Turkey agrees with US to pause Syria assault while Kurds withdraw
Israel Hayom
October 17, 2019
Turkey agreed on Thursday to pause its offensive in Syria for five days to let Kurdish forces withdraw from a "safe zone" Ankara had sought to capture, in a deal hailed by Washington but which Turkish leaders cast as a complete victory.
The truce was announced by US Vice President Mike Pence after talks in Ankara with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdoğan, and was swiftly hailed by President Donald Trump, who said it would save "millions of lives"
But if implemented it would achieve all the main objectives Turkey announced when it launched the assault eight days ago: control of a strip of Syria more than 30 km (20 miles) deep, with the Kurdish YPG militia, formerly close US allies, obliged to pull out.
"The safe zone will be primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces," a joint US-Turkish statement released after the talks said.
A Turkish official told Reuters Ankara got "exactly what we wanted" from the talks with the United States. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described it as a pause, solely to allow the Kurdish fighters to withdraw.
Kurdish fighters would be forced to give up their heavy weapons and their positions would be destroyed, Cavusoglu said. He declined to call the agreement a "ceasefire", saying ceasefires could be agreed only by legitimate sides, and not by the Kurds that Turkey considers terrorists.
Pence said Washington had already been in contact with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had agreed to withdraw and were already pulling out.
Trump tweeted: "Great news out of Turkey".
"Thank you to Erdoğan," Trump said. "Millions of lives will be saved!"
"Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria," Pence told a news conference after more than four hours of talks at the presidential palace in Ankara.
"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. "All military operations under Operation Peace Spring will be paused, and Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal."
The deal struck with Erdoğan also provided for Turkey not to engage in military operations in the flashpoint Syrian border town of Kobani, Pence said. Cavusoglu said Turkey had given no commitments about Kobani.
Pence added that he had spoken to Trump after the talks and that Trump had expressed his gratitude for the ceasefire accord. Washington's main goal had been to halt the violence, and it had succeeded, Pence said.
The Turkish assault has created a new humanitarian crisis in Syria with 200,000 civilians taking flight, a security alert over thousands of Islamic State fighters abandoned in Kurdish jails, and a political maelstrom at home for Trump.
Trump has been accused of abandoning Kurdish-led fighters, Washington's main partners in the battle to dismantle Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Syria, by withdrawing troops from the border as Ankara launched its offensive on Oct. 9.
Trump had defended his move on Wednesday as "strategically brilliant". He said he thought Pence and Erdoğan would have a successful meeting, but warned of sanctions and tariffs that "will be devastating to Turkey's economy" otherwise.
EDITOR’S NOTE: In five days, the Turks will resume their offensive because no one negotiated or consulted with the Kurds who are not likely surrender and give up their land. Don’t believe that shit about the Kurds agreeing to withdraw and to give up their heavy weapons. This is another betrayal of the Kurds.
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Turkey's Erdogan threw Trump's 'don't be a fool' letter in the trash and considered it 'the final straw' before launching his offensive in Syria
Daily Mail
October 17, 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 'thoroughly rejected' Donald Trump's letter, dated October 9, and promptly threw it in the bin, officials have revealed.
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Donald Trump hails five-day ceasefire deal in Syria as 'a great day for civilization' and boasts of 'incredible outcome' claiming 'great leader' Erdogan and the Kurds are happy - but Turkey hits back that they have only agreed to a PAUSE
Daily Mail
October 17, 2019
Donald Trump hailed an agreement between the U.S. and Turkey for a five-day cease fire in Syria as a 'great day for civilization' as Turkish officials down played the outcome of the deal.
'A great day for the Kurds. It's really a great day for civilization. It's a great day for civilization,' Trump said.
Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday announced the United States and Turkey reached a deal to suspend Ankara's operations in northern Syria for five days to allow Kurds time to withdraw to a 'safe zone' as part of a cease-fire agreement.
EDITOR’S NOTE: A great day for the Kurds? Trump must be out of his mind. It’s a great day for the Turks and an atrocious one for the Kurds. A great day for civilization? That one flew over the cuckoo's nest.
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