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The United States' ambassador to Türkiye and special representative for Syria said federal governance models cannot work in Syria and Iraq, calling for unified national structures in both countries.
Tom Barrack, speaking to the Erbil-based Rudaw television channel, emphasized the need for consolidated government structures. "We all need to reconcile and come to this conclusion: One nation, one people, one army, one Syria," he said.
Barrack described Damascus as willing to integrate terror group PKK's Syria branch — which Türkiye designates as the PKK/YPG terrorist organization — into a national framework under the principle of "one homeland, one nation, one army and one government."
"I think the Syrian government has shown its flexibility very well and decisively in finding a way to reconcile these interests," Barrack said. He criticized the SDF for moving slowly on negotiations, urging the group to accelerate the process.
"I think the SDF is being heavy-handed in accepting this situation, negotiating and taking steps. My advice to them is to speed up this process. There is only one way, and that way is Damascus. That is the message," he said.
The envoy addressed recent comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding Kurdish autonomy in Iraq, clarifying that Rubio's statements concerned respect for Kurdish identity rather than independence.
"I don't believe he meant an independent Kurdistan. He is saying that all these cultures, all these memories, language, culture, people and their education should be respected," Barrack said.
Drawing on experiences in both Iraq and Syria, Barrack argued that federal systems have failed to provide stable governance. "The problem is that we have seen that federalism does not work in all these countries (Iraq and Syria) and that an independent state cannot be established within a (another) state," he said.
Barrack warned that time was running out for political solutions in the region. "The world is moving fast, the region is moving very fast. Look at what happened in the last three weeks, it's incredible," he said.
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