Donald Trump On Pence-Erdogan Syria Talks
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Oct 18, 2019
"The Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring in order to allow for the withdrawal of YPG forces from the safe zone for 120 hours", Pence said.
Pence added in his remarks that as a part of the understanding, with the implementation of the ceasefire, the United States will not impose any further sanctions on Turkey, "and once a permanent ceasefire is in effect, the president has agreed to withdraw the economic sanctions that were imposed this last Monday".
The vice president says the US and Turkey have "mutually committed to peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone".
Pence says there will "a pause in military operations for 120 hours" to allow the US -allied Syrian Kurds to withdraw.
Since the start of Turkey Operation Peace Spring, many social media accounts are sharing fake images or those pictures that were taken in the past to spread disinformation about the operation east of the Euphrates river.
At the same time, he did mention that Turkey actually plans to discuss the fate of the cities within the "safe zone" like Manbij at a forthcoming meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, in Sochi. YPG was a main USA ally in the fight against Islamic State.
"But, we recognize the importance and the value of a safe zone to create a buffer between Syria proper and the Kurdish population and the Turkish border".
Turkey has long outlawed Kurdish fighters and consider them a terrorist organization. According to Reuters, more than 200,000 civilians have fled the northern region.
On Wednesday, the US military withdrew from Raqqa, the former de facto capital of the Islamic State, as well as Tabqa and a major headquarters at the Lafarge Cement Factory in Jalabiya, Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a USA military spokesman, said in a tweet. He has cast aside criticism and allegations of abandonment, saying he was fulfilling a campaign promise to bring USA troops home from "endless wars" in the Middle East.
Trump congratulated the pair in a tweet.
Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump said the U.S. should not be intervening in Turkey's military operation in Syria because it is "not our border", and called the former United States allies the Kurds "no angels".
"We've got everything we could've ever dreamed of. A very unusual letter", Peskov told reporters.
The deal was a major contribution to relations between North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies Turkey and the United States, which have become strained in recent months. "It's really a great day for civilization".
USA president Donald Trump tweeted that "This deal could never have been made 3 days ago".
He also thanked the Kurds for their help in defeating ISIS. He said the solution - which he described as a "tough love approach" - "changed their lives".
