Mike Pompeo: Syrian Kurds are 'great partners;' We’ll ensure them a 'seat at the table'

Kurdistan24 (K24) News ^ | Laurie Mylroie

[Texas Fossil]

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – Syria’s Kurds “have been great partners,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday evening in Washington DC, as he addressed a conference of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA.)

Pompeo affirmed that the Kurds would be party to negotiations over Syria’s political future.

“We are now driving,” he said, stressing that last word, “to make sure that they have a seat at the table.”

Pompeo is the most senior US official to affirm a long-term commitment to Syria’s Kurds.

Previously, Amb. James Jeffrey, who was appointed Pompeo’s Representative for Syria Engagement in late August, had said the US would maintain troops in eastern Syria until key political objectives are achieved.

Pompeo’s assertion of a similar policy has made it that much more authoritative.

Pompeo explained that there was a new situation in Syria, which required a new US response.

“[President] Assad has tightened his grip, thanks to Russia, Iran, and other regional actors,” Pompeo explained, while the so-called Islamic State (IS) “has been beaten to a shadow of its former self.”

Ensuring that IS is fully defeated and does not come back remains a “top priority,” but the US now has “two other mutually reinforcing objectives.”

One is “a peaceful and political resolution” to the Syrian conflict, Pompeo said, explaining that Washington is fully committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which establishes the basis for a political process to end the fighting in Syria.

The second new objective of the US in Syria, Pompeo explained, is “the removal of all Iranian and Iranian-backed forces” from the country.

[Jacob Kell]

The Turkish PKK, yes, but not the Syrian ones.