(Bloomberg) -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected the Trump administration's demand for a cease-fire in Syria but signaled compromise over two key border towns that Turkey previously wanted to remove from Kurdish control.
Speaking to reporters on the flight back from Azerbaijan, Erdogan said he told President Donald Trump that his military has no plans to target Kobani and that the Manbij takeover by Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad's forces is “not too negative” for Turkey. His remarks were published on the presidency's website late Tuesday.
Read more: Putin's Syria Gambit Delivers Again as Trump Sidelines U.S.
Turkey's president also said that he rejected an offer from Trump for the U.S. to broker talks between Turkey and the main Kurdish militia, or YPG, in Syria. Turkey won't sit at the same table with “terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said.
Following a pullback by U.S. troops from the area, Syrian government forces have taken full control of Manbij and surrounding towns. Russia said Tuesday that its military police are patrolling the northeast border of Manbij province along the line of contact between Syrian and Turkish forces.
Erdogan said that Turkey is holding talks with the U.S. and Russia on Manbij and Kobani.
Read more: Assad Sends Syrian Troops North as Turkish Offensive Escalates
“Trump asked us not to hit Kobani,” Erdogan said. “We have a containment operation around the city. We are not seriously interested in the inner side of the city. But depending on developments, we may intervene.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Ugur Yilmaz in Istanbul at uyilmaz@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Alaa Shahine
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