US-backed militants 'ready' for talks with Syrian govt.

The political arm of a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militants in Syria has said again that it is ready for unconditional peace talks with the central government in Damascus.

The so-called Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), which is linked to the SDF umbrella militant group, announced on Sunday that it will not "hesitate to agree to unconditional talks" with the government. 

The militants are allied with US and French troops deployed to Syria and control much of the country's north and east, amid reports that foreign governments plan to carve out a statelet in the area.   

President Bashar al-Assad has called US-backed militants "traitors" to the Syrian nation but in an interview last month, he left the door open for negotiations as he announced "two options" in dealing with the SDF issue. 

"The first one: we started now opening doors for negotiations, because the majority of them are Syrians, supposedly they like their country, they don't like to be puppets to any foreigners. If not, we’re going to resort... to liberating those areas by force,” he said. 

"It is positive to see comments about a summit for Syrians, to pave the way to start a new page," the SDC said in a statement on Sunday.

Agence France-Presse quoted leading SDC member Hekmat Habib as saying that both the council and the SDF "are serious about opening the door to dialogue" with the government. 

"With the SDF's control of 30 percent of Syria, and the government's control of swathes of the country, these are the only two forces who can sit at the negotiating table and formulate a solution to the Syrian crisis," he said. 

The comments are the latest in a string of developments indicating an attempted rapprochement between the government and Kurdish authorities, in an effort to head off a clash. 

On Thursday, SDC co-chair Ilham Ahmed suggested that time might be ripe for negotiations with the Syrian government on self-rule for the Kurdish-populated regions. 

“We are seeking … a vision that ends the war,” she said. “We want to secure our (self-administration) project and the Americans care for that too.”

Last week, more than 70 tribes in Syria reiterated support for Assad and announced the creation of a “resistance” front against the American, French, and Turkish presence on Syrian soil.

PressTV-Syria tribes announce 'resistance' against foreign troops

More than 70 tribes in Syria have reiterated support for President Bashar al-Assad and announced the creation of a “resistance” front against US, French and Turkish troops.

In his interview, Assad said the US “is losing its cards” as the militant groups it supports have lost significant ground following the liberation of Aleppo, Dayr la-Zawr, Homs, and Damascus suburbs.

“The main card was al-Nusra that was called ‘moderate.’ But when the scandal started leaking, that they are not moderate, they are al-Qaeda ..., they (the Americans) looked for another card. This card is the SDF now,” he said.

PressTV-Assad: US losing cards in Syria, must leave our soil

Syrian President Bashar Assad says the US 'is losing its cards,' among them the al-Nusra Front terrorist group, and thus 'should leave' the Arab country.

Several days later, a delegation from Syria's tolerated domestic opposition made a rare visit to Qamishli, most of which is held by Kurdish forces linked to the SDF.

A Syrian Kurdish official told AFP at the time that the delegation was trying to play a mediating role between local autonomous authorities and the government. 

Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem subsequently said the government was informally talking to the Kurds, but that negotiations were yet to start.

Habib said that he expected all non-Syrian forces to leave including the Americans.

"We are looking forward, in the next phase, to the departure of all military forces from Syria and the return to Syrian-Syrian dialogue," AFP quoted him as saying on Sunday. 

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