US pressures European allies to support Turkey

ISTANBUL

NATO member countries, particularly Europeans, must act together to provide support to Turkey to confront the difficulties arising from the Syrian conflict, James Jeffrey, the U.S. special envoy for Syria, has said at the International Idlib Conference in Istanbul.

He was responding to a question during regarding Washington’s views about concrete military support to Turkey.

“We are pressuring our European allies to make contribution to this issue. There’s a Spanish Patriot missile defense unit right now deployed in Turkey at the Incirlik airbase, that’s an example of things that NATO is actually doing, and we want to see more actions like that.”

Jeffrey, however, added that there is no unanimity in Washington over military support for Turkey in Syria.

The United States seeks a “sustainable ceasefire” in Syria, amid the escalating tensions in the last rebel stronghold Idlib, the U.S.’s permanent representative to the U.N. has said.

Speaking in an interview with private broadcaster CNN Türk, Kelly Craft said that the only answer to the Syrian conflict is a “stable and sustainable” ceasefire on the field.

Craft and Jeffrey paid a visit to Hatay and Gaziantep provinces, both on the Syrian border, and observed one of the two remaining U.N.-authorized cross-border lifelines facilitating humanitarian assistance to the people of northwestern Syria, particularly Idlib.

During the interview, Craft said that she arrived in Turkey to see the situation at the border for herself.

“There are two border gates. Yesterday, I only saw one. As of [March 9], we will talk about the crossing from the two borders. Opening these are very important, in fact, vital,” she said.

“The only answer is a stable and sustainable ceasefire. It can occur this evening, or tomorrow if there if will, but we need to underline this to everyone,” she added.

Craft on March 3 announced an additional $108 million assistance to the Syrian people amid a new refugee influx towards the Turkish borders due to intensified military operations by the Syrian regime backed by Russia.