Ann Clwyd – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made about the exclusion of Syrian Kurdish groups from peace talks in Riyadh.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Kurds will play an important role in a political settlement for Syria. Members of all major communities within Syrian society participated in the Riyadh Opposition Conference. This included minorities such as the Kurds within the major political parties. The meeting participants agreed to form a delegation to negotiate with Syrian regime representatives in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué, under the auspices of the UN and supported by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). The ISSG has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity or religious domination is fundamental. The UK will continue to work for this, as political discussions continue.