Kurdish National Council Members May Meet Ratney, Gatilov in Geneva

GENEVA (Sputnik) — Members of the Kurdish National Council, who decided to freeze their participation in the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) delegation, may separately meet with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and US Special Envoy for Syria, Deputy Assistant State Secretary Michael Ratney before the end of the ongoing round of talks in Geneva, HNC member and council's representative Abdul Hakim Bashar told Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, three members of the HNC delegation in Geneva who are members of the Kurdish National Council, including Abdul Hakim Bashar, made an official statement announcing the Kurds' suspension of participation in the delegation and meetings at this round of talks.

"Me and Fouad Aliko [HNC member, Kurdish National Coincil representative] have offered, not as HNC, to meet with Gatilov. We agreed, but time and location have not been set yet," Bashar said.

Bashar said that they would meet Ratney later in the day.

"Time and location have not been set yet… I will meet with [Ratney] as the vice-president of the Syrian National Coalition of Revolution and Opposition Forces and as a representative of the Kurdish National Coincil," he said.

Bashar added he would discuss the issue of the separation of the Kurds from the HNC delegation with Ratney.

On Sunday, Syrian Kurds at the Geneva talks reportedly put forward two options aimed at solving the Kurdish issue — territorial separation of the Kurdish autonomy from Syria or making Syria into a confederation.

The fifth round of intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva is due to end on March 31.