Start of 'Remote' Negotiations and Controversial Syrian Opposition

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, about five years ago, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. Now, attention is focused on a few negotiation rooms in Geneva, Switzerland, which may find a way to end this war and displacement. Syrian negotiators from both sides have come to Geneva to find a way forward with the mediation of the United Nations. Although this process does not include 'terrorist' groups such as the Islamic State, which still controls significant parts of Syrian territory. The Geneva talks are supposed to initiate a six-month process in which both a political transformation plan for Syria will be defined and a path for a ceasefire will be opened. At the same time, these talks are referred to as remote negotiations. A Russian representative in Geneva has stated that three rooms have been designated in the United Nations building, one for the Syrian government and two others for the opposition. UN representatives are expected to talk separately with both parties involved. With a change in the previous schedule, Stefan de Mistura will meet with representatives of the Syrian opposition on Monday. This opposition, known as the 'High Negotiations Committee,' was formed after several meetings in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Until last Friday, when the Syrian peace talks were supposed to officially begin in Geneva, this committee refused to come to Geneva, setting preconditions for stopping bombings and facilitating access to humanitarian aid. On Friday, Mr. de Mistura and his advisors only met with representatives of the Syrian government. During negotiations, the opposition delegation also headed to Geneva, stating that it would present proposals in its meeting with the UN representative. On Sunday, it was announced that Mohammad Alloush, the senior representative of the Jaysh al-Islam group, would join the opposition group. This group is considered one of the powerful military factions among the opposition with Salafi tendencies, and Russia considers this group to be terrorist. Dennis Natali, a senior researcher at the National Strategic Studies Institute in Washington, comments on the composition of the opposition participating in the Syrian peace talks to Radio Farda: 'The problem is with this High Negotiations Committee, where you see some opposition groups present, but we do not see those who are fighting against the Islamic State. This raises questions about the legitimacy of this process. For example, Jaysh al-Islam is recognized as a group that has connections with some terrorist groups and has shown reckless behavior, which I think complicates resolving some key issues.' One of the absent groups in this process in Geneva is the Democratic Union Party, which is considered one of the Kurdish parties in Syria. According to some reports, Saleh Muslim, the leader of this party and his advisors, went to this city last week hoping to secure a seat at the Geneva negotiations, but the United Nations did not invite them to participate in this process. Dennis Natali in Washington emphasizes the sensitivity and complexity of this issue, stating that the presence of Kurds in these talks is essential. He tells Radio Farda: 'This is a very sensitive issue. I understand that the U.S., Turkey, and other actors have a special position in this process. But it is up to Turkey to say whether the Kurdish Democratic Union Party is part of the Syrian opposition or not. My personal opinion is that the composition of those invited to the meeting is to address Turkey's concerns; concerns about the Kurds in Syria who may have greater autonomy potential.' Ms. Natali also points out another challenge in this process: 'Another point is that the Kurds are not united themselves, and their strongest groups are those connected with the Democratic Union Party and the Kurdistan Workers' Party. They have previously expressed their demands for a name change in the Syrian Republic and for more power, but I have never heard the Democratic Union Party demand independence; they are more in pursuit of a democratic constitution. Therefore, as long as the presence of these individuals does not threaten Syria's territorial integrity, I do not understand why they should not have a representative in these talks.' While the Democratic Union Party and other Kurdish groups do not have a representative at the negotiating table, they remain active in field movements. According to U.S. officials and Kurdish and Syrian sources, Brett McGurk, the special representative of Barack Obama in the coalition against the Islamic State, recently traveled to Kobani with British and French officials. This trip is said to be the first visit of a senior U.S. official to Syrian territory since the beginning of the coalition's attacks against the 'Islamic State' in 2014. The Kurdish-Arab coalition that Mr. McGurk and his European counterparts met with includes the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the military branch of the Democratic Union Party, and some Sunni Arab and Christian groups in Syria. Reports indicate that this meeting was held to discuss ways forward in the fight against ISIS (Islamic State).