UNITED NATIONS - The United States warned
Turkey at the United Nations on Thursday that it faced
"consequences" if its assault against Kurdish militias in
northeast Syria did not protect vulnerable populations or
contain Islamic State militants.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, speaking
after a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council on
Syria, did not specify what those consequences could be.
Turkey pounded US-allied Kurdish militia in Syria for a
second day on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of people to
flee and killing dozens.
"Failure to play by the rules, to protect vulnerable
populations, failure to guarantee that ISIS cannot exploit these
actions to reconstitute, will have consequences," Craft told
reporters.
The 15-member Security Council met at the request of the
five European nations: Britain, France, Germany, Belgium and
Poland. In a joint statement, the European states called on
Turkey to stop its military action.
"Renewed armed hostilities in the northeast will further
undermine the stability of the whole region, exacerbate civilian
suffering and provoke further displacements," they said in a
statement read to reporters by Germany's Deputy U.N. Ambassador
Jurgen Schulz.
The offensive was launched days after US President Donald
Trump pulled US troops out of the way in an abrupt policy
shift that followed a phone conversation with Turkish President
Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday.
Turkey says the Kurdish YPG, the main component of the
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, is a terrorist group
linked to Kurdish insurgents that have fought in Turkey for
years.
Trump denied he had abandoned the Kurdish forces, the most
effective US partners in fighting Islamic State (ISIS) in
Syria.
Turkey told the UN Security Council in a letter on
Wednesday that its military operation in northern Syria would be
"proportionate, measured and responsible."
"The operation will only target terrorists and their
hideouts, shelters, emplacements, weapons vehicles and
equipment," Turkey's UN Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu wrote.
"All precautions are taken to avoid collateral damage to the
civilian population."
Turkey justified its action under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which covers an individual or collective right to
self-defense against armed attack.
The UN Security Council is discussing a US-drafted
statement, but it appeared unlikely they could reach an
agreement. Such statements are agreed by consensus.
"It should take into account other aspects of the Syrian
crisis not just the Turkish operation. It should speak about the
illegal military presence in that country," Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters, referring to the
presence of US troops in Syria.