Baku-APA. The recently-appointed United Nations Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura on Friday urged immediate action, especially from Turkey, to prevent Islamic State (IS) militants from taking over Kobane, a Syrian city that borders Turkey, APA reports quoting Xinhua.
Addressing a press conference in Geneva, De Mistura warned that the situation in Kobane was critical, calling for a swift response to save the predominantly Kurdish city which has been subject to ferocious attacks by IS militants over the past weeks.
De Mistura said that at present about 500 to 700 people, mostly elderly people and civilians, were still trapped inside the city center, while about 10,000 to 13,000 people have fled to the nearby area between the border of Turkey and Syria.
The UN envoy stressed that if the city falls into the hands of the IS militants, up to 700 people who remain in the city and possibly the 12,000 civilians seeking refuge outside the city "will most likely be massacred" if the militants are successful in their advance.
De Mistura implored everyone to do whatever they could to stop the potential tragedy, asking for particular support from Turkey.
"We would like to appeal to the Turkish authorities in order to allow the flow of volunteers at least, and their own equipment, in order to be able to enter the city to contribute to a self-defence operation," said De Mistura.
The U.S.-led anti-terror coalition has repeatedly struck IS positions around Kobane in recent days, yet these operations have not been effective in snuffing out the militant group's continuous attacks. There were reports that IS fighters have gained control over one-third of Kobane despite air strikes by the coalition.
Asked if this means Turkey should allow arms supplies, De Mistura replied that "equipment can be many things."
De Mistura reiterated that there was no military solution to end the conflict in Syria that has gone on for more than three years. Only a political solution could call a halt to the violence and sufferings, he said.
He stressed that what was happening on the ground in Syria had changed since the international Geneva Conference was held in 2012. Namely, in the interim, there has been a presidential election, the threat from IS has increased, and the way regional partners and countries look at Syria and Iraqhas changed in the context of this new threat.
"At this stage we are not talking, obviously, about the Geneva II (Conference), or any type of major political momentum. What we are working on is listening, being in a listening mode, being in a position of understanding," said De Mistura.
When asked whether he would engage in talks with IS militants, De Mistura said that he would "talk to anyone if that produces some benefit either to a political solution or a humanitarian relief." However, the veteran diplomat said the militant group has not asked to meet nor has a meeting been proposed on his end.
De Mistura was appointed in July by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to fill the vacancy left by Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned in May out of frustration after failing to help Syria find a political solution to its long-standing conflict.
Brahimi himself had replaced Special Envoy Kofi Annan who also resigned citing the same reasons.
According to the UN, the Syrian crisis has led to more than 190,000 deaths since conflict erupted in March 2011. Three million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries; 6.5 million are displaced in their war-ridden homeland. Some 180,000 Syrian Kurds have taken refugee in Turkey.
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