Syria blasts US for tying military presence to peace talks

Damascus Tuesday blasted U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis for saying a U.S.-led coalition would continue fighting in Syria until talks to end the conflict there make progress.


Mattis told reporters on Monday that the U.S.-led coalition's goal was to battle Daesh (ISIS) while finding a diplomatic solution to Syria's six-year war.

But Syria's foreign ministry shot back on Tuesday, saying it "categorically rejected" U.S. efforts to link peace talks to military action.

"Linking the U.S.'s presence in Syria to a settlement process is just a pretext and an attempt to justify this presence," said a source at the foreign ministry, quoted by state news agency SANA.

"The United States and others will not be able to impose any solution with military pressure - on the contrary, this presence will only prolong and complicate the crisis," said the statement.

It demanded the "immediate and unconditional withdrawal of U.S. forces" from Syrian territory.
 [dailystar.com.lb/AFP]
 14/11/17
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