Syrian Government Signs Breakthrough Deal with Kurdish-Led Forces

The Kurdish-led militia that controls northeast Syria agreed on Monday to merge with the country’s new government, marking a major breakthrough for Damascus in its efforts to unify a country wrestling with violent turmoil.

The agreement, announced by the office of Syria’s presidency and signed by both parties, stipulated that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces would integrate “all civil and military institutions” into the new Syrian state by the end of the year, including its prized oil and gas fields.

The deal also outlined “the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process," amid repeated pledges by Syria’s new leadership to form an inclusive government after years of sectarian strife.

The timing of the agreement, which came amid violent clashes in Syria’s coastal region that have left more than 1,300 people dead, signaled a moment of reprieve for Syria’s new interim president, Ahmed al-Shara.

Since the rebel coalition headed by Mr. al-Shara toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, the new government has sought to unify the complex web of rebel groups operating across Syria — the most powerful of them being the Kurdish-led forces in the northeast. However, the security situation has remained unstable, and the Kurdish militia has been among the most challenging groups to bring under the new government’s fold.

Syria’s new government has ordered all armed groups in the country to dissolve, and in recent weeks, several prominent militias have agreed to work with the new authorities, despite their skepticism about sweeping promises to create an inclusive government. As a rebel leader, Mr. al-Shara commanded an armed group once allied with Al Qaeda, and skeptics question whether he has given up its former hard-line jihadist views.