Syria Kurds slam 'token' representation at national dialogue

AFP , Tuesday 25 Feb 2025

Parties in Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration condemned what they called the "token" representation of minority groups at a national dialogue conference underway Tuesday in Damascus.

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's Interim Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani addressing representatives and dignitaries of Syrian communities during the National Dialogue Conference. AFP

In a joint statement, the 35 parties said: "Conferences with token representation... are meaningless, worthless, and will not contribute to finding real solutions to the country's ongoing crisis."

A "real national dialogue conference must be inclusive", the statement added, saying the composition of the current initiatives "do not reflect the reality of the makeup of Syrian society".

The conference, held at the capital's presidential palace, aims to discuss the country's future after Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, and marks the beginning of a crucial phase for Syria's governance after years of civil war.

Organisers said the Kurdish administration -- which controls swathes of Syria's north and northeast, including important oil-producing areas -- and its affiliated bodies were not invited to the conference because armed groups were excluded.

The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces serve as the Kurdish administration's de facto army.

Administration official Hassan Mohammed Ali told AFP that the exclusion would have "negative repercussions and will not lead to solutions to the problems and crises that Syria has been suffering from for decades".

He warned that "a conference without all Syrians' participation will lead to... decisions reflecting a single tendency".

SDF spokesman Farhad Shami told AFP that "the exclusion of the SDF and large sections of Syrian society confirm that the conference serves to please the outside world and not to seek a better future".

The US-backed SDF spearheaded the military campaign that ousted Islamic State group jihadists from their last territory in Syria in 2019.

Turkey accuses its main component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with the outlawed PKK, which has long waged an insurgency against the Turkish state.

Turkish-backed groups have been attacking SDF positions in northern Syria since November.

Syria's new authorities, who are close to Ankara, have urged all armed groups including the SDF, to hand over their weapons and have rejected Kurdish autonomy.