Faruk Zorlu
06 October 2019•Update: 07 October 2019
ANKARA
The Turkish president on Sunday said his country offered to set up safe zone in northern Syria to the U.S. as it was presented to former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Speaking on last day of ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party's consultation and assessment meeting in Kizilcahamam, a retreat town of capital Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the setting up of safe zone in northern Syria was offered by Turkey to the U.S. President Donald Trump as it was also offered to the Obama administration.
Later, Trump agreed with Turkey and the U.S. brought up the idea of withdrawal from east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, Erdogan said, adding that the people around Trump have not followed these instructions yet.
"Unfortunately, terrorist organizations such as the PKK, PYD and YPG teem here [safe zone]," Erdogan said.
Erdogan said it is Turkey's right to question the delivery of 30,000 trucks loaded with weapons and ammunition from Iraq to the safe zone area.
"Because we share a 911-kilometer border line," he said.
Turkey plans to resettle 2 million Syrians in a 30-km-wide safe zone to be set up in Syria, stretching from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border, including Manbij.
On Aug. 7, Turkish and U.S. military officials agreed to set up a safe zone in northern Syria and develop a peace corridor to facilitate the movement of displaced Syrians who want to return home. They also agreed to establish a joint operations center.
The agreement also envisaged setting up necessary security measures to address Turkey's security concerns, including clearing the zone of the terrorist YPG/PKK, a group the U.S. has sometimes been allied with, over Turkey’s objections.
Turkey has long championed the idea of terrorist-free safe zones in Syria. It has stressed ridding the area of the terrorist YPG, as well as resettling Syrian migrants currently sheltered in Turkey.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
