Turkey criticizes US, France calls for UN ceasefire in Afrin

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Ankara government on Wednesday rejected calls from Washington and Paris to abide by a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and halt its offensive on the enclave of Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan.

In a lengthy, strong-worded statement on the Foreign Ministry’s website, Spokesperson Hamit Aksoy said the US suggestion for his country to reread the resolution was “was completely groundless.”

US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert had affirmed on Tuesday that Afrin, where Turkish attacks have killed scores of civilians, fell within the scope of the 30-day Syrian truce approved over the weekend.

“I would encourage Turkey to go back and read this resolution,” she said regarding earlier refusals from top Turkish government officials.

“[Nauert] either fails to grasp the focus of the resolution or intends to distort it,” the Turkish ministry said, alleging the UN act only covered rebel-held areas such as the Eastern Ghouta suburb in Damascus that is suffering from intensive regime airstrikes.

It said the American approach was a double-standard “which may be perceived as defending terrorists.”

Turkey is not a party to the conflict in Syria, it claimed, citing an exercise of self-defense for its campaign to capture Afrin.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier said, “we are at war” and this Monday promised a “conquest,” using religious terms.

“In the resolution, Afrin is not cited among the areas where the humanitarian situation is considered to be alarming. What is occurring in Afrin is a combat against terrorist organizations which target the integrity of Syria and the national security of Turkey,” the Turks said.

By “terrorists” Ankara means the US-led anti-Islamic State Coalition allies the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which has declared its adherence to the ceasefire.

None of the UN members labels the YPG a terrorist group.

Aksoy also denied an Élysée press release that said French President Emmanuel Macron had urged Erdogan to implement the ceasefire in Afrin during a phone conversation Monday.

The Turkish spokesperson accused Macron’s office of “misinforming the public.”

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany