Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says that up to three million Syrian refugees can return to a planned “safe zone” in northern Syria if it is extended from Turkey’s border to Deir al Zor and Raqqa, after talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts.
Speaking at a news conference in Ankara after talks for a lasting truce in Syria with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, Mr Erdogan said the summit had eliminated obstacles to the formation of a constitutional committee, adding that the committee would begin working soon.
Mr Erdogan also said that support for militant groups “under the pretence of battling” IS was unacceptable, and added that the real threat in Syria was the Kurdish YPG militia.
The summit of the three countries - all of whom have allies fighting in Syria’s ruinous eight-year-old war - aimed to find a lasting truce in Syria. Recent attacks by Syrian government forces risk deepening regional turmoil and pushing a new wave of migrants towards Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C), Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) meet on Monday. Source: AAP
“We are in a period when we need to take more responsibility for peace in Syria, when we [three countries] need to carry more weight,” Mr Erdogan said, adding that all three leaders were in agreement that a political solution was necessary to end the crisis in Syria.
Mr Putin and Mr Rouhani have supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against the rebels. Mr Erdogan, along with the US, and European and Arab allies, has supported different rebel factions.
The three leaders said in a joint statement that they were alarmed about the risk of further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in and around Idlib and had agreed to take “concrete steps” to stop violations of previously negotiated agreements between the three countries.
Disagreements appeared to persist, however, in particular over the threat in Syria from IS, which Mr Erdogan dismissed completely while Mr Putin expressed concern.
“Of course, we are worried by the situation in northeast of Syria, where sleeping cells of ISIS are emerging,” Mr Putin told a joint news conference, minutes after Mr Erdogan said that the only threat in northern Syria was from Kurdish militant groups.
The joint statement did not mention Saturday’s attacks on two of Saudi Arabia’s Aramco facilities by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, which a Saudi-led coalition said were carried out with Iranian weapons.
The rubble of destroyed buildings in Idlib. Source: AAP
However, Mr Rouhani called the attacks a reciprocal measure by “Yemeni people” to assaults on their country.
“Yemeni people are exercising their legitimate right of defence... the attacks were a reciprocal response to aggression against Yemen for years,” Mr Rouhani said.
According to the joint statement, the talks focused on Idlib, the last remaining territory held by rebels seeking to overthrow Mr Assad.
Syrian troops on Sunday shelled the south of Idlib in the area where a ceasefire had halted the fierce army offensive two weeks ago, according to rescuers and residents.
