AANES calls to guarantee Kurds’ rights in constitution, not temporary decrees
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said on Saturday that rights cannot be preserved by provisional measures, but must instead be guaranteed through lasting constitutional frameworks.
In a statement, the AANES stressed that “rights are not safeguarded through temporary decrees, but are protected and entrenched through permanent constitutions that reflect the will of all peoples and components.”
This came after Syria’s Transitional President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, issued a decree concerning the rights of the Kurdish people in Syria.
On Friday, al-Sharaa issued a decree affirming that Syrian Kurds are an integral and authentic part of the Syrian people, and that their cultural and linguistic identity is an inseparable component of the country’s national identity.
The AANES said that any decree, “regardless of its intentions,” cannot constitute a genuine guarantee of the rights of Syria’s various communities unless it is part of a comprehensive constitutional framework that recognizes and protects the rights of all without exception.
It emphasized, in line with the principles set out in its Social Contract, the need to draft a pluralistic, democratic constitution that safeguards the rights of all Syrian components, communities, and beliefs, describing diversity as a source of Syria’s strength and true richness.
While noting that the decree “may be considered a first step,” the AANES said it falls short of the aspirations of the Syrian people, who have made immense sacrifices and waged a genuine revolution to secure their legitimate rights and build a democratic state.
The statement concluded that a lasting solution to issues of rights and freedoms in Syria lies in an inclusive national dialogue and in a decentralized, democratic constitution that ensures genuine partnership among all Syrians and lays the foundations for a state based on citizenship and social justice.