Details of the inconclusive meeting between Shara and Abdi: 'Tom Barrack deceived them'

No agreement could be reached between Shara and Abdi, who sat at the table to discuss the agreement to be signed to end the conflicts in Syria.

While statements were made that the hours-long meeting ended negatively, journalist Çiçek provided information about the content of the meeting on his social media account.

Here are the details of the meeting between Shara and Abdi:

The following is being stated regarding what happened in the meetings in Damascus.

It is said that the meeting lasted for more than three hours without interruption.

It is stated that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense also attended the meeting along with Syrian President Shara.

Syrian President Ahmed Shara offered Mazlum Abdi the position of Deputy Minister of Defense and the right to appoint the governor of Hasakah in exchange for finalizing the agreement and the SDF's separation from the PKK.

Abdi demanded that Hasakah remain under SDF control; Shara rejected this proposal and insisted on the entry of Ministry of Interior forces into the city.

When Abdi requested five days to consult with his leadership, Shara rejected this, demanding an answer by the end of the day and warning that otherwise, the Hasakah issue would be resolved through the use of force.

"TOM BARRACK DECEIVED THEM"

In the continuation of his post, journalist Nevzat Çiçek cited a source from the SDF and stated the following:

“A high-level source from the SDF confirmed to Rûdaw that the negotiations between Mazloum Abdi and Ahmed al-Shara ended in failure.

According to the source in question, the main reason for the deadlock in the negotiations was the Damascus administration's refusal to recognize the commitments previously made to the SDF by the former US Special Envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack. 

It is alleged that Tom Barrack had given Mazloum Abdi these two fundamental promises:

The SDF would continue its existence as a "unified and independent division" within the Syrian Arab Army without being disbanded. (It is claimed that Barrack said this point would not be put on paper to avoid backlash, but that it would be implemented.)

The second was that Rojava would be governed by the Kurds themselves and that a local Kurdish administration would be recognized.

It was stated that the Damascus government rejected these two critical points with a firm "No."

RESPONSE FROM THE SDF: 'SLANDER'

Following the failure of the negotiations, claims spread from Damascus sources that "the agreement could not be reached because Mazloum Abdi does not have the authority to make decisions." 

An SDF source denied these claims, stating, "The government is resorting to this slander to pin the blame for the failure on the SDF. In this way, they want to mislead both the Kurdistan leadership and regional countries."