UN chief asks Russia, Turkey to ‘stabilise’ Syria’s embattled Idlib

UNITED NATIONS, United States — UN chief Antonio Guterres called on Russia and Turkey Tuesday to "stabilise the situation" in the Syrian province of Idlib, rocked by intense fighting that the UN body warned is creating a humanitarian disaster.

"I am deeply concerned about the escalation of the fighting in Idlib and the situation is especially dangerous given the involvement of an increased number of actors. Yet again civilians are paying a horrific price," Guterres told reporters.

His comments came ahead of a UN Security Council session on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

The world is facing "a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes", Mark Lowcock, the UN's humanitarian chief, told the council.

Parts of Aleppo, Hama and Idlib — the last bastion of extremist forces in Syria — are supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal that Russia and Turkey signed in September.

But it was never fully implemented as militants refused to withdraw from a planned demilitarised zone.

In January, terrorist group Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) — led by a former Al Qaeda affiliate — extended its administrative control over the region.

The Syrian government and allies have upped their bombardment of the region in Syria's northwest since late April.

Several diplomats indicated that the aim of the council meeting was to "renew attention" on Idlib and maintain pressure on Russia and Syria to stop their attacks.

Guterres appealed to Russia and Turkey, as signatories of the September deal, to stabilise the situation "without delay".

 The latest meeting 

"There is no military solution to the Syrian crisis. The solution must be political," he said, stressing the need to respect human rights and international humanitarian law "even in the fight against terrorism".

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia responded that "we never attack civilian installations", and added that the September accord is being "fully implemented".

His Turkish counterpart disagreed.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 14 pro-government forces and 41 extremists and rebel fighters were killed in clashes on Tuesday.

The fighting flared on the edge of Hama province when HTS launched a dawn attack on regime positions, the observatory said.

UN Undersecretary General for Political and Peace-building Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo explained to the council the contrasting priorities of Russia and Turkey.

HTS's presence in the de-escalation area "is not tolerable" for Moscow, while for Ankara, "time is required to effectively isolate and address HTS's most hardline fighters", she said.

Tuesday's council meeting occurred at the request of Belgium, Germany, the US and Kuwait.

In May, the council held several meetings on Syria and the situation in Idlib. 

Syria's war began in 2011 and has now claimed more than 370,000 lives. Several million more have been displaced.