Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem, right, meets with the head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, left, in Damascus, Syria on Monday. Syria warned Monday of setting up safe zones for civilians as unsafe. ( SANA / AP )BEIRUT—Syria warned Monday of safe zones for civilians that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying it would have to come in co-ordination with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty. The recent rapprochement between Russia and Turkey, a key backer of Syrian rebels which now has thousands of troops in northern Syria, in theory makes the creation of safe zones more achievable. The military said via the Telegram messaging system that 1,142 fighters and 760 members of their families have been evacuated from the region northwest of the capital Damascus.

Source: thestar January 30, 2017 20:33 UTC