Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa held a private meeting with 15 intellectual and influential community Kurdish figures from the northern Syrian city of Kobane, Kurdish sources told Middle East Eye.
The meeting was held early last week as part of unannounced visit by Sharaa to Syria's largest dam, Tabqa, which was recently captured by Syrian government forces.
The sources said that those who attended the meeting were from among the Kurdish political spectrum, and included figures close to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as well as others who oppose the group.
The sources said that during the meeting, Sharaa stressed the need to fully implement his recently announced declaration recognising Kurdish civil and cultural rights.
He expressed his willingness to engage with all Kurds and repeatedly told them their rights would be protected by the new Syrian state. However, according to the sources, Sharaa criticised SDF leaders during the meeting.
