Sihanok Dibo: Closing Tel Koçer Crossing is punishment to 5 m Syrians

Diplomatic sources reported that the vote in the UN Security Council on extending the mechanism for bringing aid across the border into Syria was postponed without Damascus' consent, after it was scheduled to take place on Thursday.

"The idea now is (to hold the vote) on Friday," a diplomat told AFP, on condition of anonymity, while another source said the delay would give "more time to complete the negotiations."

The UN mandate for cross-border aid, in place since 2014, and sharply reduced in 2020 under pressure from Moscow, expires on Saturday.

Commenting on this, member of the Presidency of the Syrian Democratic Council, Sihanok Dibo, said, "Certainly, UN Resolution 2254 is a resolution agreed upon by all those involved and concerned with resolving the Syrian crisis, primarily Russia, but when we hear from more than one source that there is a Russian intention or the intention of the meeting in Astana to present a draft decision on the crossings, closing Tel Koçer Crossing again, and opening Bab al-Hawa Crossing, is the least we can say that it is a contradiction.

He considered that any step in this direction "constitutes an additional obstacle on the way to resolving the Syrian crisis when the regions of North and East Syria and Tal Koçer/Al Yaroubiyah Crossing have a Russian presence in these areas as a guarantor and main sponsor of the ceasefire since 2019 since Turkey's occupation of Ras al-Ain and Tal Abyad, this is a contradiction before anything else,” he added, “and it is understood from him that there is a determination to politicize the humanitarian crossings.”

Closure of Tel Koçer Crossing is punishment for 5 million people

On keeping Bab al-Hawa Crossing open, Debo commented, “When there is global recognition, including Russia and America, that Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) is a terrorist organization, but it shares Bab al-Hawa crossing with Turkey in all respects.”

A member of the Presidency of the Syrian Democratic Council stressed the need to "not understand that we want to punish the people of Idlib. Certainly we support the introduction of humanitarian aid to all Syrian regions," and continued, "But as for the crossings to be politicized and the closure of the Yarubiyah crossing, I think it is a punishment for 5 million people, so instead of providing humanitarian aid, they add insult to injury especially considering al-Hol mini-state, and the main problem is about 60,000 ISIS fighters.

He pointed out that "these matters should not be expected from Russia, and if Russia insists on bearing this responsibility, the problem will be complicated."

Transition from utterly centralized system to autonomy system

Regarding Moscow’s recent statements about seeking to mediate a dialogue between Damascus and the Autonomous Administration, Debo called on Moscow to adopt a more general approach to resolving the Syrian crisis from a comprehensive perspective, “while we hear from the Russian Foreign Ministry that there should be what it described as a dialogue between the Kurds and the central government, we believe that this statement is as advanced as it is, but we see it by analysis and conclusion that it is incomplete, and until it is complete, we believe that there must be a Russian call for the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Council on the one hand, and the Syrian government on the other.” Dibo continued, “Because the main issue for us is not solving only the Kurdish issue, but rather the solution to the Syrian crisis and the transition from a highly centralized system to a decentralized democratic system in the form of democratic autonomous administration.

In response to a question about efforts to float mercenary groups in Idlib by keeping Bab al-Hawa Crossing open, a member of the Presidency of the Syrian Democratic Council replied, "Any party that thinks about floating Jabhat al-Nusra to be part of the opposition is a violation of Syrian sovereignty and a consecration of the Turkish occupation of the occupied areas, and this is what we totally reject."

J.O

ANHA