Erbil, Kurdistan – In a high-level diplomatic move, the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Nechirvan Barzani, met with the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, in the capital, Erbil.
This meeting is part of a series of intensive meetings taking place in the region to discuss crucial issues concerning the future of northern and eastern Syria (Rojava).
Informed Kurdish sources revealed that Erbil also hosted a high-level meeting today between Mazloum Abdi and the US President’s Special Envoy to Syria, Tom Barak.
The two sides focused their discussions on the field and political situation, and examined the details of the “14-point agreement” recently reached
between the SDF and the Syrian government, entitled “Agreement on Ceasefire and Full Integration.”
Main intermediary and guarantor
President Masoud Barzani paved the way for these meetings
by hosting a preliminary meeting in Pirmam, Erbil Governorate, on January 17,
underscoring the Kurdistan Region’s role as a key mediator and guarantor of the ongoing understandings.
Abdi’s talks with the American and Kurdish sides are doubly important as they come before the end of the four-day deadline given
by the Syrian presidency to the SDF to consult and develop a detailed plan
for the mechanism of practically integrating the regions within the framework of the Syrian state.
Damascus announced last Tuesday that it had reached a mutual understanding
with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) regarding the future of Hasakah province.
Accusations and violations
This was followed by a statement from the SDF affirming its full commitment to the ceasefire,
despite both sides exchanging accusations of violations on the ground.
These developments trace back to January 18, when the Syrian president announced an agreement that included
a comprehensive integration of the institutions of the Autonomous Administration.
This agreement was signed by both al-Sharaa and Abdi remotely,
as the SDF commander was unable to travel to Damascus at the time due to inclement weather.
Observers believe that today’s meetings in Erbil, particularly Abdi’s meeting with US envoy Tom Barrack,
will be decisive in determining how this agreement aligns with the US vision for the region
and the SDF’s seriousness in implementing the terms of the complete integration before the deadline.
Questions also remain about the nature of the guarantees that Kurdish fighters might receive.
