BEIRUT: The co-leader of a Kurdish-Arab political alliance in Syria has condemned a decision by the country’s Kurdish-controlled northern regions to seek autonomy, demonstrating that opposition to the move exists even among the Kurds’ closest allies.

The three northern regions agreed at a conference on Thursday to establish a self-administered “federal democratic system of Rojava - Northern Syria”. Rojava is the Kurdish name for north Syria.

The Damascus government and neighbouring Turkey swiftly condemned the move, as did Washington which fears it could complicate UN-backed peace talks in Geneva.

Haytham Manaa, who is co-chairman of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) along with Kurdish activist Ilham Ahmed, said on Friday the move was inappropriate.

“We reject this one-sided initiative and ask them to retract it and work within the framework of the SDC,” said Manaa, who spoke on behalf of his political grouping, the Qamah Movement, a central group within the SDC.

The SDC, which groups Kurds, Arabs and others, was formed in December at a meeting in northeastern Syria with the stated aim of promoting a secular, democratic vision for the country.

The Syrian Kurdish PYD party is part of the SDC and, along with Arab, Assyrian, Turkmen and other groups in the north, was a key proponent of the process that led to Thursday’s declaration of a federal system.

“One party within the SDC

(the PYD) undertook this initiative separately,” said Manaa, adding that the regional declaration contravened the aims of the SDC.

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2016