Correction of a statement made by the UN Special Envoy for Syria on March 12, 2016

According to information of the Agence France-Presse the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on March 12, 2016 that Syria’s Kurds would not be invited to the upcoming week’s peace talks in Geneva.
The Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC) announces that this statement is incorrect. Correct is that the PYD is not invited, whereas the KNC is represented in the delegation to the talks.
Siamend Hajo, Foreign Relations Office of the KNC, addresses the UN:

„We hope that the UN will recognize the Kurdish representatives amongst the invited groups for the Geneva peace talks and their contribution to a peaceful solution for our country. We demand the removal of Assad and an open discussion about the constitution of a future Syria that provides for social justice, democratic participation and human rights. It is essential to maintain the unity of Syria which can best be realized by the implementation of a federal system. Besides we stress that the UN should not equate an entire ethnic group with one political party.“

 


 

The KNC received an answer from the UN Special Envoy’s office still on 13 March and is glad to hear that Mr. Staffan de Mistura never said that Kurds would not be invited to the Geneva talks.

Subsequently we demanded a correction of that canard by the AFP.