Istanbul — Turkey on Tuesday called for a joint ground operation in Syria with its international allies, adding that such an intervention was the only way to stop the country’s five-year civil war.
A senior Turkish official, briefing foreign reporters in Istanbul, said Turkey wanted such an operation to be carried out with Western and Gulf allies but emphasized there were no plans to act unilaterally.
“We want a ground operation with our international allies,” the official said, asking not to be named. “And that is what we are trying to raise in our meetings.”
“Without a ground operation, it is impossible to stop the fighting in Syria,” added the official. “That is what we think. And we are the closest ones to Syria so we feel the negative effects (from the fighting) more than the others.”
“This has been voiced many times by us but we could not come to a conclusion” with allied states, he acknowledged.
The official was speaking after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the weekend said Turkey and its ally Saudi Arabia could launch a ground operation in Syria against Daesh.
But the official said such a move needed to be made in concert with Turkey’s allies in the international coalition against Daesh, including the United States.
“There is not going to be a unilateral military operation from Turkey to Syria,” the official said.
“But of course it is difficult to reckon what could happen in 10 days. If the conditions change there might be some options. But right now, we do not have such a plan.
“Our plan is to act in accordance with the international coalition. We are not going to do anything against the will of the coalition,” the official said.
Turkey had previously called for a safe area for refugees backed by a no-fly zone inside Syria close to the Turkish border but this proposal met with only a lukewarm reception from allies.
Asked what the aims of such a ground operation would be, the official said it should be to remove “all terror groups from Syria.”
The official said these included Daesh, the Syrian regime of President Bashar Al-Assad but also the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).
The United States has worked closely with the PYD in the fight against Daesh but Ankara regards the group as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The Turkish official said Ankara had presented US Vice President Joe Biden with “proof” the PYD is a terror group during his visit to Istanbul in January but admitted Washington has not accepted Ankara’s argument.
“We are trying to convince the Americans,” said the official, adding that PYD is “not supporting the territorial integrity of Syria.”
Turkish artillery has struck at Kurdish militia targets in Syria over the past few days, creating a rare rift between Ankara and its NATO ally the United States.
