In a major political breakthrough, Syria’s acting government and Kurdish-led authorities signed a landmark deal on Monday integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the national army and giving constitutional rights to Kurdish population. The agreement signed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Commander of the SDF, Mazloum Abdi, is a new page in the post-Assad era of Syria and puts most of the country under the control of the center.
The deal, to take full effect by year’s end, will hand management of key infrastructure such as border checkpoints, oil fields and airports to the central government. Moreover, around 9,000 suspected Isis prisoners now will be in state custody.
Big win for Syria’s Kurdish population, court ruling brings official recognition of language, and citizenship is granted to thousands who were left stateless under the Assad regime. The move clears the way for displaced Kurdish families to return home with the commitment to include all Syrians regardless of ethnicity or religion into Syria’s political process for the first time in decades. 
Though the shift has been difficult, nevertheless politically bloody. Last week a series of battles between security forces and Assad’s loyalists in the coastal zone have brought death toll to over 1,000 people, among them 830 civilians, media reports. Governments in the West are following the proceedings closely, calls for accountability and ban on sanctions gaining steam.
As Syria inches toward national reconciliation, the fate of this deal will matter a lot in determining the country’s long-term stability.
