Top US diplomat hails safe zone agreement with Turkey

ANKARA

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he was pleased with the progress towards establishing a Joint Operations Center in Turkey to coordinate the creation of a safe zone in northeast Syria.

“Pleased that talks between the U.S. and Turkey led to important progress towards establishing a sustainable security mechanism to address our shared security concerns in northeast Syria,” Pompeo said on Twitter.

“Establishing a safe zone would be a big step towards achieving peace and security,” he added.

Turkish and U.S. military officials agreed Wednesday that the safe zone would be a "peace corridor" for displaced Syrians longing to return home and on the establishment of the Joint Operations Center.

The two sides also agreed on the immediate implementation of measures to address Turkey's security concerns.