Damascus rejects Turkey-US talks on ‘security zone’ in N. Syria

Damascus said on Friday it would reject any agreement between Turkey and the US to establish a “security zone” in northern Syria as tantamount to a violation of its sovereignty. “Syria reiterates its categorical rejection of any American-Turkish agreement,” a Foreign Ministry source told state news agency SANA.

Such a deal would “constitute a blatant attack on the sovereignty and unity of the country,” the source added. On Tuesday, Turkey and the US began talks to establish a “security zone” in northern Syria aimed at creating a buffer between Kurdish fighters and the Turkish border.

The idea was first mooted by US President Donald Trump in January, in a call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a moment when Turkey was threatening to launch an offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria.

Turkey said on Wednesday it was not satisfied with the buffer zone solutions offered by Washington. “We should say things clearly: we have the impression that [the US] is trying to buy time,” AFP quoted FM Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying.