Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30642, what representations the Government made to military leaders in the Democratic Unity Party on patterns of behaviour suggesting that Kurdish forces are coordinating with the Assad regime and Russia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) has stated his concerns publicly regarding the actions of Kurdish forces in North West Syria. We continue to work with our international partners and to use our contacts with Kurdish groups to influence their policy, including to express concerns over links with the Asad regime and attacks on the moderate Syrian opposition. We are working through the International Syria Support Group to ensure robust implementation of the Cessation of Hostilities in Syria and to focus the peace negotiations currently underway in Geneva on political transition away from Asad, to a government in Damascus that can represent the interests of all Syrians.