"Any deployment of such a force under UN auspices would require a mandate from the Security Council. The UN Secretariat has not been involved in any discussion regarding any observation role in Syria," the official said, asked if the United Nations was ready to participate in the border force and if any talks on it are going on.
READ MORE: Turkey Wants Russia, Iran to Prevent Terrorist Corridor on Syrian Border
In a televised address on Sunday, Syrian President Bashar Assad warned the Kurds that only the Syrian state would be able to protect them against a possible Turkish offensive after US troops leave.
US troops have been operating in Syria as part of an international coalition for about five years without the permission of either Damascus or the UN Security Council. The United States has supported the Kurdish-led anti-government militia that controls the territories to the east of the Euphrates River.
READ MORE: Erdogan Sheds Light on Turkey's Contacts With Assad Government in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in December that Ankara was ready to launch a military operation against Kurdish fighters on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River as well as in Syria's Manbij, if the United States did not remove the Kurdish militia from there. He later said that he had decided to postpone the start of the military operation in Syria after a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump on December 14, during which the US leader revealed his plans to withdraw troops from Syria.
