ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish opposition parties on Thursday slammed the exclusion of Kurds from a top committee tasked by the new Syrian leadership with laying the groundwork for a National Dialogue Conference that will shape the country’s future.
The Kurdish National Council (ENKS), an umbrella group of Kurdish opposition parties in northeast Syria (Rojava), said that “the exclusion of Kurdish representation” from the preparatory committee “undermines political and ethnic pluralism” and “the genuine representation of all national components.”
The group emphasized that representation on the committee is “crucial for the success of any dialogue” that “aims to find serious solutions to Syrian issues.”
Following his appointment as transitional president on January 29, Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed to hold a National Dialogue Conference that would pave the way for “free and fair elections.” The committee was set up on February 11 under directions from Sharaa who tasked it with “approving internal regulations and setting criteria to ensure the conference’s success.”
In a press conference held in Damascus on Thursday, the committee stated that no group in Syria would be invited to the conference based on “entity, identity, party, or religion,” but that attendees would be selected solely on the grounds of being “Syrian and patriotic.” The committee also said that “ethnic and sectarian quotas are not part of the national dialogue agenda.”
There are currently no Kurds on the committee. ENKS said that this exclusion “raises legitimate concerns about how the Syrian constituencies are being treated” and whether they are truly regarded as “real partners” in shaping Syria’s future. It urged Damascus to address “this imbalance” and make the national dialogue “inclusive.”
The committee on Thursday confirmed to Rudaw that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) “does not represent our people” and “will not have a seat at the National Dialogue Conference” since it “has not handed over authority to the defense ministry.”
The SDF is the de facto army of the Kurdish-held Rojava. The force has been the main ally of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) on the ground in Syria over the past decade. It has opened talks about its future with Damascus.
Speaking at an international conference on Syria in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged the new Syrian leadership to fully integrate the SDF into its security apparatus, adding that their “strong” fighters will serve the security objectives of Damascus.
“We are loyal to our allies because we also know what we owe them,” Macron said, urging the “full integration” of the SDF “into the Syrian transition.”
While the National Dialogue Conference is seen as part of a broader push by Damascus for the lifting of sanctions, observers are urging the international community to link any such relief to concrete benchmarks, including commitments to an inclusive political process.
