France, Germany push to stop Turkey offensive

14/10/2019 1:53

        France and Germany are stepping up efforts to stop the Turkish offensive against Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria. French President Emmanuel Macron is holding an emergency security meeting Sunday night to discuss the Turkish invasion, and said he's working with Germany on unspecified new initiatives to end it. Speaking Sunday alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, Macron said the Turkish offensive is creating "unsustainable" humanitarian problems and risks "helping the Islamic State group re-emerge in the region." Merkel echoed that view, insisting that the offensive "should be stopped." She acknowledged that Turkey has "legitimate security concerns" but said different solutions need to be found for the region. Germany and France have suspended arms sales to Turkey, and Macron said he and Merkel will continue to coordinate on "initiatives in the coming hours and days." Merkel spoke by phone to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier Sunday.