BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2019) German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer admitted Thursday she did not expect quick progress in the implementation of the German initiative for international organizations' presence in northern Syria.
Earlier, Kramp-Karrenbauer proposed that a safe zone in northern Syria be created. She said Wednesday she wanted a UN mandate for it. Germany felt sidelined by a deal sealed by Russia and Turkey a day before that halted the Turkish incursion into the north of the Arab country. Kurdish militias were given 150 hours to withdraw from the border area, which will be patrolled by Russian, Turkish and Syrian government forces. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Berlin's initiative did not receive the alliance's support.
"We share the opinion of our colleagues from the United Kingdom and France that the situation has not come to peace with the Sochi agreement, which does not offer a long-term basis for a political solution. This issue remains on the international agenda. We are looking for a solution with the involvement of the international community," Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters in Brussels.
The defense minister noted that NATO allies shared common interest in continuing the fight against the Islamic State terror organization (banned in Russia). According to her, this operation on the border of Iraq should continue.
"The Turkish colleagues once again assured that we were not talking about mass resettlement, cleansing in the region [northern Syria], but about restoration. This was also repeatedly noted in bilateral negotiations, as well as the fact that this could be done with the involvement of the international community, Turkey is ready for this. I think if this is our common goal, then it is important to build trust in the region, and to do it better control should be transferred to international organizations, if possible," the minister added.
She drew attention to the European Parliament's resolution on the creation of a safe zone under the UN auspices, stressing that the discussion process would be lengthy, but it has already been launched.
"This will not be a process that will go quickly. It is important to try to move forward both in the fight against terrorism and in the issue of stabilizing the humanitarian situation. It would be ideal to involve Turkey and the international community, it would be better than based on what was agreed in Sochi. This will require additional efforts, primarily diplomatic," Kramp-Karrenbauer said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a deal late on Tuesday to pull the Kurdish fighters back and establish joint patrols in the operation zone in northeastern Syria along the Turkish border.
