German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday backed a call from Turkey for a no-fly zone over parts of Syria, saying it would alleviate the situation of displaced Syrians, AFP reports.
"In the current situation it would be helpful, if there could be such an area, where none of the parties are allowed to launch aerial attacks, that is to say, a kind of no-fly zone," she told the daily Stuttgarter Zeitung, when asked about opening up such areas to host people fleeing fighting in the war-torn country.
She acknowledged that it was impossible to negotiate with "terrorists from the Islamic State (ISIS)", "but if it's possible for the anti-Assad coalition and the Assad-supporters to come to an agreement, that would be helpful."