New US deputy envoy to Syria expresses support for Kurdish unity talks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The newly-appointed US Deputy Special Envoy to Syria met with the opposition Kurdish National Council (ENKS) in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Thursday, reiterating his country’s support for Kurdish unity talks, a senior official from the ENKS told Rudaw late Friday. 

Mohammed Ismail, head of ENKS negotiation committee, told Rudaw’s Omar Kalo that they met with Matthew Pearl, who recently replaced David Brownstein as the US Deputy Special Envoy to Syria, in Qamishli. 

“He reiterated the US support for intra-Kurdish talks, Kurdish unity in this region, stability and the political situation in northeast Syria in general,” said Ismail, adding that the ENKS “expressed its seriousness in the talks to gain good results. This is in the interest of our people.”

Brownstein joined the meeting via video conference. 

ENKS and the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) have been in talks for nearly a decade in Rojava with the hope of reaching an agreement to create Kurdish unity there and jointly govern it. Despite reaching an initial deal in 2014, both sides have been engaged in a war of words for years, blaming each other for the failure of negotiations. 

The talks resumed in late 2019 after Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), launched an initiative. 

The new phase of talks have been stalled since summer 2020 when the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which reportedly has a link with Rojava administration, clashed in the Region’s Duhok province. 

The PKK-Peshmerga tensions have also affected the Kurdistan Region’s already-fragile ties with Rojava as well. 

ENKS offices in Rojava have come under attack scores of times in recent years, most recently on Friday in Dirbesiye. ENKS blames the PYD for the attacks that have caused material damage.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood and other American officials working on the Syrian dossier held a virtual meeting with leadership of ENKS in September, reaffirming their for intra-Kurdish talks.