U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura
The UN’s special envoy for Syria called on the leaders of Russia and Turkey on Tuesday to dialogue to effect a solution for Syria's Idlib.
"To President [Vladimir] Putin and President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, you are the ones, who actually were able to talk to each other, make a telephone call, organize a formula that allow the end of that horrible peril not to be the worst," Staffan de Mistura said at a news conference at the UN Office in Geneva.
"[A] telephone call between two of you would make a big difference even before Tehran," he added.
Talks on Syria in the Iranian capital will be held Sept. 7 with Iran, Russia and Turkey.
De Mistura said the situation in Idlib should be carefully evaluated in terms of politics and the military and a sustainable solution is not impossible as an Erdoğan and Putin's one-on-one meeting would be effective.
The Kremlin dismissed U.S. President Donald Trump's warning to Syria not to launch an offensive in the opposition-held enclave of Idlib, saying on Tuesday that the area was a "nest of terrorism".Trump on Monday warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Iran and Russia not to "recklessly attack" the northwestern Syrian province, saying hundreds of thousands of people could be killed."Just to speak out with some warnings, without taking into account the very dangerous, negative potential for the whole situation in Syria, is probably not a full, comprehensive approach," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.The presence of the opposition in Idlib was undermining the Syrian peace process and making the region a base for attacks on Russian forces in Syria, Peskov added.Trump warns Assad against ‘recklessly attacking’ Idlib"A fairly large group has settled there and of course this leads to a general destabilisation of the situation. It undermines attempts to bring the situation onto the track of a political-diplomatic settlement," he said."We know that Syria's armed forces are preparing to resolve this problem," he added.Russia resumed air strikes in Idlib province on Tuesday after a hiatus of several weeks, according to a Syrian opposition member and a war monitor.A source has told Reuters that Assad is preparing a phased offensive to regain the province.The situation around Idlib will be one of the main items on the agenda when the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey meet in Tehran this week, Peskov told reporters on a conference call, declining to elaborate further. UN sees 'moment of truth' for Syria political processAssad sought peace with Israel in 2010: Kerry memoir
Kremlin dismisses Trump warning on Syria's Idlib
The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, remains committed to providing humanitarian relief in Syria since the country has been locked in a vicious civil war from the beginning of 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.Speaking to Yeni Şafak daily, head of the Syrian White Helmets Raed Saleh underlined that they are not a part of the fight between U.S. and Russia, and that their only goal is to save innocent lives.“We have a single aim: to help as many innocent people as possible after the bombardments that target civilians. In addition, we support the reconstruction process of parks, roads, bridges, water-treatment plants and orphanages,” he said. “We have saved 115,000 lives in Syria in seven years,” Saleh added.Regime forces set ground for a major massacre in Idlib “The forces that shelled mosques, schools, bazaars, hospitals and thousands of civilian houses since 2011 are in preparation for the last and biggest bloodbath in Idlib. We were the ones who reported all the violations of the Assad regime and its allies, notably chemical weapons, to independent international organizations. Attacks against us stem from the fact that we have provided evidence of their massacres,” Saleh said. Idlib, located in northwestern Syria on the Turkish border, has faced intense attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime after a vicious civil war broke out in 2011. Since March 2015, Idlib is no longer under the control of the Assad regime and has been overrun by opposition groups.The Assad regime is currently preparing for an offensive against the last opposition-held stronghold of Syria’s Idlib.Over 250 aid volunteers martyred in Syria “65,000 people are currently ready for duty as an emergency volunteers at the areas we remain in. Two hundred and twenty-seven of them are women. We have lost 225 martyrs in this war and 700 of our volunteers were wounded. Organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) supported us the most. The biggest support we received was, without a doubt, from Syrian civilians.”Regime forces target our headquarters “Assad forces are in preparations to attack our headquarters in Idlib, Lattakia, Homs and Aleppo. They want to repeat the massacres in Khan Sheikhoun and Eastern Ghouta. Turkey is the most powerful country in the Syrian issue, and in the upcoming process, the prominent role of Turkey will be grasped better. We follow the efforts of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government that are conducted in the region to prevent fresh massacres. At least 100 people were killed and hundreds of others injured in the chemical attack in April 2017 in Khan Sheikhoun in western Idlib province. The United Nations called on Russia, Iran and Turkey to forestall a battle in Idlib which would affect millions of civilians and could see the government potentially using chlorine as a chemical weapon.
'White Helmets saved 115,000 lives in Syria'
"There has often been in the past occasions for finding a reasonable, logical, non-dramatic solution. That's why I am urging them [to talk]," he remarked.
The priority in Idlib is to protect civilians as women, men, teachers, medical staff, engineers, according to de Mistura, as children have been trapped in the unknown.
Earlier Tuesday, de Mistura held a news conference in Geneva, where he said the organization is worried about a possible operation in Idlib by the Assad regime and its supporters.
Civilians in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, fearing a possible assault by the regime and its allies, are looking to Turkey to ensure the region’s safety.
Residents are urging Turkey to increase the number of observation points in the area with a view to protecting civilians from an attack they believe is imminent.
Located near the Turkish border, Idlib is home to more than 3 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces.
In May, Idlib was designated a “de-escalation zone” -- in which acts of aggression are expressly forbidden -- as part of ongoing peace talks in Kazakh capital of Astana.
A Syrian opposition member and a war monitor said Russian air strikes had resumed in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Tuesday after several weeks.Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has sworn to recapture every inch of Syria and has made big gains against the opposition since Russia joined his war effort in 2015.Last week, a source close to Damascus said the government was preparing a phased offensive to recover Idlib province, but Turkey, whose army has a string of observation posts around the edge of the area, has warned against such an assault.Possible war between Israel, Iran loomsRussian air raids ceased in and around Idlib on August 15, but pro-Syrian government forces have maintained an aerial bombardment and shelling against the opposition there, the war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.The opposition source and the Observatory both said the air strikes were in the countryside near Jisr al-Shughour on the western edge of the northwestern territory.Russian, Turkish and Iranian leaders are due to meet on Sept. 7 in Iran and are expected to discuss the situation in northwestern Syria.Germany urges prevention of disaster in Syria’s IdlibTrump warns Assad against ‘recklessly attacking’ IdlibTurkey deploys more military vehicles to Syrian borderFrance 'concerned' over the situation in Idlib
Russia resumes Idlib air strikes: Syrian Observatory
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his U.S. counterpart Michael Pompeo held a phone call on Wednesday, a source in the Turkish foreign ministry said, as the ministers attended an ASEAN meeting in Singapore.The call was requested by Pompeo, the source said.Çavuşoğlu and Pompeo discussed developments in Syria's Idlib and Manbij, along with bilateral issues in their phone call.The call comes as violence in Idlib, the last major opposition-held enclave in Syria, escalated with Russia resuming air strikes in the region.DefMin expresses Turkey’s discomfort at YPG presence in Syria to US representativeTurkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions over the detention of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey over terrorism charges.Brunson's charges include spying for the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), the group behind the defeated coup attempt in Turkey of July 2016.Political tensions between the two countries had sparked worries in markets this month, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure against Turkey over the American pastor.Turkish finance minister shares policies in London
Turkey, US foreign ministers discuss Syria's Idlib and Manbij
The top U.S. military officer warned on Tuesday that a major Syrian military assault on the opposition-held enclave of Idlib would lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe" and instead recommended more narrowly tailored operations.The northern province and surrounding areas are the last major swathe of territory held by the opposition fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been backed by both Russian and Iranian forces in Syria's seven-year-old civil war.They are also home to some 3 million civilians.Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there was no doubt about the risks to civilians given Idlib's terrain and difficult operating environment.DefMin expresses Turkey’s discomfort at YPG presence in Syria to US representative"We don't see any way that significant military operations are going to be beneficial to the people of Syria," Dunford told reporters during a trip to Athens."If major military operations take place we can expect humanitarian catastrophe and I think we would all want to see that be avoided," Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a trip to Athens.Last week, a source close to Damascus said the government was preparing a phased offensive to recover Idlib province, but Turkey, whose army has a string of observation posts around the edge of the opposition area, has warned against such an assault.Iran has called for the opposition to be "cleaned out" of Idlib.UN sees 'moment of truth' for Syria political processDunford said it was still unclear to him how large of an operation was being planned by the Russian-backed Syrian forces to clear the opposition out of the enclave."I'm suggesting that counter-terrorism operations should take place in a manner that mitigates the risk of the loss of innocent life," he said.Kremlin dismisses Trump warning on Syria's IdlibPressed about the best course, Dunford said: "More of a discussion between the Turks, the Syrians and the Russians at more precise counterterrorism operations -- as opposed to large scale conventional operations -- would be the right approach."Dunford's remarks followed a warning on Monday by U.S. President Donald Trump that hundreds of thousands of civilians could be killed by if Syrian and Russian forces "recklessly attack" Idlib.Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, wrote on Twitter late on Monday: "All eyes on the actions of Assad, Russia, and Iran in Idlib. #NoChemicalWeapons."Russia resumes Idlib air strikes: Syrian ObservatoryPossible war between Israel, Iran looms
Top US general warns against major assault on Syria's Idlib