An Interview With the Co-President of North Syria Self-Governance Democratic Canton of Jezire Executive Committee The Legendary Fawze Al-Youssef
By Hamo Moskofian, Qamishli, September 2018
Q- As one of the main leaders of North Syria Self-governing Canton of Jezire, how do you interpret the recent news that the Syrian regime will enter your territories while we understand that an agreement has been reached in Damascus with your delegation headed by Co-President Ilham Ahmad?
A- The main aims of the Self-Governing Democratic Canton of Jezire administration are to guarantee freedom of expression and a democratic administration by the nations which live here: Kurds, Armenians, Syriacs, Assyrians, Turkmen, and Yezidis. They, who were oppressed, have the right to free political expression and must enjoy their rights in political, cultural and economic domains. We have lived in peaceful co-existence for the past seven years.
We preferred that negotiations with the Syrian regime take place in a democratic and peaceful way. Our experience demonstrated that military means do not lead to meaningful solutions. Dialogue is the best way to a peaceful solution. We stated that we are open to dialogue with all sides to arrive at a solution. The recent invitation from the Syrian regime to open a dialogue and negotiations was accepted by us. We organized two committees to discuss the existence of the Self-governing Democratic Canton of Jezire. The dialogue did not lead to negotiations because the Syrian regime is not ready to take positive steps for a serious change. It insists on the 2011 statement which does not correspond to the changes that have occurred in these turbulent times. In addition, the regime refused the self-governance and non-centralized propositions tabled by us. In addition, it is unclear whether northeastern Syria will participate in the Syrian elections. We are clear in our demands: If the rights of everyone is not guaranteed, we will not hand anything to the regime. The other point we concentrate on is the elections that will take place on Sept. 19. If we do not reach an agreement, there will not be elections in the North Syria Self-governing Canton of Jezire. We had already organized municipal elections, and there is no need for another election. If we do not arrive at a political solution, we cannot co-operate with the Syrian regime. So far, there has been no agreement and what we need are dialogue and negotiations. We know that the Syrian problem has regional and international implications. It needs time and effort to be resolved. We cannot jump prematurely to resolve problems that we have inherited from past decades and even centuries! We have the necessary political wisdom to realize that such complicated issues cannot be resolved overnight.
Q- USA president Trump often threatens to withdraw his troops from North Syria. However, as we saw in Erbil, Rmeilan and Der El-Zor, there is the powerful US and international military alliance present. Democratic Syria, the Kurdish and Syriac forces need an aerial umbrella to defend against possible Turkish airstrikes. Do you consider the threats of President Trump serious?
A- The Syrian crisis, from the beginning, turned to be an international rather than just a local conflict. There has been no political solution until now. Also regarding the US presence like others in the region. In my opinion, if there is no political solution on the ground, none of the forces can withdraw from Syria. We rely on ourselves knowing well that the political situation can change at any moment. We will maintain our relations with all sides to ensure our rights. We rely on ourselves and try to play a balanced role to continue our existence.
Q- What is your message to our readers and politicians who follow events in Syria?
A- The nationalist state did everything to destroy the national identities of Kurds, Syriacs, Assyrians, Armenians, Yezidis, Turkmens, and other groups. In the past seven years, through self-governance, we accomplished what was not achieved in the past 70 years. It concerns the essential rights of every nationality and culture—Armenian, Kurd, Syriac, Assyrian… It enriches our ethnic presence, our life. This co-existence and our North Syria Self-Governance also played a great role in preventing new massacres and the century-old genocides.
Although there are many intrigues by different nationalists intended to divide and weaken our joint efforts, we have a common destiny and the Armenians, Syriacs, Assyrians, Kurds are the oldest nations who have inhabited these lands. Their languages and traditions must be equally respected by everyone. The challenges are great, but with joint efforts, we will overcome all difficulties.
