After the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), sent a delegation to Damascus, cards are being reshuffled. Following the first meeting in Damascus after President Bashar al-Assad’s declaration of a dual strategy of “either negotiations or war” for the future of territory controlled by the SDF, an option of reconciliation has actually emerged. It was reported that the government delegation presented a 12-item list of demands that included handing over districts that have government offices in Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah, joint management of oil and natural gas fields by local administrations under the supervision of the government, flying the Syrian flag at border crossings and government buildings, and the gradual termination of contacts with foreign forces.

The Kurdish delegation, however, did not offer much information, simply saying that committees will be set up to prepare for a transition to the phase of negotiations.

This Kurdish-regime dialogue, which was held July 26-27, offered optimism that war may not be the only option, yet there are many obstacles left to overcome. For one thing, the 50,000-strong SDF and the proposed model of democratic autonomy, with its abundant local institutions, are not easy for a centralized system like Damascus to accept. The Syrian regime, without mentioning federation or autonomy, wants to find the middle ground for returning to the 28% of Syrian territory controlled by the SDF without fighting. The status of local law and order forces and the SDF, which is led by the People’s Protection Units, as well as issues such as the recognition of Kurdish and other local languages, education in the mother tongue, border security and sharing of natural resources are all matters that require time to reach agreement on, if ever.

Although the Kurds say they have no red lines on the table, all of these issues are serious enough to be red lines. That is why although the Kurdish delegation went home optimistic, everyone is still cautious. What made the Damascus meeting meaningful was the official hosting of the current co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council Ilham Ahmed in Damascus, the delegation's meetings with senior-level regime officials such as Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Selim Harba and the decision to set up committees for a transition to the negotiations phase.