Syria says setting up safe zones for civilians is unsafe

Syria warns against safe zones for civilians that US President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying they would have to come in coordination with the Syrian government, otherwise they would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty.

The announcement was made in Damascus by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a meeting with the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who began an official visit to Syria on Monday.

The announcement comes about a week after the Trump administration’s expressed interest in setting up safe zones for civilians in war-torn Syria, an idea that was greeted with caution by Russia and Turkey, who have taken the lead in the latest peace efforts to end the Mideast country’s devastating six-year war.

— AP