Turkey helping peshmerga access Kobani: Cavusoglu

ANKARA

Turkey is helping Kurdish peshmerga forces access the Syrian border town of Kobani to fight against ISIL, Turkish foreign minister said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters in the Turkish capital, Mevlut Cavusoglu said: "Turkey opened the gates for its brothers in Kobani; around 200,000 of them are currently residing in Turkey."

"We never wanted Kobani to fall and we are trying to do our best to prevent it," Cavusoglu added.

The foreign minister said Turkey was aware that the U.S. had carried out an aerial resupply of Kurdish forces in Kobani overnight on Sunday; Ankara considered the help to be “within the scope” of helping Kobani, said Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu's remarks came during a press conference with his Tunisian counterpart, Mongi Hamdi.

The foreign minister said there were around “seven or eight” armed factions fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Kobani. These forces have pledged their alliance to Turkey and the U.S.-led coalition, said Cavusoglu.

U.S. President Barack Obama informed his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of the United States’ intent to carry out the aerial resupply during a phone call Saturday night, according to U.S. officials.

U.S. Central Command said that initial assessments were that “the vast majority” of supplies had reached their intended targets, with an official claiming that additional drops may occur "in the days ahead." Iraqi Kurdish authorities were reportedly involved in providing Sunday's aid.

In Ankara, Cavusoglu also talked about the armed wing of the Syrian Democratic Union Party, PYD, claiming the Kurdish group had different aspirations from the opposition Free Syrian Army, which is fighting to oust Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.

"The PYD will not get Turkey's support so long as it continues to pursue its goal of controlling a specific part of Syria," Cavusoglu said.

"Turkey agrees with the U.S. and other allies that the Free Syrian Army is the only group which should be supported as it is fighting both ISIL and the Assad regime."

- 'Libya must find peaceful solution through dialogue,' says Tunisian foreign minister

Asked about the effects of Libyan instability in neighboring Tunisia, Foreign Minister Mongi Hamdi said the Tunisian economy was vital for Libya, considering the 1.8 million refugees residing in his country.

"We have to help Libyans find a peaceful solution to the current crisis in the country. Peace is the only solution and it can only be achieved through national dialogue and consensus," Hamdi said.

Libya has been dogged by instability since former dictator Muammar Gaddafi's 2011 overthrow and death, with several warring militias who helped topple the strongman holding onto their weapons. 

Hamdi also thanked Turkey for its political and economic support.

Like other countries in North Africa, Tunisia experienced unrest during the Arab Spring. Protests in the country began in December 2010 and led to the fall of longtime president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in early 2011.

www.aa.com.tr/en