Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today firmly ruled out any negotiations with Kurdish militants in Syria, saying their only option was to lay down arms and retreat.

He dismissed calls from foreign powers, including the United States, who have demanded a ceasefire in Turkey’s week-old operation in northern Syria.

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring on October 9 with the aim of establishing what it calls a ‘safe zone’ across northern Syria, which would push back Kurdish fighters from the Turkish border and allow for the repatriation of Syrian refugees.

President Erdogan said that once the safe zone was established, stretching from Manbij to the Iraqi border, then the operation would have ended on its own.