KABUL
Turkey can establish a safe haven for Syrian refugees within its borders whenever it wants, if required, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus has said.
Kurtulmus' comments came on Saturday as Turkey continues to push the international community, including the United Nations, to establish a no-fly zone and safe haven for refugees inside Syria near the Turkish border, as the country wrestles with a month-long massive influx of Syrian refugees from the ISIL-terrorized Kurdish border town of Kobani.
Speaking on Saturday as he accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on an official visit to Afghanistan, he said: “A safe haven is a measure and preparation we are contemplating, but it doesn't necessarily mean that this step will be taken.”
The minister said military officials had been thoroughly working out the issue of a safe haven in order to determine the areas to be secured militarily and those to be secured for refugees.
Kurtulmus said Turkey was primarily affected by any changes in Syria, adding: “Turkey has to ensure its own safety and take any necessary step resolutely without leaving it to the mercy of the international system.”
He said there was confusion about the concept of a safe haven, saying it should be differentiated from a “no-fly zone” and “buffer zone” in the context of international law.
He said: “A buffer zone can be used both for military and civilian purposes. These (no-fly and buffer zones) are areas that can be built outside our borders; both require a UN resolution and a related decision by the international coalition.
“This is not a matter that can be handled directly by Turkey.”
Regarding a safe haven, Kurtulmus said efforts were under way and Turkey could set up such a zone inside its borders at any time.
“It will be a region so as to both militarily reinforce our border security and to accept any possible intense refugee inflow that cannot be prevented by a buffer zone outside our borders,” he added.
Asked whether safe haven meant a large refugee camp, the minister ruled out any such comparison and said it was a place where all mobility, entry and exits were put under a control mechanism.
“We think the place to establish a safe zone won't include large residential areas with a high population,” he said.
www.aa.com.tr/en
