Trump, Erdogan discuss Syria, Libya on phone

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 -- U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to discuss issues concerning Syria and Libya, said the White House on Sunday.
   During their talks, Trump expressed concern over the violence in Idlib, the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, and called for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, a White House statement said.
   Trump and Erdogan exchanged views on ending the crisis in Idlib as soon as possible.
   Earlier on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said 63 Syrian government troops had been killed in Idlib in a Turkish offensive, according to information from various sources.
   The Russian military on the same day refuted Ankara's claim and warned in a statement that Turkey's accusation "only aggravates the situation and may lead to hasty decisions that do not meet mutual interests of Russia and Turkey."
   Tensions in Idlib have flared up recently as the Syrian government forces, which are launching wide-scale offensives against the rebels in the area, exchanged fire with Turkish troops, causing multiple deaths on both sides.
   With regard to Libya, Trump reiterated that continued "foreign interference" will worsen the situation in the war-torn country, the statement from the White House added.  Xinhua