Egyptian, Iraqi leaders back Arab action against Turkish 'aggression': Spox

CAIRO - 10 October 2019: The presidents of Egypt and Iraq on Wednesday have agreed, in a telephone call, to continue coordination in an effort to back the Arab action against the Turkish "aggression" in Syria, the Egyptian presidency said.

Turkey has launched a military offensive against Kurds in northeastern Syria on Wednesday - a step that was slammed by the US, Arab states and many Western nations.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his Iraqi counterpart, Barham Salih, discussed the region's situation in light of recent developments in Syria and the Turkish "aggression" against the Arab state's sovereignty, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The Turkish step represents a serious escalation that threatens international peace and security and exacerbates the crises in the region, Radi said, adding that it also affects Syria's unity and territorial integrity as well as the course of its political process in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday affirmed the country's strong condemnation of the Turkish aggression against the Syrian territory and Syria's sovereignty.

The ministry, in a statement, called for an emergency meeting of the League of Arab States to discuss these developments and review ways to preserve Syria's sovereignty and the unity of its people and territorial integrity.

The ministry called the Turkish attacks "blatant" and "unacceptable," and denounced violations against the sovereignty of a brotherly Arab state, "while taking advantage of the circumstances and the current developments it experiences, and in contravention of the rules of international law."

The statement highlighted the responsibility of the international community, represented by the Security Council, towards addressing this "extremely dangerous development that threatens international peace and security."

The ministry called on the Security Council also to stop any efforts that aim at occupying the Syrian territory and attempts to make demographic changes in northeastern Syria.

The statement warned of the repercussions of the Turkish move on the unity and territorial integrity of Syria or the course of the political process in the Arab state in accordance with Security Council Resolution no. 2254.