AL-HASAKAH – Media outlets close to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have revealed disputes between the AANES and a Syrian Ministry of Justice delegation visiting Al-Hasakah. The visit is part of the ongoing follow-up on the implementation of the January 29 agreement regarding the integration of institutions between the two sides.
Yesterday, the Governor of Al-Hasakah, Nour al-Din Ahmed, received a Ministry of Justice delegation led by Syria’s Attorney General, Hassan al-Turba. The meeting was attended by the official spokesperson for the Presidential Committee for Judicial Integration, a delegation from the AANES Social Justice Office, and representatives from the justice and judiciary sectors.
Discussions centered on integration mechanisms and methods to reactivate the Palace of Justice in the governorate to bolster judicial operations and improve public services.
Friction in Qamishli
In a related development, sources who attended a meeting between the government delegation and the AANES judiciary in Qamishli on Monday reported that the session yielded no results regarding the integration of currently operating judicial institutions into the state system.
According to these sources, the Ministry of Justice delegation, visiting the Qamishli court as part of the agreement’s implementation, demanded a full handover of the court and the dissolution of the existing AANES judicial body. The delegation also proposed granting AANES judicial employees paid leave while their names are submitted to Damascus for vetting and legal examination prior to potential re-employment.
One source noted that the government delegation informed former government judges and employees present that the court would be handed over to them entirely to resume their duties. The meeting reportedly witnessed a “negative atmosphere and mutual accusations of rejecting the integration agreement,” with AANES judicial officials flatly rejecting the government’s demands.
Divergent Narratives
Conversely, other media platforms characterized the events at the Al-Hasakah Palace of Justice not as a passing dispute, but as an attempt by the “Damascus authority” to “re-impose control by force and reintroduce Ba’athist figures through the back door into an institution that should represent justice rather than hegemony.”
These reports described the promotion of Ba’athist figures into judicial roles as a “provocation of the people’s will” and an attempt to “revive a system rejected by reality after years of repression.” They asserted that the AANES stands as a “first line of defense for the dignity of society and its right to self-management away from guardianship.”
Security and Education Files
Parallel to these judicial talks, the government delegation continued field visits. The Director of Prisons, Ziad Abu Ras, visited the central prison in Derek (Al-Malikiyah), where he was received by prison director Arin Akram to inspect conditions as part of the institutional integration process. Visits also included meetings with the Social Justice Council in Al-Hasakah and an inspection of Ghwayran Prison alongside the AANES Justice and Reform Office.
In a parallel development, government and AANES sources revealed preparations for a meeting next week in Al-Hasakah involving the Education Authority and University Coordination of North and East Syria, alongside the Ministries of Education and Higher Education of the government.
The meeting is set to discuss mechanisms for the accreditation and equivalence of AANES curriculum certificates for all levels—preparatory, secondary, and university—as part of the January 29 agreement.
In this context, the Minister of Higher Education, Marwan al-Halabi, stated on February 17 that restoring higher education institutions in the Al-Jazira region is a “national priority that brooks no delay.” During a visit to the Al-Furat University branch in Raqqa, al-Halabi announced a ministerial committee to finalize the integration of Al-Sharq University into the Al-Furat University system, ensuring students’ rights and confirming that degrees issued by Al-Sharq University in previous years will be legally accredited.
A Roadmap for Stability
Sources within the AANES and the negotiation committee reported that preparations have begun to draft lists of representatives from various components of society to join the government’s ministerial structures based on competence and specialization.
These steps are part of the implementation of the “roadmap” stemming from the January 29 agreement. This plan includes:
Integrating institutions and securing employee status.
Maintaining a ceasefire.
Repositioning military and Internal Security Forces in the Al-Jazira and Kobani regions.
Ensuring the return of displaced persons.
These efforts aim to unify institutions and enhance regional stability through a comprehensive framework for cooperation.
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