NEWS CENTER - U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the USCIRF, recommended the United States to give political recognition to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria that is beneficiary for both sides in the way forward to find a solution to the Syrian Crisis.
This among others were touched upon with the USCIRF commissioner Nadine Maenza in an interview with ANHA in the city of Qamishlo in her second visit to the North Eastern Syria regions to meet figures in the AANES, the SDF, as well as civil society associations and political parties in the region.
The interview of Hawar News Agency (ANHA) is as follows:
A report was filed by USCIRF to the U.S. on North Eastern Syria, what can you tell us?
When I first visited north east Syria in November 2019 I was astounded by the conditions for religious freedom, for gender equality and how this project had built governance all these amazing conditions and we went back to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and made bold recommendations in April last year that include request that the U.S. ask Turkey to withdraw from North East Syria because of the conditions Turkey instituted when Turkey invaded and occupied the area, that the U.S. give political recognition to the AANES as a legitimate local government to expand engagement with AANES and also to lift sanctions from the area just the AANES governs and to include the AANES in all discussions and political solution in Geneva and according to the UN resolution 2254. We had a great response in Washington so many people have embraced the recommendations as their own and a lot members of the Congress believe this is a way forward for North East Syria. There is surely gr0owing support, there is a way and the people in North East Syria deserve recognition and deserve to have a government acknowledged by the world.
These recommendations are really results of working with people here on the ground they are telling us that the best way for North Eater Syria. We made these recommendations believing that they are good for the United States and good for the North Eastern Syria.
What is the future of AANES –U.S. relations ?
One of the key recommendations that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom made was for the U.S. government to expand engagement with the AANES directly, visits in the pasty the U.S. government ignored the government here, worked with the military and other organizations, we have seen that happened, we have seen the new administration have expanded engagement with the AANES in working directly and that I what we were hoping to see, closer ties and strengthening of our relationships and the conditions here.
We have seen in last year in particular so much growth and support for this project here in North East Syria. When I have first did meetings with members of the Congress and the administration about the conditions here, women were very involved in Christian persecution and covering issues in Iraq next door they had never heard of the AANES, they had no idea that the religious freedom conditions were here so excellent. So we went from a place where everyone seemed hardly to know that this project was exceptional to I think everyone in the capitol Hill knows of the government here given that people in the administration might be fatigued so a saw a large growth and also in civil society organizations that work on religious freedom and gender equality and human rights they are definitely write about and mention and understand the importance of the project here, for stability in Syria and to keep this project as a refugee for religious minorities all around here that is a difficult area for people of all different ethnicities and faiths but here they can practice their faith safely.
Why the AANES not taken as a model for the whole of Syria ?
Looking for a political solution for all of Syria , the U.S. is quiet supporting the Syrian opposition Coalition in Syria which is backed by Turkey and feel with people that do not share the same values at least as I have seen here in North East Syria, and also the UN resolution 2245 calls for a political solution for all of Syria ,china, Russia Turkey Iran have a say in the political solution that do not share our values, they do not want freedom on their borders, in fact, for them freedom is a threat, they are afraid of this project in the Middle East. It is more important for those to believe in freedom, in gender equality believe in religious freedom believe in stand up in speak up certainly as the government here in North Eastern Syria do that is important for the U.S. to stand with them for that reason.
Why the U.S. has not given political recognition to AANES ?
When the AANES was started there was a sense in the U.S, that is was a temporary government, so we learn that as the SDF liberated areas from ISIS started building this governance that became the AANES. The State Department was watching was happened thinking it would be temporary which in some ways allowed the project to develop naturally, organically without interference from other people and that is why the Social Contract is really beautiful, it fits the people in North East Syria. In some aspects it benefitted the project in not having interference but then it became in such an exceptional project and the U.S. policy was not in line with the fact that project expound because it was unexpected. I think the policy for Syria has not changed in several administrations, they kept the same policy and it is time to re-adjust to acknowledge the conditions and the government here and to acknowledge that to have the AANES and to be strong benefits the United States. As a state in the future of Syria I tried to remind people that is not a separatist and not about being independent is about being a future local government in a bigger Syrian political solution. We do not have to wait for a political solution we have to support this project right now while everyone awaits for the political solution to happen in protecting this place for a freedom, faith practise it is a win- win for everyone.
Do the U.S. –Turkish relations impinges upon the U.S. and AANES ones ?
Turkey' actions in north eastern Syria have been very disappointing to all of us. It is true that they have powerful lobbies in Washington, because it is a NATO member the international community allowed Turkey to go unchallenged the last administration impacted their actions because of Turkey and in the U.S. to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has spoken about that because the way the commission works as an indep0endent agency it speaks the truth and does not consider other relationships with countries so we were able to say that Turkey is invading north eastern syriua and commintting atrocities against religious and ethnic minorities, Kurd ,women, including killings rape kidnappings extortions and destruction of religious sites and population transfer and horrible things that have been documented by so many people but so many people in the United Stes and around the world do not understand how terrible these atrocities are, like Afrin, Sere Kanie and Tal Abyad. Even conditions inside turkey is changing against the opposition and religious minorities. Turkey has no longer have the same support from Capitol Hill as it was two years ago, I think the things are changing.