ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish National Council (ENKS/KNC) on Wednesday condemned the exclusion of Kurds from the National Dialogue Conference in Damascus, describing it as a “bad sign” and urging further inclusivity. Faysal Yousef, ENKS spokesperson told Rudaw that “following the ouster of the Bashar al-Assad regime, the Kurdish community had great hopes for a new Syria where Kurds play a central role in the negotiations and the country’s reconstruction. Unfortunately, the Kurdish political struggle took a negative turn at the conference.” Yousef added that Kurds had challenged the Assad regime through struggle and protest, which helped break the public’s fear of his regime. The ENKS spokesperson urged against repeating past practices under the Assad-led Baath regime, stressing that no group be excluded from shaping Syria’s future. The National Dialogue Conference, held in Damascus on Tuesday, was backed by Syria’s interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and was intended to be a step toward free and fair elections, the formation of an inclusive government, and the drafting of a new Syrian constitution. However, the event sparked a wave of criticism after 35 political parties in northeast Syria (Rojava) issued a joint statement noting that its “outcomes are meaningless and have no value.” The parties questioned the event’s ability to “pave the way for a genuine solution to the country’s crisis.” On Tuesday as well, the Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES) condemned the conference, calling it “closer to exclusion and marginalization” than a true reflection of the Syrian people’s aspirations. DAANES stated that the conference ignored Syria's diverse communities, failing to include what they considered “the true representatives of the people.”
