Syria warned of the danger of recent statements by the Turkish regime regarding the establishment of a so-called “safe zone” in northern Syria. It called on the international community not to bargain with this regime on the territory of other countries.
The Syrian position was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Faisal al-Mekdad, during his meeting on Sunday with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Syria Geir Pedersen. During the meeting, they discussed issues of common interest and the Syrian state’s efforts to consolidate stability, especially by expanding the scope of the reconciliation and settlement processes that have taken place — and continue to do so — in different regions of Syria.
During the meeting, Mekdad spoke about the content and importance of the recent amnesty decree. He explained that all stakeholders continue to work non-stop to fully implement the amnesty decree.
Read Also: UN Special Envoy Welcomes Assad’s Amnesty To Free Syrians on Terrorism Charges
According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Mekdad noted the continued Turkish occupation of parts of Syrian territory, warning of the seriousness of the Turkish regime’s recent statements on the establishment of a so-called “safe zone” in northern Syria. He called on the international community not to support this regime in occupying the territory of other countries.
For his part, Pedersen described the recent amnesty decree as an important step. He referred to the recent visits and meetings, and during the meeting attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Bashar al-Jaafari, Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Susan, Abdullah Hallaq, and Ihab Hamed of Mekdad’s ministry. Pedersen also touched on the topic of holding the next round of the constitutional committee, scheduled for May 28th.
In responding to a question from al-Watan after meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Pedersen described his meeting with Mekdad as very good. He pointed out that a range of issues related to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254 was discussed, adding: “We spent some time discussing the very serious social, economic, and humanitarian challenges affecting the Syrian people — including issues related to internally displaced persons and refugees.”
Pedersen said that he was briefed in some detail on President Assad’s amnesty and looked forward to remaining informed of the progress made in implementing the amnesty. He added: “As I said before, the amnesty has potential, and we look forward to seeing how it develops.”
Pedersen pointed out that the constitutional committee was also discussed, pointing out that the next meeting will be held on May 28. At the meeting, there will be “15 members of civil society, 15 members of the national delegation, and 15 opposition members.” He said: “I also hope that this meeting will be positive and help to drive the process forward so that we can start to see the crisis’ different aspects. This would allow us to see some confidence-building measures that will also be key to further implementation of Resolution 2254.”
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
