Kurdish PYD not invited to Syria talks at behest of Turkey

France’s foreign minister said on Wednesday the United Nations’ special envoy to Syria had told him that he would not be inviting Syrian PYD Kurds to peace talks in Geneva and that a Riyadh-backed opposition group would lead the negotiations, Reuters reported.

Fabius said de Mistura had also confirmed to him that a Riyadh-formed opposition group would lead negotiations even though other opponents could also be present.

"I spoke to Mr (Riad) Hijab (opposition coordinator)... he will respond to De Mistura and Ban ki-Moon this morning. If I understand their position, they say yes to negotiations ... and at the same time want details to be given in terms of who is participating, what’s being done on the humanitarian front and what we are going to talk about", Reuters reported Fabius as saying.

The U.N. sent invitations to several sides of the Syrian conflict but Syrian Kurds said they had not received an invitation likely due to Turkish pressure.

The United Nations Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has sent invitations to warring parties in the Syrian conflict to attend peace talks in Geneva Friday it was revealed Tuesday. Mistura has not officially elaborated on who has been invited, but the head of the Syrian Kurdish PYD group said he has not received an official invitation despite promises, Telesur reported.

Mistura said details of the guest list were too “sensitive” to reveal. His office said that he does not expect formal responses but he hopes those invited show up in Switzerland Friday.

DW News, however, reported that Russia and Turkey are at odds over who should represent Kurdish interests at the talks.

The main Syrian Kurdish party said it had not been invited, a move some interpreted as intended to keep Turkey, which regards Syria’s Kurdish fighters as terrorists, engaged in the process.

De Mistura has said the Geneva meeting will first seek a ceasefire and later work towards a political settlement, SBS reported.