MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – The doors to dialogue between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the Syrian government are “not closed,” a leader of the Future Syria Party said on Tuesday while attending a forum in the city of Manbij, northern Syria.
The Future Syria Party held a forum in the city center of Manbij with representatives of AANES, feminist organizations, political figures, and intellectuals in attendance.
The Future Syria Party was founded on March 27, 2018, in Raqqa, northern Syria. It believes in a democratic, pluralistic, and decentralized Syria, the consolidation of the AANES project, and the enhancement of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Ahmad al-Sultan, Assistant Secretary-General for the Future Syria Party, said the AANES “always presents initiatives to dialogue with Damascus and is open to dialogue with them and with the opposition as well.”
The talks between the Syrian government and the AANES have so far not reached a conclusion, but “The doors to dialogue between them are not closed,” al-Sultan added to North Press.
He considered the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change (NCB) “an achievement.” He noted that the SDC sought to meet with the national opposition to reach an agreement that would serve the Syrian interests.
The NCB is a coalition of unarmed political figures and parties of the Syrian opposition. It was founded in June 2011 with the aim of unifying the opposition’s demands in having a political dialogue with the Syrian government.
On June 24, the SDC and NCB reached a memorandum of understanding, which included five articles that pave the way for joint work between the two sides.
The two sides agreed in the “preliminary” memorandum of understanding to reject all separatist projects that threaten Syria’s unity and adopt the policy of democratic national change. Both parties discussed the form of decentralization in future Syria and issues of detainees and anti-corruption.
The two parties said in separate media statements that the first memorandum is to be followed by another that will discuss in more clear detail the mechanism of action and the Syrian Army and the future of the SDF who fought a joint war with the US-led Global Coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).