UPDATE - Time to rid Manbij, Syria of terrorists: Turkish FM

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS FROM TURKISH FM

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) – Now is the time to completely clear Manbij, northern Syria of YPG terrorists, and leave the city to civilians, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.

“There is a slight delay in the schedule, but the separate coordinated [Turkish and U.S.] patrols in the Manbij region conducted up to now were important,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, after a meeting on “Strategic Dialogue in the Western Balkans” at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Cavusoglu referred to the patrols conducted by Turkish and U.S. troops in Manbij as part of a deal to rid the region of the terrorist group YPG/PKK.

He also emphasized the deal should be implemented fully by the U.S., adding that despite delays caused by the U.S. side, the deal is still working.

In June, Turkish and U.S. forces began patrols in Manbij under the deal focusing on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the city in order to stabilize the region.

Speaking about the quadruple summit on Syria between Turkey, Russia, Germany and France, Cavusoglu said efforts are underway for holding the summit the week after the Oct. 14 Bavarian state election in Germany.

“This quadruple meeting is important in terms of Syria’s future and political process,” he said.

Cavusoglu added that it was a key meeting for the group’s efforts on the Astana process on Syria.

“With the Idlib deal, a new hope was born for the political process,” he said, adding everyone acknowledged Turkey’s role in it.

On Sept. 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in the Russian city of Sochi to establish a disarmament zone in Syria’s Idlib province.

“Now is the time to take a concrete step for the political solution,” Cavusoglu said, adding: "Turkey is trying to make a positive contribution in all aspects of the problem in Syria."

Stating that Germany had begun to see what a dangerous organization the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) was, he said the group posed a risk not only to Turkey but each of the countries it is present in.

“We see that Germany has also understood it,” he said, adding that the country had begun taking measures against the PKK terror group.

He said Turkey had great expectations from Germany in the fight against FETO and the PKK, adding that Erdogan's visit to the country between Sept. 27-29 was fruitful in this regard.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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