Syria’s interim government announced Saturday that it will not attend planned talks in Paris on integrating the Kurdish-led administration into the state.
The decision came after a Friday conference organized by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), where minority community representatives called for a decentralized political system and a new constitution guaranteeing cultural and religious rights.
The conference also condemned recent acts of violence by pro-government forces against the country’s minorities including the Alawites, Druze, and Christians.
“The government affirms that this conference has dealt a blow to continuing negotiation efforts,” a government official told the Sana news agency.
“Accordingly, it will not participate in any meetings scheduled for Paris and will not sit at the negotiating table with any party seeking to revive the era of the former regime under any pretext or cover,” the official added.
The Syrian government also called on international mediators to move all negotiations to Damascus, saying it is the “legitimate and national address for dialogue among Syrians.”
Syria’s new government, formed by rebel groups that overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad in December, is working to integrate all armed groups into the state security forces after more than 13 years of civil war.
While many groups have complied, the U.S.-backed SDF have been reluctant to do so, despite agreeing under a deal reached in March. Last month, the Syrian government, France, and the U.S. announced they had agreed to hold talks in Paris “as soon as possible” to discuss integrating the autonomous Kurdish administration into the Syrian state.
The recent dispute between the Syrian government and the SDF follows clashes earlier this month.
On Saturday, the SDF accused government-backed factions of attacking areas in northeastern Syria more than 22 times.
It said it had exercised restraint during such “aggressions” but the continuation of attacks “threatens mutual trust and undermines understandings.”
