- Title: Turkey will resume Syria assault if U.S. promises not met - Erdogan
- Date: 22nd October 2019
- Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (OCTOBER 22, 2019) (REUTERS) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: "Our institutions closely monitor the situation in the field. If the promises given to us by America are not kept, we will continue our operation from where it left off, this time with a much bigger determination." REPORTERS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: "We will discuss the current situation in northern Syria, especially in the east of Euphrates with my dear friend (Vladimir) Putin. We will also find the opportunity to the steps to be taken to end the presence of the PKK/PYD/YPG in areas where the regime elements are. Separately, we will discuss what we can do for the constitutional committee to work in a healthy way and to put forth concrete work." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: "The withdrawal is continuing at the moment. According to the information I have received from my defence minister, around 700-800 (YPG fighters) have already withdrawn and the rest is around 1200-1300. They are continuing to withdraw, it has been said that they will withdraw. We are following these." REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH PRESIDENT, TAYYIP ERDOGAN, SAYING: “Unfortunately, there are some dissonant voices coming from Iran. Not from Mr. (Hassan) Rouhani. Rather than close working partners of Mr. Rouhani, there are some dissonant voice coming. They should have silenced these, starting with Mr. Rouhani and this seriously annoys me and my work colleagues." REPORTERS ERDOGAN AND OFFICIALS LEAVING
- Embargoed: 5th November 2019 09:30
- Keywords: Turkey Syria Russia Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan military operation into northern Syria ceasefire Syrian Kurdish militia
- Location: ANKARA, TURKEY
- City: ANKARA, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA001B26JBRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Kurdish forces are continuing to withdraw in northeast Syria but Turkey will resume its military assault there once a U.S.-brokered ceasefire expires if promises given by Washington are not kept, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday (October 22).
Speaking ahead of an official visit to Russia, Erdogan also said he would discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin how a Syrian constitutional committee that is due to meet in late October can make concrete progress.
A five-day pause in Turkey's cross-border military offensive to allow the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG fighters from the border area expires at 10 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday.
Turkey says Kurdish YPG militia forces must leave a "safe zone" it wants to establish along its border with northeast Syria. Ankara views the YPG as terrorists with links to Kurdish insurgents operating in southeast Turkey.
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