Syrian Opposition Formed in Moscow, Cairo Demand Kurds Included in Talks

Qadri Jamil, a Syrian opposition figure said that the Syrian opposition delegation will be insisting on the inclusion of the Kurdish minority in ongoing intra-Syrian talks.

GENEVA (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – The Syrian opposition delegation formed after meetings in Moscow and Cairo plans to insist on the inclusion of the Kurdish minority in ongoing intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, a Syrian opposition figure told Sputnik on Tuesday.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who set a six-month timeframe for the much-anticipated talks that began on January 29, did not invite the Kurdish minority for the intra-Syrian negotiations.

"So far they don't have an invitation, but our delegation will be insisting on their inclusion in the talks. We will insist that UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura invites them," Qadri Jamil said.

He stressed that the Kurds are an "integral part of the opposition delegation to the talks."

Turkey has actively opposed Kurdish participation in the dialogue, citing its stance linking Syrian Kurdish factions to separatist Kurds in its southeast. A number of stakeholders, Russia and the United States among them, argue in favor of including the Syrian Kurds in the negotiations.

Qadri said the Moscow-Cairo opposition delegation planned to take part in the intra-Syrian talks in full on Wednesday. The Syrian government delegates, led by the Arab republic's ambassador to the United Nations, arrived for talks with de Mistura earlier on Tuesday.

A formal start of the talks was marked on Monday, when de Mistura met opposition delegates formed in Saudi Arabia, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), in the UN Office at Geneva.

The talks are held as part of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, passed in December, which calls for a lasting political settlement of the crisis.