ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — With about half of Syria’s 22 million people internally displaced or having fled the country as a result of a six-year civil war, the new US administration says it will consider the implementation of safe zones in Syria.
"I'll absolutely do safe zones in Syria," US President Donald Trump told ABC news Wednesday.
While Trump’s proclamation was short of details, Reuters reported seeing a document which would direct the US Defense Department and State Departments to compile a plan for safe zones within the next three months.
“The Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Secretary of Defense, is directed within 90 days of the date of this order to produce a plan to provide safe areas in Syria and in the surrounding region in which Syrian nationals displaced from their homeland can await firm settlement, such as repatriation or potential third-country resettlement,” Reuters reported about supposed the draft order.
A concrete US commitment and the international backing of safe zones would deviate from former US President Barack Obama’s policies.
"We've seen no result on the ground from [US] statements that were made six years ago. So therefore we await action before anything else," said Fares al-Bayoush, an opposition commander.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released a report on Tuesday estimating “nearly 4.8 million Syrians have sought refuge in neighboring countries; Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.” Additionally, nearly 6.3 million Syrians have been internally displaced.
“Years of conflict and subsequent displacement have taken a traumatic, harrowing and even deadly toll on the people of Syria,” said William Lacy Swing, IOM Director General, who called for the international community to protect Syria’s people.
Turkey has borne the brunt, taking in more than 2.8 million refugees, and its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has previously advocated for safe areas in Syria to stem the influx of refugees.
However after Trump’s comments, Turkey and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s biggest backer, Russia, expressed uncertainty with the implementation and enforcement of safe zones.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Huseyin Muftuoglu said his country had seen reports on a request for a study on the topic, but “what is important is to see the result of these studies.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said that the US hadn’t consulted with Russia on the subject.
“It’s important not to exacerbate the situation with the refugees,” Dmitry Peskov added, saying it was important to “weigh all possible consequences.”
