“Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) and the transitional administration in Syria are taking further steps and measures to complete the implementation of the agreement to integrate “SDF” into Syrian government institutions, which was signed on March 10th in Damascus.
The agreement was signed by General Mazlum Abdi, the Commander-in-Chief of “SDF,” and Ahmad al-Shara, the head of the transitional administration. It includes eight main points, the most important of which are the integration of military and civilian institutions in northeastern Syria into the Syrian state structure, including airports, oil and gas fields, and border crossings; a ceasefire and ensuring the return of displaced people to their areas; guaranteeing the rights of the Kurdish community in citizenship and including this in the constitution; involving all Syrians in the political process; supporting the new Syrian administration in fighting the remnants of the Assad regime; and implementing the agreement by the end of this year.
As a practical step, last Tuesday, the new Syrian administration reached a preliminary agreement with the Civil Council of the Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods in Aleppo, northern Syria, regarding the management of the two neighborhoods.
The agreement, consisting of 14 points, stipulated that the “Ashrafiya and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, which have a Kurdish majority, are administratively part of Aleppo, and protecting and respecting the social and cultural privacy of the residents of the two neighborhoods is essential to promote peaceful coexistence.”
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The agreement, published on the official channels of the transitional administration, stated that “the provisions of this interim agreement remain valid until the joint central committees reach a sustainable solution. The Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, Asayish (Kurdish for security), is responsible for protecting the residents of the neighborhoods and preventing any attacks or violations against them.”
It was emphasized that armed manifestations are prohibited in the neighborhoods, and that weapons should be confined to the internal security forces under the Ministry of the Interior in the new government, with military forces withdrawing along with their weapons from the neighborhoods to the east of the Euphrates.
Mahmoud Habib, the spokesperson for the Democratic North Forces, one of the military formations affiliated with “SDF,” sees that completing the agreement between “SDF” and the transitional Syrian administration requires further consultation and coordination, looking at the implementation of the agreement from the perspective of the country’s national interest.
He adds in statements in the fifth issue of +963 magazine, that the committees responsible for completing the agreement are still working to reach a final formula, taking into account the national interest of Syria as a supreme goal, which is linked to achieving consensus between all components. He emphasizes that “SDF” has provided all the guarantees and everything required on its part, and the transitional administration understands the demands of “SDF,” including the integration of the forces, retaining their weapons, maintaining control over areas of influence, and keeping the “ISIS” files in their custody, including prisons and camps.
According to Habib, all the steps taken to complete the agreement will come through consultation and coordination between the two parties to ensure security in the region, fight terrorism, and prevent the resurgence of “ISIS.”
The transitional administration in Syria has formed committees to complete the implementation of the agreement to integrate “SDF” into state institutions. The first committee was made up of eight people, divided equally between the two parties. The second committee was a five-member committee, chaired by the former governor of Deir ez-Zor, Hussein al-Salama. Committees were also formed to take control of the oil fields and wells located in the areas under the self-administration’s control in northern and eastern Syria.
The first round of meetings of the committee from the transitional administration with “SDF” was held on March 19th at one of “SDF’s” military headquarters in Al-Shaddadi, in the countryside of Hasakah, eastern Syria. The meeting was attended by Abdi, as well as a member of the General Command of the Women’s Protection Units, Rohlat Afrin, and the head of the committee from the side of the new Syrian administration, Hussein Salama, along with other members from both sides
