Eurasia Press & News
The USA has ruled out any plans to create a “no-fly zone” over Syria as of now, brushing aside reports that the White House is in talks with Turkey in this regard.
“As it relates to the specific no-fly zone proposal, we’ve made pretty clear on a number of occasions that we’re open to discussing a range of options with the Turks. But at this point, we don’t believe that a no-fly zone fits the bill here,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, said here yesterday.
Since the civil war erupted in Syria in early 2011, there have been repeated calls for a no-fly zone to protect the rebels and refugees. Mr Earnest said that Turkey has a significant vested interest in the resolution of the situation and in the turmoil along their border.
“They do have this long border with Syria. That border has been the site of skirmishes already. That border is also an area where there’s a significant humanitarian need. There are hundreds of thousands~ I think maybe even more than a million people now~ have been fleeing violence in Syria,” Mr Earnest said.
He said the Turkish government deserves to be recognised for the significant resources and the effort they’ve made to try to meet those basic humanitarian needs.
“They’ve done that with the full support of the international community, including the United States of America, that continues to be the largest source of bilateral assistance to try to meet the humanitarian situation that’s been caused by the violence in Syria,” Mr Earnest said.
