Syria’s Kurds Divided Over Geneva II Conference
Syria’s Kurdish parties consider whether to be represented independently or as part of the Syrian National Coalition.
Representatives of the Syrian Kurdish parties visited Turkey on Oct. 8 to discuss border issues and Kurdish participation in the Geneva II peace talks, which will most likely take place in mid-November. However, the Syrian Kurdish parties are divided on how to participate. They all want to be represented independently from the opposition, but not necessarily together.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the Kurds should be part of Geneva II. “We would like the opposition to represent the entire spectrum of the opponents of the regime, including the opposition which is active inside Syria such as the National Coordinating Committee and the Supreme Kurdish Council,” he said.
But there are claims that the United States prefers the Kurdish National Council (KNC) — which unites most Kurdish opposition groups, apart from the PYD — to be part of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), rather than participate independently.
The Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is affiliated with Abdullah Ocalan's Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey, prefers the Syrian Kurds to be part of the Supreme Kurdish Council. Russia supports this position, too, while Turkey supports the KNC to be part of the Syrian opposition.
