Erdogan told journalists aboard a plane as he returned from a G-20 meeting that the issue was brought up by U.S. President Barack Obama during the meetings in China. Obama acknowledged “gaps of trust” between the rival powers following months of negotiations between their top diplomats. “We said this would not be a problem from our perspective”.
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Turkey’s military entered Syria last month to back efforts by Syrian rebels to push IS from the border, and has also clashed with Syrian Kurdish troops.
Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said Turkey would like to create a no-fly zone over the area to repatriate Syrian refugees. At least half a block appeared to be destroyed. At least five people were killed today in a double bombing in Syria’s government-held Tartus province, state television said. A 13-year-old girl and a 29-year-old man died from further complications Wednesday. “No”, HNC head Riad Hijab said.
On Tuesday, Syrian regime aircraft reportedly struck al-Sokkary district with chlorine gas bombs. Conflicting casualty counts are common in the aftermath of airstrikes.
The Syrian regime has started releasing 169 captives, including women, in exchange for the bodies of five Russian airmen who were killed when their helicopter was shot down by opposition groups, a lawyer representing the prisoners said on Wednesday.
Fighting in Syria’s western Hama province has displaced an estimated 100,000 people in just over a week, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Insurgents led by an ultraconservative Islamic group last week advanced northward in Hama province, prompting fierce fighting with government forces.
Rebels rapidly captured the town of Halfaya, while forces backing Assad forces have hit back with heavy air strikes. The fighting and the aerial bombardment sent tens of thousands of people fleeing for safety, creating the latest wave of displacement, part of a pattern that has left almost half of the Syrian population displaced since the war began in 2011. It says a shortage of shelter space means many displaced families are sleeping outdoors in parks.
Many of those fleeing feared a violent government response to the rebel advance, according to Ahmad al-Ahmad, an activist from Hama.
Many people had fled from fighting in northern rural Hama and the northwestern countryside of Hama towards Hama city and neighbouring villages. The government says it is targeting “terrorists”.
An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war, now in its sixth year. Of those, 4.8 million are refugees outside of Syria, with almost 7 million displaced inside the country.
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The High Negotiations Committee plan presented in London Wednesday calls for a full cease-fire to take effect as six months of negotiations begin with Assad’s government.
