Sipan Hemo, a senior commander in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said talks with the Syrian government are going through “a highly sensitive period,” adding there have been “no notable concrete steps” toward political or military integration between the two sides.
Hemo, who leads the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the SDF’s main military component, said the core dispute with the government is not about the desire to integrate, but about the meaning of integration itself.
In comments to the U.S. outlet Al-Monitor published on Wednesday, November 5, Hemo said Damascus views integration as “dissolving into the other,” whereas the SDF sees it as a democratic process that preserves existence and will.
At the same time, he said the SDF’s wish to integrate within the Syrian state and take part in running it is a “strategic choice and a principal goal for the leadership.” He denied any separatist agenda or drive to establish an independent state, calling such claims “persistent fabrications.”
Hemo said the SDF remains committed to the March 10 agreement, but criticized what he called “unilateral steps by the transitional government,” noting that the formation of the government, constitution-writing, and parliamentary elections took place without the SDF’s participation, which he argued hinders genuine partnership.
The March 10 agreement was concluded between Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi. It stipulated the incorporation of the SDF’s military and civil institutions into Syrian state institutions, with implementation targeted before the end of the year.
Since the signing, negotiations have followed a winding path punctuated by military flare-ups, at times escalating into exchanges of fire. Damascus has accused the SDF of obstructing the deal.
Dispute over integration mechanics
On October 7, the two sides met in Damascus and agreed to a ceasefire after a bloody night in the city of Aleppo (northern Syria) between SDF forces, which control the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods, and government forces.
Regarding that Damascus meeting, Hemo said the atmosphere was positive, but no understandings were put in writing or implemented in practice.
He denied media claims that three special brigades had been created under the Syrian army’s general command. A political researcher close to the government had previously told Enab Baladi there was an initial agreement to fold three SDF military divisions into the Syrian army.
Hemo said the SDF has a unified structure similar to a regular army and is capable of carrying out defensive tasks under the supervision of Syria’s Ministry of Defense, but that no practical steps have been taken to date.
He argued that tying integration measures and the handover of weapons to fixed deadlines is “a mistake,” since progress depends on Damascus becoming a democratic state as well as on security and military conditions.
Hemo: SDF prefers dialogue
Hemo affirmed that the SDF favors dialogue over confrontation, with the ultimate goal of reaching an agreement that guarantees the rights of all Syrians within a single democratic state.
He said the United States is the main party in the talks and plays a pivotal role in bridging differences.
At the same time, he noted the SDF is closely watching developments on the ground and preparing for any contingency amid a lack of mutual trust, recalling the collapse of the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud understanding in Aleppo.
That neighborhood-level deal, reached in early April, provided for the withdrawal of SDF military forces while leaving its Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in place as a prelude to their integration into Syria’s Ministry of Interior.
Researchers previously interviewed by Enab Baladi considered the neighborhood deal a “trial balloon” for the broader March agreement.
Despite Hemo’s criticism of that arrangement, which he described as an “April Fools’ lie,” both sides have continued talks and exchanged visits.
SDF: Talks with Damascus are in a “sensitive phase” Enab Baladi.
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