Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria did not show any intention to implement a landmark deal signed with the Syrian government, according to Reuters.
Integreation Deal
In March, the Kurdish parties signed a landmark deal with the new Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to integrate their civil and military institutions into the Syrian state.
However, the SDF has been postponing the implementation of the deal due to some differences.
Turkish Official Visit
A high-level Turkish delegation visited Damascus yesterday, December 22, to discuss bilateral ties with Syria and the issue of integration.
“We see the SDF has no intention to make too much of an advance (towards integration),” Fidan said on Monday in Damascus after talks with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and others.
The Turkish delegation consisted of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Head of Turkey’s MIT Intelligence Agency, Ibrahim Kalin, and other senior officials.
“The SDF is running some of its operations in coordination with Israel, (and this) is actually a major obstacle to ongoing negotiations with Damascus,” Fidan added.
Call for Disarmament
Ankara considers the US-backed SDF a terrorist organization and has repeatedly noted that it expects the group to abide by the deal to disarm and integrate into Syria’s state institutions.
Moreover, it sees SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group. Therefore, Ankara demands the disarmament and dissolution of the SDF in harmony with the ongoing disarmament between the Turkey and the PKK.
SDF’s Call for Decentralized Syria
In May, Kurdish parties hosted a significant conference to introduce a unified vision for the country’s future after the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad.
As a major component of Syria, Kurds “must present a solution and a project proposal for the future of Syria,” Eldar Khalil, an official in the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, said.
Moreover, SDF Chief Mazloum Abdi called for “a new decentralized constitution that includes all components” of society.
Syria’s Rejection for Federalization
In response, the Syrian government utterly rejected decentralization system and refused “any form of division or federalization.” It also urged SDF fighters to integrate into the army.
Turkey has also rejected any plans that may undermine Syria’s central government or threaten its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During Monday’s talks, Al-Shaibani said Damascus did not see “any initiative or serious will” from the SDF to implement the deal.
New Proposal
To advance the process, Damascus has recently unveiled a proposal to the Kurdish party, suggesting the government’s openness to reorganizing the SDF’s approximately 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it gives up some chains of command and welcomes other Syrian army units into its territory.
“…We received a response yesterday and this response is currently being studied,” Al-Shaibani said.
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