Macron tells Erdogan UN call for ceasefire in Syria also applies to Afrin

French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that a UN call at the weekend for a ceasefire across Syria also applied to Syria’s Afrin region. Turkey deployed special police forces to the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin on Monday for a “new battle” as its five-week campaign against the Kurdish YPG militia continues, Reuters reports. Macron also told Erdogan in a phone call that it was imperative that the ceasefire be fully respected. The French leader added that France’s monitoring of humanitarian access and chemical weapons is “total and permanent,” Macron’s office said.