*ISTANBUL: *Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed a US proposalto broker a ceasefire in northern Syria and said he was not worried over USsanctions, in comments published in Turkish media on Wednesday.
He also said the Syrian army’s entry into the flashpoint northern Syriancity of Manbij was not a “very negative” development for his country aslong as the region is cleared of Syrian Kurdish fighters.
“They tell us ‘to declare a ceasefire’. We can never declare a ceasefire,”Erdogan told journalists on a flight back from Azerbaijan, in commentspublished by the Hurriyet daily.
US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travelWednesday to Ankara to press Turkey to halt its offensive against SyrianKurdish fighters, President Donald Trump said Tuesday.
Pence’s office released a separate statement adding that he would “voicethe United States’ commitment to reach an immediate ceasefire and theconditions for a negotiated settlement.”
“It is not possible for us to declare a ceasefire” until Turkey clears the“terror organisation” from its border, Erdogan said, referring to theKurdish forces.
Pence is due to meet Erdogan on Thursday, the US statement added, toreiterate Trump’s commitment to impose “punishing economic sanctions” onTurkey until a resolution is reached.
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“They are pressuring us to halt the operation. We have a clear target. Weare not worried about the sanctions,” Erdogan said.
The Turkish leader also said the Syrian army taking control of Manbij wasnot a big problem for Ankara.
“The regime’s entry into Manbij is not a very, very negative (development)to me. Why? Because it is their own land,” he said, adding that whatmattered for Turkey was the removal of Kurdish militants.
Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call late Tuesdaythat Turkey’s operation would contribute to the protection of Syria’sterritorial integrity as well as efforts to fight terror, according to theTurkish presidency. -APP/AFP
