ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - James Jeffrey, former US special envoy to the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), told Rudaw earlier this month that the "major reason" behind the failure of talks between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - a claim previously made by the opposition as well.
"We have tried several times. Many of our friends here in Erbil have tried as well - it has been a major effort. I think the problem is not with the people in northeast Syria, but the problem is with the people in Qandil," Jeffrey told Rudaw's Dilbxwin Dara earlier this month, referring to the headquarters of the PKK.
"They absolutely do not want to see this happen," he added. "Qandil seems to be against it and I think that's the major reason."
Rojava's ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS) have had thorny relations for years. They began unity talks in 2014 in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province, and reached an agreement but it was never implemented.
PYD is the political arm of the People's Protection Units (YPG) which is the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The groups resumed talks in late 2019. However, talks stalled for months, reportedly due to changes in the positions of US officials in Syria who supervise talks. Despite the presence of all relevant US officials in Rojava, talks have not resumed.
Both sides blame one another for the failure of the talks.
Sulaiman Oso, a member of ENKS' leadership council, said in 2021 that the PKK's dominance over Kurdish authorities in Rojava had stalled the talks.
Jeffrey also told Rudaw that most of the Kurdish officials and commanders in Rojava are affiliated to the PKK.
The ENKS is a member of the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition and has enjoyed good relations with Ankara. Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned the ENKS not to make deals with the PYD.
"You get mixed signals from Ankara. As you know, the KNC [ENKS] is supported by Ankara. It is part of the official Syrian opposition. But they were able to, despite that, have considerable talks and back and forth. So, I can say Ankara is ambivalent - sometimes yes sometimes no," said the former US envoy.
The presence of the PKK in Rojava has been confirmed by Mazloum Abdi, commander in chief of the SDF.
He spoke to researchers from the International Crisis Group in 2020 for a report published late November, and acknowledged the sacrifices that thousands of PKK fighters have made in the area since 2011, but noted that the group's presence is a headache for his administration.
A number of PKK-trained individuals, some accused of having maintained ties to the group, occupy senior positions in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES), according to the report.
