Beyza Binnur Donmez, Betul Yuruk
09 October 2019•Update: 09 October 2019
UNITED NATIONS
A number of European countries demanded Wednesday a meeting from the UN Security Council to discuss the latest developments in Syria, according to diplomatic sources.
The request by England, Germany, France, Belgium and Poland to talk follows Turkey's Operation Peace Spring in the region.
The council is expected to meet in a closed session Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier Wednesday that Turkey will be responsible for all Daesh fighters captured in Syria that "Europe refused to have returned," in an apparent criticism of European countries.
NATO secretary general said U.S. ally, Turkey, is at the forefront of the crisis and has legitimate security concerns regarding Syria.
"Turkey has suffered horrendous terrorist attacks, and it hosts millions of Syrian refugees," said Jens Stoltenberg after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Noting that Turkish authorities informed NATO about the ongoing operation in northern Syria, Stoltenberg said: "It is important to avoid actions that may further destabilize the region, escalate tensions and cause more human suffering."
"I count on Turkey to act with restraints and ensure that any action it may take in northern Syria is proportionate and measured," he added.
- Operation Peace Spring
Turkey on Wednesday announced launch of Operation Peace Spring east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria to secure its borders by eliminating terror elements to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees and Syria’s territorial integrity.
Turkey has said the terrorist group PKK and its extension the YPG/PYD constitute the biggest threat to Syria’s future, jeopardizing the country’s territorial integrity and unitary structure.
Turkey has also stressed that supporting terrorists under the pretext of fighting Daesh is unacceptable.
Turkey has a 911-kilometer (566-mile) border with Syria and it has long decried the threat from terrorists east of the Euphrates and the formation of a “terrorist corridor” there.
Turkey plans to resettle two million Syrians in a 30-km-wide (19-mi) safe zone to be set up in Syria, stretching from the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border, including Manbij. However, the presence of terror groups such as the PKK, PYD, and YPG risk its formation.
Turkey has rid an area of 4,000 square km (1,544 square miles) in Syria of terrorist groups in two separate cross-border operations. Since 2016, Turkey has conducted two major military operations in northwestern Syria -- Operation Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch -- to purge the region of the terrorist groups Daesh and the YPG, which is the Syrian branch of the terrorist group PKK.
The two operations were in line with the country’s right to self-defense borne out of international law, UN Security Council resolutions, especially no. 1624 (2005), 2170 (2014) and 2178 (2014), and under the right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, while being respectful of Syria’s territorial integrity.
During Operation Euphrates Shield, Turkish forces neutralized 3,060 Daesh terrorists. Turkey has suffered greatly from Daesh attacks inside the country. More than 300 people have been killed in attacks claimed by Daesh in Turkey, where the terrorist group has targeted civilians in suicide bombings and armed attacks in recent years.
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.
