Self-Administration: Our negotiations with Damascus are stalled due to a fundamental disagreement over the future of institutions in northern Syria

A member of the negotiating delegation for self-administration, Sanharib Barsoum, stated that negotiations with the Syrian government are "currently stalled" after the latter rejected holding a new round that was scheduled in Paris.

This came during statements by Barsoum, the head of the Syriac Union Party, to the "Rudaw" network, where he pointed out that the main point of contention lies in each party's vision for the fate of institutions in the region. He indicated that Damascus's perspective, as revealed during previous rounds, is to "dissolve all civil, security, and military institutions," which the government sees as an interpretation of the terms of "merging institutions" in the March 10 agreement.

In contrast, Barsoum clarified that his delegation's concept of merging is fundamentally different, stating that it "involves linking institutions to their counterparts in Damascus without dissolving them," emphasizing that this issue is "essential and remains a point of contention."

He pointed out that the self-administration's vision is based on establishing a decentralized system, where "institutions are elected by the people of the region, representing all its components and reflecting the will of its peoples," considering that "the peaceful political solution through negotiations is the only option available."

Regarding the timeline, Barsoum noted that the March 10 agreement set the end of the year as a final deadline, but "the current delay may require extending the period to achieve comprehensive solutions that benefit all Syrians."

It is noteworthy that these statements come after a Syrian official announced the cancellation of the Paris meetings, despite confirming that the negotiation channels "are still open."