Syria envoy to UN demands Turkey withdraw troops to begin resettlement

The envoy of the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad, Bashar Jaafari, has demanded the United Nations order the withdrawal of Turkish forces in the northwest of Syria, citing it as an obstruction to the rebuilding and resettlement of the war-torn country.

“We demand Turkey withdraw all its troops if they want to help Syria,” Jaafari told a press conference today. “First of all the troops which illegally entered the territory should be withdrawn as well as American troops which are present in many areas in the north-eastern parts of Syria. They should have been withdrawn. All international organisations should say that starting with the UNSC [UN Security Council].”

Besides Turkey’s presence in many of the cities in the north-west, Jaafari also criticised its method of operations, insisting that “Turkey should have established 12 checkpoints there, police posts…Instead, they sent armed forces to many Syrian cities…It concerns us very much. We are concerned that Turkey doesn’t comply with its obligations of Astana talks and Sochi forum.”

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Jaafari also claimed that Turkish forces have been changing many of the names of Syrian villages and raising the Turkish flag in them in what he described as “obvious clear aggression”.

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Turkey has supported opposition groups against Al-Assad’s regime. It later launched “Operation Euphrates Shield” in 2016 and “Operation Olive Branch” this year sending its troops in to Syria’s Afrin province.

Turkey has also taken part in peace talks in an effort to end the unrest in the neighbouring country. As a result de-escalation zones were setup in a number of areas of Syria to reduce civilian casualties and help slow the bloodshed.