Damascus: Syrian settlement must include withdrawal of illegal foreign troops

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem held his first meeting with new UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen in order to discuss a political settlement of the crisis in the country.

According to the Syrian Foreign Ministry, Muallem stressed that the settlement plan for Syria must include the withdrawal of illegal foreign troops from the country, Sputnik reported.

"Muallem expressed Syria’s readiness to cooperate with Pedersen for his successful mission in ensuring an intra-Syrian dialogue to reach a political settlement that in the interests of Syria, among other things, would lead to the defeat of terrorism and the end of the illegal foreign presence in Syria", the ministerial statement read.

The statement comes almost a month after US President Donald Trump announced that American troops would soon leave Syria. However, their presence in the country has not been authorized by the government or the UN Security Council.

Damascus has repeatedly protested against the US operations in the country, as well as the military activity of Turkey, the usurper regime of Israel, and other certain states.

EA