Erdogan defying calls for ceasefire in Syria

Turkish president demands Kurds lay down weapons and leave

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defied pressure for a ceasefire in Syria and said the only way the offensive would end was if Syrian Kurdish fighters leave a designated border area.

Russia said it was working to prevent a conflict between Turkish troops and Syrian government forces that have moved into Kurdish-held areas in the north-east.

The Kurdish administration invited the Syrian military in to shield it from the Turkish attack.

A day ahead of a visit by US vicepresident Mike Pence to Ankara, tasked with negotiating an end to the attack, the Kremlin said Mr Erdogan had accepted an invitation by Russian president Vladimir Putin to visit Russia “in coming days” to discuss Syria.

Russia has moved quickly to further entrench its leadership role in the region after US President Donald Trump ordered the pullout of American forces in north-eastern Syria.

The American move effectively abandoned the Kurdish fighters who were allied with the US and cleared the way for Turkey’s invasion aimed at crushing them. After heavy criticism from Republican and Democratic politicians, Washington then scrambled to find new leverage, imposing economic sanctions aimed at forcing a ceasefire.

Mr Erdogan told reporters he had “no problem” with visiting Russia.

But he suggested a planned trip to Washington on November 13 was now uncertain due to calls within the US Congress to sanction Turkey.

The trip “is something to be assessed” after the talks with the American delegation, he said, adding that the sanctions and criticisms in the US constituted “great disrespect toward the Turkish Republic”.

In an address to his ruling party legislators, Mr Erdogan said Turkey would not be coerced into stopping its offensive or accept offers for a mediation with the Kurdish fighters, which Turkey considers as terrorists.

He vowed to press ahead with the incursion until Turkish troops reach a depth of 18-20 miles inside Syria along a border area where Turkey intends to form a “safe zone”.

“Our proposal is for the terrorists to lay down their arms, leave their equipment, destroy the traps they have created and leave the safe zone we have designated, as of tonight,” Mr Erdogan said.

Mr Pence is joined in his Turkey visit by secretary of state Mike Pompeo and national security adviser Robert O’Brien, aiming to negotiate a stop to the fighting in Syria’s north-east.

Mr Erdogan ruled out direct or indirect talks with the Kurdish fighters.

The Kurds are hoping to reach a deal with Damascus that preserves at least some of the autonomy they seized for themselves amid Syria’s civil war.

Picture: Getty. Members of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army near their base in Akcakale, Turkey.

Picture: AP. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not be coerced into stopping its offensive or accept offers for a mediation with the Kurdish fighters.