ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The ruling Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) in the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) demands a decentralized and democratic system in the country, a senior official of the council said on Sunday.
"We want a broad and democratic decentralization system that takes into account the situation of Syrian society," Hassan Ali, co-chair of the public relations office of the SDC, encouraging talks with the new Syrian administration to resolve outstanding issues.
Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, SDF chief Mazloum Abdi, signed a landmark deal with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in March that seeks to integrate all civil and military institutions in Rojava into the Syrian state apparatus.
The SDF is the de facto military force of Rojava. The force has been the main ally of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the ground in Syria over the past decade.
Syrian Kurds, Alawites and Druze have called for the establishment of a federal government in Damascus. The transitional government initially rejected any form of decentralization but later softened its tone.
Talks between Rojava and Damascus over the future of the Kurdish enclave are ongoing, with most meetings being held behind closed doors.
Ali said although his council is not directly involved in the talks, “we monitor and discuss the outcomes," noting that any agreement in these negotiations will affect all of Syria.
Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Affairs, said on Sunday that federation is the best long-term solution for Syria.
“A federated Syria is the best long-term solution for a peaceful and religiously tolerant Syria. @POTUS [the President of the United States] should condition future US aid on #Syria's government protecting Christians and other religious minorities,” he said on X.