AANES stresses need for Intl. guarantees before agreement with Damascus
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – The advisory council of the Negotiation Committee representing the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) emphasized on Saturday the need for international mediation and guarantees—particularly from Washington, Paris, and Riyadh—before finalizing any agreement with Damascus.
The committee held a meeting in the city of Raqqa with Abd Hamed al-Mehbash, Co-Chair of the Negotiation Delegation, to review the latest developments in dialogue with the Syrian transitional government.
Participants stressed the importance of securing guarantees from the United States and France, while underscoring the pivotal role of Saudi Arabia in supporting stability and shaping Syria’s future.
During the meeting, al-Mehbash briefed members on the progress of committees tasked with security and military affairs, education, border crossings, economy, health, constitutional amendments, and administrative and service-related issues.
He noted that these committees will convene alternately in Damascus and Raqqa “within the framework of seriousness and national responsibility.”
Mushleb al-Turkan, Co-Chair of the Executive Council in Raqqa and a member of the Advisory Council, highlighted the need to advance implementation of the March 10 agreement between Syrian Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi.
He told North Press that the delegation aims to resolve disputes over education, border crossings, and other files in order to reach a lasting solution.
“Through these meetings, we stress the importance of moving forward to advanced stages of implementing this agreement,” al-Turkan said. “Specialized committees must be present on the ground to resolve issues such as education, border crossings, and institutional integration, including the integration of employees from AANES institutions and defining the mechanism for this process.”
Following the March 10 agreement, negotiations have sought the integration of AANES’s administrative, military, and institutional frameworks into a unified Syrian state. However, efforts to implement the agreement have encountered significant obstacles—notably, Damascus’s resistance to decentralization.
On Sep. 5, Yasser al-Suleiman, Spokesperson for the AANES Negotiation Committee, told North Press that their technical committees are fully prepared to resume discussions with their counterparts in the Syrian government. “We are committed to resuming the negotiation process with the Syrian government and are preparing through the formation of technical committees to begin talks on ways to integrate administrative and military institutions,” al-Suleiman added.