US special envoy to Syria to leave post by end of month

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the special envoy for Syria and the international coalition, James Jeffrey, will leave his post this month.

Pompeo said in a statement on Monday, that Jeffrey “achieved tangible results in the performance of his duties, as he worked to activate our efforts for the political settlement of the Syrian crisis and to create the conditions to defeat ISIS.”

He said that Jeffrey contributed to “building an international coalition that increased economic and political pressure on the Assad regime, and was leading the implementation of the Caesar Act and other sanctions related to Syria.”

Pompeo also indicated that he was supporting efforts to achieve a truce between the SDF and Turkey in October 2019.

Pompeo recalled that Jeffrey was appointed as the special envoy for Syria affairs in August 2018, and in January 2019 he assumed the duties of the special envoy for the affairs of the international coalition to fight ISIS.

Pompeo said that he had assigned Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joel Rayburn to the duties of the special envoy on Syria.

He also assigned Ambassador Nathan Sales, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, to perform the duties of the Envoy for International Coalition Affairs.

Source : Al Masdar News