The Syrian Ministry of Information criticized Shams TV, based in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, for declining to air an interview it conducted with Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying it may broadcast the interview on its own platforms.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, 14 January, the ministry said it reserves its full right to air the interview through its official platforms, within the legal framework, as completed media material for which there is no professional or editorial justification to withhold.
The ministry said the decision stems from what it described as its responsibility to protect the public’s right to know and to uphold the professional and legal principles governing media work.
Shams TV had been scheduled to broadcast the interview, but later refrained from doing so. The channel is known to be close to the political current of Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The channel’s director general, Lebanese journalist Elie Nakouzi, said in an interview aired on the same channel that the decision not to broadcast was due to President al-Sharaa’s response, which included criticism of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Nakouzi said the channel viewed al-Sharaa’s remarks as amounting to a declaration of war against the SDF rather than a call for de-escalation, which he said runs counter to the channel’s policy that promotes peace.
At the same time, Nakouzi said al-Sharaa expressed sympathy for the Kurdish cause, but stressed that there should be no armed groups operating outside the framework of the state.
The interview came at a time of limited ethnic tensions in Syria, following clashes between government forces and the SDF that led to the latter’s withdrawal from the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods of Aleppo city, which are predominantly Kurdish.
The Ministry of Information said al-Sharaa deliberately chose a Kurdish channel, despite the availability of many local and international outlets, to present his views and discuss current developments, as an affirmation of the status of the Kurds, their role, and their rights, and to underscore that relations with them go beyond the framework of armed organizations.
The ministry added that while it understands some of the points raised by the channel in explaining its decision, it believes that, from a professional and editorial standpoint, the existence of non-editorial pressures or objections is not sufficient justification to withhold an interview that was conducted within a professional journalistic framework, with mutual consent, and on the basis of respecting the public’s right to access diverse views and positions.
Aleppo has witnessed rapid field developments since mid-last week, which ended with the Syrian army taking control of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods and the withdrawal of SDF-linked fighters from both areas.
These developments ended a situation imposed by the SDF in the two neighborhoods, which had been associated with the group since the Syrian landscape changed following the outbreak of the Syrian revolution. For years, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh represented a unique case in terms of local governance, resource provision, and the management of security and service files through institutions affiliated with the SDF, separate from the institutions of the Assad regime. This reality continued even for nearly a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The clashes began on 6 January, following a series of mutual accusations between the Syrian government and the Asayish forces, with each side blaming the other for shelling residential neighborhoods and for violating the de-escalation agreement in place as of that morning.
At dawn on 8 January, the army announced its entry into the Ashrafieh neighborhood and full control over it, along with the Bani Zaid neighborhood. On the morning of 10 January, it announced full control over Sheikh Maqsoud, ending the presence of the SDF in both neighborhoods.
In the same context, the Deir Hafer axis, east of Aleppo city, is witnessing security tensions and mutual military buildups that point to a possible upcoming military operation.
Damascus criticizes Shams TV for withholding al-Sharaa interview Enab Baladi.
Hence then, the article about damascus criticizes shams tv for withholding al sharaa interview was published today ( ) and is available on ُEnabbaladi ( Syria ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Damascus criticizes Shams TV for withholding al-Sharaa interview )
Also on site :