Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that “every effort is being made” to prevent the collapse of talks on a deal with Damascus to integrate his forces into the central government.
The statements came days after deadly clashes in Aleppo between the two sides, before their leaders ordered a ceasefire.
In March, Abdi signed an agreement with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shar’a to merge the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration into a government by the end of the year, but differences have delayed its implementation.
Abdi said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurds’ de facto army, remained committed to the agreement, saying in a statement that both sides were working on “mutual understanding” regarding military integration and the fight against terrorism, and that further meetings with Damascus were planned.
Assuaging concerns about the year-end deadline, he said the agreement “did not specify a time limit for its completion or return to military measures.”
He added that “every effort is being made to prevent the collapse of this process” and expressed his belief that failure is unlikely.
Abdi also reiterated the SDF’s demand for decentralization, which was rejected by the new Syrian government, which took over after the ouster of longtime president Bashar al-Assad last year.
Turkey, an important ally of the new Syrian government, sees the presence of Kurdish forces on its border as a security threat.
(Vijesti.ba)
