Official statement from General Council Sheikh Maqsoud-Ashrafieh neighborhoods about agreement

The General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh Neighborhoods issued a statement to the public today, revealing the 14-point agreement concluded with the Damascus authorities.

The statement was delivered by the co-chair of the General Council of the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo, Hevin Suleiman, in front of the Zaytoun Roundabout in the Ashrafieh neighborhood, in the presence of all representatives and members of the General Council and the military forces in both neighborhoods.

The statement read as follows:

1. The Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods, inhabited by a Kurdish majority, are considered neighborhoods of Aleppo city and are administratively affiliated with it. Protecting and respecting the social and cultural privacy of the residents of these two neighborhoods is essential to promoting peaceful coexistence.

2. The provisions of this interim agreement will apply until the joint central committees agree on a sustainable solution.

3. The Ministry of Interior, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces, will bear responsibility for protecting the residents of the two neighborhoods and preventing any attacks or harassment against them.

4. To preserve civil peace and the safety of civilians, armed manifestations will be prohibited in the two neighborhoods. The possession of weapons will be restricted to the Ministry of Interior's Internal Security Forces.

5. Earthworks will be removed from public roads, while the main checkpoints will remain in place, under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior's Internal Security Forces, until security and stability are restored in the two neighborhoods.

6. Military forces will withdraw with their weapons from the two neighborhoods to the area east of the Euphrates.

7. Two Internal Security centers will be established in each of the Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhoods.

8. Freedom of movement will be guaranteed for residents of the two neighborhoods, and the prosecution of anyone who was persecuted prior to the agreement and whose hands were not stained with Syrian blood will be prohibited.

9. A coordination committee will be formed to facilitate movement between the city of Aleppo and the regions of northeastern Syria.

10. Committees will be formed in the two neighborhoods to implement the agreement on the ground.

11. Civil institutions in the two neighborhoods will work in coordination with other civil institutions, providing services to them without discrimination from other Aleppo neighborhoods through the two municipal branches located in the neighborhoods.

12. Prisons will be cleared by both parties in Aleppo Governorate, and all prisoners captured after liberation will be exchanged.

13. The two neighborhoods will be granted the right to full and fair representation in the Aleppo Governorate Council, as well as in the Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other relevant fields, in accordance with applicable laws.

14. Service, administrative, educational, municipal, and local council institutions in the two neighborhoods will be maintained until the joint central committees agree on a sustainable solution.

The statement concluded with the chanting of slogans calling for the unity of the Syrian people and the preservation of their freedom and dignity.

T/S

ANHA