US Envoy urges SDF to pursue talks as Turkey proposes meeting
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A potential meeting between Abdi and Turkish officials is said to hinge on the outcome of discussions scheduled to begin Friday in the Syrian capital.
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SDF fighters in Deir ez-Zor (Getty images)
Al-Monitor on Friday reported that Tom Barrack, US envoy to Syria under President Donald Trump, held a phone call with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi to encourage continued engagement in de-escalation talks with Turkey and to reaffirm Washington's support for SDF operations against ISIS.
According to sources cited by the outlet, Barrack urged Abdi to remain committed to the US-mediated negotiation track aimed at reducing tensions with Ankara. The same sources noted that a high-level Turkish proposal, either from Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan or intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, was extended to Abdi for a possible direct meeting in Damascus.
This offer followed talks between a Kurdish-led delegation and members of Syria's Interim Government, headed by transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa.
A potential meeting between Abdi and Turkish officials is said to hinge on the outcome of discussions scheduled to begin Friday in the Syrian capital.
These talks are part of ongoing efforts to implement a landmark March agreement under which the Kurdish-led administration would integrate its civil and military institutions into the Syrian state framework.
Read more: Kurdish leader warns centralization may divide Syria, spark civil war
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has publicly criticized the SDF for allegedly dragging its feet on implementing the deal.
Speaking to reporters after returning from Azerbaijan, Erdoğan said, "We had said before we welcomed the agreement. But we see that the Syrian Democratic Forces are still continuing their stalling tactics. They must stop this."
Erdoğan added that Turkey would not stand by idly if the SDF continued to delay, warning that there is a "need to implement the agreement between the SDF and Damascus within the agreed and planned timeline."
US flag raised in Damascus
Barrack's outreach to Abdi came alongside his historic visit to Damascus on Thursday, where he raised the US flag over the ambassador's residence, marking the first formal American diplomatic presence in Syria since 2012.
During his visit, Barrack declared a shift in US strategy: "Syria and Israel is a solvable problem. But it starts with a dialogue," he told reporters.
He also revealed plans by President Donald Trump to remove Syria from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism and emphasized non-intervention: "The Trump administration's intent is to give Syria a chance at success by not intervening."
Despite the overtures of peace and normalization, reports of ongoing violence persist, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as Alawites, Christians, and Druze. In recent months, rights groups have documented massacres and forced displacements in contested regions, casting doubt on the stability of the current transitional period.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda leader, has pledged to steer the country toward inclusive governance, but the fragile security situation suggests that any talk of renewal must grapple with these on-the-ground realities.
