LOC16:14
13:14 GMT
PARIS, Feb 20 (KUNA) -- French authorities said on Tuesday that only negotiations under UN auspices could bring peace in Syria and security for Turkey in light of the deteriorating situation between these nations.
Reacting to KUNA questions on the Turkish incursion into the Afrin region of Syria and threats from Damascus that it would support Kurdish forces opposing the Turks, the Foreign Ministry said that talks under the terms of UN Security Council resolution 2254 must be the basis for a solution.
"We have several times expressed to Turkey our attachment to the security of its borders but also our worry with regard to the military operation in a region exposed to grave humanitarian risks," the Foreign Ministry said in its answer to KUNA questions.
France said it was "working in close consultation with Turkey, as well as with other regional partners" on the developing crisis.
France has several times recalled the key role in the fight against so-called Islamic State of the Kurdish YPG forces, based in Afrin, and the overall positive contribution these and other Kurdish forces played in that battle against the Islamist terrorist group.
Turkey considers the YPG Kurds as terrorists linked with the outlawed PKK organisation based in Iraq and Turkey.
Paris has said it understands Turkish border security concerns but warned that the incursion into Syria must not turn into an invasion and must not be aimed at occupying territory. (End)
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