RFE
18 Oct 2019, 01:17 GMT+10
Turkey has agreed to a cease-fire in Syria to let Kurdish-led forces withdraw, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
'Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a cease-fire in Syria,' Pence told a press conference in the Turkish capital on October 17, saying that all military operations in northern Syria will pause for five days, and the United States will help facilitate an 'orderly withdrawal' of Kurdish-led troops.
The United States and Turkey have 'mutually committed to peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone,' he said.
'We are suspending the operation. This is not a cease-fire,' Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu later told reporters, adding: 'We can only halt the offensive when all terrorist elements completely withdraw from this area.'
"Great news out of Turkey.... Millions of lives will be saved!" U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted.
Turkey launched its offensive, now in its ninth day, saying it wanted to clear the area of Kurdish forces and establish a buffer zone to resettle Syrian refugees.
The move came after Trump's abrupt decision announced last week to withdraw forces from northeast Syria where they had been supporting Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State (IS) group.
Turkey has long argued the Kurdish fighters in Syria are an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a guerrilla campaign inside Turkey since the 1980s and which Ankara, Washington, and the European Union designate as a terrorist organization.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, the BBC, and dpa
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Germany Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Germany Sun.
More InformationSAN FRANCISCO, California: Under pressure from European regulators, Apple has revamped its App Store policies in the EU, introducing...
Denmark has taken over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union as questions swirl over Europe's security...
The planned redesign reportedly seeks to replace historical figures with diversity themes A plan by the Bank of England (BoE) to...
How will Bulgaria's property market evolve after the switch to the euro? This question concerns homeowners, investors, and prospective...
Karol Nawrocki has said that under current conditions Kiev should not be in NATO either Ukraine must meet specific conditions before...
Aside from victory and sporting glory, the players in the women's Euro 2025 football tournament are playing for more money than ever...
ISTANBUL/PARIS/BRUSSELS: As searing temperatures blanket much of Europe, wildfires are erupting and evacuation orders are being issued...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...
DUBLIN, Ireland: The High Court has lifted an anonymity order, allowing Trinity College Dublin and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland...
PARIS, France: France is taking stronger steps to reduce smoking. A new health rule announced on Saturday will soon ban smoking in...
VILNIUS, Lithuania – A growing body of research suggests that selectively restricting a single nutrient in our diet could have profound...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Former government minister Mary Hanafin has confirmed she will seek the Fianna Fáil nomination to contest Ireland's...