By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) – Turkey has justifiable security interests in northeastern Syria, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday amid calls for a buffer zone the area.
Guterres said any solution must take into account Syria's territorial integrity, the “legitimate security concerns ” of Turkey, and recognition of Syria's diversity.
“These are the three criteria that we have in analyzing any proposal that might eventually exist, ” Guterres said.
In a Twitter post on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed the establishment of a 20-mile (32-kilometer) wide safe zone in Syria's eastern Euphrates region. Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his U.S. counterpart and evaluated the details of the safe zone.
The proposal will be discussed during an upcoming Russian-Turkish presidential-level meeting, according to Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.
