Kurds' rights in Syria are guaranteed in various ways

According to KurdPress, Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Ibrahim Olabi, referring to the recent meeting between Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, and Ahmed Sharia, President of the Syrian interim government, announced that this trip had a positive role in the recent developments in Syria and the convergence of the views of the various parties.He emphasized that the rights of the Kurds are not limited to the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 13, and the return of thousands of Kurds to their homes and lands, participation in government, army and parliament structures, and presence in high-ranking positions are other achievements of this process.

In an interview with Rudaw, Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, referred to the agreement between the Syrian interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), stating that this agreement was reached after extensive negotiations and with a common understanding that war is not a solution to disputes.

He added: “This was a historic moment. I believe that everyone in the Security Council today was also pleased with this moment. This stage came after extensive efforts between the SDF and the government for integration. There was more rationality that said that war was not a suitable option.The Syrian ambassador to the UN also stressed that the rights of citizens are not something the government needs to fight to achieve, as they are “guaranteed in various ways.”

He added that the full details of the positions and implementation mechanisms of the agreement have not yet been officially announced, and there are some reports and speculations about it, but what has been put forward so far indicates an effort to build a new Syria based on the broader participation of all groups.

Kurds’ achievements after the agreement with Damascus

In response to the question of what achievements the Kurds have made in comparison to the end of the SDF’s activities as an independent military force, Awlabi said that the dissolution of the SDF should not be seen as a mere result of the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 13.

 “The return of people to Afrin and other areas is the first issue,” he said.We see thousands of people returning to their homelands and homes, and this is a very good thing.”

He cited the participation of Kurds in government structures, holding high-ranking positions in the army and government, and being present in parliament as other results of this process.

The Syrian ambassador also said that there was “never a war” between the Syrian government and the Kurds, meaning hostility towards the Kurdish people, and that past differences were due to differences in views and experiences.

He added: “We have never had hostility towards the Kurds; there were differences in views. Then, within a year, we were able to work together, and now we are moving Syria forward together.»

Language rights and Kurdish education in the future constitution

Regarding the possibility of including the language and educational rights of the Kurds, including Kurdish language education, in the future constitution of Syria, Ibrahim Olabi said that these issues will be discussed during the political transition and when drafting the constitution.

Pointing out that it is not yet clear how and by which parties the future constitution will be drafted, he said that the actions of the Syrian government since the beginning of its activity are a sign of the lack of fundamental opposition to the presence and participation of the Kurds in the political structure of the country.

Olabi pointed to the presence of Kurdish figures on the list of parliamentary candidates and said that for the first time a Kurdish woman wearing traditional Kurdish clothing has appeared in the Syrian parliament.He added that these developments show that there is room for discussion about the place of Kurdish rights in the future constitution, although it is still necessary to negotiate what rights, with what mechanism and in what format they should be included in the constitution.

Nechirvan Barzani’s role in the Damascus-SDF agreement process

The Syrian representative to the UN described Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to Damascus and his meeting with Ahmed Sharia as “historic” and said that this visit had played a positive role in the process of mediation and facilitating talks between Damascus and the Kurdish side.

Referring to Ahmed Sharia’s message in Kurdish after his meeting with Nechirvan Barzani, Olabi said: “In my opinion, a Syrian president had never done this before, and perhaps there is no example of it even in the Arab world.”

He emphasized that the Iraqi Kurdistan Region had played a positive role in “facilitating and mediating, clarifying the situation and identifying friends and enemies.”Al-Olabi also praised the SDF leaders for understanding the situation and preferring to reach an agreement rather than continue the conflict, saying they have accepted that their rights are guaranteed and that there is no need to shed “a single drop of blood.”

Status of SDF women still not finalized

Al-Olabi also said that the issue is still within the framework of negotiations and the final details have not been determined regarding reports that the SDF women’s forces will be integrated into the Syrian Interior Ministry.

He noted that representatives of the women’s forces were present at a meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Syrian presidential palace, and that issues related to the future status and role of the forces were still being discussed.

The Syrian ambassador to the UN added that the negotiations were proceeding at a rapid pace and that a final decision would be officially announced once the parties reached an agreement on the details.He concluded by emphasizing that the overall atmosphere of the negotiations was a joint movement by the parties to build a “better Syria” and a future in which all groups in the country would participate.