Syrian opposition leader refuses to attend Geneva talks without Kurds

Haytham Manna, co-leader of the Syrian Democratic Council told Reuters on Wednesday he would not participate in the Geneva III peace talks unless two Kurdish leaders, Saleh Muslim and Ilham Ahmed were also invited, the news agency reported.

"I'll go with my friends or not (at all). There is no compromise in this question," Manna told Reuters after the UN’s envoy to Syria, Steffan De Mistura, announced invitations to the talks.

Russia demanded Manna’s participation in the talks as part of a widening in opposition representation, which was increased to include some groups regarded by Moscow as terrorists.

Saleh Muslim, co-leader of the Kurdish PYD party, told Reuters on Tuesday he had not been invited to the Geneva talks.

Manna told Reuters leaving out Muslim and Ahmed had left the invitees looking like "the Russian delegation”.

"And I'm not ready to be a member of the Russian delegation. We have the right to have our own delegation," Manna added.