PARIS, March 30 (Xinhua) -- France was not planning any military offensive outside the international coalition in northern Syria which is controlled by Kurdish-dominated forces that Turkey has been fighting since months ago, the French foreign ministry said on Friday in a statement.
In a daily online briefing, ministry's spokesperson, Agnes von der Muhll, said France remained engaged in the joint fight against Islamic State (IS) fighters in northern Syria.
France "does not plan a new operation ... apart from that it leads in the international coalition against Daesh (IS)", the spokesperson said.
Paris, which joined the U.S.-led coalition against IS in Syria in 2015, "is working to stabilize the liberated areas from Daesh in northern Syria and promote the establishment of an inclusive and representative governance of all the populations", she added.
On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at the presidential Elysee Palace.
Macron offered "France's support for the stabilization of the security zone in the northeast of Syria, within the framework of an inclusive and balanced governance, to prevent any resurgence of Islamic State", according to the French government.
Macron, a critic to Turkey's offensive to eradicate Kurdish insurgents in the northern Syrian town of Afrin near Turkish borders, also said the SDF had "no operational link" with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), adding that a dialogue could be established between the SDF and Turkey with the assistance of France and the international community.
The meeting angered Turkey since Ankara regards the SDF as the Syrian branch of PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States, and the EU.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu slammed such high-level meeting with of a terrorist organization, which demonstrated France's "double standard".
