Turkish offensive in Syria. France condemns and seizes the UN Security Council

France condemns "very firmly" the Turkish offensive launched Wednesday, October 9, in northern Syria and will seize the UN Security Council, said the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Amelie de Montchalin. Ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Florence Parly believe that the operation must "stop".

The reaction came a few moments after the start of the Turkish military operation in Syria on Wednesday. "France, Germany and the United Kingdom are finalizing a joint declaration that will be extremely clear on the fact that we strongly and strongly condemn what is reported," said the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.

"We are grabbing the UN Security Council and looking for the biggest coalition (possible) to bring the subject to the quickest discussion" at the international level, added the Secretary of State. France has consulted its European partners to "examine all the options" , including the referral to the Security Council, has been added, without further details, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday announced the start of a new military operation against the Kurdish militia of the People's Protection Units (YPG), supported by Western countries but Ankara's pet peeve. At least two civilians have been killed and two others wounded in the Turkish bombardment targeting a village west of Ras al-Ain, a border region in northern Syria, said an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters.

"A moral fault, a political mistake"

The president of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, Marielle de Sarnez, has also "condemned" the Turkish offensive, which directly targets the Syrian Kurds, Western allies in the fight against the Islamic State group (IS). "It's a violation of international law, a violation of borders," said Marielle de Sarnez. "The action of Turkey is a moral fault, a political mistake, which calls into question the stabilization of the north-east of Syria, which calls into question the security of this zone," she added. "We can not let it go," she said, calling for mobilization from the international community.

In the evening, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian "condemned the unilateral operation launched by Turkey in Syria" in a message posted on his Twitter account. Still on the same social network, his counterpart of the Armed Forces Florence Parly described the Turkish maneuver as "dangerous" . "Dangerous for the safety of the Kurds. Dangerous because it is conducive to Daesh, against whom we have been fighting for 5 years. It must stop, " she wrote, confirming the referral to the UN Security Council, " which will meet tomorrow (Thursday) . "

For its part, the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker immediately demanded the end of the offensive launched by Turkey and warned that no European funding would be granted for the "security zone" that Ankara wishes to establish. in northern Syria along the border with Turkey.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Kurdish leader Ilham Ahmed. He said "alongside the FDS (Syrian Democratic Forces, Ed), because they are key partners in the fight against Daesh (the Arabic acronym of the jihadist group EI) .

Share this article