MESOP NEWS : Kurdish official confides to Kurdpress content of Syria opposition meetings in US

16-4-2014 – A member of the Syrian opposition body who visited the US last week, Salahaddin Darwish confided to Kurdpress the content of the opposition bodies meetings with the US officials and politicians.

The opposition body met the US President Barack Obama two days ago as well as some other on other days during their week-long stay in the US, a supporter to the opposition coalition. Dawrish said Obama has reiterated that Syria Opposition Coalition is the real representative of the Syrians and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no place in the country’s future.

He further told Kurdpress Obama has asked for unity among the lines in the opposition body as unity will open the US’s hand for more help and the two sides can have more active relations. The Kurdish official further added the White House chief has expressed his worry over the extremist and violence-seeking groups in Syria. He added the opposition body has stated its worry over the presence of the groups and reiterated that the arms-transfer process to the groups should be ended.

Asking whether he has talked to Obama personally and discussed with him the demands of the Syrian Kurds, Darwish said no “as our meeting with Obama lasted half an hour since he joined us during our visit with US National Security Advisor Susan Rice.”

Darwish denied the US has any plans to counter the “terrorist” groups in his country and stated they have only discussed the issue and the US officials have expressed their worry over the presence of the groups in Syria.

Darwish continued that they have had meetings with US university and political figures and he has discussed the situation of the Kurds in present Syria and before the civil war, adding that the US officials are keen to know more about the Kurds and their demands. He ultimately said he was happy with the visit but refuted they have discussed with Washington officials any possible next round of talks between the opposition body and Syria government.