New York: Turkey has agreed to a ceasefire in north-east Syria and will allow Kurdish fighters in the region to withdraw, US Vice President Mike Pence announced following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In return the US will withdraw the sanctions on Turkish officials that President Donald Trump announced earlier in the week.

US Vice President Mike Pence meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Credit:AP

"Today the United States and Turkey have agreed to a ceasefire in Syria,” Pence told reporters after more than four hours of talks at the presidential palace in Ankara on Thursday local time (Friday AEDT)

Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Turkey to convince Erdogan to halt the country's military operations in northeastern Syria, known as Operation Peace Spring.

Turkey aimed to clear YPG Syrian Kurdish fighters from a 32 km-deep "safe zone" along the border.

Pence and Erdogan met at the presidential palace in Ankara on Thursday, local time.Credit:AP

In Qamishli, though, a city in the east of the country, the announcement prompted "deafening" celebratory fire.

Trump quickly celebrated the agreement on Twitter as a "great day for civilisation".

"I am proud of the United States for sticking by me in following a necessary, but somewhat unconventional, path," he wrote.

"People have been trying to make this 'Deal' for many years.

Turkish-backed Free Syria Army fighters on the Turkey-Syria border. Credit:AP

"Millions of lives will be saved. Congratulations to ALL!"

A statement put out by the Turkish government and styled as a "Joint Turkish-US statement on northeast Syria" said the 30km safe zone would be "primarily enforced by the Turkish Armed Forces".

Heavy weapons in the possession of the Kurdish YPG would be "re-collected" and their fortifications and fighting positions disabled.

Surrender agreement

The peace deal appeared to some analysts to deliver everything Turkey had wanted from Operation Peace Spring, including the full withdrawal of the Kurdish militia from the area within five days.

"The US just ratified Turkey's plan to effectively extend its border" said former US presidential envoy in the region, Brett McGurk, describing the policy as "un-implementable".

Foreign policy analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov said the Turkish statement made it sound like a "surrender agreement".

Source: Read Full Article