“In Syria, a new state of affairs is on the rise. Many things have changed in these last seven years. The people’s culture and psychology, the geography, policy…You can say that everything has changed in fact. But the regime has not changed its mentality. And this can become the reason for the regime to suffer a tragedy”, stated Ilham Ehmed.

Syrian Democratic Council (MSD) Co-chair Ilham Ehmed assessed the latest situation for the newspaper Ozgurlukçu Demokrasi.

Her article reads as follows:

“On the international stage the Baath regime is still considered legitimate. Russia and Iran are continuing their support for the regime without any restraint. Also thanks to some groups that present themselves as the Syrian opposition, the regime is still ruling over the country. This has been made possible through political and military agreements it forged with Turkey. Those areas have been secured without the need to engage in any battle due to the collaboration of Turkey, Iran and Russia. That force that drew the biggest profit out of this plan and enhanced the land under its control, was the Syrian regime. Using this plan the regime endeavours from time to time to create following notion: ‘I will bring together with these current areas also all the other regions I lost once again under my control as in old times’. It wants the people to believe this.

Certainly, when the regime acts like this it forgets a few things. In Syria a new state of affairs is emerging. Many things have changed in these last seven years. The people’s culture and psychology, the geography, policy…You can say that everything has changed in fact. But the regime has not changed its mentality. And this can become the reason for the regime to suffer a tragedy. Beholding the developments and assessing them with the old perspective will only lead to huge mistakes. Instead of threatening the Kurds, they can evaluate the Northern Syria Federal System positively and give an ear to the voices of the peoples. Some regions are in great distress because they have not become a part of the federal system. It is the first time in the history of Syria that the people have risen up and raised their voice for freedom. But what is the regime doing in response? It is impeding the people’s freedom of movement. It hinders the people that live in the cities under its control like Damascus and Lazikiye from going to the city Qamishli of Northern Syria.

To hide their lies, they claim that Kurds would divide Syria and that Arabs would live under Kurdish dictatorship and through such propaganda they stymie the people’s activeness. They also threaten the Kurds. They intend to incite a war between the Kurds and Arabs. In particularly with the Sunni Arabs. They might even fancy that such a war would only harm the Kurds, but they are very wrong. Because in Northern Syria massive change is taking place and political alignments have shifted. In lieu of behaving with an aggressive mentality, the regime would do better to search for means and ways to solve the crisis and act accordingly. Should it do otherwise, the slightest problem to occur might lead to its total end and offer in the end those who are striving for partitioning Syria a huge opportunity to put their plans into action with ease.

If Russia and Iran would withdraw their support for the regime, what will then happen? They are capable of abrogating the regime’s legitimacy with one simple decree. The European Union can also do that. This possibility always exists. Should this ever take place, Russia and Iran are free to backtrack on their support for the regime and the regime would become a permissible target. Therefore steps that will be taken towards change and development will do the people of Syria great service. It will be at the regime’s advantage as well. It is not wrong for the Kurdish people to get hold of their rights in this process of change and development. This will in fact only strengthen and unite Syria. It will democratize Syria and have the people live a free life. This will on no account weaken Syria, on the contrary it will only enrich it.

There are some opportunities for the regime to make those steps. The Northern Syria Federal System and the Syrian Democratic Council are ready to speak with the regime on all issues and negotiate with it. A false approach towards the Kurds will open the way to huge unrest, that will cause the regime to lose everything in the end. The regime is conducting from the beginning of the crisis onwards a delicate and careful policy, but if a mistake was to slip in at some point it can lose all it has. To impose on the Kurds the policy of Turkey is a huge pitfall. Turkey wants to conduct in Syria its own policy. This is however a bankrupt policy. The regime needs to draw lessons from that. For that reason it needs to open up to dialogues, which is the truest way to a solution. The people of Syria want a solution to be found. They do not want another war to be waged. The people has fled from the war. It is a big guilt to cause the people once more to fall into that same situation. The right thing for the regime to do is to listen to the people’s voice.”