UN Hopes Turkish Safe Zone in Syria to Not Infringe on Asylum Seekers' Rights - Spokesman
The United Nations hopes that the setting up of the so-called safe zones by Turkey in northern Syria will not violate the rights of asylum seekers, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Tuesday
Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara would act alone in creating a safe zone in neighboring Syria as the deadline to jointly set up one with the United States in the area has expired.
"We are, obviously, following this closely, we've always expressed our concerns with safe zones, we want to make sure that they do not infringe on the rights of people who want to seek asylum and make sure that civilians are protected," Dujarric said.
On August 7, Turkey and the United States agreed to create a safe zone in Syria after experiencing tensions for months over the presence of Kurdish militants in northern Syria.
However, technical details have prevented the two countries from implementing the deal.
Turkey considers Kurdish militias operating in northern Syria as a threat to its security and has sought to make them withdraw from the region. The United States has been supporting Kurdish militias and provided weapons to them thereby generating tensions with Turkey.
The Syrian government has decried the safe zone deal between Turkey and the United States and called both countries occupiers. Both Turkey and the United States operate in Syria without permission from the Syrian government and without a mandate from the United Nations.