Exclusive to Al Majalla:
Terms of the Agreement with Mazloum Abdi Before the Dissolution of the SDF
♦️Syrian and Western sources have told Al Majalla the main principles agreed upon ahead of Mazloum Abdi’s expected announcement from the presidential palace on Tuesday evening dissolving the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
♦️The understandings include President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointing Abdi as a presidential adviser and Ilham Ahmed as a deputy in the People’s Assembly, Syria’s parliament.
♦️In a sign of the shift in relations, senior officials in #
Damascus# have begun referring to Abdi as “Mr Mazloum” rather than “General Mazloum”.
The main steps are as follows:
1. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held two working sessions in Damascus with Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed on Monday and Tuesday. It was agreed that they would meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the presidential palace on Tuesday evening, after which Abdi would announce at a press conference the dissolution of all military and civilian institutions, including the SDF and the Autonomous Administration.
2. Mazloum Abdi is to be appointed a presidential adviser. One proposal under discussion is for his portfolio to cover #
Syria’s# communities or Kurdish affairs, with the final mandate to be set out in a presidential decree.
3. Ilham Ahmed is to be appointed as a deputy in the People’s Assembly as part of the “President’s List”. Proposals under discussion include assigning her a role related to drafting the constitution or serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee. The final arrangement is expected to be announced later.
4. During Abdi and Ahmed’s recent meetings in Damascus, the possibility of Ahmed assuming a post at the Foreign Ministry was also raised. Options discussed included deputy foreign minister, assistant foreign minister or senior adviser.
5. During the Monday and Tuesday meetings, agreement was also reached to incorporate the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), which number around 1,500 women, into the Internal Security Forces under the Interior Ministry. They would form part of counter-terrorism forces and be deployed in northeastern Syria.
6. Damascus pledged to examine, at a later stage, the integration of members of the Women’s Protection Units into the Syrian army.
7. The integration of SDF personnel into four brigades within the Syrian army is to be completed. Each brigade currently consists of around 1,300 fighters, while a number of personnel are still awaiting formal approval. The process is continuing for them as well as for around 1,700 additional fighters. Agreement was also reached on deploying Kurdish units along the border.
8. An official Syrian decision is to be issued recognising Kurdish as an official language, with theoretical subjects such as history and geography, among others, to be taught in Kurdish in schools.
9. Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed are expected to visit Turkey to meet Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). According to the sources, the visit could contribute to efforts leading to his release from prison and secure his support for the integration process. The visit is still awaiting an official Turkish decision.
10. #
Turkey# is considering removing Mazloum Abdi’s name from its terrorism list, similar to its earlier decision to remove Samir Oso (Sipan Hamo) from its blacklist.
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AlMajalla#