Turkey demands SDF to prove commitment to integration agreement with Damascus amid international pressure
A senior Turkish official at the Ministry of Defense demanded on Wednesday, July 23, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to provide tangible evidence of their implementation of the integration agreement signed with the Syrian government. The official, who preferred not to disclose his name, told Reuters: "The Syrian Democratic Forces must prove concretely that they are committed to the agreement they made with the Damascus government".
This statement comes amidst intensive diplomatic moves to expedite the resolution of this issue, especially after reports of American initiatives to facilitate understandings between the SDF and Damascus, aiming to avoid military escalation with Turkey.
According to informed sources reported by Middle East Eye last Monday, the United States and Turkey gave the SDF a one-month deadline to complete the integration process with the Syrian government during a meeting held in Syria the previous week. The two parties expressed their dissatisfaction with "the SDF's slow implementation of the agreement". One of the attendees at the meeting was quoted as saying: "The SDF was informed that not all of its armed units will be integrated into the Syrian army. The exempted units will be disarmed, and overall control will remain with the Syrian government".
It is worth noting that the SDF signed an agreement last March with Syrian President Ahmed al-Shar'a, stipulating the full integration of its forces and institutions under the structure of the Damascus government. However, the implementation faced obstacles due to the SDF's and other Kurdish groups' demands for self-rule, their rejection of full integration under the Syrian Ministry of Defense, and their insistence on maintaining separate military leadership within the Syrian army.
On the other hand, the SDF denied Middle East Eye's reports, with its media center stating in a press release: "We deny the allegations in the site's report about our forces and their future role", describing the information as "false and intended to deliberately mislead public opinion".
In a related context, Thomas Barak, the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria, reiterated Washington's rejection of any separatist demands, emphasizing in repeated statements this month the support of his country for a "unified Syria with one army and one state".
Barak added _in a speech to journalists in New York after a meeting bringing together representatives of the SDF, the Syrian government, and American and French officials_: "We will bring you together, and we will mediate and assist, but we will not stay forever". He warned that "the SDF's failure to reach an agreement with Damascus could lead to alternative options", reiterating his previous warning: "If you don't agree, don't agree, but we will not remain indefinitely as a mediator and observer".
