Any success of the negotiations with the Syrian central government will certainly depend on Türkiye’s role, Ferhat Abdi Şahin, code-named "Mazloum Kobani," the wanted ringleader of the SDF said on Sunday, expressing hope that Ankara will play a "supportive and contributing role in the ongoing negotiation process."
Şahin told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he had reached a "preliminary agreement" with Damascus on the integration of his troops into Syria's military and security forces.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan urged SDF, which is predominantly led by the U.S.-backed YPG terrorist group, on Wednesday to "keep their word" and "complete their integration with Syria." YPG is the Syria-affiliate of the PKK, a group listed on terror list by the U.S., the EU and Türkiye.
Abdi had met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus last week, along with U.S. envoy Tom Barrack and U.S. commander Brad Cooper.
"What is new in our recent talks in Damascus is the shared determination and strong will to accelerate the implementation of the terms" of the agreement, Abdi told AFP in an interview at a military base in the northeastern city of Hasakeh on Sunday.
"The most important point is having reached a preliminary agreement regarding the mechanism for integrating the SDF and the Internal Security Forces within the framework of the Defense and Interior Ministries," he added.
Abdi said that military and security delegations from his forces are currently in Damascus to discuss the mechanism for their integration.
Abdi explained that "the SDF will be restructured through its integration into the Defense Ministry," as part of several formations.
However, some disagreements remain.
"We demand a decentralised system in Syria ... we have not agreed on it," he added, as they are "still discussing finding a common formula acceptable to all."
He stressed that they "agree on the territorial integrity of Syria, the unity of national symbols, the independence of political decision-making in the country and the fight against terrorism."
"We all agree that Syria should not return to the era of war, and that there should be stability and security. I believe these factors are sufficient for us to reach a permanent agreement."
During the last meeting with al-Sharaa, Abdi said he had called for "modifying or adding some clauses to the existing constitutional declaration" announced in March, particularly those related to "guaranteeing the rights of the Kurdish people in the constitution."
"There was a positive response to this matter, and we hope this will happen soon," he added.
Under the March deal between the SDF and Damascus, the SDF forces would merge with the new Syrian national army. The agreement, which is supposed to be implemented by the end of the year, would also bring all border crossings with Iraq and Türkiye, as well as airports and oil fields in the northeast, under the central government’s control. Detention centers housing thousands of Daesh members, now guarded by the YPG terrorist group, would also come under government control.
However, the agreement left the details vague and progress on implementation has been slow. A central sticking point has been whether the YPG would remain as a cohesive unit in the new army or whether the force would be dissolved and its members individually absorbed into the new military. It marks a major breakthrough that would bring most of Syria under the control of the government led by the group that spearheaded the ousting of dictator Assad in December.
