Tillerson Suggests U.S. to Stay in Syria to Challenge Assad and Iran

U.S. troops will remain in Syria indefinitely to fight the so-called Islamic State and curtail the influence of President Bashar al-Assad and Iran, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signaled on Wednesday, according to the Guardian.

His comments, made during a speech at Stanford University, are being billed as the Trump administration’s new strategy on Syria. The new Syria policy represents a significant expansion of the Trump administration’s goals in the country, which up to now have mostly focused on counter-terrorism efforts against ISIS, the Guardian said.

Tillerson laid out five U.S. goals in Syria during his speech, according to the Guardian: “the defeat of Isis and al-Qaida, a U.N.-brokered resolution for Syria that involved Bashar al-Assad’s departure, a curb on Iran, conditions for the safe return of refugees, and the complete elimination of remaining chemical weapons.”

He made it clear during his speech that a U.S. pullout from Syria would only strengthen Assad’s hold over the country and signaled that Washington would insist on the president’s departure.

“A total withdrawal of US personnel at this time would restore Assad and continue his brutal treatment of his own people,” Tillerson said. “A murderer of his own people cannot generate the support required for long-term stability,” he said, adding that, “A stable, unified and independent Syria ultimately requires post-Assad leadership in order to be successful.”

Tillerson also highlighted that Washington’s continued military presence intends to counter Iran’s expanding foothold in Syria.

“U.S. disengagement from Syria would provide Iran [with] the opportunity to further strengthen its position in Syria,” Tillerson said. “As we have seen from Iran’s proxy wars and public announcements, Iran seeks dominance in the Middle East. As a destabilized nation and one bordering Israel, Syria presents an opportunity that Iran is all too eager to exploit.”

U.N. Announces New Round of Peace Talks

A new round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Syrian government and its rivals will be held in Vienna next week, AFP said on Wednesday, citing a U.N. statement.

The negotiations will be held on January 25–26, just days before the start of a Russian-sponsored peace congress in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 29.

Special envoy Staffan de Mistura “expects that delegations will be coming to Vienna prepared for substantive engagement with him,” the U.N. statement said.

The last round of peace talks in Geneva failed to yield tangible results due to disagreements between the government and the opposition over President Assad’s departure before the start of a political transition.

The gridlock in Geneva has shifted attention to Russia’s peace congress in Sochi. The Syrian opposition has accused Moscow of using the Sochi congress to undermine U.N.-sponsored peace negotiations.

In its statement on Wednesday, the U.N. said that “any political initiative by international actors should be assessed by its ability to contribute to and support the United Nations-facilitated Geneva political process and the full implementation of resolution 2254 [road map to end the conflict].”

After Rebuke, Washington Says It Is Not Building a New Army in Syria

Rex Tillerson on Wednesday denied the U.S. plans to build a 30,000-strong Kurdish-led border security force in Syria, saying that “some people misspoke,” Reuters reported.

The U.S.-led coalition said on Sunday that it has started recruiting and training personnel for a border security force that will be deployed at the borders of a region controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria.

The plan angered Turkey, Russia, Iran and the Syrian government. Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the U.S. on Monday of creating a “terrorist force” along Turkey’s southern border.

Tillerson tried to douse tensions by saying that the plan had been “misportrayed, misdescribed,” according to Reuters.

“We are not creating a border security force at all,” Tillerson was quoted as saying. “I think it’s unfortunate that comments made by some left that impression,” he said, without giving details. “That is not what we’re doing.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the Pentagon said in a statement that the new force in Syria is neither an army nor a conventional border security force, Agence France-Presse reported. “These security forces are internally-focused to prevent [so-called Islamic State] fighters from fleeing Syria and augment local security in liberated areas,” the statement said.

Recommended Reads:

• The Associated Press: Nearly 4 Years on, Much of Syrian Rebel ‘Capital’ Abandoned
• The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Strategy Shift in Syria Turns Focus to Iran From ISIS
• Newsweek: Was Israel’s Stealth Missile Attack on Syria Legal?
• Voice of America: Syria’s White Helmets Seek Help in Saving Civilians Suffering in Eastern Ghouta
• Al-Monitor: Syrian Opposition Iced Out of White House