Turkey's Presidential Spokesman urges Syria safe zones

ISTANBUL

Turkey has reiterated its calls for safe zones in northern Syria, both for its border security and the safe return of Syrians to their own country.

In an opinion article published by Daily Sabah late Monday, Turkey's Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin wrote: "Turkey's call for safe zones in Syria is as urgent and life-saving as it has ever been."

"The inaction from the international community will only entrench the [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime's barbarism, spread the Daesh menace and lead to the loss of more innocent lives," Kalin noted.

He argued that the safe zones along the Turkey-Syria border would protect civilians "from the indiscriminate killing of both the Assad regime and DAESH," which he described as "the twin monsters of the Syrian war."

Among the benefits of such a safe zone, Kalin said it would "help reduce the number of refugees and provide shelter for the internally displaced people" and "enable the U.N. and other institutions to coordinate their humanitarian aid work."

"It will also give a sense of hope to the Syrian people that they are not alone and the international community is there to protect them."

Turkey wants infrastructure and residences to be built in the proposed safe zones so Syrians need not leave their country to flee the war.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin, had previously agreed on a possible safe zone in northern Syria.

"This is not an impossible goal to achieve," Kalin wrote in the article.

"The so-called 'complications' in establishing and maintaining safe zones in Syria appear to be excuses rather than real concerns."

He was referring to claims in international media that a safe zone carries many risks.

Kalin discussed that the fight against Daesh "to the extent it has succeeded, has been no less risky militarily."

Mentioning that Aleppo has recently seen one of the worst air strikes since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, he wrote, "The goal of the Assad regime is to decimate the entire city and its inhabitants in order to destroy one of the strongholds of the opposition forces."

On Sept. 25, at least 85 people were killed and 178 others were injured in Syrian and Russian air strikes on residential areas in opposition-held parts of Aleppo.

"This is a regime that has proved its capacity for cruelty and genocidal killing over and over again," Kalin wrote.

"The criminal gang in Aleppo is not interested in peace or political transition. They cannot even tolerate humanitarian aid being delivered to civilians. It is a folly to expect mercy from a monster."

He wrote that the best way to protect civilians across Syria is the establishment of safe zones.

"It makes more sense both politically and morally to seek to establish safe zones in Syria than begging the criminal Assad regime for truce or peace," he noted.

"The international community has the means to realize this goal. It, however, lacks the political will and moral vision that has vanished from global politics in a regrettable and scandalous manner."

"The gains of establishing safe zones will be huge," Kalin reiterated.

"It will protect civilians, force the Assad regime to come to the negotiating table, reduce the number of refugees, empower the moderate Syrian opposition groups against the regime and Daesh in protected areas, and bring a degree of balance to the Syrian conflict."