ASTANA (Reuters) - Russia, Turkey and Iran signed on Thursday a memorandum on creating safe zones in Syria, while the delegation of the armed Syrian opposition walked out and shouted angrily after a new round of peace talks held in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Reuters: World News
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Singles Out China in the New Approach on North Korea. We talk to a former assistant secretary of state. Is Middle East peace possible? President Trump meets with the Palestinian leader and says he can make a deal. Facebook is hiring thousands to monitor and remove violent posts. Ryan Seacrest gets another gig.
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The measure includes more than $15 billion in new defense spending and $1.5 billion in money for U.S. border security. It is expected to come up for a vote later this week in the Senate ahead of a deadline to keep the government open past Friday. This is a developing story. It will be updated.
Washington Post |
'American journalists do not do that': Comey calls WikiLeaks 'intelligence porn'
Washington Post In his appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, FBI Director James B. Comey was given the chance by Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) to define the line a little more clearly. “All of us care deeply about the First Amendment and the ability of a free press to ... and more » |
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Washington Post |
Despite tweet, Trump has confidence in Comey, Spicer says
Washington Post May 3, 2017 2:29 PM EDT - President Trump still has confidence in FBI Director James B.Comey despite tweeting that he gave Hillary Clinton a “free pass” for using a personal email server, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on May 3. (Reuters). |
Trump welcomes Palestinian leader Abbas to White Houseby John Wagner and Ashley Parker
President Trump is prepared to welcome Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House on Wednesday, putting a renewed focus on prospects for peace with Israel — a goal that has long eluded previous U.S. leaders. Abbas is expected to arrive shortly before noon for a series of meetings with Trump at a time when […]
FBI Director James B. Comey testified Wednesday in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on FBI oversight, defending his investigation of Hillary Clinton. Here is the transcript of his comments. SEN. CHARLES E. GRASSLEY (R-IOWA): … Director Comey, I'd like to swear you in at this point. Do you affirm that the testimony you're about to give before […]
CNN |
Trump goes home for a New York minute
CNN (CNN) Donald Trump, a man who for decades was synonymous with New York City, will return to Manhattan for the first time as President on Thursday. His 107-day absence, friends say, is the longest stretch he has spent outside of New York since he was ... Trump Is Returning to New York City, Just Not to SleepNew York Times Congress Allocates $120 Million for Trump Family's Security CostsNew York Times NYC to get reimbursed for Trump Tower security in budget dealNew York Daily News all 81 news articles » |
Washington Post |
Trump is learning — and sometimes mislearning — the lessons of the presidency
Washington Post As Howard J. Kittell gave President Trump a tour of Andrew Jackson's Hermitage plantation in Nashville a couple of months ago, the two discussed the seventh president's military career, his controversial marriage, his image as a “tough, go-get-'em kind ... Dan Rather: 'Trump's knowledge of American history' below 'most gradeschoolers'AOL all 114 news articles » |
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Trump and Putin just talked on the phone about Syria for first time since missile strike
Business Insider - 13 hours ago
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Reuters/Alexander Zemlianichenko, AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Business Insider/Skye Gould. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled improving prospects for cooperation in Syria Tuesday in what ...
Oliver Stone made Vladimir Putin watch Dr. Strangelove, apparently
A.V. Club - 9 hours ago
Stanley Kubrick's Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove has lost some of its fun in recent months, when things like “war with Russia” and “the complete nuclear annihilation of the Earth” stopped seeming like cautionary tales of a bygone era, and started ...
Trump, Putin Look to Work Together on Syria
U.S. News & World Report - 19 hours ago
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been talking about Syria in what the White House called a "very good" phone call. | May 3, 2017, at 7:45 a.m.. MORE. LinkedIn · StumbleUpon · Google +; Cancel. Trump, Putin Look to Work ...
Trump, Putin Seek to Mend Fences Starting With Syria Crisis
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
A Syrian man inspects the wreckage of a collapsed hospital after an airstrike in Damascus, on May 1, 2017. Source: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had what the White House called a ...
Putin: 'We Never Interfere in the Political Affairs … of Other Countries'
<a href="http://CNSNews.com" rel="nofollow">CNSNews.com</a> - 19 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet in Sochi on Tuesday, May 3, 2017. (Photo: The Kremlin). (<a href="http://CNSNews.com" rel="nofollow">CNSNews.com</a>) – President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday Russia “never” interferes in other countries' political affairs but ...
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Chicago Tribune |
White House: Trump, Putin talk on phone, agree to increased diplomacy on Syria
Chicago Tribune President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled improving prospects for cooperation in Syria in what the White House called a "very good" phone discussion that included a focus on setting up safe zones in the war-torn nation. Trump and Putin discuss cease-fire in Syria in first conversation since US airstrikesWashington Post Trump's call with Vladimir Putin suggests some progress on SyriaUSA TODAY Trump, Putin speak amid ongoing tensionsCNN Politico -The Atlantic -YouTube -The Sydney Morning Herald all 490 news articles » |
WCNC |
FBI translator secretly married Islamic State leader
WCNC DETROIT — A former FBI translator working in Detroit secretly flew to Syria three years ago where she married an Islamic State terrorist leader she was supposed to be investigating. Daniela Greene, a hired linguist with top-secret security clearance ... and more » |
BERLIN (Reuters) - Preparing a meeting of the Group of 20 economic powers is like "herding cats", German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday as her officials try to reach consensus among the group ahead of a leaders' summit she will host in July.
The agency’s director, James B. Comey, is speaking at a Senate judiciary committee hearing.
SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia's relationship with Turkey had fully recovered after what he called a crisis caused by Ankara's shooting down of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in 2015.
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Forbes |
Donald Trump Has Been Lying About The Size Of His Penthouse
Forbes During the presidential race, Donald Trump left the campaign trail to give Forbes a guided tour of his three-story Trump Tower penthouse -- part of his decades-long crusade for a higher spot on our billionaire rankings. Gliding through his gilded home, ... and more » |
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have not been able to find any trace of ill-gotten assets belonging to jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's attorney general said on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on FBI Director James Comey's appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee (all times EDT):...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he believes Israelis and Palestinians are both willing to make a peace deal, adding that he does not think it will be as difficult as people thought.
The Nation. |
Again, Is the Possibility of a Trump-Putin Détente Really Dead?
The Nation. No less significant, even following Syrian President Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons and the further downturn in US-Russian relations that followed, Trump and Putin refrained from vilifying each other personally, a sign both continue to hope ... |
Comparing the White House and the Kremlin's summaries of the Trump-Putin phone call
ABC News - 9 hours ago
The White House and the Kremlin released separate summaries of the Tuesday phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, showing some slight differences in their respective readouts of the conversation. The U.S. readout framed the ...
Putin pushes Syria safe zone plan
Yahoo News - 10 hours ago
Sochi (Russia) (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pushed a plan to set up safe zones in Syria that could see planes grounded but details remained hazy as a latest round of Kremlin-backed peace talks on the six-year war floundered.
Putin Says Trump Backs Syria Plan, Russia Open to No-Fly Zones
Bloomberg - 10 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he secured the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump for a proposal to establish safe zones in Syria which could include a ban on bombing raids. Putin said after talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ...
The Latest: Syria 'fully backing' Russia safe zones proposal
Boston Herald - 6 hours ago
This photo provided by Azaz Media Office, a Syrian anti-government activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker extinguishing a burning car at the explosion ...
Putin: Russia-Turkey Recovery Process 'Complete'
<a href="http://malaysiandigest.com" rel="nofollow">malaysiandigest.com</a> - 1 hour ago
Russia and Turkey agreed to boost economic ties on Wednesday as Moscow hailed improving bilateral relations following tensions caused by Ankara's shooting down of a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border in 2015. However, there was little obvious ...
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The Hill |
Comparing the White House and the Kremlin's summaries of the Trump-Putin phone call
ABC News The White House and the Kremlin released separate summaries of the Tuesday phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, showing some slight differences in their respective readouts of the conversation. The U.S. readout framed the ... Putin: Trump backs Syria safe zones planThe Hill Putin requested his call with Trump to outline a plan for Syrian safe zones. Why now?Washington Post (blog) Putin: I discussed de-escalation zones in Syria with Trump, ErdoganRT Eyewitness News -TASS -Reuters all 241 news articles » |
TIME |
AFT President: Betsy DeVos and Donald Trump Are Dismantling Public Education
TIME Now DeVos is spreading this agenda across the country with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence's blessing. They've proposed a budget that takes a meat cleaver to public education and programs that work for kids and families. After-school and summer ... and more » |
Trump vows to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace, offers no new policies
Reuters - 9 hours ago
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to do “whatever is necessary” to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, but offered no sign of how he could ...
Trump Says He Wants To Help Mediate Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal
NPR - 8 hours ago
President Trump emphasized his commitment to end the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying there's a "very good chance" for a peace deal and vowing to do "whatever is necessary to facilitate the agreement." Trump's remarks came in a joint ...
Donald Trump Predicts Mideast Peace Is 'Not As Difficult As People Have Thought'
Huffington Post - 7 hours ago
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump predicted an Israeli-Palestinian agreement might be “not as difficult as people have thought” in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, but failed to mention what has been a ...
Trump Meets Palestinian Leader Abbas and Wants Mideast Peace Deal
<a href="http://NBCNews.com" rel="nofollow">NBCNews.com</a> - 10 hours ago
Donald Trump is convinced that the Mideast should no longer be riven by violence and that peace is within reach. "I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians," he told Reuters in an interview last week. "There is no reason there's not peace ...
Former Israeli def. minister advised Trump on avoiding Obama's mistakes
Jerusalem Post Israel News - 2 hours ago
“Abbas won't deliver the goods. There isn't anyone on their side who can. Trump is looking for a deal. But there is no partner for a deal.” Play Video. Play. Mute. Current Time 0:00. /. Duration Time 0:00. Loaded: 0%. 0:00. Progress: 0%. 0:00. Progress ...
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New York Times |
Hosting Palestinian Leader, Trump Promises Middle East Peace
New York Times Hosting Mr. Abbas at the White House, Mr. Trump said he would do “whatever is necessary” to bring together the Palestinians and Israelis, who have been warring over the same small patch of land for generations. But he gave no sense of how he would ... Trump vows to work as 'mediator' for Israeli-Palestinian peaceCNN Donald Trump Predicts Mideast Peace Is 'Not As Difficult As People Have Thought'Huffington Post Trump tells Abbas 'very good chance' of Mid-East peace dealBBC News CNBC -Fox News -POLITICO Magazine all 1,024 news articles » |
Donald Trump said he would ‘do whatever is necessary’ to reach a peace agreement in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, adding that he believes ‘there’s a very, very good chance’ of bringing Israel and the Palestinians together. Trump met with the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, in the Oval Office on Wednesday
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New York Times |
Tillerson: It's Time to Restore 'Balance' With Other Countries
New York Times Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson spoke to State Department employees at their headquarters in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington on Wednesday. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times. WASHINGTON — In his first address laying out his vision ... and more » |
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President Xi Jinping of China praised President Rodrigo Duterte, part of an effort to woo an American ally and strengthen China’s claims in the South China Sea.
Reuters |
Tillerson lays out Trump's 'America First' foreign policy to skeptical officials
Reuters U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gestures before delivering remarks to the employees at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas. 1/4. left. right. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks to the ... Tillerson: It's Time to Restore 'Balance' With Other CountriesNew York Times Tillerson says putting pressure on North Korea is just the beginningWashington Post all 77 news articles » |
Reuters |
US needs to balance foreign alliances: Tillerson
Reuters U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gestures before delivering remarks to the employees at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas. 1/4. left. right. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers remarks to the ... and more » |
New York Times |
After Trump's Phone Call to Philippines Leader, China's President Calls Him
New York Times Mr. Trump's gesture was widely condemned over concerns about human rights abuses in the Philippines carried out under Mr. Duterte's auspices. In a sign of lingering tensions between the two countries, Mr. Duterte later said he might be too busy to make ... Trump's Soft Spot for Strongmen Harms US Image, Say CriticsNBCNews.com 6 Strongmen Trump Has Praised — And The Conflicts It PresentsNPR Trump keeps praising international strongmen, alarming human rights advocatesWashington Post Fox News -CNN all 956 news articles » |
The Hill |
Puerto Rico requests form of bankruptcy protection
The Hill Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló notified the island's Fiscal Control Board Wednesday that he would seek a form of bankruptcy protection after failed negotiations with creditors. The announcement came as multiple creditors sued the island's ... and more » |
BILLERICA, Mass. (AP) -- A SUV being shown to prospective buyers at a crowded indoor auto auction suddenly accelerated with a screech of its tires and crashed through a wall Wednesday morning, killing three people and injuring nine....
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Trump vows to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace, offers no new policies
Reuters - 9 hours ago
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to do “whatever is necessary” to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, but offered no sign of how he could ...
Trump: Middle East Peace Is 'Not as Difficult as People Have Thought'
The Atlantic - 4 hours ago
Like The Atlantic? Subscribe to The Atlantic Daily, our free weekday email newsletter. One of Donald Trump's great strengths is his ability to project confidence and bravado nearly constantly. The president is sometimes peevish, and he sometimes ...
Trump Says He Wants To Help Mediate Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal
NPR - 8 hours ago
President Trump emphasized his commitment to end the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying there's a "very good chance" for a peace deal and vowing to do "whatever is necessary to facilitate the agreement." Trump's remarks came in a joint ...
Donald Trump Predicts Mideast Peace Is 'Not As Difficult As People Have Thought'
Huffington Post - 7 hours ago
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump predicted an Israeli-Palestinian agreement might be “not as difficult as people have thought” in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, but failed to mention what has been a ...
Trump Meets Palestinian Leader Abbas and Wants Mideast Peace Deal
<a href="http://NBCNews.com" rel="nofollow">NBCNews.com</a> - 10 hours ago
Donald Trump is convinced that the Mideast should no longer be riven by violence and that peace is within reach. "I want to see peace with Israel and the Palestinians," he told Reuters in an interview last week. "There is no reason there's not peace ...
Read the whole story
· ·
Huffington Post |
Donald Trump Predicts Mideast Peace Is 'Not As Difficult As People Have Thought'
Huffington Post WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump predicted an Israeli-Palestinian agreement might be “not as difficult as people have thought” in a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, but failed to mention what has been a ... Mahmoud Abbas meets Donald Trump in key US visitAljazeera.com Trump vows to work as 'mediator' for Israeli-Palestinian peaceCNN Donald Trump: I want to prove there can be peace between Israelis and PalestiniansTelegraph.co.uk all 1,045 news articles » |
Washington Post |
Breitbart's frustration with President Trump just boiled over
Washington Post Breitbart News cheered Donald Trump to victory in November but has been frustrated by some ofTrump's moves in office. Most notably, the hard-right site has been disappointed by the president's failure to secure funding for the Southern border wall he ... and more » |
Washington Post |
Emmanuel Macron is 39 and his wife is 64. French women say it's about time.
Washington Post PARIS — Emmanuel Macron, the front-runner in Sunday's French presidential election, shares something with President Trump: a 24-year age gap with his wife. The difference is that Macron's wife is the older one. That cliche-busting fact — a candidate ... and more » |
Second, it has left the Kremlin perplexed as to how it can move forward in its relations with Washington, especially as Russia slouches toward a presidential election campaign in March 2018, although Mr. Putin has not yet officially declared his candidacy for a fourth term.
Worse, instead of heralding a new chapter in relations, Washington seems to be piling on the demands. Even anticipated friends like Rex W. Tillerson, the secretary of state awarded a medal by Mr. Putin when he was head of Exxon Mobil, have proved disappointing.
Mr. Tillerson showed up in Moscow for his first trip as secretary of state last month only to start resurrecting positions that Moscow thought had been laid to rest with the Obama administration.
Mr. Tillerson endorsed the idea that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Russia’s main friend in the Middle East, had to go, for example. The Trump administration has also made clear it wants Russia out of Ukraine, and an end to what it calls violations of a key missile treaty. It even dredged up Afghanistan again as an issue.
Asked about Russia in an appearance on Fox News last Sunday, the national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, said he thought Mr. Putin was not serving Russia’s best interests. “We need changes in words and the nature of the relationship,” he said, “but what we really need to see is change in behavior.”
Aleksei Pushkov, a well-known voice in foreign affairs in the Federation Council, tweeted in response that Mr. McMaster’s remarks were reminiscent of the Obama administration. “Counterproductive approach,” he wrote.
The chain of similar statements from Washington has pretty much curdled the idea that there will be a grand bargain on global issues with Washington.
Furthermore, according to some analysts, while Russia is eager for improved relations, the Trump administration has not exactly made clear what reward Russia might get for executing a major, across-the-board reversal in its foreign policy.
“It has not detailed the definition in terms of what an improved relationship would be, in other words what is the bag of goodies in exchange for a dramatic U-turn in their foreign policy,” Mr. Frolov said.
He added, “The Russians are basically scratching their heads and asking, ‘What are we going to get from this?’”
In the third Trump-Putin call, on Tuesday night, the two presidents agreed to coordinate more closely on Syria and Korea, and possibly to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in early July.
The standard explanation in Russian circles for the cold shoulder from President Trump is that American foreign policy mandarins will not let Trump be Trump when it comes to Russia.
“Trump rejected the idea of holding a separate meeting early due to fear of hysteria by his enemies in the USA,” Mr. Pushkov wrote on Twitter after the latest telephone call.
Naturally, the idea that Presidents Trump and Putin are equals has not died entirely, either. “The third contact between the two presidents has confirmed that the Russian-American dialogue is not at a standstill, that both sides are interested in its development, and that it can proceed only on an equal footing,” Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the Federation Council, told Russian reporters on Wednesday, according to RIA Novosti, the state-operated news agency.
Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, is expected to hold talks with Mr. Tillerson on the sidelines of an Arctic conference in Alaska next week, talks that the Russians are hoping might bring some clarity.
There are things the Russians want, like the withdrawal of the American missile defense system in Romania and Poland, but nothing so specific has been broached. Mr. Trump’s effusive praise of the Russian leader while running for president has slowly faded as other issues have come to the fore, including multiple investigations into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential campaign and the stark differences over Syria’s use of chemical weapons against its own people again in April.
On the other hand, Mr. Frolov noted, the Kremlin appreciates that the Trump administration has been largely silent on Russian domestic issues like violence against opposition leaders, arrests of political protesters and the persecution and torture of homosexuals in Chechnya.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was not so reticent in her joint news conference with Mr. Putin on Tuesday, questioning the prosecution of civil society groups, homosexuals and religious sects while pooh-poohing Mr. Putin’s stance that the change of government in neighboring Ukraine had been undemocratic.
The more discreet American approach indicates that Washington wants to keep channels open, Mr. Frolov said, so the Kremlin will most likely welcome a one-by-one approach to foreign policy issues rather than a grand bargain.
Russia is looking for an agreement in Syria in particular, because Mr. Putin wants to avoid any violent surprises from there once the Russian presidential campaign begins in earnest at the end of 2017.
Both sides are aware of the dangers of letting any confrontations between them overheat. There remains the risk of a collision in Syria, noted Dmitri V. Trenin, the head of the Carnegie Moscow Center, but there is also room for a deal on a diplomatic solution there.
Mr. Putin repeated at news conferences two days running that the United States would be instrumental in solving the Syria problem, noting on Wednesday that Mr. Trump had endorsed the idea of safety zones that Russia began formally pushing as part of a new round of Syrian peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. Mr. Trump dispatched a high-level American diplomat to the talks.
“Optimists in Moscow and Washington hope that the U.S.-Russian relationship wouldn’t decline any further,” Mr. Trenin wrote in a piece on the Carnegie website.
It is premature to expect outright cooperation, he and others said, predicting that relations might remain where they are until the terms of engagement are hammered out. That might take a meeting between the two presidents in Hamburg, they noted, assuming that Mr. Trump finally stops shunning Mr. Putin there.
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The insurgent groups suspended participation in the talks on Wednesday to protest what they described as heavy bombing by the Syrian government’s Russian-backed forces the day before that killed dozens, including civilians.
The Russian proposal does not specify measures to prevent government warplanes from carrying out such bombings. Rebels said they remained suspicious of Russian guarantees, regardless, because Russia has been unable or unwilling to curb government attacks on civilians.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Wednesday that the proposal had the backing not only of Russia but also of Iran, another ally of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and Turkey, which backs some anti-Assad groups.
“We as guarantors — Turkey, Iran, Russia — will do everything for this to work,” Mr. Putin said in remarks carried on Russian television, speaking in Sochi, Russia, after meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
The proposal was made as the United States, another supporter of some anti-Assad groups, appeared to be re-engaging in the negotiations after a prolonged absence.
Stuart E. Jones, the acting assistant secretary of state, was in Astana, the most senior American official to participate in Syria talks since President Trump took office.
He arrived after Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin held a phone conversation on Tuesday about renewing efforts to resolve the conflict, which has left hundreds of thousands dead and half the population displaced.
The draft proposal calls for “de-escalation zones” of safety to be established in four areas: Idlib Province, almost entirely held by jihadist and other rebel groups; Eastern Ghouta, a large area of the Damascus suburbs besieged by government forces; a besieged pocket north of the central city of Homs; and southern Syria along the Jordanian border, where rebel groups backed by the United States and its allies have made gains in recent months against both Islamic State and government forces.
Under the proposal, checkpoints ringing those areas would be maintained by both government and rebel forces to allow the free movement of civilians and relief aid. That provision could offer respite from siege warfare, which has been a main weapon of the government.
The proposal also says rebel groups would be required to fight the Islamic State and the formerly Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, now called Tahrir al-Sham, which are not part of any peace process.
But the proposal offers few details on how fighting would be thwarted inside the secure zones.
An earlier draft circulated by some opposition members included a provision that Syria’s air force would be grounded in those zones — but no mention is made of that provision in a longer draft. It was removed, participants said, because of Syrian government objections. But without that provision, rebels would probably reject the proposal.
Analysts in Damascus close to the government of Mr. Assad said the government had rejected any proposal that would accept rebel control of any area, even temporarily. The government has long insisted that it aims to take back all of the country, and it has so far refused any territorial or political compromise with its opponents.
The proposal raises the possibility of outside forces’ helping to guarantee a cease-fire. It says military units or “guarantors” would be deployed as monitors.
Rebel representatives said they would not accept any from Iran or Russia. Russian news outlets, including the Interfax news agency, said the forces could be from former Soviet states — Kazakhstan was floated as a possibility — or members of the bloc of emerging economies that include Russia, Brazil and India. Those reports also mentioned Arab countries, leading to speculation that Egypt could contribute. Egyptian officials have denied any intention of sending forces to Syria.
Changes on the ground in Syria have given credence to the possibility of cease-fire zones as outlined in the Russian proposal. On Tuesday, pro-government militias opened a new commercial corridor between government and rebel-held areas in the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in southern Syria, imposing a tax of 20 percent. The tax essentially formalized smuggling routes that have profited militants on both sides and could presage the opening of routes in other areas.
Hisham Skeif, a former member of the opposition council in Aleppo and now a political spokesman for a rebel faction, was skeptical of the Russian proposal, saying it needed clarification on the precise boundaries of the cease-fire zones and the identities of the monitoring forces.
“It was thrown by the Russians as a step in the air,” he said. Russia and the government have typically described rebel fighters as jihadists as a justification to bomb them, he said, “so we are back to the same vortex.”
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Comparing the White House and the Kremlin's summaries of the Trump-Putin phone call
ABC News - 8 hours ago
The White House and the Kremlin released separate summaries of the Tuesday phone call between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, showing some slight differences in their respective readouts of the conversation. The U.S. readout framed the ...
Putin pushes Syria safe zone plan
Yahoo News - 10 hours ago
Sochi (Russia) (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pushed a plan to set up safe zones in Syria that could see planes grounded but details remained hazy as a latest round of Kremlin-backed peace talks on the six-year war floundered.
Putin Says Trump Backs Syria Plan, Russia Open to No-Fly Zones
Bloomberg - 10 hours ago
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he secured the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump for a proposal to establish safe zones in Syria which could include a ban on bombing raids. Putin said after talks with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan ...
The Latest: Syria 'fully backing' Russia safe zones proposal
Boston Herald - 5 hours ago
This photo provided by Azaz Media Office, a Syrian anti-government activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian White Helmet civil defense worker extinguishing a burning car at the explosion ...
Putin: Russia-Turkey Recovery Process 'Complete'
<a href="http://malaysiandigest.com" rel="nofollow">malaysiandigest.com</a> - 1 hour ago
Russia and Turkey agreed to boost economic ties on Wednesday as Moscow hailed improving bilateral relations following tensions caused by Ankara's shooting down of a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border in 2015. However, there was little obvious ...
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Washington Post (blog) |
Putin requested his call with Trump to outline a plan for Syrian safe zones. Why now?
Washington Post (blog) Putin outlined his plan in a telephone call Tuesday with President Trump, according to a diplomatic source. Putin requested the call and dominated the conversation. The White House has said little publicly about the details, but has agreed to send a ... Comparing the White House and the Kremlin's summaries of the Trump-Putin phone callABC News Putin: Trump backs Syria safe zones planThe Hill Russia, Feeling Slighted by Trump, Seeks a ResetNew York Times RT -Eyewitness News -TASS all 249 news articles » |
Washington Post |
The Donald Trump Zone of Uncertainty shows up in the health-care debate
Washington Post During a news conference Wednesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer was asked how an amendment to the American Health Care Act that could increase premiums for those with preexisting conditions squares with the president's pledge that this ... and more » |
Politico |
Puerto Rico files for historic bankruptcy to stave off lawsuits
Politico Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló asked for a court-supervised restructuring of part of the commonwealth's $70 billion in bond debt, in what amounts to the largest local government bankruptcy in U.S. history. The federal oversight board established by ... and more » |
The Hill |
Susan Rice declines to testify on Russian hacking before Senate panel
The Hill Susan Rice will not testify before a Senate subcommittee next week about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 race. The former national security adviser under President Obama declined an invitation from Sen. Lindsey Graham · Lindsey GrahamFeinstein: ... and more » |
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