US, Turkey Agree On Ceasefire in Syria

In the past 36 hours, the media’s been mocking Trump’s letter to Erdogan. Thursday, Turkey agreed to a ceasefire. It looks like Trump’s plan for peace is working.

One week after Turkish forces crossed into Syria, Turkey and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria. The United States will facilitate the withdrawal of mostly Kurdish forces from the area Turkey wants to control for the next 120 hours. If they do, Turkey will make the ceasefire permanent.

BREAKING: A United States delegation led by @VP Mike Pence and @SecPompeo negotiated with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a five-day ceasefire in #Syria to allow withdrawal of Kurdish forces, Pence said.https://t.co/Sondk2yNB1

— NTD News (@news_ntd) October 17, 2019

After negotiations with President Erdogan, VP Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press conference.  VP Pence’s address outlined the following:

“I know the President is very grateful for President Erdogan’s willingness to step forward and to enact this ceasefire and to give an opportunity for a peaceful solution of this conflict that commenced one week ago.”

.@VP: Today, the United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria. pic.twitter.com/SXAsYq8Xnm

— Department of State (@StateDept) October 17, 2019

“For my part, I’m grateful for the President’s leadership; I’m grateful for the more than five hours of negotiation with President Erdogan and his team that arrived at a solution that we believe will save lives.”

“Let me say that this also includes an agreement by Turkey to engage in no military action against the community of Kobani and in addition, the US and Turkey have both mutually committed to a peaceful resolution and future for the safe zone, working on an international basis and to ensure that peace and security defines this border region of Syria.”

“In addition to the settlement today with the ceasefire, Turkey and the US mutually committed to the Defeat-ISIS activities in Northeast Syria. This will also include an agreement renewed today to coordinate efforts on detention facilities and internally displaced persons in formerly ISIS-controlled areas. Also, Turkey and the US agreed on the priority of respecting vulnerable human life, human rights, and particularly the protection of religious and ethnic communities in the region.“

“The Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring to allow for the withdrawal from the YPG forces from the safe zone for 120 hours. All military operations under Operation Peace Spring will be paused, and Operation Peace Spring will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal. Our administration has already been in contact with Syrian defense forces, and we have already begun to facilitate their safe withdrawal from the nearly 20-mile wide safe zone area south of the Turkish border in Syria.”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1184884179751731200?s=20

If a ceasefire agreement had been accomplished by any other President, the media and the left would be shouting #WorldPeacePrize!  But as with any response from the media known as the left in 2019, there have been many critics of Trump regarding his decisions with Syria and Turkey. The same media-left in America have seemingly forgotten how our troops ended up in Syria, nearly a decade ago.

It’s almost as if the anti-Trump-no-matter-what-loons have Obama-blockers that erase their memory of Obama’s foreign policy failures.  The amnesia of the left begs for this quick refresher:

The current conflict in Syria began in 2011, along with similar unrest in the Middle East during the Arab Spring protests. The Obama administration backed the opposition against Assad, trying to destabilize his regime, while Assad violently suppressed the protests against his regime. The resulting civil war created a breeding ground for terrorists, allowing for the rise of ISIS. From The Epoch Times

The following segments from Hogan Gidley, White House Deputy Press Secretary are on point.

Let's be clear: President Trump pulled our service members out of imminent crossfire—and if he hadn't, we would be having a very different conversation. pic.twitter.com/Fxv88ZwhKA

— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) October 17, 2019

We will protect the American people at all costs, all of the time. pic.twitter.com/U3cg5edaeM

— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) October 17, 2019

So we got our soldiers out and negotiated peace and avoided footing billions in military costs?

Well played, Mr. President. How about that World Peace Prize?  Soon?

Many are anxiously asking, “can we trust Erdogan?” The jury is still out, and in the next 24 to 120 hours, things may change by the hour.

But by now, we all should understand one thing about Trump. President Trump says what he means and means what he says. If the ceasefire fails because Erdogan decides to “be a tough guy,” we can trust Trump’s warning that Erdogan’s economy will be hit with massive sanctions. Meanwhile, the world is watching. Hopefully, for history’s sake, Erdogan chooses peace. After all, peace is the prize.