Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
US plan for Syrian safe zones met with caution
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Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters that the U.S. hasn’t consulted with Russia on the subject. He noted that “it’s important not to exacerbate the situation with refugees.”
While suspending visas for Syrians and others, the order is also expected to direct the Pentagon and the State Department to produce a plan for safe zones in Syria and the surrounding area within 90 days. No further details were immediately known.
A Turkish official said his country has always supported the idea of safe zones in Syria but would need to review any U.S. plans before commenting. Foreign Ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu told reporters that Turkey has “seen the reports on a request for a study on the safe zone,” adding that “what is important is to see the result of these studies.”
He pointed to the Syrian city of Jarablus, near the Turkish border, where thousands of Syrians have returned after Turkishbacked opposition forces drove out the Islamic State group, as a good example of what can be achieved.
Syrian rebels and opposition groups have long called for safe zones to protect them from Syrian government airstrikes.
“The previous (U.S.) administration has consistently dragged its feet on the subject,” said Yasser al-Youssef, a leading member of the Noureddin elZinki rebel group, which operates mainly in northern Syria. “Such a move would serve to reshuffle the cards and undercut Russian” influence in Syria.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, speaking in Beirut, said it was too early to comment. “I will not comment on things that are for the moment reports of the beginnings of a process of reflection,” she said. “We will consider plans when they come.”
She said the EU was mainly concerned with pushing a political solution to Syria’s 6-year-old war so that a political transition could begin and “every single Syrian inside or outside Syria” can return home.
Russia has welcomed Trump’s pledge to mend ties with Moscow and potentially partner with it against the Islamic State and other extremist groups.
But Trump has provided few details about how he plans to approach Syria’s complex conflict, and the Kremlin, which was bitterly at odds with the Obama administration, has said that rebuilding trust will take time.