Syrian government says Kurdish-led SDF 'not serious' about integration agreement amid continued tension

The Syrian government has said that the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are not serious about adhering to a March 10 agreement to integrate into Syrian government institutions, after SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said that “all efforts” were being made to preserve the deal.

In statements to the state news agency SANA, a source at the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that while the SDF leadership had emphasised the “unity” of Syria, this contradicts the situation on the ground in the country’s northeast, most of which is under SDF control.

He said that administrative, security, and military institutions continue to exist there outside state authority.

This, he said, entrenches division rather than addressing it and undermines any talk of genuine national unity.

This contrasted with a statement from Abdi saying that the SDF remained committed to the March 10 deal and were working towards "mutual understanding" on military integration and counter-terrorism, while pledging further meetings with Damascus.

The deadline for the implementation of the agreement is the end of this year.

However, Abdi downplayed this, claiming the deal "did not specify a time limit for its ending or for the return to military solutions".

The Syrian government source said that despite the SDF leadership’s constant references to ongoing dialogue with the Syrian state, these discussions have not produced tangible results on the ground, and that the SDF often made statements for publicity purposes without any intention to implement the deal.

Most of Syria’s oil wealth lies in the east of the country, in territory controlled by the SDF.

The government source said that the SDF’s repeated statements claiming that oil belongs to all Syrians have little credibility, because oil is not managed through state institutions and its revenues are not included in the public budget.

He also criticised the SDF over its emphasis on decentralisation of the Syrian state, a demand often brought up by Kurds and other minorities but viewed with suspicion by majority Sunni Arabs, who fear that it could lead to the break-up of Syria.

The source said that the SDF did not only want to decentralise Syria administratively but also politically and militarily, entrenching its de facto authority in areas it controls at the expense of Syrian unity.

Despite the March 10 agreement, the SDF and Syrian government forces continue to clash. As well as northeastern Syria, the SDF control two Kurdish-majority areas of Aleppo – Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiya.

Earlier this week at least three people were killed in a clash between the SDF and government troops Aleppo.

The US, which has previously backed the SDF as a force against the Islamic State extremist group, and is currently pressuring both it and the Syrian government to reach a follow-up agreement integrating the SDF and its Asayish security forces into the Syrian Defence and Interior ministries.

The government source said that “Washington is exerting strong pressure on both sides to sign the agreement before the end of the current year,” expecting that “the agreement will be announced in Damascus between December 27 and 30.”

The source added that the agreement included mechanisms for integrating about 90,000 SDF personnel, while also allowing the SDF to keep three military divisions, under the authority of the Defence Ministry, in Raqqa, Deir al-Zour and Hasakah provinces.