Yesterday in Parliament, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot gave a speech in support of the Kurds in Syria and said that they are formally invited to attend the Middle East Conference in Paris on February 13th. The French Foreign Minister said that “The Kurds are our loyal allies and brothers in arms, we will never abandon them.” He applauded the Kurds’ heroic fight against ISIS and said that France wanted to make sure that the situation in Kobani does not deteriorate into chaos.
France is the only EU member-state voicing its support for the Kurds while Germany and the EU support Turkey’s “security concerns” against the the Kurdish armed forces in north-eastern Syria. Talks between the Kurdish armed forces (SDF) and the Syrian government have collapsed with no deal in reach. The Kurds are insisting on federal autonomy, including keeping their weapons and armed formations separate from the Syrian Army – both of these positions are unacceptable to the Syrian government. The French Foreign Minister said that France is mediating between the parties.
France has been holding a yearly conference about the Near East with the presence and support of foreign dignitaries in the region with last year’s conference being about Lebanon, and the previous one about Gaza and Palestine. This year, the conference will be about Syria.
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