ANKARA, Oct 17 (NNN-ANADOLU) – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, rejected U.S. calls for a cease-fire in the escalating Syria conflict, ahead of a meeting with Vice President Mike Pence.
The vice president’s office announced that, Pence would lead a U.S. delegation, including Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, national security adviser, Robert O’Brien and the special representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, to Ankara. The aim of the trip was to persuade Erdogan to stop his offensive into the region.
On Tuesday, Erdogan vowed that he would not declare a cease-fire in northeast Syria.
“They say ‘declare a cease-fire.’ We will never declare a cease-fire,” Erdogan told reporters.
“They are pressuring us to stop the operation. They are announcing sanctions. Our goal is clear. We are not worried about any sanctions,” he added.
Earlier, when asked about meeting an American delegation, Erdogan said, through a translator: “I’m not going to talk to them. They will be talking to their counterparts. When Trump comes here, I’ll be talking.”
Erdogan’s communications director, Fahrettin Altun, said afterwards that, while Erdogan would not be meeting with a U.S. delegation in Ankara, he would meet Pence and Pompeo on Thursday (today).
It is unclear whether in his original comments, Erdogan meant he would refuse to meet with Pence.
Erdogan told reporters that, he will evaluate whether to visit the U.S. next month, after the meetings with the American delegation in Ankara this week.
He said, no power would be able to stop Turkey’s offensive in Syria, which would come to an end when Turkey completes the formation of its “safe zone” that will run from Manbij in the west, to the border with Iraq, a distance of approximately 260 miles, he added.
“For the quickest solution to the problem in Syria, we propose all terrorists to leave their weapons and equipment, destroy the traps they prepared and leave the safe zone tonight,” he told reporters.– NNN-ANADOLU