Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation in northern Syria. Erdogan said that at an opening ceremony in the Turkish city of Kayseri.
It should go to the stationing of troops of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in a planned by Erdogan so-called security zone in the north of the country. Erdogan also warned that Turkey would "implement its own plans" should no solution be found in the conversation.
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Turkey launched an offensive against the Kurdish militia YPG in northern Syria on 9 October, which it regards as a terrorist organization. On Thursday, US Vice President Mike Pence announced after talks in Ankara a ceasefire between the conflicting parties. (Read more about this here.)
The ceasefire is intended to give the Kurdish militia the opportunity to withdraw from an area on the Syrian side of the border, where Turkey intends to build a so-called security zone. However, the joint statement left many questions unanswered. For example, it is unclear whether all parties are talking about the same catchment area.
Turkey and Kurds accuse each other of violating the ceasefire
Ankara and the Kurdish militia-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused each other of violating the agreement. The Turkish Ministry of Defense accused the Kurdish militias on Saturday of being responsible for 14 heavy weapon attacks in the border towns of Tal Abiad and Ras al-Ain.
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Cologne: Thousands demonstrate against Turkish military offensiveThe SDF on the other hand accused the Turkish side of not allowing the opening of a humanitarian corridor for the embattled border town of Ras al-Ain. The Kurdish self-government had demanded this in order to bring civilians and injured people to safety.
According to activists, the Turkish-backed rebels Ras al-Ain continued to fire on Saturday. At least six people died of their injuries in the course of the fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The rebels had previously prevented a medical convoy to rescue 38 injured civilians and combatants at the entrance to Ras al-Ain.
Mützenich: "Consequences before the International Criminal Court" for Erdogan
In Germany, the Turkish offensive, which began on 9 October, continued to be met with heavy criticism. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer sharply criticized Turkey and the United States. The withdrawal of the US troops put the "reliability of our strongest coalition partner worldwide" in question, said the CDU leader at the CSU party conference in Munich. At the same time, Turkey is endangering armed force in the neighboring region "the basis of the post-war order" - that conflicts are resolved with diplomacy and not with the power of the strongest.
The SPD faction leader in the Bundestag, Rolf Mützenich, brought an indictment against the Erdogan before the International Criminal Court into play. "Erdogan is currently acting in violation of international law and is engaged in a war of aggression," said Mützenich of "Welt am Sonntag". "His behavior should have consequences before the International Criminal Court."
Although Turkey has not ratified the Rome Statute on the founding of the Tribunal, an indictment would have "its effect on the level of international diplomacy," he said. Turkey is "of course" part of NATO. "But we also know that after the coup military reached high ranks, which can imagine other alliances than the Western," said the SPD foreign policy with a view to the coup attempt of July 2016.
In Cologne, thousands demonstrated against the Turkish mission on Saturday. Protests were also planned in other German cities, including Berlin, Saarbrücken, Stuttgart and Frankfurt am Main.