Rojava official urges ‘democratic integration’ as SDF-Damascus talks face hurdles

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior official from the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) called for “democratic integration” to preserve Syria’s unity while advancing decentralization, as negotiations between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus continue to face political, military, and regional obstacles.

In an interview with Rudaw, Sihanok Dibo, representative of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) to the Gulf, said democratic integration is intended to prevent Syria from descending into renewed conflict or fragmentation while safeguarding local self-rule.

“Democratic integration means keeping Syria united and distancing it from the dangers of sliding into civil war or partition and fragmentation,” he said, while also ensuring “the maximum degree of independence and ensuring people's self-management in Syrian regions and territories.”

Dibo described DAANES as a viable framework for managing the country’s ethnic, sectarian, and religious diversity. He said that “democratic integration certainly means Syria as a federal, decentralized, democratic state that takes into account issues of diversity and plurality.”

Negotiations over implementing the March 10 agreement between the SDF and Syria’s interim government to integrate the force and Rojava institutions into state structures remain ongoing, but major differences persist. Kurdish negotiators favor integrating the SDF as a unified force, while Damascus prefers absorbing fighters individually into regular army units. The Kurdish-led administration in Rojava, along with Alawite and Druze groups elsewhere in Syria, has been pressing for decentralization.

Dibo also criticized Damascus’ recent introduction of new Syrian currency denominations, saying the move lacked broad national participation. He said currency design and issuance are sovereign matters that should reflect Syria’s diversity, adding that the Autonomous Administration “would not boycott the currency,” despite reservations.

Responding to accusations from Damascus that the SDF is delaying implementation of the March 10 agreement, Dibo rejected the claims and said the deal was a “purely national approach” intended to prevent chaos and civil war. He pointed instead to internal obstacles, including unilateral measures by the interim government such as issuing a constitutional declaration that he said reflects “only a narrow viewpoint.”

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in March, approved a 53-article constitutional declaration that draws heavily on Islamic jurisprudence, requires the president to be Muslim, sets a five-year transitional period, and retains the name Syrian Arab Republic. Kurdish, Druze, and Alawite groups have rejected the document.

Dibo also cited violations and clashes as evidence that some factions aligned with the interim government are not committed to the agreement. Fighting erupted last week between Kurdish Asayish forces, affiliated with the SDF, and Syrian government troops and allied factions in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods of Aleppo, killing at least two people and wounding more than a dozen others.

He said regional and international interference has further slowed implementation, singling out Turkey as a key actor opposed to provisions related to Kurdish rights. Dibo said that in Turkey, it “appears that some wings in it are not pleased with the completion of this agreement,” adding that “these matters, in detail, and other challenges, slow down and obstruct the implementation of the agreement.”

Turkey’s defense ministry said this week that SDF demands for federalism and decentralization threaten Syria’s territorial integrity, warning that Ankara would support any move by Damascus to preserve it. Ankara, a key regional backer of the new Syrian government, has repeatedly accused the SDF of intentionally delaying integration.

Dibo said the SDF has shown flexibility, revealing that it has submitted 70 names for positions within Syria’s Defense Ministry and General Staff, though he declined to say whether SDF commander Mazloum Abdi is among them.

He ruled out a broader military confrontation with Damascus, describing recent tensions as “negotiating under fire” driven by regional pressure rather than strategic intent.

Rejecting accusations that the SDF supports unrest in Suwayda or coordinates with Israel, Dibo said the claims are aimed at undermining the agreement.

As DAANES representative to the Gulf, he said, “We have not heard interference from them [Gulf countries] regarding any form of decentralization that suits Syria,” adding that Gulf states support continued dialogue and view the March 10 deal as a way to limit external “intervention.”

Mohammed Issa contributed to this report from Erbil.