By Jonathan Spicer, Tuvan Gumrukcu and Maya Gebeily

ISTANBUL/DAMASCUS (Reuters) – Negotiators are negotiating a deal that could resolve one of Syria’s looming questions: the fate of Kurdish forces that the U.S. considers an ally against Islamic State but that neighboring Turkey views as a protectorate. of the world. to threaten.

The technical and military negotiators of the United States, Turkey, Syria and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are showing more flexibility and patience than they say publicly, a dozen sources told Reuters, including five online participants. discussions in recent weeks.

That could trigger a deal in the coming months that would see Kurdish fighters withdraw from northeastern Syria and others led by the Defense Ministry, six of the sources said.

However, many thorny issues need to be resolved, he said. This includes how to integrate the armed and trained fighters of the SDF coalition into the Syrian defense and control the areas under their control, which include large oil and grain fields.

In an interview with the Asharq News channel in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said that the “necessity” of the agreement is a stable regime – which would lead to a new Syrian leadership, which wants to bring the whole country under the government’s rule. Toppled Bashar al-Assad last month.

Abdi indicated that the SDF has no intention of disbanding, saying that it is open to cooperating with the Ministry of Defense and working according to its orders, but as an “army”.

Syria’s new defense minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, rejected this approach in an interview with Reuters on Sunday, saying the idea that the SDF should remain a single force “is not correct.”

The former rebels who now rule in Damascus have said they want all armed groups to join the Syrian army, under a single order. The SDF, when asked for comment, referred Reuters to the interview of its commander.

More autonomy for Kurdish groups depends on whether US President Donald Trump continues Washington’s longstanding support for Kurdish allies, according to diplomats and officials on both sides.

Trump has not spoken publicly about his plans, including his plans for the 2,000 US troops stationed in Syria. Trump’s representative did not immediately comment.

Any deal also depends on whether Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stops threatening the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the Kurdish militia that leads the SDF coalition.

Ankara sees them as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been waging terrorist attacks against Turkey since 1984 and is recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey and the US.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this month that the Syrian authorities “must be given the opportunity … .

A Turkish Foreign Ministry source said that the disarmament and withdrawal of “foreign terrorists” was necessary for the stability of Syria and the integrity of the region, so this should be done quickly.

“We are expressing our hope very strongly in our communication with the United States and the new administration in Damascus,” the source said.

A GREAT LIVING

US and Turkish officials have been in “extensive” talks since rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al Qaeda affiliate, launched an uprising from their stronghold in the northwest that ousted Assad on December 8, senior of the US of the US. the ambassador told Reuters.

The two countries have “clear ideas about where the situation should end”, including the belief that foreign fighters should leave the territory of Syria, the ambassador said, noting that the Turkish negotiators “have a great interest” in resolving the situation.

However, the ambassador, who like other sources asked not to be named to discuss the difficult negotiations, said the talks were “very difficult” and would take time.

Similar talks are underway between the US and the SDF and HTS, Turkey and HTS, and the SDF and HTS, officials on both sides say.

One of the borderless tribes straddling Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Armenia and Syria, the Kurds were among the few who won the war in Syria, controlling much of the Arab region while the US joined them in the fight against the Islamic State. They now occupy almost a quarter of the country.

But the fall of Assad has left Syrian Kurdish forces behind, with Turkish-backed militias gaining power in the northeast and the country’s new rulers in Damascus allied with Ankara.

Turkey, which provided direct support to some rebel groups against Assad, has been one of the most influential people in Syria since his fall. Like the US, it has designated HTS as a terrorist group because of al Qaeda in the past, but Ankara believes that it has influence over the group.

Officials on both sides worry that failure to reach a ceasefire and long-term political agreement in the northeast could destabilize Syria as it seeks to resume a 13-year civil war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and drawn in countries including Russia. Iran and Israel.

Dozens of people in northern Syria have reportedly been killed since December in clashes between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkish allies, as well as in cross-border attacks by Turkish jets.

Failure to resolve the fate of Kurdish groups in Syria could also undermine new efforts to end the PKK insurgency in Turkey.

The United Nations has warned of “serious consequences” for Syria and the region if a political solution is not found in the northeast.

EXECUTIVE APPLICATIONS

US support for the SDF has led to tensions with its NATO ally, Turkey.

Washington sees the SDF as a key ally in the fight against Islamic State, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned will try to use the moment to reassert power in Syria. The SDF is still holding thousands of prisoners linked to the group.

Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey has the power to “crush” all terrorist groups in Syria, including Islamic State and Kurdish fighters.

Turkey wants prisons and jails where Islamic State prisoners are being held to be transferred to the new Syrian government and has offered to help them. It has also called for the SDF to withdraw all foreign troops and senior members of the PKK from its territory and remove the remaining weapons in a way they can confirm.

Abdi, the head of the SDF, has been flexible about Turkey’s demands, telling Reuters last month that its foreign forces, including members of the PKK, would leave Syria if Turkey agreed to a ceasefire.

The PKK said in a statement to Reuters on Thursday that it would agree to withdraw if the SDF continues to control the northeast or a major role in the coalition leadership.

Such assurances are unlikely to satisfy Ankara at a time when the SDF is “trying to survive and maintain autonomy” in Syria, Omer Onhon, Turkey’s last ambassador to Damascus, told Reuters.

In Ankara on Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said that the presence of the SDF with the support of the US was not appropriate, and the new regime will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to Turkey. Standing next to him, his Turkish counterpart, Fidan, said it was time to fulfill his anti-terrorist promises.

Abdi told Asharq News that he met with the Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the two sides agreed to establish a joint military committee to decide how to integrate the SDF with the defense ministry. He also described his experience with Sharaa who is the head of HTS as positive.

Abu Qasra, the defense minister, accused SDF leaders on Sunday of “hesitating” on the issue, saying that “uniting all areas under the new leadership … is the freedom of the Syrian state.”

The new leadership believes that allowing SDF fighters to continue operating as a bloc “could “disrupt stability, including a coup”, a senior ministry official told Reuters.

Abdi said that the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration of the administration

Some Syrian officials and diplomats say the SDF should give up control of large areas and oil revenues, gained during the war, as part of any political strategy.

Instead, Kurdish groups could be given the protection of their language and culture within the political system, said Bassam al-Kuwatli, president of the Syrian Liberal Party, which supports minority rights but is not involved in the talks.

A senior Syrian Kurdish official acknowledged that such an exchange might be needed but did not elaborate.

Abdi told Asharq News that the SDF is ready to hand over oil responsibility to the new regime, as long as the wealth is distributed fairly to all regions.

Washington has called for a “revolutionary change” in the role of the SDF.

The US ambassador said Assad’s ouster opens the door for Washington to eventually consider withdrawing its troops from Syria, although much depends on whether reliable forces like its Kurdish allies continue to fight any Islamic State threat.

Trump’s return to the White House on Monday has raised hopes in Turkey for a better deal, thanks to the relationship he established with Erdogan during his first term.

Trump has spoken positively about Erdogan’s role in Syria, calling him “a very smart man”, and said that Turkey “will hold the key” to what happens there.

“The American people will not leave (the SDF),” said Onhon, a former Turkish ambassador. “But the arrival of an unknown person like Trump should also worry them.”