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U.N. chief urges inclusive political transition in Syria, emphasizes Kurdish citizenship rights
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Summary
At the Baghdad summit, the United Nations Secretary-General said the Kurdish population in Syria must be fully engaged in the country's political future and called for an inclusive political transition and lifting of sanctions to aid national recovery.
The United Nations Secretary-General told attendees at the League of Arab States summit in Baghdad that the Kurdish population in Syria is an integral part of the country and must be included in any political transition.
"The Kurdish population in Syria is integral part of Syria," the secretary-general said, recalling efforts years earlier to end the statelessness of Kurds in Syria and noting that "fortunate today, all recognize that the Kurds in Syria are Syrian citizens." He added that Syrian citizens "must have full engagement in the political life of the country and the future life of the country."
Nut graf: The secretary-general framed inclusion of Kurds and removal of sanctions as essential steps for national healing and reintegration into the international community, stressing both political participation and access to development as prerequisites for stability.
He said the Syrian people will need a political transition "that is inclusive of all segments of the population, and the future of accountability, national healing, and further integration into the international community and the economy with the lifting of sanctions." The secretary-general said he is "very hopeful about the conduction of dialogue between the leadership in Damascus and the leadership in the Kurdish region."
He also said, reflecting on Syria's past response to displaced people, that when he served as a commissioner for refugees, Syria hosted almost 2,000,000 Iraqi refugees without camps, with refugees living in communities and families. He used that history to argue for lifting sanctions to enable development and give Syrians renewed hope.
Ending: The secretary-general urged dialogue among Syrian leadership and the Kurdish region and said that lifting sanctions could create conditions for inclusive political development and improved access to development for the Syrian people.
