Turkey, US agree ceasefire in northeast Syria: Pence – World

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that he had reached an agreement with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for a ceasefire in northern Syria to end an eight-day Turkish offensive against targeted forces. For the Kurds.

After the crisis talks with Erdogan in Ankara, Pence said that, according to the agreement, all military operations would be paused to allow a retreat of the YPG Kurdish militia for a period of 120 hours. The Turkish military operation would end once the withdrawal was completed, Pence said at a press conference.

"Today, the United States and Turkey agreed to cease fire in Syria," Pence said at the press conference after more than four hours of talks at the Ankara presidential palace.

"The Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring to allow the withdrawal of YPG forces from the safe zone for 120 hours," said Pence. "All military operations of Operation Peace Spring will stop, and Operation Peace Spring will stop completely at the end of the withdrawal."

Pence said US forces in the region had already begun to facilitate a safe disconnection of YPG units.

The agreement reached with Erdogan also provided that Turkey did not participate in military operations in the Syrian border city of Kobani.

Pence said the United States and Turkey had committed themselves to a peaceful resolution of Ankara's demand for a "safe zone" in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey, one of the objectives of the Turkish offensive.

Pence added that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump after the talks and that Trump had expressed his gratitude for the ceasefire agreement.

The agreement was an important contribution to relations between NATO allies, Turkey and the United States, which have been strained in recent months.

After Pence and Erdogan met in the presidential palace, talks between the Turkish and US delegations continued for more than four hours, well beyond the expected duration.

Pence's mission was to persuade Erdogan to stop the internationally condemned offensive, but Turkish officials had said before the meeting began that the action would continue independently.

The Turkish assault has created a new humanitarian crisis in Syria with 200,000 civilians taking flight, a security alert on thousands of fighters of the militant group of the Islamic State (IS) abandoned in Kurdish prisons and a political maelstrom at home for President Trump.

Trump has been accused of abandoning fighters led by the Kurds, Washington's main partners in the battle to dismantle the self-declared caliphate by IS in Syria, by withdrawing troops from the border when Ankara launched his offensive on October 9.

Trump had defended his move on Wednesday as "strategically bright." He said he thought Pence and Erdogan would have a successful meeting, but warned of sanctions and tariffs that "otherwise will be devastating for Turkey's economy."