A Syrian government source said Thursday that it rejected allowing the Kurds — who control vast territories in the north and east of the country — to keep their weapons, as a new round of negotiations on their integration into the Syrian state was scheduled, according to state media.
The Kurds are engaged in negotiations with central authorities over the integration of their civil and military institutions into the state, including the powerful Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led military arm backed by Washington.
"Speaking of a 'refusal to surrender weapons' or a 'desire to maintain an autonomous military force' is a completely unacceptable position," the official said, as quoted by the state-run Al-Ikhbariya channel.
According to the source, such a stance "contradicts the principles of unifying the national army and the agreement reached last March between Ahmad al-Chareh and Mazloum Abdi."
Mazloum Abdi, commander of the SDF, and interim President Ahmad al-Chareh signed an agreement in March aimed at integrating Kurdish institutions into the Syrian state.
Negotiation sessions have been held regularly since then, but they have stalled, notably due to recent violence in the south — where new authorities attempted to subdue the Druze population — and ongoing abuses against the Alawite minority, which have heightened Kurdish concerns.
According to the Kurdish news agency Hawar, a meeting scheduled Thursday in Paris between Kurdish representatives and a Syrian government delegation was postponed.
During the deadly violence in southern Sweida — which left nearly 1,400 people dead — a senior Syrian Kurdish official called on the central government for "a complete and urgent revision of its approach" to minorities.
Damascus, for its part, has shown a determination to unify the country at all costs.
The government official’s remarks came a day after an interview with SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami on al-Yaum TV, in which he declared that “disarmament is a red line.”
“No one will surrender. Those who bet on our capitulation will ultimately lose — the tragic events have proven that,” he said, referring to the intercommunal violence in Sweida.
"Using the events in Sweida or on the coast to justify a refusal to rejoin the state framework is an attempt to manipulate public opinion," the government source responded.
"A true national dialogue cannot take place under the pressure of arms or with the backing of an external actor," the source added.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi held talks on Saturday with the U.S. special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, regarding the intercommunal violence in the south, according to the U.S. embassy in Syria on X (formerly Twitter).
AFP
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