To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria is included in the Geneva Peace Negotiations; and if not, why not.
Answered on
18 December 2017
Invitations to participate in the Geneva talks are a matter for the UN Special Envoy. The so-called Democratic Federation of Northern Syria has not participated in the UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva. It is not referred to in UN Security Council Resolution 2254 which sets the framework for these talks. However, Kurdish groups have been represented in Geneva through the Kurdish National Council, as part of the opposition High Negotiations Committee and in the latest round as part of the refreshed Syria Negotiations Commission. Furthermore the UN Special Envoy has involved Kurdish and other minority groups in civil society discussions alongside formal talks in Geneva.