The recent clashes between the Syrian army and its forces constitute a “setback” for the peace process with the (PKK) in , said Zagros Hiua, the representative of the political wing of the organization in his statements to the French agency.
“Developments in Syria and more broadly in the Middle East had a direct impact” on this process, Hiwa said, while he argued that the “attacks” against the Kurds in northeastern Syria were a “conspiracy” aimed at derailing the negotiations.
What is happening in Syria?
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the Kurds, have been forced in recent weeks to abandon large areas under their control in the face of the advance of the government army. A ceasefire was declared last week, which was extended on Saturday for another 15 days, but the two sides accuse each other of violations.
Due to the clashes, there are fears of a disruption of the peace process between Ankara – a close ally of the Syrian government – and the PKK.
“No peace if you bury Rojava,” says the PKK
In a separate statement to the Sterk TV channel – which was broadcast today by the pro-Kurdish news agency Mezopotamia – another PKK commander, Murat Karagilan, directly warned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli. “They should know that there can be no peace with the Kurds on the grave of Rojava,” that is, the autonomous Kurdish territory in northeastern Syria. “In other words, if we are talking about peace and brotherhood, this policy must be abandoned and a radical change must begin,” he added.
For Zagros Khiva, “PKK’s commitment to the peace process is a strategic issue” but “the new strategy does not exclude the necessity to defend against genocidal attacks.” However, he expressed the “hope” that the truce in Syria would hold.
PKK founder Abdullah Ocalan, its historic leader who has been imprisoned since 1999, has already denounced these clashes as “an attempt to undermine the peace process”.
