UPDATE 1-Turkey says work on roadmap for Syria's Manbij has accelerated
Cavusoglu said apart from the joint patrols in the city, Turkey has begun working with the United States in identifying who will run Manbij and who could be within the security units of the town once Kurdish militia YPG has withdrawn from the area. After months of disagreement, Ankara and Washington agreed in June on a roadmap that would see the YPG removed from the town. Turkey has repeatedly expressed its frustration that the implementation of the plan has been delayed.
"The U.S. administration also wants the roadmap to be implemented as soon as possible," Cavusoglu said. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey would only wait a few weeks for militants to be removed from the north Syrian town of Manbij. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is spearheaded by the YPG, has controlled Manbij since 2016.
Cavusoglu was in the U.S. capital to attend a gathering of 79 countries partnering with the United States against Islamic State. He said there was still little clarity on the details of a U.S. withdrawal from Syria and the creation of a safe zone in the northeastern part of the country. "No concrete ideas on the safe zone has emerged yet. We are discussing this with Russians as well and trying to coordinate it with the Americans," he said.
In December, Trump confounded his own national security team with a surprise decision to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria, declaring that Islamic State had been defeated there. Turkey wants to set up the safe zone with logistical support from allies and says it should be cleared of the U.S.-backed Kurdish YPG militia. Cavusoglu repeated the safe zone could not be an area that would give protection to the group.
"It is important what we understand from a safe zone. If what is understood or desired is a buffer zone that will protect the terrorists, we are against it," he said. Cavusoglu also said a 'task force' group was set up between the United States and Turkey specifically to focus on the work linked to U.S. withdrawal from Syria. "We have put in place this mechanism to ensure this process is carried out in coordination and without problems," he said.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Peter Cooney and Lisa Shumaker)
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
- READ MORE ON:
- United States of America
- Midwestern United States
- United States Constitution
- Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
- Foreign minister
- Donald Trump
- Thirteen Colonies
- Declaration of independence
- The Town
- Town council
- Cape Town
- Foreign Affairs
- Foreign policy
- Middle East
- United States Navy
- People's Protection Units
- DNS zone
- Friend zone
- Sky Zone
- Syrian Army
ALSO READ
Massive explosion in Pittsburgh area home kills man and woman; cause under investigation
Govt agrees to suspend requirement for councils to comply with Significant Natural Areas
US military says destroyed 4 unmanned aerial systems in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
Putin asks voters, including in annexed Ukrainian areas, to determine Russia's future
Intermittent rains, thunderstorms lash Shimla and surrounding areas