QAMISHLI: Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish ad­­min­istration said it was ready for talks with Damas­cus, as the Syrian government’s ties with Arab states thaw more than a decade after the country’s war broke out.

The government of President Bashar al-Assad rejects the Kurdish administration in north and northeast Syria and accuses it of “separatism”.

Several rounds of talks since 2018 between Damas­­cus and the Kurds, who control most of the country’s major oil and gas fields, have failed to achieve any results. “We affirm our readiness to meet and talk with the Syrian government and with all Syrian parties to hold discussions and present initiatives for a solution,” the Kurdish authorities said.

The statement denied any separatist ambitions, “affirming Syria’s territorial integrity” and calling for Syria’s resources to be shared “fairly”.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish administration’s de facto army, spearheaded the fight against the militant Islamic State group in Syria, driving it from its last stronghold in the country in 2019.

On Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Assad in Damascus, in the first visit by a Saudi official since the conflict began.

The Kurds in the statement urged “Arab countries, the United Nations and international forces... to play an active and positive role in searching for a common solution”.

They said they were ready to share resources including oil and gas “through an agreement with the Syrian government following dialogue and negotiation”.

Turkiye has also made overtures towards Damas­cus in recent months, stoking further fears among Syria’s Kurds.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2023