Syria’s al-Sharaa rejects partition: Could cause regional fallout

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syrian transitional President Ahmad
al-Sharaa declared on Friday that Syria would not accept partition, warning
that any attempt at secession in the northeast could destabilize Iraq and
Turkiye.

Speaking in a televised interview, he
argued that previous secessionist moves, including those linked to the
Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), had failed. Arabs account for more
than 70% of the northeast’s population, he noted, adding that “the SDF do not
represent all Kurds.”

Al-Sharaa, who assumed office after the
fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government last year, also addressed foreign
relations, confirming security talks with Israel over reviving or updating the
1974 disengagement accord, while pointing to recent visits by Russian and US
delegations for political and military discussions. Ties with Iran, he
acknowledged, have cooled since the transition, though Damascus “does not seek
a permanent rupture.”

On unrest in Suwayda, al-Sharaa admitted
errors by Druze, Bedouin, and state authorities during recent clashes but
insisted that “Suwayda, like the northeast, remains an integral part of Syria.”