Turkey-Sari conflict, UN Security Council emergency meeting

The UN Security Council is scheduled to hold an emergency closed-door meeting Thursday at the request of its European members Belgium, France, Germany, Poland and Great Britain.

Its current president, South Africa Ambassador Jerry Matthews Matjila, urged Turkey to spare civilians and exercise maximum restraint.

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, requested today the interruption of Turkey's offensive to northern Syria and warned there will be no European funding for a security zone.

“Turkey has security problems on its border with Syria, which we need to understand, however, I urge Turkey, like any other actor, to hold back. An attack will exacerbate the suffering of civilians”.

US President Donald Trump said the Turkish attack on northern Syria is a bad idea and he does not approve of the military operation, adding that Ankara now holds responsibility for all Islamic state fighters in the area.

“The US does not approve this attack and has made it clear to Turkey that this operation is a bad idea”, Trump said in a statement, stressing that no American soldier is in the area of attack.

Following two previous operations, Turkey today launched a new offensive in Syria, called The Source of Peace, against the Kurdish militia of the People's Protection Units (PPU).