US sets conditions for withdrawing troops from Syria, Damascus flatly refuses
Damascus rejected Washington's conditions for withdrawing troops from the Al Tanf base in southeastern Syria and the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
Lebanon's Al Akhbar daily reported on August 28 that officials from the US intelligence and security agency traveled to Syria in late June 2018 to meet with Major General Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian National Security Department.
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Washington set conditions for withdrawing troops from Syria, but Damascus rejected them. Photo: Sputnik |
During the four-hour meeting, the two sides discussed the seven-year civil war in the Middle Eastern country before US officials proposed withdrawing troops from Al Tanf and the Eastern Euphrates region on three conditions: Iran must withdraw all troops from Syria; the US receives a share of Syria's oil revenues; Syria must provide intelligence on terrorism.
"In my judgment these reports are entirely credible," former British ambassador to Syria Peter Ford toldSputnik.However, Damascus has rejected these proposals.
According to Mr. Ford, in the context of the battle against terrorism in Syria about to end, Damascus will only be interested in US proposals if Washington brings to the negotiating table not only the withdrawal of troops but also issues related to chemical weapons, reconstruction costs, sanctions and possibly the Golan Heights, which are occupied by Israel.
"Syria's rejection of these agreements shows that Damascus does not appreciate the limited proposals from the US. It also reflects Damascus' strategic view that it will not sacrifice its partnership with Iran under any circumstances," Mr. Ford analyzed.
The former British ambassador also commented that it is unlikely that the US will be so submissive with Syria./.
