Enab Baladi – Mowaffak al-Khouja
Negotiations between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are progressing, but not without some obstacles, as all parties attempt to ensure the implementation of the agreement signed on March 10.
While delegations travel from northeastern Syria to Damascus to follow up on the agreement and discuss terms and review provisions, the negotiations in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, controlled by the SDF, are facing a “temporary halt,” amid mutual accusations of obstruction.
Public negotiations between the two sides began following the announcement by the Syrian President of the transitional phase, Ahmed al-Sharaa, regarding his signing of an agreement with the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, on March 10.
The agreement included eight provisions, the most important of which was the integration of civilian and military structures affiliated with the SDF into state institutions.
The two sides agreed to form executive committees to implement the agreement no later than the end of this year.
In Aleppo
Another agreement began in the city of Aleppo between the government and the SDF, at the beginning of April, which researchers interviewed by Enab Baladi earlier considered to be a “test balloon” for the general agreement that took place between al-Sharaa and Abdi.
The agreement included 14 provisions, ensuring the exit of SDF military forces while allowing Internal Security Forces (Asayish) to remain in preparation for their integration into the ranks of the Syrian Ministry of Interior.
The agreement also contained other clauses regarding the exchange of prisoners between the two sides, aiming to clear the prisons.
The initial steps of implementation began two days after signing, with the exchange of about 250 detainees from both sides, with a goal of reaching over 600 detainees, according to previous statements by the Director of the General Security in Aleppo (currently the head of internal security in Aleppo), Mohammad Abdul Ghani.
Following the exchange of prisoners, other executive steps were taken, leading to the departure of convoys of SDF military forces to northeastern Syria, which included about 900 personnel.
By mid-April, the government and the negotiating committee from the Ashrafiyeh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods began moving towards implementing service provisions according to the agreement.
The detainee obstacle
The issue of detainees is hindering the negotiation process between the two sides in Aleppo, as the release of batches of prisoners has been postponed multiple times for undisclosed reasons by the government or the SDF.
According to information obtained by Enab Baladi from a source in Aleppo who preferred to remain unnamed due to lack of authority to speak on this matter, the SDF refuses to release detainees it holds from the Syrian National Army (SNA).
The source noted that the SDF is holding around 70 prisoners from the National Army whom the government is demanding in negotiations.
The second batch of prisoner exchanges was supposed to take place on May 28; however, it was postponed after the families of the detainees waited for several hours, which led to their anger.
The government has not announced the reasons for the delay and blamed the SDF, while the latter claims the delay was due to the authorities’ refusal to release fighters from the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ).
Enab Baladi also contacted the Director of Media in Aleppo and the Relations Office but did not receive a response to questions related to the negotiation process and the reasons for the delay until the moment this report was prepared.
SDF blames the government
Hevin Suleiman, the co-chairwoman of the Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods, told the pro-SDF Hawar Agency that they are ready to implement all provisions of the agreement, indicating that what she termed the “Damascus authority” violated the provision related to clearing the prisons by refusing to hand over fighters of the Women’s Protection Units alongside other prisoners.
She indicated that the reason for the delay is non-negotiable and that “Damascus authority” must clear its prisons and achieve freedom for all, while also noting that the agreement has not been annulled, but is facing obstacles created by the “Damascus authority” from every direction, according to her statement.
Kahraman Bakr, an administrator in the Asayish and a member of the negotiating team, stated in his talk with Hawar Agency that the government, through these practices, “violated and surpassed the provisions of the agreement” and did not adhere to them.
According to Bakr, the SDF was ready to hand over prisoners in its custody “without any issues,” asserting at the same time that they are adamant about completely clearing the prisons.
The source in Aleppo mentioned that the SDF is seeking prisoners from military formations affiliated with the SDF and others directly related to Qandil, referring to the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).
He added that the prisoners demanded by the SDF are currently held in Hawar Kilis prison north of Aleppo, whose management is directly subjugated to Ankara.
The Hawar Kilis prison contains detainees arrested by factions of the Syrian National Army supported by Turkey, and they are supervised directly by it, with some of their detainees transferred for interrogation inside Turkey, especially regarding “Turkish national security issues.”
Parties on the ground are working on a solution
For his part, researcher at the Omran Center for Strategic Studies, Osama Sheikh Ali, downplayed the significance of the postponement of prisoner exchanges, viewing it as “a minor issue,” noting that such occurrences have recurred in recent days.
The researcher confirmed in a conversation with Enab Baladi that there are challenges and obstacles to the negotiation process between Damascus and the SDF, but it cannot be said that there is a delay in the process, according to Sheikh Ali.
The source in Aleppo also emphasized that the negotiations have not stopped, and they could resume at any moment.
Current challenges, according to Sheikh Ali, stem from movements by the SDF that the government is not satisfied with, indicating the presence of elements from the “Popular Mobilization” and those whom the government refers to as “remnants of the previous regime” on its territory.
He confirmed that the parties on the ground are working to resolve these issues and want the agreement, in general, to succeed.
Sheikh Ali pointed out that after the agreement that took place on March 10, the government established committees that worked to overcome the obstacles in the negotiation process.
The committees are working on the files “slowly,” as they began with the prison file and the incorporation of the SDF into the army, followed by security files, and then the resources file and the administrative file, with committees monitoring each subject separately, according to Sheikh Ali.
AANES in Damascus
The negotiations between the government and the SDF encompass two tracks: the first between political bodies and the second is community-driven, led by political parties, according to the provisions that emerged from the Kurdish-Kurdish Dialogue conference, according to a previous statement by a member of the presidential body in the Kurdish National Council in Syria, Suleiman Oso, to Enab Baladi.
On May 28, a delegation from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), the administrative umbrella of the SDF, arrived in the capital, Damascus, to negotiate with the Syrian government and discuss the scope of the March 10 agreement.
The leader of the Democratic Northern Brigade affiliated with the SDF, Abu Omar al-Idlibi, stated via the “X” platform that the negotiating committee came to solidify the agreement reached between al-Sharaa and Abdi, representing “a pivotal step towards establishing national stability and enhancing the unity of the Syrian state.”
On May 26, AANES announced that it had agreed with the Syrian government to organize a mechanism aimed at repatriating Syrian families from the al-Hol camp, which houses the families of Islamic State fighters in eastern al-Hasakah province.
The head of the office for displaced and refugee affairs in AANES, Sheikhmous Ahmed, announced a tripartite meeting held in the al-Hol camp, which included a delegation from the Syrian government, a delegation from the International Coalition, and representatives from AANES.
He stated that the meeting concluded with an agreement on a joint mechanism to repatriate the Syrian families present in the al-Hol camp to put an end to the suffering of these families.
Other delegations from the government, led by the current intelligence chief, tasked with heading the negotiation committees with the SDF, Hussein al-Salama, convened to discuss technical matters related to managing wells and land crossings.
Damascus-SDF negotiations hit a hurdle with detainees in Aleppo Enab Baladi.
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