IRBIL
Talks aimed at building an alliance between various Kurdish groups in Syria, so that Kurds can take part in Geneva II as a unified group, are being held in the Iraqi town of Irbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish administration in the country.
The meetings, which are being held behind closed doors, are primarily aimed at establishing an alliance between Democratic Union Party (PYD) and other Kurdish factions in Syria. This is to enable all the Kurds of Syria to participate in the upcoming peace conference in Geneva.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, Mustafa Juma, General Secretary of the Kurdish Azadi Party, emphasized the disagreements between PYD and other Kurdish parties. "Now there is a possibility of forming an alliance with PYD. If this alliance can be established, Kurds will participate in Geneva-II as a unified group. If not, we will join the conference under the umbrella of Syrian National Coalition".
The meetings in the Salahaddin district of Irbil are being brokered by Leyla Zana, a Turkish MP of Kurdish descent, and Osman Baydemir, mayor of Turkey's mainly Kurdish-populated city of Diyarbakir.
The meetings had commenced on Monday, with participation by Massoud Barzani, head of the autonomous Kurdish administration in northern Iraq, in the first two days.
The Democratic Union Party (PYD) emerged as one of the formidable Kurdish factions in Syria. Rivalries between PYD and other Kurdish parties have frequently been reported since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011.
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