ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - During a trip to Damascus on Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for a ceasefire in the north of the country and said that France’s allies the Kurds should not be excluded as Syria navigates its post-Assad future.
“A sovereign and secure Syria no longer allows room for war and conflict. Therefore, weapons in the north of the country must fall silent,” Barrot said during a meeting with representatives of Syrian civil society.
“For this reason, a political solution must be found with France's allies, who are the Kurds, so that they can fully participate in this political process that begins today. And the ceasefire must be permanent and lasting,” he added.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control most of northeast Syria (Rojava). They are the main allies of the United States-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
France is an active member of the coalition and has troops in Rojava, alongside the US. It has also recently joined Americans in their efforts to unite Syrian Kurds through intra-Kurdish talks that have been stalled for years.
Barrot and his German counterpart are in Damascus for a range of meetings, including with the country’s new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Sharaa is the head of Hay’at Tahri al-Sham (HTS), a rebel group that led the offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, ushering in a new era. The new Syrian authorities seek to mend ties with regional and Western countries and get international sanctions lifted. The Kurds have yet to begin formal discussions about their future with the leaders in Damascus.
Kurdish forces in the north are under intensified attacks by Turkey and its allied Syrian militia groups of the Syrian National Army (SNA), who have taken the strategic towns of Tal Rifaat and Manbij since late November.
Clashes are continuing, especially near Tishreen Dam and Qere Qozaq bridge on the Euphrates River. The SDF claimed it has repelled dozens of SNA attacks, saying in a statement on Friday that it killed over 70 militants and injured numerous others.
Last month, the US brokered a ceasefire between the SDF and Turkey, though Ankara denied having agreed to the arrangement.
The Pentagon said on Monday that the ceasefire is “still holding.”
French-Kurdish alliance
France carried out airstrikes against suspected ISIS positions in Syria, its defense minister said on Monday. This was the first strike carried out by French forces in Syria since the fall of Assad’s regime.
The French foreign minister reiterated France’s alliance with Kurdish fighters in the fight against ISIS.
“A sovereign and secure Syria leaves no room for Islamic terrorism. Terrorism hit you, terrorism also hit us in our area. Therefore, we fought shoulder to shoulder, especially with the Kurds of northeastern Syria, against Islamic terror,” he said.
He added that they hit ISIS hideouts in Syria “because we do not accept that the resurgence of Islamic terror disrupts Syria's peace and also threatens the security of France and European security.”