MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : NEW PYD/PKK-BODIES IN SYRIA – ROJAVA

New Autonomous Administration to focus on reconstruction, services, diplomacy – by Meghan Bodette 15/09/2018 – THE REGION

The newly-formed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, established last week in Ain Issa, will focus on the reconstruction of areas destroyed by years of war, providing much-needed public services, and presenting a unified front for diplomatic efforts. Statements from several officials suggest that these key issues will be among the main tasks of the new administration, which will coordinate between the seven autonomous administrations previously established across SDF-held Northern Syria. ANHA reported that the administration’s General Assembly is to have 70 members— 49 being members of elected local administrations, and 21 being “specialists” or “experts,” likely in crucial technical fields.The leaders of the new council— Siham Qariou and Ferhad Atti— both have extensive experience in the existing democratic autonomous administrations. Qariou, who belongs to the Syriac Union Party, served as the co-chair of Cizire Canton’s Economy and Trade Committee when the canton was founded, and later held a position as co-chair of the region’s Foreign Relations Committee. Atti, a lawyer from Kobane, served in various judicial and legal positions.

The restructuring comes months after Turkey and several jihadist-affiliated militias invaded and occupied Afrin Canton and coincides with the SDF’s final assault on the last ISIS pocket in Hajin. It will combine majority-Kurdish areas held by the self-administration since the beginning of the conflict with majority-Arab regions liberated by the SDF and administered by local communities according to Northern Syria’s democratic model.

Discrepancies in service provision and the urgent need for reconstruction mean that an authority with the ability to coordinate activities across different regions has been sorely needed. The new administration will be able to present a unified front when working with international actors to secure the necessary funding and support for these projects. While the exact role of the appointed “specialists” is unknown, their expertise likely relates to the complex issues involved in rebuilding Northern Syria after years of conflict and with little outside funding.

Farouk al-Mashi, the co-chair of the Legislative Assembly of the local administration in Manbij, told ANHA that the administration is a “memorandum of understanding and coordination between Democratic Autonomous Administration [in the Jazira and Euphrates regions, and formerly in Afrin] and local administrations [in Raqqa, Tabqa, Manbij and Deir Ezzor].” He noted that it will work towards the “development of the service field” in those regions.

Amir al-Khabour, a member of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria from Raqqa, said in the same interview that “our goal in this new administration to provide all services to the people of Raqqa in order to rebuild the city again and restore…life to it.”

The liberation of Raqqa destroyed up to 80% of the city’s infrastructure, according to some estimates. The Raqqa Civil Council’s Reconstruction Committee has overseen the progress made so far in rebuilding, and has taken significant steps despite insufficient international aid. Infrastructure in Manbij sustained less damage, and local authorities have launched reconstruction efforts, but there is still significant work to be done there as well. Both local administrations will likely benefit from the new coordinating body as they seek internal and external support and resources. Ain Issa, where the Autonomous Administration will be headquartered, is strategically located for reaching both of these areas and connecting them to political centers closer to the Turkish border.

Diplomatically, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria will serve as the latest consolidated authority that can negotiate with local and international powers and participate in diplomatic processes on behalf of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria as a whole. The choice of a co-chair with foreign relations experience signals to the international community that the new body will look outward as much as it looks towards domestic concerns. As the war against ISIS winds down and the questions of Idlib and Afrin come to the forefront, an international presence for Northern Syria will be as necessary as ever, and the formation of the Autonomous Adminstration suggests that local officials are serious about strengthening it. www.mesop.de