In a breakthrough for a negotiated solution, Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an eight-point agreement for a unified Syria, on March 10, with Mohammad al-Jolani (Ahmed Al-Sharaa), leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — who declared himself the president of Syria’s transitional government.
Salih Muslim, a prominent Rojava revolutionary leader and member of the Presidential Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) told Green Left on March 12 that this agreement makes the Kurds “partners in a new Syria” despite the challenges that still lay ahead in the year-long integration process that is now beginning.
The eight points of the agreement are:
1. The guaranteed right to representation and participation for all Syrians, regardless of their religious and ethnic backgrounds, in the political process and all state institutions.
2. Recognition of the Kurdish community as an indigenous community of the Syrian state, with guaranteed citizenship and all constitutional rights.
3. A ceasefire is to be implemented across all of Syrian territory.
4. The integration of all northeastern Syria's civilian and military institutions, including border crossings, airports, and oil and natural gas fields, into the management of the Syrian state.
5. Ensuring that all displaced Syrians return to their towns and villages and are protected by the Syrian state.
6. Supporting the Syrian state's fight against any threat by the remnants of the Bashar al Assad regime, as well as other threats to security and unity.
7. Rejecting calls aimed at creating divisions among the components of Syrian society, hate speech, and attempts to spread discord.
8. Executive committees will be formed to ensure the implementation of the agreement by the end of the year.
“This is an historic event because the Kurdish people and their democratic administration have been recognised as partners in building a new Syria,” Muslim told GL.
“This is a first in Syria’s history and also a first in the Middle East.
“This may lead to a lot of changes in the future because the Kurdish people are partners in this change and have played a leading role in democratising the Middle East.
“This is just a first step and there are many challenges because we are changing the mentality of people in our region — which is a difficult thing.
Muslim said many people in the Middle East have little experience of democracy.
“Democracy is a culture. So it takes hard work to build it. It won’t be built in two days. So we will have to be patient as well as decisive in building this new democracy.”
In an earlier interview with ANF News, Muslim said the ongoing military attacks by the Turkish state and affiliated militia groups in Rojava will be “deemed illegal” by the new Syrian state.
“We will collectively resist these attacks. No one can claim that these groups are part of the state because they are illegal armed groups. If they continue their attacks, we will fight together.”
Muslim said the agreement on the integration of all civil and military institutions into the administration of the Syrian state — including border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields — would be implemented through a series of more detailed arrangements and decisions.
“We will jointly manage border crossings like Nisêbîn and Til Koçer. We will decide together on the distribution and administration of the revenues from these areas. This will be regulated by laws and agreements, and the details will be outlined in those agreements.”
Muslim said the right of all displaced Syrians to return to their towns and villages means that “everyone will be allowed to return to their homes”.
“Many houses were seized and settled by outsiders. These people will return to their original homes. In a sense, this means liberating these areas from Turkish occupation.”
This should apply to places like Afrin, Girê Spî, and Serêkaniyê, which were occupied by Turkish-backed militias who carried out brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing against Kurdish residents.
The agreement also means that the parties “will stand together” against the remaining Assad dictatorship forces, said Muslim.
“The remnants of the Baath regime will have no place. That means they will not be able to use our areas to fight against the new regime.”
The seventh article of the agreement means that “all Syrian citizens will be regarded as equals, regardless of their religion or ethnicity”.
“For example, no one will be able to say that they do not recognise the Yazidi community or force them to convert to Islam. With a broad democratic administration, everyone can live as they wish.
“In this sense, it is a great achievement, a significant gain for Alawites, Druze, Yazidis and Christians,” said Muslim.