“We have a project for Kurds in Syria. But we didn’t discuss it in this round of negotiations. We were more committed to the UN’s agenda,” Omar Osi told Rudaw. Osi is a Kurd and member of the Syrian parliament. He attended the Geneva talks as a member of the regime’s delegation.
While the UN’s special envoy Staffan de Mistura has said that Kurds should not be marginalized in the future of Syria, their representation at the Geneva talks has been contentious, mainly due to opposition from Turkey.
There are two Kurds within the regime’s delegation and a handful are part of the opposition’s team; the head of the Moscow platform, one of the main rival opposition groups, is a Kurd. During the fifth round of talks in March, two Kurds representing the Kurdish National Council (KNC) withdrew from the talks in objection to the “exclusion” of the Kurdish question by the official Syrian opposition delegation, the High Negotiation Committee.
None of the Kurdish delegates represent Kurds who have established a self-autonomous region in the north of the country, Rojava. Turkey objects to the participation of Rojava Kurds, alleging they have ties to the PKK, a named terrorist organization.
Government and opposition are against federalism
It had been reported that the UN had proposed a draft constitution for Syrian government and opposition delegations to debate.
"I shared an internal UN paper," Mistura told reporters. "The purpose of the paper was never to negotiate the terms of the paper or to become an object of negotiation to give them an idea of what our vision could be."
All the parties participating in the Geneva negotiation talks say Kurds have constitutional rights in Syria, but they all interpret these rights differently. What they agree on is the rejection of the federalism being called for by Rojava Kurds.
Jamal Sulaiman, previous head of Cairo platform delegation, said, “If there is a project, it should be for all. A number of people shouldn’t declare a unilateral federalism. The question is more impossible than this and I really fear for the interests of our Kurdish brothers.”
“All the different parties of the opposition including the Islamic ones have reached the belief that there should be a decentralized system in Syria and the rights of all components should be protected. But this decentralized system should exist only in administration and shouldn’t become federalism in Syria,” he explained.
The Syrian government recently has been more supportive of the Astana talks in Kazakkhstan, where the United Nations just has an observatory role in the more militarily-geared negotiations led by Russia, Turkey, and Iran.
Assad called Geneva VI "merely a meeting for the media" and "there is nothing substantial in all the Geneva meetings. Not even one per million. It is null."
Opposition is against arming SDF
The decision to arm the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by the US in preparation of the Raqqa military offensive was a hot topic for the delegations in Geneva. Most opposition members opposed the move.
“I am against all types of armament. I believe the political solution is parallel to confronting terrorism. I don’t want Syria to be the place where regional and international conflicts are settled any longer,” Alis Mifraj, deputy head of the opposition’s delegation, told Rudaw.
Qadri Jamil, a leftist Kurd and head of the Moscow platform, called for a focus on finding a political solution to the conflict. “We are for the removal of all forces in Syria, but this can be done when there is a political settlement in Syria. We are in Geneva to find a political settlement.”
Opposition pleased with renewed participation of Kurds
In the fifth round of Geneva talks, the Kurdish National Council suspended their participation in talks because of the opposition delegation’s failure to address the Kurdish question, they stated at the time.
In the latest round of talks, the KNC delegates attended two meetings with UN envoy de Mistura.
Mohammed Sabra, an opposition negotiator, told Rudaw, “We are happy about the participation of our Kurdish brothers.”
Farah Atasi, who negotiated between the KNC and opposition’s high body, said “There are Kurds with us. But even if they are not here, we will be defending their rights.”
Hawas Agid is a representative of the KNC.
Agid told Rudaw, “With Michael Ratney [US envoy to the talks], we discussed problems between the Kurdish National Council and the opposition’s high body which aren’t in favor of Syria. Kurds won’t find their rights in the agenda of this body.”
Di Mistura, before starting the Geneva talks, declined to comment on a letter sent to him by the KNC, saying only that he treats all communication he receives as important and, “Kurds are an important component in Syria and no one can sideline them.”
.png&w=3840&q=75)
