SDF announces postponement of Mazloum Abdi’s visit to Damascus
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that they have postponed a planned visit by their commander, Mazloum Abdi, to Damascus for “technical reasons.”
According to a statement published by the SDF Media Center on Monday, 29 December, Abdi had been scheduled to travel to Damascus on the same day, accompanied by the negotiating delegation for northeastern Syria.
The statement added that a new date for the visit will be set later, by mutual agreement among the relevant parties.
The postponement, the statement said, is linked to logistical and technical arrangements related to the visit, adding that there has been no change in the course of communications or in the goals on the table.
March 10 deadline nearing
The deadline for the March 10 agreement expires at the end of this year, yet its provisions remain pending. Neither party has implemented any of them, and both sides have traded accusations over delays and obstruction in recent months, without reaching concrete steps to move implementation forward.
Despite repeated meetings at different levels, including a key meeting between Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Abdi on 7 October, the agreement has made no progress, neither on handing over state institutions nor on integrating the SDF’s military and security forces into Syrian state institutions.
A source at the Ministry of Information previously told Enab Baladi that a meeting between Damascus and the SDF might be held, but discussions would focus first on the Syrian government’s proposal rather than the SDF’s.
This came after Syria’s Ministry of Defense recently submitted an official proposal to the SDF, based on the spirit of the March 10 agreement and taking into account the SDF’s organizational particularities, by offering an opportunity for gradual integration into the structure of the Syrian army. The American side was also briefed on the proposal.
According to the source, the SDF rejected the Syrian government’s proposal and presented an alternative proposal on 22 December, calling for the formation of three separate brigades for counterterrorism, border security, and women.
The source said this response reflects the SDF’s desire to maintain organizational autonomy outside the framework of the Syrian army, which conflicts with the core of the March 10 agreement. The Syrian government is now studying the proposal, along with other issues related to the file.
[Source: Enab Baladi English]
