European media says Ankara gets what it wants in Syria

ANKARA (AA) - European media on Friday said Ankara got what it wanted and the U.S. accepted Turkey's position with the Turkish-U.S. deal on Syria.

The two sides reached an agreement late Thursday to pause Turkey's anti-terror operation in northern Syria.

Turkey agreed to pause its Operation Peace Spring for 120 hours in order to allow the withdrawal of terrorist YPG/PKK forces from the planned safe zone.

British daily The Independent said the deal represents a "big political win" for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Rojava, the quasi-state that the YPG [YPG/PKK] militia forged during the chaos of the civil war, is no more [existing]," said British daily The Times.

German weekly Der Spiegel wrote that the "U.S. gave Erdogan whatever he wanted".

The U.S. firstly gave green light to Erdogan, said the state media of the Netherlands NOS and added that a buffer zone is being formed, just as Ankara wanted.

The deal was made "according to the standards of Ankara," said the Greek daily Kathimerini.

In Thursday talks, Erdogan and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also agreed on Turkey having 20 miles (32 miles) of safe zone south of the Turkish border in Syria.

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9 to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

Ankara wants to clear northern Syria east of the Euphrates River of the terrorist PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the YPG/PKK.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara