Kurdish dialogue is the first step towards intra-community dialogue – French diplomat

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – “The intra-Kurdish dialogue is a breakthrough and a basis for a broader dialogue includes the other communities,” said Eric Chevallier, the former French ambassador in Damascus.

The Kurdish National Union parties and the National Kurdish Council (ENKS) announced in a joint statement that they reached an initial understanding and development of a political vision, last week.

A French delegation headed by former French ambassador to Damascus Eric Chevallier visited the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on Saturday, making it the first delegation to reach the city since the U.S. withdrawal from the region in early October.

Chevallier, who runs the Crisis and Support Department in the French Foreign Ministry, told North Press that “dialogue between Kurdish parties is very important and very positive. There is a need for people together to have the same vision.”

“Having discussions between these different Kurdish groups is one component of…a broad dialogue between all parties,” he added, stressing that intra-Kurdish dialogue is the first step towards dialogue between all communities in the region.

The French diplomat expressed his country's support for the participation of a joint Kurdish delegation in the Syrian negotiations in the future.

(reporting by Abdulhalim Suleiman, editing by Lucas Chapman)