“We were not involved in the formation of the committee. Mr. [Geir] Pedersen reaffirms his commitment and readiness to support the process in accordance with the key principles of [Security Council Resolution] 2254, and he is obviously very closely following the situation on the ground,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told Rudaw in New York.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday established a seven-member committee to draft a “constitutional declaration” for the country’s transitional phase. The move followed a key confab on Tuesday, the National Dialogue Conference, which was praised for pledging support for reforms but also condemned for being “exclusionary” and “rushed.”
Dujarric stressed that the UN is following up to “ensure that the transitional, the caretaker authorities follow through on their commitments to the Syrian people with concrete and meaningful action,” calling for the inclusion of all Syrians in the country’s political process.
Kurdish opposition parties, including the Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) and the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES), condemned the National Dialogue Conference for marginalizing Kurds.
In the weeks leading up to the event, they also criticized the conference’s preparatory committee for excluding Kurdish representation in shaping Syria’s future.
Amid concerns over Kurdish representation, both ruling and opposition Kurdish parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) are working to bridge their differences and present a united front in negotiations with the new Syrian leadership.
In late January, ENKS and the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Rojava agreed to send a joint delegation to Damascus to discuss the future of Kurds in Syria.
