Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria shrouded in intricacy

By Sadeq Dehqan

President Trump made a surprise announcement last month that Daesh terror group had been defeated in Syria and that US troops in the country would be coming home.

That decision caught Washington off-guard and sparked considerable controversy. But in the ensuing weeks, both Trump and administration officials have offered conflicting — and often confusing — statements about the timing of the withdrawal and what the US strategy in Syria entails.

Separately, the prospect of a pullout has alarmed the Syrian Kurdish forces allied with the United States. Turkey considers them terrorists and has vowed to drive them out of northeastern Syria. Kurdish officials have told reporters that they are seeking a deal with President Bashar al-Assad’s government just in case.

To get an in-depth analysis of Trump’s decisions, Iran Daily conducted an exclusive interview with lawmaker Mohammad Javad Jamali, a member of Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee that follows.

IRAN DAILY: What do you make out of the abrupt decision of US president to pull troops out of Syria?

MOHAMMAD JAVAD JAMALI: The decision of US president to withdraw troops from Syria, made for whatever reason, is a victory for Resistance (forces aligned with Iran in the region) and the Islamic Republic. But to say that the US is not going to be involved in regional issues because of this decision is not acceptable.

We can see some reasons for this decision. The US troops may pull out of Syria and then support terrorists, morally and logistically, to make trouble in the region, paving the way for stronger return of the US troops later.

Moreover, this is a kind of ransom. The US wants countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE to pay more money if they want White House to keep its troops in the region. At the end of the day, Trump is a businessman and his policies are more determined by that mentality.

It is also possible that the US troops pull out of Syria, with Washington then reinforcing terrorists in Syria to portray the image that Iran, Russia and the legal government of Syria are not capable of controlling and settling things in Syria.

Another issue is that the US wants to have a proxy presence in Syria. Countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and even France will replace US troops in Syria. The French are particularly interested in playing this role as they have historically been present in Syria and like to still have a foothold there.

Perhaps, the US wants to exert more pressure on its European allies to invest more in the region in line with the US policies.

These are all the reasons that can be outlined for the US decision to withdraw troops from Syria. We should be vigilant for any of these eventualities.

After Trump’s decision, we are seeing new moves in the arrangement of Turkish military forces and Syrian Kurds’ forces in northern Syria along the common border. What’s your thoughts on the tension between Syrian Kurds and Turkey?

The US took advantage of the Syrian Kurds during the war on Syria. The US first designated some parts of Syria to be administered by Kurds, making them believe that the US is after granting autonomy and independence to them. But it was clear right from the beginning that the US was not ready to enter a big political challenge and tension with Turkey over Kurds.

After all, there are more than 10 million Kurds living in Turkey and the country cannot tolerate a Kurdish state along its border. The Turkish officials believe that lands under control of Kurds should be taken away from them. They reason that this clearance will pave the way for the return of Syrian refugees to regions previously held by Kurds, preventing a change in Syria’s political demographical contour.

What’s your take on the ongoing negotiations between the Syrian government and Kurds?

Kurds have come to conclusion that they should not be manipulated by the US anymore and therefore have held talks with Syrian government more seriously. Iran also welcomes this move. The talks have created a favorable situation for Turkey. Ankara hopes that it does not have to take military action to get what it wants.

But the Turkish officials have said that they are seriously considering a military offensive in northern Syria. What is Iran’s position in this regard?

The Syrian people are sick of war and bloodshed and the remaining issues should be solved through negotiations. The Islamic Republic’s support in Iraq and Syria was to help them maintain their territorial integrity and therefore we will not accept any change in Syria and Iraq’s geopolitical maps.   

Victorious Syria Alert to Defeated Regimes’ Diplomatic Bid to be Trojan Horses for US

 By: Kayhan Int’l 

Whether the US decision to end the illegal presence of its troops in Syria, or the trooping into Damascus of the diplomatic staff of Arab reactionary regimes in sheer humiliation after seven years of severed ties and backing of terrorists in a futile bid to overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad, are both open admissions of defeat.

Whatever reasons they might give for their about turns – the Americans who had vowed to continue their uninvited stay in Syria until Damascus officially revokes all invitations to its Iranian allies; and the reactionary Arabs who had vowed to stay out of Damascus as long as the presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran permeates – it is obvious that they have eaten the humble pie.

Iran, Iranians, and the groups backed and trained by them to defeat the most macabre and bloodthirsty terrorists the modern world has seen, have a ubiquitous presence in Syria for the new role as nation-builders in the current phase of reconstruction, as affirmation of the grand victory of the steadfast and heroic Syrian people who braved seven years of aggression launched jointly by the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Turkey, France, Britain, and the illegal Zionist regime.

The road that leads from Tehran to Damascus, via Baghdad and all the way to Beirut, is the straight and unwavering saga of resistance which no big power or its clients can severe. This unbreakable bond ensures the progress and development of not just Syria and Iran, but of Iraq, Lebanon, and in the near future of Palestine, since the path will soon be paved to connect Bayt al-Moqaddas to this network.

Turkey which has finally acknowledged its folly of having given free passage to the terrorists from various countries for destabilizing Syria, is welcome to be part of the regional bloc for reconstruction, provided it withdraws its forces from Syrian soil and seeks the approval of President Assad.

Of course, any decision in this regard is the sole responsibility of the sovereign independent government of Syria, which has already shown its magnanimity in allowing the oil-rich Persian Gulf Arab states – the chief culprits in the destruction of Syrian towns and cities, the killing of hundreds of thousands of Syrian people, and the displacement of millions of others – to reopen their embassies and discuss investment in reconstruction projects.

President Assad, however, behind the diplomatic niceties, is on full alert that their missions or money shouldn’t be hidden agendas for treason against the Syrian people and their government, which they failed to overthrow through the terrorists.

If only the rulers of these wealthy British-created fiefdoms had been Muslim, Arab or manly enough, they would have helped Syria – and also Iraq – to develop into thriving stable societies, instead of offering billion-dollar bribes to Damascus to sever ties with Tehran, and when this failed, squandering billions of dollars on the terrorists to massacre the Syrian people and destroy their towns and cities! 

Anyway, it is up to President Assad to keep them in their proper places after the crimes they have committed – and continue to commit by openly embracing the despicable Zionists – by determining the best possible way for making them pay war reparations. They cannot be trusted and should not be allowed to become Trojan horses for the withdrawing Americans.

As for its friends, such as Iran, Russia, China, and the popular forces that helped beat back the American-Arab-Zionist supported terrorists, the government of Syria is right in concluding important agreements with them, aware of the fact that as in the days of war, in the reconstruction phase as well, these countries and groups can be counted upon.

It was also heartening to learn that the recent talks in Damascus between President Assad and Falih al-Fayyadh the special representative of Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and the prospective Interior Minister, covered many of the above issues in a friendly atmosphere, plus the right to the government and popular forces of Iraq to launch cross-border operations against terrorists and those deemed danger to the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Syria.