MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : RETURN TO ERDOGAN ?

Turkey Planning Safe Zone in Syria to Help Return of Refugees: Erdogan

Basnews English 28/01/2019 – 13:19 Published in Middle EastERBIL — Turkey is planning to create a safe zone in northern Syria so to allow millions of Syrian refugees’ return, Turkish President Recep President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

The creation of a safe zone in northern Syria was first put forward by US President Donald Trump, but the sides involved in the project remains a controversial topic between Turkey, US, the Syrian regime and the Syrian Kurdish forces who are in control of the region.

Erdogan said that over 4 million Syrian refugees are remaining in Turkey and Ankara hopes the creation of a safe zone would encourage them to return to their home country while protected against any possible threat.The US has announced the plan of withdrawing its troops from Syria, arguing that the war against the Islamic State (IS) is already coming to its end.Syrian Kurdish forces, however, described the move as a “backstab” while they fought alongside the US-led Coalition effectively in northern Syria. They warned that Turkey is likely to attack the Syrian Kurdish forces as soon and the US troops leave.Washington has warned Ankara against any military operation against its Kurdish allies in Syria. However, Turkish government said it is committed to remove “terrorist organizations” from the Syrian territories bordering Turkey. Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) as an offspring for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is designated by Turkey as a “terrorist organization”.  www.mesop.de