PHOTO: Civilians flee Russian airstrikes on Aleppo, February 2, 2016

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Turkey Feature: Ankara Presses US Over Syrian Kurdish YPG Militia
Turkish Authorities Detain Journalist Rami Jarrah

Russia has rejected any no-fly zones to protect civilians in Syria.

Speaking with Russian media on Thursday, UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said:

When everyone is flying and bombing, there’s no talk of no-fly zones.

Theoretically, it may be imagined that during implementation of the agreement on ceasefire, a proposal will be voiced not to use airspace, but this is purely theoretical question formulation, all the more so in conditions of our presence in Syria.

Turkey has proposed a 98-km (61-mile) safe zone, up to 40 km (25 miles) deep, in northern Syria.

The US backed away from the plan, blocking any prospect of implementation. However, on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel renewed support for “something like a no-fly zone where there would be no bombings and civilians would not be subjected to pressure and murders”. She added that Russian and Assad regime airstrikes “are out of line with the spirit of the resolution adopted by the UN in December and thus efforts to reduce the level of violence”.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry declared on Thursday that Merkel’s statements were unacceptable: “[These] coincide with the demands of the Turkish authorities, which are aimed at protection of terrorist groups and feed crimes of extremists against the Syrian people.”

Caution to Assad to Follow Russia’s Leadership

UN Ambassador Churkin did point to one area of division between Russia and Assad, criticizing the Syrian President for his rejection of negotiations in a speech earlier this week.

See Syria Feature: Assad Rejects Ceasefires and Departure from Power

Churkin said Moscow “would like Assad to also respond” to the international process seeking “proximity talks” between the regime and the opposition-rebel bloc:

If the Syrian authorities, despite their internal political classifications and propaganda line, which they have to take, if they will follow the leadership of Russia in regulating this crisis, then they will have a chance to get out of it with dignity. If they somehow stray from this path -=- again this is my personal opinion — then this could lead to a very difficult situation.

He advised Assad not to invest all his hope in foreign-led regime ground offensives which have been enabled by Russia’s bombing:

Now they may take Aleppo, the largest center in the north of the country. But if they proceed from the fact that a truce is not necessary, and [go on to] fight to the bitter end, then this conflict will last a very long time.

Warning Against Independent Syrian Kurdistan

Amid an offensive by the Kurdish militia YPG seeking to unite the three Kurdish cantons across northern Syria, Churkin warned against an independent Syrian Kurdistan:

We believe that the Kurds should meet their specific needs, but this should not lead to the disintegration of states. Otherwise, things may come to aggravating various crisis phenomena.

If they begin to build Kurdistan, this could lead to the breakup of three countries — Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

Churkin said the situation was situation to that in the civil war in Bosnia in the 1990s, with “ethnic cleansing”: “These are very painful and bloody phenomena, and it is better to avoid them.”

He concluded, It would be better to find some formula for the Kurds that would allow them to realize their national aspirations and live comfortably without completely undermining the fundamental principles in the Middle East.”.

(hat tip to Under the Black Flag for translation)

Saudi Foreign Minister Stops Short of Commitment for Anti-Air Missiles to Rebels

While saying that Saudi Arabia favors supply of anti-aircraft missiles to rebels, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has stopped short of a commitment for Riyadh to provide them.

Al-Jubeir said:

We believe that introducing surface-to-air missiles in Syria is going to change the balance of power on the ground. It will allow the moderate opposition to be able to neutralize the helicopters and aircraft that are dropping chemicals and have been carpet-bombing them, just like surface-to-air missiles in Afghanistan were able to change the balance of power there.

This has to be studied very carefully, however, because you don’t want such weapons to fall into the wrong hands. This is a decision that the international coalition will have to make. This is not Saudi Arabia’s decision.

Medics Talks About Russia’s “Double-Tap” Attacks on Hospitals

Amid Russia’s latest airstrikes on hospitals, including an attack that killed 25 people at a clinic in Idlib Province on Monday, rescue and medical workers have told the Financial Times of Moscow’s “double-tap” bombing.

The tactic drops an initial bomb to attract rescuers and bystanders. As rescue and treatment are carried out, a second bomb is dropped on the area.

Medical worker Abu Adam speaks of the heightened terror from the Russian approach:

Maybe the Syrian pilots still had a shred of mercy in their hearts. Some people now say, “Oh Lord, bring us back the days of the regime strikes and barrel bombs.”

Hospitals and schools in Idlib Province have indefinitely closed after Monday’s attacks on four medical facilities and two schools, killing about 50 people.

See Syria Feature: Hospitals and Schools Close in Northwest After Russia’s Deadly Bombing
Syria Videos and Pictures: Latest Russian Airstrikes on Hospitals and a School

Some rebel factions now oppose the establishment of clinics near their positions. Truck drivers have quadrupled prices for the movement of medical supplies.

Abu Adam says of Monday’s deadly strike in Maarat al-Num’an in Idlib:

We couldn’t find [victims] in the hospital, in the rubble. We don’t know if their bodies flew out of the building or if their limbs were ripped up in the blast. Only God knows.

A “double-tap” strike on Douma, northeast of Damascus, on Thursday:

Videos: Aftermath of Airstrikes on Damascus Suburbs

Aftermath of an airstrike on Otaya, northeast of Damascus, reportedly injuring a civil defense worker:

The scene in Deir as-Safir, southeast of Damascus:

UN Envoy: February 25 Resumption of Talks Not Realistic

The UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has warned that the attempt to resume discussions next week is not realistic, according to the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.

“I cannot realistically call for new Geneva talks starting on February 25,” de Mistura reportedly said. “We need 10 days of preparations and invitations. But we will aim to do this soon.”

An attempt in early February to convene “proximity talks” between an opposition-rebel bloc and the Assad regime was suspended after less than five days, as Russia stepped up airstrikes in support of foreign-led regime offensives. De Mistura then announced a resumption for February 25.

The opposition-rebel bloc has insisted on ceasefires and an end to sieges before the talks begin. President Assad has said that there cannot be negotiations without a total defeat of “terrorists”.

Turkey: We Can Close Incirlik Airbase to US If It Supports Kurdish Militias

A senior advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Seref Malkoch, has warned that Ankara can close the Incirlik airbase to US warplanes, if American operations support advancing Syrian Kurdish militias near the border.

Malkoch spoke of the Russian and Iranian support for the Assad regime and, in contrast, the countries whom Turkey knows are “friends and allies”. He asked why the US was working alongside Russia, whose bombing is supporting Kurdish attacks against rebels in northwest Syria as well as a regime-Iranian-Hezbollah offensive.

“If the US is a Turkey’s friend and partner in reality, it has to recognize PYD as a terrorist organization,” the advisor declared.

See Turkey Feature: Ankara Presses US Over Syrian Kurdish YPG Militia
Turkey Developing: Ankara Blames Syrian Kurds and Assad for Bombing

US State Department spokesperson John Kirby was cautious yesterday over Ankara’s claims that the Kurdish YPG militia was involved in Wednesday’s car bomb that killed 28 people and wounded 61 in Ankara.

Kirby said, “We’re in no position to confirm or deny the assertions made by the Turkish government with respect to responsibility.”

The spokesman said the Obama Administration recognized Turkey’s right to protect its people. However, when he was asked if it was “warranted or acceptable” for Turkey to respond to the attack by shelling the YPG in Syria, Kirby replied that this was an “open question”.