Eurasia Press & News
While progress has been made between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the Syrian Transitional Government on several issues—including a new agreement announced today concerning the Al-Hol camp—deep disagreements remain over the core issue of governance: centralization versus decentralization.
Agreement to Repatriate Syrians from Al-Hol Camp
The AANES announced on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with Damascus to facilitate the voluntary return of Syrian nationals from Al-Hol camp to their areas of origin. The camp currently houses tens of thousands of individuals, many of them women and children associated with ISIS fighters.
According to U.S. media reports, the announcement followed a trilateral meeting between representatives of the AANES, the Syrian central government, and the U.S.-led international coalition.
Shikhmoos Ahmed, head of the Office for Displaced Persons and Refugees within the AANES Social Affairs and Labor Authority, confirmed the establishment of a joint mechanism to oversee the repatriation process. He emphasized that the Administration would support all Syrians willing to return voluntarily, reiterating that the humanitarian dimension takes precedence over political considerations.
Ahmed also dismissed speculation about transferring control of Al-Hol to Damascus, stating: “There were no discussions about handing over the camp’s administration, neither with the visiting delegation nor with the government in Damascus.”
Current estimates suggest that Al-Hol is home to around 39,000 individuals, primarily ISIS-affiliated families from Syria, Iraq, and various Arab and Western countries.
Centralization vs. Decentralization: The Political Deadlock
In the political realm, a delegation from the AANES is expected to travel to Damascus soon to continue talks with the central government. However, a senior Kurdish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored that the Kurds would not yield on their core demand: decentralization.
“The optimal solution to Syria’s unresolved crises is a democratic, pluralistic, decentralized state,” the official told Agence France-Presse. “A system that monopolizes power and ignores the diversity of regions and communities is no longer viable.”
The official confirmed that decentralization would be a central demand in negotiations and added that the talks would also seek “constitutional recognition of the rights of the Kurdish people.”
While some dialogue is ongoing, the Kurdish source admitted the discussions remain difficult and complex, requiring “an unprecedented level of trust-building between the two sides.” He cautioned that Damascus’s insistence on centralized governance, without genuine power-sharing, would make negotiations “slow and arduous.”
Aldar Khalil: “Damascus’s Position Remains Rigid”
Aldar Khalil, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), stated in a press release that preparations for the upcoming negotiation round are nearing completion. He noted that the Kurdish position paper would serve as the basis for talks with Damascus.
In remarks to Reuters, Khalil warned that talks might encounter obstacles due to what he called Damascus’s “rigid” stance. He stressed that the role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in securing the northeast must be “guaranteed politically, legally, and constitutionally—otherwise, any discussion on disarmament would be meaningless.”
Khalil’s comments suggest that, despite an agreement reached in March to begin integrating the SDF into the Syrian army and merge northeastern institutions with central state structures, little tangible progress has been made.
Kurdish Delegation Aims to Win Autonomy—But Can It?
Last month, Kurdish political forces issued a unified vision statement calling for the incorporation of Kurdish-majority regions into a federal Syrian framework—framed as a means of preserving gains made during the conflict.
Contacts between the Kurds and Damascus have continued through a joint committee discussing the future of the SDF. The vision was jointly adopted by the Democratic Union Party and its rival, the Kurdish National Council.
However, the proposal drew a firm response from Damascus. The office of Syrian Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a statement rejecting “any attempt to impose faits accomplis or to establish federal entities or self-administrations without national consensus.”
Kurdish factions in turn dismissed the transitional framework proposed by Sharaa’s administration. Aldar Khalil criticized Damascus’s approach as “unilateral,” deepening concerns that meaningful compromise remains elusive.
