The United Nations Security Council voiced concern on Wednesday over the risks of a deterioration in the humanitarian situation in northeast Syria and the escape of Islamic State fighters, but made no reference to a Turkish assault on U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish militia that began a week ago. […]
The council said nothing on northeast Syria after it met last Thursday. Council statements are agreed by consensus and Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said at the time the council “should take into account other aspects of the Syrian crisis not just the Turkish operation.”
After Wednesday’s meeting the United States, China and the council’s five European members – Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Belgium – all separately called on Turkey to halt its attack, but the Security Council statement did not.
“China calls for the immediate end of military actions by Turkey,” China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun told reporters. “The Security Council discussions, in one way or another, are still going on so let’s work toward the right solution.” […]
“The Turkish side tells us that they will respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria,” Nebenzia told reporters. “We understand the Turkish national security concerns but we believe that the operation that they’re conducting should be proportionate to the aims that they declare.” Läs artikel