Syria’s interim president on Thursday signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase.

The SDC is the political leadership of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which signed a deal with the Damascus government on Monday to join Syria's new state institutions and hand over key border crossings, oil fields and an airport to government control.

The document enshrines separation of powers and guarantees women's rights, freedom of expression and media freedom.