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Turkey opposes federal system by Kurds in Syria

Xinhua, March 17, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkey opposes a planned move of Syrian Kurds who aim to declare a federal system in north of the country, local Hurriyet Daily News quoted a Turkish official as saying on Thursday.

Such a move would not have "any validity" as Syria's "national unity and territorial integrity is the basis," said the official on condition of anonymity.

"Syrian people, with the participation of all segments, will collectively make their decision on the administration style and administrative structure of Syria with the new constitution, which will be drafted within the framework of a political transition process," said the official, who asked not to be named.

Several Kurdish groups in northern Syria have reportedly declared federal rule in predominantly Kurdish areas recently.

Ankara firmly opposes any Kurdish federal system in northern Syria as it sees advances by autonomy-seeking Kurds, led by the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

Turkey sees the PYD as an affiliate of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and has been angered by the Kurds' consolidation along its southern border.

In 2014, Syrian Kurds unilaterally declared an autonomous zone in the country's northeast with three cantons, Jazira, Kobane and Afrin, three enclaves bordering Turkey.

At the time they underlined that they were not seeking independence from Syria, but "local democratic administration" within a federal framework. Endit