Kurdish controlled regions in the northern part of Syria have voted in favour of declaring an autonomous federation on Thursday.
Representatives from Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian communities and other ethnic groups held a conference in Rmeilan, where the vote was held after two days of deliberations.
Conference organiser Aldar Khalil said participants had “given our blessing for the establishment of a federal system”.
The newly declared region, to be called Rojava by the Kurds, consists of three different enclaves - Jazira, Kobani and Afrin.
Nawaf Khalil, a spokesperson from the Democratic Union Party told the Associated Press that the newly declared areas were not just for Kurds, and stressed that it would be multi-ethnic. "The federalism project is a model for all Syria," he said.
A former leader in the Democratic Union Party Idris Nassan said the announcement was "widening the framework of self-administration" across northern Syria. “Federalism should be the future not only for northern Syria or the Kurdish regions but for Syria in general, because under federalism democracy and equality will be guaranteed," he said.
The Syrian government swiftly rejected the move with a statement "warning anyone who dares to undermine the unity of the land and the people of Syria under any title". "Creating a union or a federal system ... contradicts the Syrian constitution and all the national concepts and international resolutions," it added.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition also denounced the move, stating that attempts to form autonomous regions "confiscate the will of the Syrian people".
Representatives from Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian communities and other ethnic groups held a conference in Rmeilan, where the vote was held after two days of deliberations.
Conference organiser Aldar Khalil said participants had “given our blessing for the establishment of a federal system”.
The newly declared region, to be called Rojava by the Kurds, consists of three different enclaves - Jazira, Kobani and Afrin.
Nawaf Khalil, a spokesperson from the Democratic Union Party told the Associated Press that the newly declared areas were not just for Kurds, and stressed that it would be multi-ethnic. "The federalism project is a model for all Syria," he said.
A former leader in the Democratic Union Party Idris Nassan said the announcement was "widening the framework of self-administration" across northern Syria. “Federalism should be the future not only for northern Syria or the Kurdish regions but for Syria in general, because under federalism democracy and equality will be guaranteed," he said.
The Syrian government swiftly rejected the move with a statement "warning anyone who dares to undermine the unity of the land and the people of Syria under any title". "Creating a union or a federal system ... contradicts the Syrian constitution and all the national concepts and international resolutions," it added.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition also denounced the move, stating that attempts to form autonomous regions "confiscate the will of the Syrian people".