According to Syrian media, the French Foreign Ministry proposed to Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to hold the stalled meeting in another country, such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. A Syrian media outlet, citing a source described as ‘informed,’ reported that the Syrian government rejected the French proposal, insisting that the meeting be held in Damascus. They considered the issues with the SDF to be internal and national matters that should be resolved and discussed among Syrians themselves within the country, not outside it. The same source indicated that there are no signs of resuming negotiations soon between the two sides, although meetings continue in the context of preventing escalation and maintaining coordination and communication under the auspices of Washington and Paris.
On March 10, the Syrian transitional president, Ahmed Shareh, and the SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, signed an agreement for the integration of the SDF into Syrian institutions, affirming the unity of Syrian territories and rejecting division. However, the Syrian presidency expressed its firm rejection of any attempts to impose a ‘divisive reality’ or establish separate entities under any name, whether federalism or self-administration, in response to the demand of the SDF leadership.
The conference’s final statement called for drafting a new constitution and establishing a decentralized system in the country, adhering to a comprehensive national democratic path based on diversity, partnership, and equal citizenship. However, the Syrian government considered this conference an attempt to internationalize Syrian affairs, attract external interventions, and re-impose sanctions, for which the SDF bears legal, political, and historical consequences. It is noteworthy that the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by U.S. forces in northeastern Syria, announced their establishment in the areas under their control in the provinces of Aleppo, Hasakah, Raqqa, and Deir ez-Zor after the Syrian crisis erupted in 2011.
