France's role in Syria-SDF agreement: What to know
French diplomatic sources highlight the role played by Paris in recent months in reaching an agreement between the Sharaa government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
PARIS — France contributed to Friday’s agreement between the Syrian interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, French diplomats told Al-Monitor, with a focus on safeguarding Kurdish political rights. While Washington led the diplomatic push, including direct engagement by President Donald Trump with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Paris played a supportive role in shaping the agreement’s provisions on local governance and Kurdish representation, the sources said.
Friday’s agreement provides for the gradual integration of Kurdish fighters into the Syrian military and the incorporation of the Kurdish autonomous administration into the Syrian state. It also outlines measures aimed at ensuring Kurdish political representation and local governance within the Syrian state.
France has long supported the Kurdish cause, and highlighting its diplomatic efforts on behalf of the SDF has become a political priority for President Emmanuel Macron. Some critics argue, however, that Macron’s emphasis on the Kurdish file also reflects a broader effort to project international relevance at a time when his domestic standing is strained.
Washington — the primary driver of the deal, as Al-Monitor’s Amberin Zaman reported Friday — focused, according to French diplomatic sources, on cementing Sharaa’s status as Syria’s president and ensuring his authority over the entire country as a means of stabilizing the state. Guided by this principle, the Americans pressed the SDF to hand over control of the prisons holding ISIS fighters and the camps where ISIS family members reside.
