Kurds’ claim of a federal region in Syria rejected

The Syrian government and opposition, on Thursday, rejected the declaration by the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union party of a federal region in Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria.

The Syrian foreign ministry called the move “unconstitutional” and warned against efforts to “undermine Syria’s territorial integrity and the unity of its people”.

The Saudi-supported opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) condemned the declaration as a "misadventure". The US and Turkey have warned against this unilateral move which is likely to exclude the Kurds from the Syrian peace talks in Geneva.

The Kurdish issue did not, however, disrupt discussions on substantive matters between UN mediator Staffan de Mistura and the HNC. He reported the ceasefire has held well and said discussions with the HNC have been “intense and very productive”.

Mr de Mistura has a delicate balancing act to perform over opposition representation. He has done this by trying to avert HNC concern over meetings with the Moscow-Cairo opposition grouping by staying away from its initial press event while appearing with the government and HNC in briefings, effectively endorsing the HNC as chief interlocutor with Damascus.

The Moscow-Cairo group demands equal recognition while the HNC insists it must be regarded the “main” opposition organisation and sole representative of Syrians.

On Friday Mr de Mistura will meet members of the loyal opposition just arrived from Damascus.

The HNC's demands for delivery of supplies to areas besieged by government forces has been partially met, said UN humanitarian task-force head Jan Egeland. He said convoys of relief supplies have reached government besieged towns of Madaya and Zabadani and insurgent-surrounded Shia towns of Kefraya and Foua.

He said, of the 18 areas in critical need, the government continues to deny access to six. He urged Damascus to permit delivery of “ vitamins and antibiotics, doctors and nurses”.

So far, aid has reached 150,000 in besieged areas and 110,000 in hard-to-reach areas. He said the UN seeks to reach another 1.1 million people by the end of April and to vaccinate millions of Syrian children against polio and measles. The Russian ambassador has aided this effort by pressing the government to unlock checkpoints, he said.

He called on the US, Russia and other countries to secure release of women, children, wounded and ill prisoners.

While Russian warplanes and troops are expected to complete their withdrawal from Syria by the end of this week, president Vladimir Putin said they can return within "a few of hours if necessary."