Latest news with #AANES
Shafaq News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Damascus, Kurdish authorities to resume talks on power-sharing
Shafaq News/ Self-Administration's Dialogue Committee in northeastern Syria (AANES) and the Syrian government are set to launch a new round of negotiations on May 30, a source revealed to Shafaq News on Wednesday. The Self-Administration's dialogue committee includes Kurdish, Arab, Syriac, and Assyrian representatives from Kurdish-majority regions as well as the provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. The committee's visit aims to lay the groundwork for advancing the agreement reached between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on March 10. According to the source, the negotiation agenda will cover topics related to the Self-Administration's institutions, including public services, economy, and education in the areas under AANS control. Meanwhile, Kurdish political leaders, including those from the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), have endorsed a joint vision for regional federalism, which they plan to present during upcoming talks in Damascus. While Al-Sharaa has rejected proposals for autonomous cantons, Kurdish negotiators insist that decentralization and constitutional guarantees for Kurdish-led security forces are essential to any lasting political settlement. Badran Jia Kurd, an advisor to AANES, told AFP this week that there can be 'no compromise' on the demand for decentralized pluralism in Syria's political system. The dialogue with the interim Syrian government is ongoing, he affirmed, noting that it addresses 'complex files,' and requires 'greater confidence-building between the two sides than ever before.'
Shafaq News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
First official Damascus visit to al-Hol camp: Repatriation on agenda
Shafaq News/ A senior Syrian government delegation, joined by officials from the US-led Global Coalition, visited al-Hol camp in eastern al-Hasakah province on Saturday to assess conditions and discuss options for the return of displaced Syrians. A camp official told Shafaq News the delegation included senior figures from Syria's Interior and Foreign Ministries, as well as intelligence and counterterrorism units, marking the first formal visit by Damascus officials to a displacement camp under SDF control. The visit, reportedly included a closed-door meeting with representatives from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and Coalition envoys, focused on expediting the repatriation process to ease pressure on the camp and gradually reduce its population. Additional talks are expected to address reintegration plans and long-term support for returnees. Al-Hol currently houses more than 35,000 people, including approximately 13,000 Iraqi refugees, 16,000 displaced Syrians, and over 6,000 foreign nationals—mostly women and children connected to ISIS fighters. While AANES launched a voluntary return initiative for Syrian families earlier this year, citing improved security and lower risks of reprisal, it pledged assistance for those choosing to leave. Since 2021, Iraq, backed by international partners, has repatriated thousands of its citizens from the camp. Returnees are processed through the al-Jadaa rehabilitation center near Mosul, though the program still faces public resistance due to trauma linked to ISIS's former rule.
Shafaq News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syrian government, Kurdish AANES reopen talks on constitutional revisions
Shafaq News/ The Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have reopened negotiations to revise sections of the country's newly issued constitutional declaration, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday. According to sources cited by the UK-based monitor, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) objected to the addition of clauses absent from the original March 10 agreement, prompting both sides to return to dialogue. The discussions reportedly aim to develop a mutually acceptable framework that secures political rights and representation for residents of Northeast Syria, advancing efforts to shift from military confrontation to a durable political settlement. Observatory sources also described the renewed engagement as the 'start of a peace-driven political track' focused on Kurdish inclusion and long-term governance reforms. The dialogue unfolds against a backdrop of evolving diplomatic relations between Damascus and key players such as Saudi Arabia and the United States. Both parties have reportedly agreed to form a joint follow-up committee to review and revise the constitutional text, aiming to support de-escalation, promote inclusivity, and foster political stability in the autonomous regions.
France 24
26-04-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Syria's Kurds demand 'democratic decentralised' Syria
Their statement came at the end of a conference held in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, where a top Kurdish official disputed suggestions that the meeting sought division following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad. Syria's new Islamist-led rulers seek to establish government control over the entire country since they ousted Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war. Marginalised and repressed during decades of Assad family rule, Kurdish-led forces took advantage of the civil war to establish de facto autonomy in the north and northeast. Syria's new government vision puts into question the status of that authority. Mohamad Ismail, a high-ranking official in the Kurdish National Council, announced at the close of the conference the "joint Kurdish political vision, expressing a collective will and a realistic project for a fair solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria, as a decentralised democratic state". The statement, closing the "Unity of the Kurdish Position and Ranks" conference, said the vision "ensures constitutional rights for the Kurdish people, adheres to international human rights treaties, preserves women's freedom and rights". The statement also called for the vision to be "a basis for national dialogue" between Kurdish forces and the new administration in Damascus. More than 400 people, including representatives from major Kurdish parties in Syria, Turkey and Iraq's Kurdistan region took part in the conference, according to the Kurdish Anha news agency. Among the delegates were the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) as well as groups opposed to it. 'Unity of Syria' Last month, Syria's presidency announced an agreement to integrate the institutions of the autonomous Kurdish administration into the national government. But that agreement has not prevented the Kurdish authorities from criticising Syria's new authorities. The Kurdish-led administration rejected a new national government formed last month, saying it does not reflect the country's diversity. They levelled a similar criticism against last month's constitutional declaration that concentrated executive power in the hands of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during a transition period. Mazloum Abdi, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish administration's de facto army, said at the conference that "my message to all Syrian constituents and the Damascus government is that the conference does not aim, as some say, at division". It was being held, he added, "for the unity of Syria". The US-backed SDF played a key role in the fight against the Islamic State group, which was defeated in its last Syrian territorial stronghold in 2019. "We support all Syrian components receiving their rights in the constitution to be able to build a decentralised democratic Syria that embraces everyone," Abdi said. In a post shared on social media platform X, AANES official Bedran Ciya Kurd said the conference marked a "historic moment" that will allow Kurds to "play a leading role in the radical democratic transformations in Syria". "This blessed step should be a source of hope, optimism, and relief for all Syrians for their unity and strength, not a reason for reservation or fear," he added. Most of the country's oil and gas fields are in areas administered by the Kurdish authorities. These may prove a crucial resource for Syria's new authorities as they seek to rebuild the impoverished, war-devastated country. © 2025 AFP
Shafaq News
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syria, Kurds forge key security and governance pact
Shafaq News/ The Syrian government and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) reached an agreement on Tuesday covering security, governance, and services in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods of Aleppo, officials said. Syria's Interior Ministry said in a statement that the deal was reached between Colonel Mohammad Abdel Ghani, head of Aleppo's Security Directorate, and the civil council of the two neighborhoods. The agreement aims to enhance security and stability in the area, the ministry said. Bedran Çiya Kurd, the former Co-president of the AANES's Department For External Affairs, described the agreement as "an important step toward strengthening stability and coexistence." In a post on X, he said the deal preserves the neighborhoods' autonomy in security, administration, and services while coordinating with relevant government institutions in Aleppo. Under the agreement, internal security forces and their checkpoints will remain in place and operate according to a defined mechanism in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, with their role in protecting residents reinforced without interference from other armed groups, he added. The deal, according to Çiya Kurd, also includes a prisoner exchange between the two sides and maintains the existing education system until broader decisions are made in northern and eastern Syria. 'The Syrian government in Aleppo would be responsible for any threats against the two neighborhoods, with joint efforts to mitigate risks. The agreement guarantees freedom of movement for residents within and outside the city and grants the neighborhoods full representation in the provincial council, the chamber of commerce, and other institutions, with equal support from the authorities.' He noted that the deal is part of a broader plan to secure the return of displaced residents of Afrin, with negotiations ongoing to achieve that goal. "Afrin, as a unified political, geographical, and national entity within Rojava, will be a key issue in future talks," he said. توصل مجلسا حيي الأشرفية وشيخ مقصود إلى اتفاق مع اللجنة المعنية من السلطة السورية، في خطوة مهمة نحو تعزيز الاستقرار والتعايش المشترك. ينص الاتفاق على الحفاظ الكامل على خصوصية الحيين، بما يشمل أمنهما وإدارتهما وخدماتهما وثقافتهما وممارسة حياتها السياسية ، وذلك بالتنسيق مع المؤسسات… — Bedran Çiya Kurd (@BedranCiyakurd) April 1, 2025 Separately, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the preliminary deal included security arrangements and a prisoner swap. The internal security forces (Asayish) in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh would be restructured and integrated into Syria's general security forces while keeping the current personnel in place. As part of the swap, the Syrian government would release 170 detained Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members and return the bodies of several fighters, while the SDF would hand over 400 prisoners from armed factions and the remains of some fighters.
