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Trump touts cease-fire agreement with Turkey amid Congress criticism

WASHINGTON
2019-10-18 12:55

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday praised an agreement with Turkey over a five-day truce in northern Syria but some U.S. lawmakers dismissed the deal.

"This was a great thing for everybody. Turkey is ... I really appreciate what they've done, they did the right thing and I have great respect for the president," Trump told reporters after landing in the state of Texas for a public event.

Trump made the remarks after Vice President Mike Pence announced the United States and Turkey had reached an agreement on a five-day truce and the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria.

Pence made the announcement following his talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

According to Pence, the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) has started to withdraw from the planned safe zone, which shall have a depth of 20 miles (32 km).

However, the truce pact has received criticism from some U.S. lawmakers.

"A ceasefire is a positive development, but unfortunately this agreement is a capitulation to Turkey," said Democratic senator Tim Kaine in a statement, referring to Trump's decision "outrageous."

"This is far from a great day for the Kurds, and it's a tragic day for the United States and for our reputation around the world," said Democratic senator Chris Coons in an interview with the American cable network MSNBC.

On Thursday, two new sanctions bills were introduced in the Senate with bipartisan support targeting Turkey. The lawmakers behind the bills said they would push forward their legislation despite the cease-fire deal inked by Pence.
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