UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – Nazim Dastan and Cihan Bilgin were killed Thursday near the Tishrin dam, about 100 kilometers east of Aleppo, when their car was hit by an explosion.
Two Turkish journalists of Kurdish origin killed in northern Syria, while American diplomats go to Damascus to meet the new authorities. Le Figaro takes stock of the situation this Friday, December 20.
Two Turkish journalists of Kurdish origin killed in northern Syria
Two Turkish journalists of Kurdish origin were killed by air strikes “turkish drone” near the town of Kobane, in northern Syria, where Kurdish forces fear an assault by groups supported by Turkey, Kurdish media and NGOs announced on Friday.
Nazim Dastan, 32, and Cihan Bilgin, 29, who worked for Kurdish media were killed Thursday near the Techrine dam, about 100 kilometers east of Aleppo, Syria’s second city, when their car was hit by an explosion, said the Turkish journalists’ association Dicle Firat.
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“We condemn this attack on our colleagues and demand accountability”added the association, describing them as “two valuable journalists” which cover the violence in northern Syria.
The Turkish Journalists’ Union also condemned the attack, saying the two journalists were allegedly “allegedly targeted by a Turkish drone”.
“We condemn this attack. Journalists cannot be attacked while carrying out a sacred duty. Those responsible must be found and judged”declared the union branch of Diyabakir, in the south-east of the country. The explosion was caused by a Turkish drone, according to the pro-Kurdish Mezopotamya news agency.
US diplomats in Syria to meet new leaders
US diplomats have arrived in Syria to meet with the new Syrian authorities, dominated by radical Islamists, with the aim of pushing them to foster unity after 13 years of civil war, the State Department said.
This is the first formal diplomatic mission dispatched to Damascus since the start of the bloody civil war which broke out in 2011 and experienced a spectacular rebound with the fall on December 8 of Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia.
American envoys will meet representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC), an organization classified as terrorist by Washington, and civil society to discuss “about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can support them”said a State Department spokesperson.
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The delegation includes Barbara Leaf, the head of the Middle East within the American diplomacy and Daniel Rubinstein, a diplomat specializing in the Arab world who is now responsible for contacts with Syria, said the same source. Also present: Roger Carstens, responsible for collecting clues about Americans missing in Syria such as journalist Austin Tice, kidnapped in August 2012.
The United States thus takes over from France, whose flag now flies over the embassy closed in 2012, Germany, the United Kingdom and the UN which sent emissaries to establish contacts with the authorities transition, whose first steps in power are observed with caution.
German Foreign Minister calls for respect for Syria’s integrity
The head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbock stressed on Friday, before a visit to Türkiye, the importance of not “undermine territorial integrity” from Syria, where pro-Turkish groups are fighting Kurdish forces.
“If we want to achieve peace in the region, we must not undermine the territorial integrity of Syria”she declared, quoted in a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Syria must not become the toy of foreign powers, nor an experiment of radical forces”she insisted. During her one-day visit, the minister is scheduled to meet with her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and meet members of the Syrian diaspora in that country.
“If Syria is to be rebuilt, if people are to return, it can only work if no one fears persecution anymore. This should also be in the interest of the Turkish government, as more than three million Syrian refugees live in Turkey.she pointed. The visit comes as pro-Turkish groups launched an offensive against the Manbij region in northeast Syria, controlled by Kurdish forces.
Women are ‘absolutely essential’ to rebuild Syria, says IOM
The women are “absolutely essential” for the reconstruction of Syria, launched the head of the UN agency for migration (IOM), Amy Pope, calling for them to be given “their place in the new society”.
“Together with our other UN partners, we urge the interim government to continue to empower women, as they will play an absolutely indispensable role in rebuilding the country.”she declared at a press conference, fearing the negative influence of certain Islamist factions.
