Syria's government has broadcast footage from an interview with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, after an Erbil-based, Kurdish news channel claimed it had shelved plans to air the discussion to prevent further violence in the country.
Shams TV broadcaster's director, Elie Nazouki, interviewed the president on Monday, however he announced on Tuesday that the footage would not be shown as tensions between the Syrian government and Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces continued.
Nazouki said he had carried out the interview - despite opposition in Erbil - in the hope that it might "prevent further bloodshed". The interview took place as government forces were confronting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, eventually leading to their retreat from Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighbourhoods.
The Shams TV chief added that he had attempted to extract a message of "de-escalation" from the president on the SDF issue; however, he claimed the president "intensified" his rhetoric against the group.
Nazouki added that he later checked with his colleagues whether the footage should be broadcast, and was met with a consensus that the interview "would not calm tensions either in Syria or in Erbil".
The Shams TV decision drew condemnation from Syria's Information Ministry on Wednesday, which accused the channel of bending to political considerations.
The ministry added that it reserves the right to publish the footage, which was also recorded by state-owned broadcaster Al-Ikhbariyah Syria.
Al-Ikhbariyah has since published the footage, with Kurdish subtitles, which observers have said contradicts the account given by Shams TV.
Many highlighted on social media that the president's criticism was directed at the SDF as a group, rather than at Syria's Kurdish minority.
In the segments released, al-Sharaa emphasises that Kurds are an integral part of Syria, and said that the SDF, which he accused of being tied to interests outside of the country, cannot adequately protect the community.
"I believe in the rights of the Kurds, not because I have the power to grant them, but because it is their inherent right. They are part of Syria, and they must be represented in parliament, in the government, in the army, and in all state institutions. This is what we have clearly presented, and we have begun to implement it in practice," al-Sharaa said.
In another part, the president says that during his time as a rebel leader, he directed his forces to attack the Islamic State group in areas that were outside of their usual areas of operation, to protect the Kurdish minority.
Regarding the recent fighting in Aleppo, al-Sharaa accused the SDF of starting the conflict, saying that the militia takes its orders from "Qandil" - a reference to the Qandil Mountains, where the leadership of the Kurdish separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are based, banned as a "terrorist organisation" in the EU, US, UK and Turkey.
Al-Sharaa claimed that the SDF's decision-making in the recent battles in Aleppo was also directed by "Qandil", but ended the interview by stressing that the door for dialogue remained open.
"Despite everything that has happened, the door is still open. We have not backed down from the March 10 agreement. We are just waiting for a genuine commitment from the other side," he said.