Foreign Ministry Slams American Safe Zone Plan in Northeast Syria

EghtesadOnline: Iran on Sunday censured the recent plan by the United States to set up a safe zone in the northeast of Syria, saying it is "provocative and a cause for concern".

News ID: ۷۴۸۲۵۲

25 August 2019

"Besides interference with Syria's domestic affairs, such measures, like other behavior by American authorities, cause instability and insecurity in the region," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said, ISNA reported.

The US had agreed earlier this month with Turkey to set up a joint operations center for the proposed zone along Syria’s northeast border, much of it controlled by the Kurdish YPG militia group, Reuters reported.

The YPG formed the main part of a US-backed force that fought against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group. Ankara considers YPG as terrorists who pose a grave security threat and has demanded that the US sever ties with the Kurdish militia, Financial Tribune reported.

Turkish and American officials have now agreed that YPG fighters should be removed from the area and their heavy weapons should be taken, according to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

"The joint operation center will start working with full capacity next week," Akar had said on Friday.

The proposed zone aims to secure a strip of land stretching more than 400 km (250 miles) along Syria’s northeastern border with Turkey.

Mousavi described the plan as a clear violation of Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding that it is against international law and the United Nations' Charter.

"It is obvious that security concerns in Syria's northern borders can be addressed through bilateral agreements with neighbors and through good offices, and there is no need for the intervention of foreign powers," he said.