Kurds say they will push for federal system in post-Assad Syria

Orhan Qereman - Reuters - 10/04
Syrian Kurds are set to demand a federal system in post-Assad Syria that would allow regional autonomy and security forces, a senior Kurdish official told Reuters, doubling down on a decentralised vision opposed by the interim president.
  • Kurdish parties agree on federalism as common political vision
  • Kurdish-led groups control a quarter of Syrian territory
  • Kurds have criticised path set by Islamist president
  • Joint announcement by end-April, says Kurdish group leader
QAMISHLI, Syria, April 10 (Reuters) - Syrian Kurds are set to demand a federal system in post-Assad Syria that would allow regional autonomy and security forces, a senior Kurdish official told Reuters, doubling down on a decentralised vision opposed by the interim president.
The demand for federal rule has gathered momentum as alarm spread through Syria's minorities over last month's mass killings of Alawites, while Kurdish groups have accused interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Islamist group of setting the wrong course for the new Syria and monopolising power.

Sign up here.

Rival Syrian Kurdish parties, including the dominant faction in the Kurdish-run northeast, agreed on a common political vision - including federalism - last month, Kurdish sources said. They have yet to officially unveil it.
Kurdish-led groups took control of roughly a quarter of Syrian territory during the 14-year civil war. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the U.S., last month signed a deal with Damascus on merging Kurdish-led governing bodies and security forces with the central government.
While committed to that deal, Kurdish officials have objected to the way Syria's governing Islamists are shaping the transition from Bashar al-Assad's rule, saying they are failing to respect Syria's diversity despite promises of inclusivity.
Badran Jia Kurd, a senior offic...
[Short citation of 8% of the original article]