UN envoy fears repeat of Srebrenica-style slaughter in Kobani

UN envoy fears repeat of Srebrenica-style slaughter in Kobani

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura is warning of Srebrenica-style slaughter if Kobani falls to the Islamist fighters.

The United Nations believes up to 700 mainly elderly civilians are still trapped in the town on Turkey’s doorstep.

He revived memories of the breakup of Yugoslavia when Bosnian Serb forces marched into the town of Srebrenica, which was supposed to be under U.N. protection, and gunned down more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys at execution sites.

“Do you remember Srebrenica? We do. We never forgot and probably we never forgave ourselves,” de Mistura told a news conference in Geneva.

“If Kobani Ayn al-Arab falls, there will be close to 400 kilometres of the Turkish border to be basically under control (sic) of ISIL,out of the 900. ”

Visiting a military base in NATO member Turkey, the alliance’s new boss Jens Stoltenberg says Ankara’s proposals for a no-fly zone and a safe zone inside Syria have “not been on the table” at talks.

Washington has made clear it is not an option for now but France has backed the buffer zone idea.

Further complicating the diplomatic picture, Turkey has agreed to support the training and equipping of the moderate opposition in Syria, according to the US State Department.