Calls for Creation of No-Fly Zone Over Syria 'Unacceptable'

Remarks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on creation of a no-fly zone over Syria are completely unacceptable as such a move would violate the country's sovereignty and prolong the crisis, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik) — Merkel said on Wednesday she believed imposing a "no-fly zone" over Syria would help speed up the process of finding a political settlement in the country.

"The statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the creation of a no-fly zone over Syria is categorically unacceptable as such a move is a blatant violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the violation of international law and UN resolutions leading to a prolonged war in Syria rather than to the crisis settlement," the ministry said in a statement. 

German Foreign Office spokesman Martin Schaefer said Wednesday Berlin planned to submit a no-fly zone proposal to UN working groups in Geneva.

In November, US President Barack Obama said imposing a no-fly zone in Syria to improve the humanitarian situation in the region was counterproductive. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg upheld that view on February 11.

Russian Ambassador in London Alexander Yakovenko named the possible establishment of a no-fly zone in Syria "very dangerous," noting that it would lead to a "de-facto division" of the crisis-torn Arab republic.