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Salih Muslim: Syrian coalition does not represent Kurds

In exclusive remarks to Al-Monitor, Salih Muslim, the chairman of the Democratic Union Party, said that Syria's Kurds should be better recognized in the Geneva negotiations.
Saleh Muslim, head of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), is seen during a Reuters interview in Berlin April 18, 2013.  Bombings of Kurdish areas in Syria suggest that Syrian Kurds, long detached from the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, are increasingly being targeted by his forces after they struck deals with rebels fighting to topple him, Muslim said. To match Interview SYRIA-CRISIS/KURDS REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST PROFILE) - RTXYR77

BRUSSELS — The leader of the biggest Syrian Kurdish party has suggesteds that the Western countries are pushing the Kurds to talk to President Bashar al-Assad by forcing them to be either part of the opposition or the regime delegation in Geneva II. But he says there is no difference between the Syrian government or the opposition in terms of Kurdish rights.

In an exclusive interview in Brussels with Al-Monitor, Salih Muslim, co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said the Kurds were not willing to talk to the Syrian regime, but that they did not rule this out in the future. The Western countries blocked the PYD from going to the Geneva II conference, although Russia was willing to include the Kurds.

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