An official source, speaking to Enab Baladi on condition of anonymity, said, “We deny what has been circulated in some media outlets regarding Damascus’ refusal to receive a delegation from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”
The source clarified on Saturday, October 4, that “there was no scheduled appointment to begin with,” adding that the delegation’s arrival occurred without prior coordination with the relevant authorities.
On October 3, Al Arabiya Net cited two sources, one close to the Syrian Foreign Ministry and the other from the Autonomous Administration, claiming that al-Shibani declined to meet Ilham Ahmed due to his objection to the participation of American officials in the anticipated meeting.
According to the outlet, the meeting was meant to discuss the implementation of the March 10 agreement signed between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi.
French Foreign Ministry sources told Al Arabiya that “Paris insists on continuing negotiations between the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian transitional authorities,” stressing that France supports the negotiation track until the SDF is integrated into the Syrian armed forces with constitutional guarantees for Kurdish rights.
The French sources added that Paris is currently working to move negotiations between the Autonomous Administration and Damascus to an Arab country that has not yet been determined.
Syrian political analyst Bassam Suleiman, close to the government, commented on the report in a Facebook post, saying that while “the news of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani refusing to meet Ms. Ilham Ahmed is true, it must be noted that her visit and that of her accompanying delegation came without prior coordination.”
According to Suleiman, officials in charge of the SDF negotiation file were surprised when Ahmed contacted them, announcing her arrival at the Lebanese-Syrian border and her desire to enter Damascus to meet al-Shibani.
As a result, officials only dispatched an escorting team to receive her at the Syrian-Lebanese border and accompany her delegation to Raqqa province (northeastern Syria), without holding any meeting, as no official appointment existed.
Suleiman questioned whether Ahmed’s move reflected “a lack of knowledge of protocols and official procedures, or whether it was a calculated step designed to portray Damascus as the side rejecting or obstructing dialogue.”
Agreement falters amid Kurdish objections
The March 10 US-brokered deal stipulated that the Syrian government would take control of oil, gas, and electricity resources in the northeast, while the SDF would integrate into the Syrian army. However, the process stalled after the Autonomous Administration rejected President al-Sharaa’s constitutional declaration, arguing that it “did not sufficiently protect minority rights.”
In response, the Syrian government suspended negotiations with the SDF, which had been scheduled in Paris, after the Autonomous Administration convened the “Unity of Position of Northeastern Syria Components” conference.
President al-Sharaa told state-run Syrian TV channel al-Ikhbariya on September 13 that negotiations with the SDF had made progress, but that “there is a kind of obstruction or delay in implementing the agreement.”
He added that the agreement had set a deadline until the end of the year, with Damascus aiming to see its provisions implemented by late December.
Al-Sharaa stressed that he had done everything possible to spare northeastern Syria, under SDF control, from sliding into battle or war, adding that the government had accepted the SDF’s integration into the Syrian army and that both sides had agreed on certain specificities for Kurdish areas.
For his part, Abdul Wahhab Khalil, an SDF council member, told Reuters that Kurdish leadership supports integration with Damascus “based on genuine partnership and constitutional recognition of all Syria’s components,” noting that “military integration alone is not enough.”
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