Kurds Cannot Be Excluded From Syria Peace Talks – Opposition Committee

The head of the National Coordination Committee for the Forces of Democratic Change (NCC) Hassan Abdel Azim said that the Kurds should not be excluded from the peace talks, considering their efforts in fighting against the extremist groups operating in Syria.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The participation of Syrian Kurds in the much-anticipated Geneva talks on Syria is vital to resolve the civil war, the head of the National Coordination Committee for the Forces of Democratic Change (NCC) Hassan Abdel Azim told Sputnik on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius confirmed that UN envoy Staffan de Mistura had not invited representatives of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) to the intra-Syrian talks on Friday.

"Incomplete representation of the opposition gets in the way of advancing on the issues. The main parties participating in the meetings in Cairo, Moscow 2 cannot be excluded from any negotiations," Abdul Azim said.

The NCC head added that the Kurds should not be excluded from the peace talks, considering their efforts in fighting against the extremist groups operating in Syria.

Ankara, which has protested against the PYD’s participation, is interfering in the Syrian peace process by solving their internal affairs and linking the group to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, outlawed in Turkey.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the intra-Syrian reconciliation talks would fail to result in a political settlement without the participation of the Syrian Kurds.