The Turkish and Syrian ambassadors clashed Thursday at their first UN Security Council encounter since Turkey launched a cross-border offensive earlier this month following the withdrawal of US forces.
Turkey's ambassador, Feridun Sinirlioglu, called it a limited counter-terrorism operation "to eliminate the longstanding existential terror threat along our border with Syria" and "to enforce Syria's territorial integrity and unity."
Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told council members his government "condemns in the strongest terms the Turkish aggression, and vehemently rejects attempts by the Turkish regime to justify its actions under the pretext of self-defence or countering terrorism."
"They provided on a plate of gold to Erdogan all the justifications he needed for his aggression," he said. "Those countries played a vital role in sponsoring secessionist, illegitimate militias in the northeast of Syria."
Michael Barkin, a special adviser at the US Mission to the United Nations, told the council that the US is hopeful the permanent cease-fire will be honoured and civilians will be protected. He said if reports that Turkish-supported opposition forces deliberately targeted civilians are verified, "these actions may constitute war crimes."
"We shall support the operations of the constitutional committee," he said. "Our view is that the situation on the ground should not prevent the long-awaited launch of the committee with assistance from the United Nations next week."