Syria rejects Kurds’ call for decentralisation

DAMASCUS: The Syrian presidency rejected on Sunday a Kurdish call for a decentralised state, warning against attempts at separatism or federalism by the minority group.

“We reject clearly any attempt to impose a separatist reality or to create separate entities under the cover of federalism... without a national consensus,” the presidency said in a statement in which it also condemned “the recent activities and declarations” of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that “call for federalism”. “The unity of Syria, of its territories and its people is a red line”, the statement said.