A coalition of political parties and movements in northeast Syria has issued a joint statement denouncing recent remarks by U.S. Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, accusing him of straying from the constructive role expected of the United States as a sponsor of both the political process and the international coalition against terrorism.
The statement, released to the international public, also expressed unequivocal support for the negotiating delegation representing the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), while warning against attempts to override the political and military realities forged over years of struggle.
“Syria’s future cannot be built on a foundation of exclusion and denial,” the statement reads. “It must be grounded in mutual recognition and inclusive partnership.”
Call to Uphold the March 10 Agreement and Constitutional Gains
The parties described Barrack’s comments as incompatible with his role as a neutral mediator and dismissive of the democratic model established in northeast Syria, where local communities have built a functioning system of self-administration and have sacrificed heavily in the fight against ISIS in coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition.
“Such remarks erode trust in the negotiation process and reopen wounds from earlier phases, when international actors disregarded the voices and just demands of local populations,” the statement warned.
It reaffirmed the centrality of the March 10 Agreement of 2025, signed between SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi and Syria’s Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa, as a national framework that must be respected and preserved.
Kurdistan Renewal Movement: U.S. Remarks Contradict Its Own Federal Model
Among the most forceful responses came from the Kurdistan Renewal Movement, which expressed deep surprise at Barrack’s assertion that “federalism doesn’t work — you cannot have quasi-independent entities inside a single state.”
The movement said the comment was both “unrealistic and contradictory to the American federal model itself,” one of the world’s most prominent examples of successful democratic federalism.
“How can a representative of a federal democracy like the United States portray federalism as a failed project?” the group asked in a statement. “Such rhetoric either stems from a misunderstanding of federalism or a political intent to sideline the legitimate rights of communities seeking democratic autonomy within a unified state.”
The movement stressed that federalism does not equate to “mini-states within a state,” as the envoy implied, but rather offers a modern constitutional mechanism for managing diversity, limiting authoritarianism, and guaranteeing the participation of all ethnic and religious components in governance and national resources.
“The region will no longer accept cosmetic or imposed solutions,” the movement added. “The self-administration model in North and East Syria has proven its viability and legitimacy and will remain an essential pillar of Syria’s future.”
A Call for Constitutional Recognition
In closing, the signatories insisted that no sustainable political solution can succeed unless it guarantees formal recognition of the Autonomous Administration and the rights of all components in a future democratic, decentralized Syria.
They urged the international community—particularly the United States—to respect the aspirations of the communities that led the fight against terrorism and developed an inclusive civic alternative to authoritarianism and chaos.
Signatories
The statement was endorsed by 35 political parties and entities, including:
- Kurdistan National Congress (KNK)
- Kurdistan Renewal Movement
- Democratic Union Party (PYD)
- Green Party of Kurdistan
- Kurdistan Democratic Peace Party
- Kurdish Liberal Party in Syria
- Kurdish Communist Party
- Kurdistan Democratic Party – Syria
- Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party
- Kurdish Left Party in Syria
- Democratic Kurdish Left Party in Syria
- Future Syria Party
- Kurdistan Democratic Change Party
- Union of Kurdish Workers
- Arab National Authority
- Party of Modernity and Democracy for Syria
- Kurdish Democratic Reconciliation Party
- Reform Movement – Syria
- Assyrian Democratic Party
- Kurdistani Brotherhood Party
- Roj Democratic Kurdish Party in Syria
- Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM)
- Kongra Star
- Conservative Party
- Democratic Struggle Party
- Kurdistani Future Movement
- Kurdistan Democratic Party – Western Kurdistan
- Democratic Change Movement
- Syriac Union Party
- Kurdish National Gathering Party
- Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria (Parti)
- Kurdish Democratic Unity Party in Syria (Yekiti)
- Revolutionary Left Current in Syria
- Soraya Party
- Syrian Homeland Party
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
