Foreign
Syria on Thursday rejected a U.S.-Turkish plan to establish a safe zone in the northern part of the war-torn country, calling it a “flagrant attack“ on Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Turkey and the U.S. had since agreed to jointly establish a buffer zone in Syria’s north, staving off a threatened Turkish military offensive in the region.
“Syria categorically and absolutely rejects the agreement between the U.S. and Turkish occupiers on the establishment of the safe zone.
“Syria calls on the international community and the United Nations to condemn the flagrant U.S.-Turkish aggression, which constitutes a dangerous escalation and poses a threat to peace and security in the region and globally,’’ Syrian news agency said.
The Turkish Defence Ministry and U.S. embassy in Ankara announced the deal, with the hope it would “become a peace corridor’’ for the region and as a pact to send Syrian refugees in Turkey back home.
However, the deal came a day after Ankara threatened to mount a military offensive against the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish insurgents.
But Ankara regards them as terrorists who played a key role in fighting Islamic State militants in Syria.
The Turkish Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, said Ankara wanted the zone to be around 40 kilometres deep and for U.S./Turkish soldiers to jointly disarm and remove the U.S.-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units from Syria’s north.
However, it was not clear yet how and when the safe zone will be created. (NAN)
_AUG 08, 2019 @21:52 GMT |
Tags: Syria rejects U.S.-Turkish pact on northern ‘safe zone’
