US won’t back separate Kurd entity in Syria: US official

WASHINGTON

 The U.S. does not support the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish entity in northern Syria, a special presidential envoy said Tuesday.  

Gen. John Allen said he believed Kurds in northern Syria also do not support "a separate governmental entity", but did not elaborate.

In recent weeks, Turkish media reports have claimed that the Syrian Democratic Union Party has tried to change the population of northern Syria by establishing a Kurdish state that extends from Iraq to the Mediterranean Sea.

"It is important that a partner that has ultimately been enabled to defeat Daesh does not become an occupying force," Allen told a panel discussion at the Washington-based Center for American Progress – a nonpartisan policy organization.

The U.S. does not want to the region broken into sectarian or ethnic fragments, he added.   

Late last month, Turkey’s National Security Council also expressed concern about alleged attempts to change the demographics in Syria in fighting near the Turkish border.

Allen also addressed the nuclear deal reached earlier Tuesday between Iran and world powers, saying that some of America’s allies are concerned about agreement.   

"For many of the members of the coalition, Iran has been, is and probably will remain one of the principal sources of threat to their national security," Allen said.

"I won't speculate on the outcome of the announcement made this morning with respect to whether it will fundamentally change Iran's behavior, but it's of course a very important question for all [coalition members," he added.