Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis held a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Bern to discuss the latest developments in Syria, including Turkey's operation against Kurdish militia and the launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Monday
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st October, 2019) Swiss Federal Councillor and head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignazio Cassis held a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen in Bern to discuss the latest developments in Syria, including Turkey's operation against Kurdish militia and the launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said on Monday.Commenting on the Turkish operation in northern Syria, Cassis expressed his strong condemnation toward Ankara.
"It's a violation of international law. We hope that the latest ceasefire will be respected and taken as an opportunity to negotiate a de-escalation and political solution," Cassis said as quoted in the statement.
Pedersen, on his part, said that the establishment of the Syrian Constitutional Committee announced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in September "can be a door opener" to a political solution of the Syrian crisis.
Turkey launched an offensive in northern Syria on October 9 in a bid to create a "safe zone" along the border that would be free of Kurdish militias, viewed by Ankara as terrorists. The offensive has faced widespread condemnation from across the globe.
On Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Vice President Mike Pence reached an agreement on a 120-hour ceasefire in north Syria to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish militias from the Turkish border area. However, both Ankara and the Kurds have accused each other of violating the truce.
