France calls for emergency UNSC meeting on Afrin operation
France on Sunday called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Syria following the launch of Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria's Afrin, French Foreign Ministry announced in a statement.
- World
- Reuters
- Published Date: 12:00 | 21 January 2018
- Modified Date: 06:12 | 21 January 2018
France has called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council over Syria following the launch of Turkey's anti-terror operation in northern Syria's Afrin province, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Sunday.
"Ghouta, Idlib, Afrin — France asks for an urgent meeting of the Security Council," Le Drian said on his Twitter feed. He added that he had spoken with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sunday morning.
Turkish ground forces pushed into northern Syria's Afrin province as part of Operation Olive Branch on Sunday after Turkey launched artillery and air strikes on terrorist PKK's Syrian affiliates the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed-wing People's Protection Units (YPG), it aims to sweep from its border.
On Saturday, envoys and mission chiefs of permanent members of U.N. Security Council — United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France, China —were invited to the Turkish foreign ministry for a briefing on Operation Olive Branch.