MESOP – ERDOGAN’S EU BOSS SPEAKING – Turkey denies ceasefire deal with Syrian Kurdish militia

31 Aug 2016 – ISTANBUL, REUTERS –  Turkey on Wednesday said it did “not accept” US claims that it had agreed a truce with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria.

“We do not accept in any circumstances … a ‘compromise or a ceasefire reached between Turkey and Kurdish elements,’” EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik told state-run Anadolu news agency. “The Turkish republic is a sovereign, legitimate state.”

Celik said Turkey could not be put on an equal footing with a “terrorist organisation”, referring to the US-backed Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).Washington said Tuesday the two sides — both US allies — had agreed to a cessation of hostilities between their forces in Syria after deadly clashes at the weekend. Omer Celik told Anadolu news that some Syrian Kurdish militia fighters remain west of the Euphrates river despite promises to move to the east, which is unacceptable.