QAMISHLI: Thousands of Syrian Kurds demonstrated in northeastern Syria on Wednesday to support their autonomous administration and demand decentralisation.
The rally occurred as negotiations between Damascus and Kurdish leaders over integrating Kurdish institutions into the central government reached a stalemate.
Protesters filled the streets of Qamishli, waving flags of the autonomous administration and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
Some participants held a banner proclaiming “The SDF is the will of the people” during the gathering.
Senior Kurdish official Aldar Khalil stated that decentralisation should apply to all of Syria, not just the Kurdish region.
He warned that Syria cannot become a democratic state without resolving the Kurdish issue.
Several rounds of talks have occurred since a March agreement, but tensions have prevented meaningful progress.
Kurdish officials have criticised Syria’s temporary constitutional declaration for failing to acknowledge the country’s diversity.
Recent sectarian violence in Sweida province and against Alawite communities has increased Kurdish concerns about their future.
Kurds also objected to the delayed selection process for transitional parliament members in their regions.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa recently acknowledged a slowdown in implementing the deal with the SDF.
He claimed to have pursued all options to avoid armed conflict in northeastern Syria. – AFP
