WASHINGTON
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Turkey's proposal for a buffer zone in Syria is a plan that needs to be considered.
"The buffer zone is an idea that's been out there. It's worth examining," Kerry said during a press conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond. "It needs a thorough examination. We're all in favor of looking at this very closely."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a buffer zone to be established for Syrian refugees as hundreds of thousands of civilians still flee into neighboring countries including, Turkey.
Noting that far more than 1 million civilians, including 180,000 from the key border town of Kobani has already crossed the Turkish border, Kerry said that the refugee issue should not be a problem that is thrust onto Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
"If Syrian citizens can return to Syria and be protected in an area across the border, there's a lot that would commend that," Kerry added. "But at the same time, you'd have to guarantee safety, guarantee there wouldn't be attacks by the government, other kinds of things would have to happen."
Kerry noted that Gen. John Allen, the U.S. special envoy for the anti-ISIL U.S.-led coalition, and his deputy, Ambassador Brett McGurk, will discuss the buffer zone issue with Turkish officials during their visit to Ankara on Oct. 9-10.
British Foreign Secretary Hammond also touched on the buffer zone proposal during the press conference.
"We'd have to explore with other allies and partners what is meant by a buffer zone, how such a concept would work, but I certainly wouldn't want to rule it out at this stage," Hammond said.
Hammond noted that as operations have just started in Syria, it is at the stage of exploring.
As for his country’s contribution to coalition efforts in Syria, Hammond said Britain has not ruled out playing a role in Syria but a parliamentary approval would be needed.
"We were asked by the Iraqi government to provide support in Iraq. We obtained parliamentary approval for that support, and we’re already in action in Iraq. We absolutely have not ruled out playing a role in Syria. We will require further parliamentary approval if we decide that that is the right thing for us to do," he said.
Kerry acknowledged that the UK could potentially play a major role in Syria but was quick to add that the extent of any role would be determined by Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of U.S. Central Command..
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