Turkey rejects call for cease-fire in northern Syria
As Russia and the United States each launched diplomatic forays to end Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday defied pressure for a cease-fire and said the only way the offensive would end was if Syrian Kurdish fighters leave a designated border area “by tonight.”
Russia has moved quickly to further entrench its leadership role in the region after President Trump ordered the pullout of American forces in northeastern Syria. The American move effectively abandoned the Kurdish fighters who were allied with the U.S. and cleared the way for Turkey’s invasion aimed at crushing them.
“Our proposal is for the terrorists to lay down their arms, leave their equipment, destroy the traps they have created and leave the safe zone we have designated, as of tonight,” Erdogan said. “If this is done, our Operation Peace Spring will end by itself.”Pence is joined in his Turkey visit by Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and national security advisor Robert O’Brien, aiming to negotiate a stop to the fighting in Syria’s northeast.
It has also allowed Moscow to take a more prominent role as an interlocutor among Assad, the former U.S.-allied Kurds and the U.S.’ NATO ally Turkey. During a visit to Iraq last week, Lavrov met with the leaders of the Kurdish autonomous region and said that Moscow is sympathetic to their need for autonomy.
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