Iraqi FM: Decentralization key to Syria’s political solution

By Atoun Jan

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Saturday that the solution to the Syrian conflict requires moving away from centralized governance and creating trust among the country’s diverse communities.

Speaking to the Kurdish channel Shams, Hussein stressed that decades of war had eroded confidence among Syrians, making centralization an obstacle to national reconciliation. “We know there is a state of mistrust between communities due to this long conflict, and I believe we must move away from the centralized mindset,” he said.

Hussein explained that decentralization offers an alternative that could preserve Syria’s unity while accommodating its social diversity. “Decentralization relies on communities and the Syrian government itself. A decentralized system leads to unity, while centralization leads to division, because it is not possible for communities that lost trust to return to relying on a single ruling authority,” he added.

The Iraqi minister also underlined the importance of democracy alongside decentralization. “The Syrian people struggled for democracy, so we need two things: democracy and decentralization,” he said. He warned that failure to empower Syrians would perpetuate foreign intervention. “There are Turkish, American, French, Israeli, and Russian forces inside Syria, in addition to ISIS remnants,” he noted.

Hussein called for new initiatives rooted in national cohesion and recognition of individual and communal identities. “This cannot be achieved unless people in society are confident in themselves and their identity, from which the Syrian identity as a whole can be formed,” he said.

On the question of Kurdish aspirations in Syria, Hussein said every people has the right to dream, but emphasized that Syrian Kurds have not sought independence. “I cannot prevent anyone from dreaming, and the Kurdish people have the right to self-determination,” he said. “But in Syria, Kurds have not proposed establishing an independent state. I have not heard any Syrian Kurdish politician or party recently call for independence, but rather for rights within Syria—whether through federalism or decentralization within the Syrian framework.”

The Iraqi foreign minister’s remarks come as discussions on Syria’s political future remain stalled, with international powers and local actors holding diverging visions for governance. Calls for decentralized administration echo long-standing demands from communities in northeast Syria, where the Autonomous Administration has sought recognition for its self-rule model backed by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).