Syria rejects federalism, calls on Kurds to join army ranks
Mazloum Abdi of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — the Kurdish administration's de facto army — and interim President Ahmed Al Sharaa first struck an accord for integration in March with US backing, but its implementation has been held up by differences between the two parties.
Abdi met with Syria's leader in Damascus on Wednesday in the presence of a US envoy to discuss stalled efforts to integrate the country's autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state.
The Kurds, who control vast swathes of territory in Syria's north, including oil and gas fields, have demanded a decentralised system of governance, which the new Islamist authorities in Damascus have rejected.
A Kurdish Syrian official said, on condition of anonymity, that a meeting took place on Wednesday between Abdi and Sharaa.
The official added that Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, also attended.
The delegations were expected to discuss "the relationship between the autonomous (Kurdish) administration and the government in Damascus, as well as economic and military issues", the official said.
A Syrian government source told the official Alekhbariah television channel on Wednesday that Damascus remained committed to "the principle of 'One Syria, One Army, One Government', and categorically rejects any form of division or federalisation".
"The Syrian army is the national institution that unites all children of the homeland, and the state welcomes the integration of Syrian fighters from the SDF into its ranks within the approved constitutional and legal frameworks," the source said.
The source also warned that any delays in implementing integration risked hindering efforts to "restore security and stability to all regions".
The US-backed SDF spearheaded the offensive that ultimately led to the territorial defeat of Daesh in Syria.
In an interview with Kurdish channel Kurdistan 24, Barrack said that while he recognised the SDF's role in the fight against Daesh, it had to accept the "reality" that "the only future path for them is Damascus".
Sharaa, whose forces led the offensive that toppled former Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad after more than 13 years of civil war, has called for the dissolution of all armed groups in Syria.
In an interview in May, Abdi emphasised the need for a "decentralised Syria where all its components live with their full rights", an outcome he accused Syria's new authorities of opposing.
The same month, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shaibani warned that delaying the integration of the autonomous Kurdish administration could "open the door to foreign interference, and fuel separatist tendencies".
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