26-05-2025
Syria's Kurds to insist on decentralised govt
DAMASCUS: Syria's Kurds will insist on a decentralised system of government in upcoming talks with the new authorities in Damascus, a senior Kurdish official said on Monday.
The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria signed an agreement with the new Syrian government in March to integrate into Syria's state institutions.
The two sides are expected to meet again in Damascus "soon" to discuss the implementation of the deal, Badran Ciya Kurd, a senior official in the Kurdish-led administration, said.
Kurdish-led forces have been in control of much of Syria's northeast, including its oil fields, since the outbreak of the country's civil war in 2011.
With support from a US-led international coalition the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces played a key role in the IS group's territorial defeat in Syria, achieved in 2019.
The Kurdish official said the delegation will demand "a decentralised, pluralistic, democratic Syria".
"The mosaic of Syrian society cannot be governed by a political system that monopolises all powers and does not recognise the distinctiveness of regions and components," they added.
Despite the March agreement, they rejected a temporary constitutional declaration announced by the Syrian authorities in March and said the new government failed to reflect the country's diversity, accusing it of centralising Syria's decision-making. This month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al Shaibani warned that "the unity of Syrian territory is non-negotiable", adding that any delays in implementing the agreement with the Kurds would "prolong the chaos" in the country. — AFP
