Erdogan threatens to expand Syria offensive as SNC weighs talks invite

US, Turkey discuss Syria ‘safe zone

ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened to expand Turkey’s offensive in Syria against a Kurdish militia despite calls for restraint from its Western allies, reports AFP.

On the seventh day of the operation against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia, Erdogan vowed to “clean up” the Syrian city of Manbij.

Meanwhile, Syria’s main opposition group signalled it would announce yesterday whether it will join next week’s “peace congress” in Russia, as the UN held separate talks on finding a way out of conflict in the country.

Regime officials and the main opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) were both in Vienna for two days of talks that began Thursday, with Western powers worrying that Moscow is seeking to undermine the UN-backed talks with its own diplomatic push.

As with eight rounds of previous UN talks in Geneva, there was no sign that the opposition and regime would even sit down at the same table, with the warring sides instead meeting separately with United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura.

SNC spokesman Yahya al-Aridi, arriving for the talks at the UN’s offices in the Austrian capital, said the opposition’s goal was “to bring Syria back to life, safe for our people to come home”.

Another report adds: US and Turkish military commanders have discussed the possibility of creating a “secure zone” along the border with Syria, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday, amid rising tensions over Turkish intervention in the region.

“Clearly we continue to talk to the Turks about the possibility of a secure zone, whatever you want to call it,” Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters.

McKenzie did not go into details about what a safe zone might entail, but Turkish media have said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told his Turkish counterpart Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that he supports creating a secure area that reaches 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) into Syria.

The United States has raised concerns over the deadly offensive, and analysts say a military confrontation between the two NATO powers is possible since the US has a military presence in Manbij.

Turkey launched operation “Olive Branch” against the YPG on Saturday, supporting Syrian rebels with ground troops, air strikes and artillery fire.

While the YPG is still working closely with Washington against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria, Ankara views the YPG as a terror organisation allied to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) inside Turkey.

The PKK is blacklisted by Ankara and its Western allies as a terror outfit.

Erdogan vowed in a speech in Ankara that Turkey would “continue our fight until there is no terrorist on our border”, but did not elaborate.

 

Erdogan threatens to expand Syria offensive as SNC weighs talks invite

US, Turkey discuss Syria safe zone

ANKARA: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday threatened to expand Turkeys offensive in Syria against a Kurdish militia despite calls for restraint from its Western allies, reports AFP. On the seventh day of the operation against the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia, Erdogan vowed to clean up the Syrian city of Manbij. Meanwhile, Syrias main opposition group signalled it would announce yesterday whether it will join next weeks peace congress in Russia, as the UN held separate talks on finding a way out of conflict in the country. Regime officials and the main opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) were both in Vienna for two days of talks that began Thursday, with Western powers worrying that Moscow is seeking to undermine the UN-backed talks with its own diplomatic push. As with eight rounds of previous UN talks in Geneva, there was no sign that the opposition and regime would even sit down at the same table, with the warring sides instead meeting separately with United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura. SNC spokesman Yahya al-Aridi, arriving for the talks at the UNs offices in the Austrian capital, said the oppositions goal was to bring Syria back to life, safe for our people to come home. Another report adds: US and Turkish military commanders have discussed the possibility of creating a secure zone along the border with Syria, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday, amid rising tensions over Turkish intervention in the region. Clearly we continue to talk to the Turks about the possibility of a secure zone, whatever you want to call it, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters. McKenzie did not go into details about what a safe zone might entail, but Turkish media have said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told his Turkish counterpart Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu that he supports creating a secure area that reaches 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) into Syria. The United States has raised concerns over the deadly offensive, and analysts say a military confrontation between the two NATO powers is possible since the US has a military presence in Manbij. Turkey launched operation Olive Branch against the YPG on Saturday, supporting Syrian rebels with ground troops, air strikes and artillery fire. While the YPG is still working closely with Washington against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Syria, Ankara views the YPG as a terror organisation allied to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) inside Turkey. The PKK is blacklisted by Ankara and its Western allies as a terror outfit. Erdogan vowed in a speech in Ankara that Turkey would continue our fight until there is no terrorist on our border, but did not elaborate.