U.S. says will not impose further sanctions on Turkey following ceasefire agreement

Record ID: 1437114

  • Title: U.S. says will not impose further sanctions on Turkey following ceasefire agreement
  • Date: 17th October 2019
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''Well first, as you will see from the agreement, part of our understanding is that 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.'' U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO AND PENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''Well, our commitment with Turkey is that we will work with YPG members and we also know as Syria Defence Forces (Syrian Democratic Forces) to facilitate an orderly withdrawal over the next 120 hours. Let me say that is literally already begun and where they will be withdrawing from is the demarcation line roughly 20 miles south of the border.'' PENCE AND POMPEO LISTENING TO QUESTION FROM JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''We believe that the Kurdish population in Syria with which we have a strong relationship will continue to endure, the United States will continue to be grateful with SDF in defeating ISIS 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 and we are going to be working very closely. We think the agreement today first ends the violence.'' NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''We believe that can be accomplished during the 120 hour period and after which there will be a permanent ceasefire and then we will continue to engage, then not militarily, the President made it clear that we are not going to have military personnel on the ground but the United States will continue to engage diplomatically, politically and of course in humanitarian aid and support to effect all of the people affected in this region.'' JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''With regard to the YPG, the Syrian defence forces (Syrian Democratic Forces), we have been in contact today and we received repeated assurances from them that they will be moving out. That they greatly welcome the opportunity for a ceasefire to make a safe and orderly withdrawal from those areas in the safe zone where they still have a presence and we are very confident that that's already taking place.'' JOURNALIST TAKING PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING IN RESPONSE TO A QUESTION ABOUT THE U.S. CASE AGAINST TURKEY'S HALKBANK: ''...Not in the context of these negotiations, when we had concluded negotiations, the topic was raised and we informed them that that was a matter for the southern district of New York justice department.'' JOURNALIST FILMING AUDIO OF JOURNALIST ASKING: ''It was simply the sanctions that would be removed nothing else was offered or given to the Turks...?''/U.S. VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE SAYING: ''Yes.'' JOURNALISTS PENCE AND U.S. DELEGATION LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 31st October 2019 20:04
  • Keywords: Syrian opposition Vice President Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan Turkey YPG Syria U.S. military operation Kurdish militia Mike Pence
  • Location: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • City: ANKARA, TURKEY
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
  • Reuters ID: LVA001B1HLF0N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Turkey agreed on Thursday (October 17) 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 U.S. Vice President Mike Pence after talks in Ankara with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, 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 U.S. allies, obliged to pull out.
    "The safe zone will be primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces," a joint U.S.-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.
    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.
    (Production: Bulent Usta, Yesim Dikmen)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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