Merkel to meet Turkish, French, UK leaders next week

BERLIN (AA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend a four-nation meeting with the leaders of Turkey, France and the U.K. next week to discuss latest developments on Syria, her spokeswoman said on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, the government’s deputy spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said the quadrilateral meeting on Syria will take place in London on Dec. 3, ahead of the NATO leaders summit.

The idea of a four-nation meeting on Syria was suggested by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month, after Turkey’s military operation against terrorist groups in northern Syria.

Several NATO members, including the U.S., France and Germany, criticized the operation, expressing concerns over a potential humanitarian crisis and wider instability in the region.

Turkey on the other hand has called on its NATO allies to show stronger solidarity with Ankara in its fights against terrorism.

Last month, Ankara launched a military operation in northern Syria with the goal of clearing the region of YPG/PKK terrorist groups and creating a safe zone along the border.

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. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.