MESOP : YPG WELCOME – APO & PKK NOT ! – Dutch Government Worried About YPG Ties to PKK – Amsterdam rules out military support for YPG

THE HAGUE – 1 July 2015 – BasNews The Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders said on Tuesday that his government will not provide any support to the armed Syrian Kurdish opposition known as the YPG. “The YPG [People’s Protection Units] are affiliated to the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party], which is listed as a terrorist organization in the EU. It’s not easy to supply weapons to them, moreover we have concerns over human rights abuses by the YPG,” Koenders said.

The Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister answered questions in a parliamentary debate about the Dutch constribution to the war against the Islamic State (IS) last Tuesday. Dutch Christian MP Joel Voordewind asked the Dutch government to arm the YPG due to their effective fight againt ISIS and cooperation with minority groups such as the Christians in Syria. On 26th June, the Dutch government, in answer to parliamentary questions, did recognise the recent YPG victories over IS, in which they cuy off the main IS-supply line in Tel Abyad, and their cooperation with moderate FSA-rebels. “IS is now forced to use the border crossing of Jarabulus, more to the west and a further distance from Raqqah, resulting in longer supply lines [for IS], with all the risks this entails,” the government said. The Dutch government in their answer also repeated they have concerns about reports of the expulsion of Sunni Arabs and human rights violations by the YPG.Moreover, the government said they would not deliver any weapons to groups in Syria, including the YPG, due to the risks involved. “A Dutch contribution to training of moderate armed opposition groups is also ruled out,” the government said in response to parliament questions.