Turkey says not right to discuss Syrian "safe zone" with U.S.
Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu said it would not be right for Turkey and the United States to discuss a potential "safe zone" in Syria until trust issues between the NATO allies are resolved.
- World
- Reuters
- Published Date: 12:00 | 25 January 2018
- Modified Date: 01:17 | 25 January 2018
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said it would not be right for Turkey and the United States to discuss a potential "safe zone" in Syria until trust issues between the NATO allies are resolved, the Hurriyet newspaper said on Thursday.
On Wednesday, local media had quoted Çavuşoğlu as saying that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had proposed a 30 km safe zone along Turkey's border with Syria.
"There was a loss of trust with the United States during this period. Until trust is instilled again, it is not right for these issues to be discussed," Hürriyet quoted Çavuşoğlu as saying.
Çavuşoğlu's comments appeared to be in line with those of a senior U.S. official this week, who had said that Turks had not been ready to engage in detail on such a proposal.