Speaking to reporters on his flight to Moscow, Cavusoglu said Turkey and the U.S. will decide on a plan to secure Manbij during talks on March 19.
A working group studied a draft plan and the foreign ministers of Turkey and the U.S. are scheduled to meet on March 19 in Washington, Hurriyet daily reported.
The meeting was announced shortly before U.S. President Donald Trump on March 13 announced the departure of his head diplomat Rex Tillerson, who will be succeeded by the current CIA chief Mike Pompeo.
If the YPG does not retreat “a military operation will be carried out not only in Manbij, but also to the east of the Euphrates,” Cavusoglu said.
The YPG group will not have a presence in the local administration of Manbij, and the administration will operate according to the local population, he said, noting that Manbij would serve as an administration model for other towns over which the YPG has assumed control following its advance in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq (IS).
“We will try this model in Manbij first, and later in other places. Eastern Euphrates, Raqqa and other places under the control of YPG are included in this plan,” he said.
“So the area from the east of Euphrates to Deir Ezzor and the regions controlled by the Syrian regime will become a safe haven,” the minister said, adding that after a political settlement in the war-torn country, all these regions would return to Syria, under the control of the national Syrian security forces.
Turkey has not made any demands from the Syrian government regarding Manbij, Cavusoglu said, adding that Ankara would “monitor” the return of weapons given to the YPG by the U.S.
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