Turkey, U.S. make progress on Syria no-fly zone issue (the number of countries supporting the creation of a no-fly zone was rising: FM Çavuşoğlu)

 Turkey and the U.S. are getting closer to an understanding to establish a no-fly zone and safe haven in northern Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Brussels Wednesday.

Turkey has long pushed for a buffer zone inside Syria to shelter Syrian civilians from attacks by both the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists, but the U.S. has so far been reluctant.

Turkey has given shelter to hundreds of thousands of Syrians that has become a huge burden on its national exchequer.

Cavusoglu is in Brussels to attend a NATO foreign ministers meeting.

• A White House spokesperson ruled out Monday any plan to create a comprehensive no-fly zone in Syria.

• However, the Turkish foreign minister said Tuesday that the number of countries supporting the creation of a no-fly zone was rising.

He had also said that the international coalition’s airstrikes against the ISIL terrorists were not efficient and there was a need for a more comprehensive strategy. He also called for equipping and training the Free Syrian Army in a comprehensive manner.
 www.aa.com.tr/en
3/12/14
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