ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – United States Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey has told a Syrian Kurdish party that he is retiring and his position will be filled by a colleague who is familiar with the Kurdish issue, according to a party official.
Ibrahim Biro, a member of the foreign relations office of the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS), told Rudaw English on Saturday that Jeffrey has contacted his party, Rojava officials, and the Syrian opposition over the last few days to tell them that he plans to retire. He called Biro’s office on Thursday.
Jeffrey has been replaced by Joel Rayburn who had been serving as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs since July 23, 2018. “He has been involved in affairs related to the Kurdish issue for a long time, even when Brett McGurk was the US special envoy,” said Biro.
McGurk was Jeffrey’s predecessor. He resigned in late December 2018 after US President Donald Trump made the surprise decision to pull troops out of Syria.
The Saudi-based Asharq al-Awsat first broke the story of the change in envoy, citing European officials.
Jeffrey’s announcement comes as the world is waiting for the results of the US presidential election in which Democratic challenger Joe Biden is leading but has not yet secured a victory. Biro said Jeffrey told them not to expect any quick shifts in Washington’s policy on Syria if Biden wins, saying during his phone call, “No changes will happen in the near future.”
Jeffrey had previously said he anticipates neither Trump nor Biden will alter the government’s current position on Syria.
“What I can say is, particularly on our Syria account, I see no change in our troop presence, I see no change in our sanctions policy, I see no change in our demand that Iran leave Syria, be it with a Biden administration or Trump one,” he told Syria Direct on October 30.
The incoming envoy, Rayburn, has previously served as “Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon at the National Security Council from January 2017 to July 2018,” according to his profile on the Department of State website.
“Rayburn is a retired U.S. Army officer who served in a variety of assignments in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States from 1992 to 2018,” it states.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed Jeffrey's retirement in a statement on Monday, November 9th.
Updated at 11:42 PM on Monday, November 9th, 2020 with Pompeo's confirmation
