Syrian groups must disarm to take part in national dialogue: official

DAMASCUS: Groups that refuse to lay down their arms and submit to the defence ministry’s authority will play no part in a national dialogue on Syria’s future, a committee set up to prepare for a national conference said on Thursday.

The statement raises the prospect of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which hold much of northern and eastern Syria, being excluded from the national conference unless they disarm in line with the demands of the new Damascus government.

The seven-member preparatory committee was launched on Thursday to lay the ground for the national conference, which interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said will produce a statement forming the basis of a constitutional declaration.

The new Syrian administration wants the US-backed SDF to become part of the national armed forces but has rejected an SDF proposal for the Kurdish-led group to be merged into the army as a single military bloc.

Hassan al-Dughaim, the spokesperson for the preparatory committee, said the SDF “do not represent our people”. “We are talking about a national dialogue. Whoever does not lay down his arms ... will have no role in the national dialogue,” he said, speaking during a news conference in Damascus. Sharaa, in a January 31 interview with The Economist, said the SDF was ready to integrate its forces into the state but more time was needed to reach an agreement.