MESOP SYRIA / WEST KURDISTAN : GENEVA 3 MEETING WITH OR WITHOUT PYD/PKK ? – MOSCOW & ASSAD REGIME IN FAVOR OF KURDSH PARTICIPATION

PYD spokesperson Ahmed Fevzi has announced that a third Geneva summit is to be held on 4 May. The two previous summits have failed to find a solution to the conflict in Syria. While invitations are being sent out by the UN, it is not yet clear whether the Kurdish opposition is amongst those being invited to attend.

Diplomatic efforts are continuing to find a solution to the conflict in Syria. A 3rd summit is to be held in Geneva. UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has called on the Syrian regime and opposition to attend talks in Geneva on 4 May. Iran has also been invited, which has in the past led to the withdrawal of other parties, but it has not yet been stated whether the Kurdish opposition has received an invitation. At a recent meeting in Moscow attended by opposition circles and the PYD and Canton representatives who had not been invited to the previous Geneva summits, it was stated that a third summit should take place in Geneva with broad participation. According to the New York Times, UN spokesperson Ahmed Fevzi said meetings with the parties would take place separately within 4 to six weeks. Whereas in Geneva initial meetings were held separately with the final meeting around the same table, in Moscow the meetings were all at the same table. Staffan de Mistura received criticism over the Moscow meeting, where a UN representative was prevented from attending. Mistura has opposed calling the upcoming meeting ‘Geneva 3’ on the grounds it will raise expectations.