Turkey urges UN to exclude PYD from Syria constitution committee

Source: Xinhua    2018-02-02 20:04:58

ANKARA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has urged the UN not to include any representative from the Syrian Kurdish group, Democratic Union Party (PYD), at the constitutional committee agreed at the Sochi Congress, a Turkish diplomat told Xinhua.

The delegation representing Turkey at Sochi Congress has raised the issue with UN's Special Representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura on the sidelines of the gathering, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The UN envoy said he was "aware of" Turkey's sensitivity on the issue of PYD, which Ankara sees as the offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), according to the diplomat.

Turkey often raises its sensitivity about the Syrian Kurdish group "almost at every meeting with Mistura," said the diplomat explaining that the UN special representative is familiar with Ankara's concerns.

A committee was formed at the Syrian peace talks held in Russia's Sochi on Tuesday, aiming to discuss revision of the current Syrian constitution.

Turkey, Russia and Iran, the three guarantor countries of Astana process, each submitted the UN envoy a list of 50 names, making a total of 150, as potential members of the constitutional committee, the diplomat said adding that Mistura will decide on some 30-40 names among these lists.

Having the authority to decide on the members of the committee, Mistura also can include names out of these lists, the diplomat noted.

Russia earlier intended to convene the National Dialogue Congress in November, but the gathering was postponed due to Turkey's objection to the invitation issued to PYD members by Moscow.

The constitutional committee will make its meeting in Geneva and represent the regime, the opposition and independent representatives in a one-third ratio from each group.

"Sochi has not become a peace dynamic in itself. But the meeting it provided added value to what is intended in Geneva," said the diplomat.

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Turkey urges UN to exclude PYD from Syria constitution committee

Source: Xinhua 2018-02-02 20:04:58

ANKARA, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has urged the UN not to include any representative from the Syrian Kurdish group, Democratic Union Party (PYD), at the constitutional committee agreed at the Sochi Congress, a Turkish diplomat told Xinhua.

The delegation representing Turkey at Sochi Congress has raised the issue with UN's Special Representative for Syria Staffan de Mistura on the sidelines of the gathering, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The UN envoy said he was "aware of" Turkey's sensitivity on the issue of PYD, which Ankara sees as the offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), according to the diplomat.

Turkey often raises its sensitivity about the Syrian Kurdish group "almost at every meeting with Mistura," said the diplomat explaining that the UN special representative is familiar with Ankara's concerns.

A committee was formed at the Syrian peace talks held in Russia's Sochi on Tuesday, aiming to discuss revision of the current Syrian constitution.

Turkey, Russia and Iran, the three guarantor countries of Astana process, each submitted the UN envoy a list of 50 names, making a total of 150, as potential members of the constitutional committee, the diplomat said adding that Mistura will decide on some 30-40 names among these lists.

Having the authority to decide on the members of the committee, Mistura also can include names out of these lists, the diplomat noted.

Russia earlier intended to convene the National Dialogue Congress in November, but the gathering was postponed due to Turkey's objection to the invitation issued to PYD members by Moscow.

The constitutional committee will make its meeting in Geneva and represent the regime, the opposition and independent representatives in a one-third ratio from each group.

"Sochi has not become a peace dynamic in itself. But the meeting it provided added value to what is intended in Geneva," said the diplomat.

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