17 February 2016•Update: 21 February 2016
BERLIN
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday renewed her call for establishing a no-fly zone in northern Syria to protect civilians.
“Having an area in Syria, where none of the combating parties could carry out attacks by air would be helpful,” she said in a speech to parliament.
“We cannot negotiate with the terrorists of IS [Daesh]. But if there could be an agreement between the anti-Assad coalition and the supporters of Assad, on a kind of a no-fly zone with the goal of establishing a protected area for many refugees, that would save many people’s lives.”
Merkel made her remarks ahead of an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on Thursday, where the refugee crisis and the conflict in Syria are expected to be among key topics.
The chancellor had previously been skeptical about a no-fly zone but said Monday it could be helpful if supported by the Assad regime and its allies, notably Russia.
Turkey has long called for a safe zone in northern Syria but has not been able to secure the backing of the U.S. and other allies.
Russia’s military intervention in Syria has further complicated the conflict and undermined efforts to protect Syrian civilians.
Merkel criticized airstrikes in Aleppo province despite a temporary truce agreed in Munich on last week. “The current situation in Syria remains intolerable,” she said.
The civil war has claimed more than 250,000 lives and turned Turkey into the world's largest home for refugees. Around 2.7 million Syrian refugees are currently living in Turkey.
Germany took in a record 1.1 million refugees last year and the refugee influx has increased political pressure on Merkel, a proponent of Germany’s open door policy.
In her address to lawmakers, Merkel defended the policy for asylum seekers and said reducing refugee numbers could only be achieved through closer cooperation between the EU and Turkey and by EU members agreeing to share the burden.
