Kurdish writer outlines Syrians’ views on implementing SDF–Interim Government agreement

Some Syrians believe that the provisions of the recent agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Interim Government represent, at least in theory, a qualitative shift in the nature of interaction among Syrian parties and a step that could open the door to new approaches to resolving the crisis.

The agreement as an important step toward a political solution

Regarding what the two sides reached and the mechanism for implementing the agreement and its impact on the public, Kurdish writer and journalist Ibrahim Ibrahim stated that the January 29 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Interim Government represents an important step toward a political solution in Syria. He emphasized that years of conflict and division make such understandings a practical necessity to halt direct friction between the various forces, especially between the Kurds in Rojava and the Interim Government authorities, thus allowing a shift from the logic of conflict to the search for a shared national framework for managing the country’s future.

The agreement’s importance goes beyond practical provisions

Ibrahim pointed out that the importance of the agreement does not lie solely in its practical clauses and the executive measures associated with them, but also in the political and cultural climate that is expected to accompany it. He explained that the success of any political agreement in Syria today requires, above all, the development of a new culture that differs from the prevailing political culture which, over decades, entrenched concepts of ethnic or sectarian exclusion and contributed to producing crises of trust among the components of Syrian society.

The need to adopt a new political and media discourse

He stressed that one of the fundamental conditions for the success of the agreement is the adoption of a new political and media discourse that affirms Syria as a homeland for all its citizens. Syria, he noted, is neither a closed nationalist state nor a space reserved for a single identity; rather, it is a country of multiple peoples and cultures founded on the principle of equal citizenship and justice among all its components.

In this context, he highlighted a significant challenge: the political and media rhetoric that still occasionally appears with an inciting tone toward the Kurds in particular or toward other social components more generally. Such rhetoric deepens the accumulated fears among these groups and undermines the trust necessary for the success of any political agreement.

Responsibility of the Interim Government

Ibrahim added that the Interim Government was expected to take clear steps to move beyond the intellectual and political legacy based on exclusionary Arab nationalism or sectarian alignments. Instead, it should work to promote an inclusive national discourse that reinforces the idea that Syria is spacious enough for all its peoples and citizens.

Slow implementation and its causes

On a practical level, Ibrahim Ibrahim pointed out that the agreement's implementation is proceeding slowly, and that some clauses that were supposed to have seen tangible progress still require serious follow-up. He emphasized that this slowness cannot be separated from the existing crisis of confidence between the various parties, in addition to the complexities of the internal Syrian and regional landscape.

He explained that the continued delay in implementing the agreement's clauses could expose it to the risk of gradual erosion and reproduce the atmosphere of doubt and anxiety that prevailed during the past years.

The importance of international monitoring

Ibrahim pointed out that international monitoring, particularly by the U.S.-led international coalition is a crucial factor at this stage. Serious and continuous international oversight of the agreement’s implementation could enhance trust among the parties, ensure respect for mutual commitments, and prevent any attempts to obstruct the path of understandings. Moreover, the international presence constitutes an essential balancing factor given the complexities of the Syrian reality and helps protect the political process from sliding back into the logic of conflict.

An opportunity that requires political will and a new national culture

Ibrahim Ibrahim concluded by stating that the agreement represents an important opportunity, but one that requires genuine political will and a new national culture in order to become a stable step on the path toward a political solution in Syria. He emphasized that the issue is not merely about implementing technical or administrative provisions; rather, it involves building a different national vision based on recognition of pluralism, the consolidation of citizenship and justice, and the cessation of all forms of political or media incitement among the components of Syrian society. Adopting such an approach, he stressed, is a necessary gateway to opening a new horizon for a more stable and secure Syrian future.

Text of the January 29 agreement

The January 29 agreement, reached between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian Interim Government and officially announced on the 30th of the same month, stipulates a ceasefire and the beginning of a process to redeploy military forces and internal security forces in al-Jazira and Kobani, alongside the integration of institutions and the confirmation of employees in their positions. It also includes guarantees for the return of displaced persons, within efforts aimed at unifying the territory and strengthening stability.