Russia and Iran keen to avoid bloodbath in Syria: UN

UN to make preparations for a battle and would ask Turkey to keep its borders open to allow civilians


Reuters August 09, 2018
UN to make preparations for a battle and would ask Turkey to keep its borders open to allow civilians. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE

GENEVA: Russia, Iran and Turkey told a meeting of the Syria humanitarian taskforce on Thursday that they would do their utmost to avoid a battle that would threaten millions of civilians in rebel-held Idlib, UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said.

He estimated that there were 4 million or more people in the potential battleground in northwest Syria.

He hoped diplomats and military envoys could reach a deal to avoid a “bloodbath”. But he said the UN was making preparations for a battle and would ask Turkey to keep its borders open to allow civilians to flee if the need arose.

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