened the doors to everyone to help the resistance in Kobani, and many responded to the invitation, others admitted with their mistake in not participating with SDF to fight terrorism.This is what a Russian official had said calling it as a historical mistake . Regarding border security and Turkish “fears”, Omar said: “Most of ISIS members settled at the Turkish border before they went to war with us. In the meantime, Erdogan did not say that his borders are unsafe, but now he speaks that his borders are unsafe. Omar pointed out that these borders have not been subjected to a single security action by us, and a single shot did not come out of our borders towards Turkey. But on the contrary, we feel insecure, we should be talking about it, not Erdogan.” And about the guarantees received by self-administration regarding existing of USA forces, Omar said: that our primary dependence is on our own forces, in politics, militarization and services, without thinking about the sustainability of these forces(USA), even if they leave tomorrow, we communicate with everyone, with Russians, with the regime and with operating parties in Syrian arena, Because we want a solution to this big crisis.” On the Kurdish-Kurdish, Kurdish-Arab dispute, Omar said: “Our Kurdish brothers say that the project of self-administration has nothing to do with the project of Kurdish nationalism, because we are inside the Arab project, and we have become more Arab than Arabs themselves.The coalition says that we are separatists, and we want a Kurdish state, we say to both parties, we are Syrian, and we will work for a Syrian project . Regarding negotiations with the Syrian regime, Omar said: “We presented the project of self-administration, the regime brought local administration project, and we could have seen a consensus if the authority in Damascus dealt with an open-mind mentality and accept the other but it chose the authoritarian mentality that rejects any change . The Joint Head of Puplic Relations Office Omar, Jihad Omar, concluded his talk by emphasizing the priorities of the Syrian Democratic Council in building Syria as a decentralized Democratic state after liberation Afrin and the rest of north Syrian areas from Turkish occupation.
MSD