Trump declares Syria cease-fire 'permanent,' lifts Turkey sanctions

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(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"My fellow Americans I greet you this morning from the White House to announce a major break-through toward achieving a better future for Syria, and for the Middle East."

In a special address on Wednesday (October 23), U.S. President Donald Trump said that Turkey had agreed to halt its combat operations in Syria, and in response he would be lifting U.S. sanctions on Ankara.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"I've therefore instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to lift all sanctions imposed on October 14th in response to Turkey's original offensive."

The president tried to put in the best possible light his abrupt decision early this month to withdraw U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria, which cleared the way for a Turkish invasion against the Kurds, a U.S. ally. The move that has sparked outrage not just from Democrats but members of his own party.

A U.S.-brokered five-day cease-fire last week was meant to give Kurdish fighters time to withdraw.

Trump on Wednesday said he now believed that cease-fire to be more or less permanent.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"And it will indeed be permanent. However you you would also define the word permanent in that part of the world as somewhat questionable. We all understand that, but I do believe it will be permanent."

The Syrian Kurdish fighters in Turkey's cross-hairs played a key role in the U.S.-led ground campaign to root out Islamic State.

Critics say Trump's decision to pull American troops from the area gave Turkey the green light to attack an American ally.

And Turkey's agreement struck Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin to jointly patrol the Turkey-Syria border appears to extend Russian influence in the Middle East.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"This was an outcome created by us, the United States, and nobody else."

But while Donald Trump tried to claim the outcome as an American success, his own special envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, painted a different picture for Congress on Wednesday.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON SYRIA JAMES JEFFREY, SAYING:

"The Turkish incursion into northeast Syria is a tragedy. It was long-standing U.S. government policy in two administrations to keep that from happening, an we clearly were not successful."

Jeffrey did not directly criticize Trump's decision to withdraw. But he said the Turkish invasion had lead to instances of brutality,

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON SYRIA JAMES JEFFREY, SAYING:

-"we've seen several incidents which we consider war crimes"-

and he confirmed that at least 100 captured Islamic State fighters had escaped Syrian Kurdish prisons doing the Turkish invasion.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON SYRIA JAMES JEFFREY, SAYING:

"We would say that the number is now over 100. We do not know where they are."

[FLASH]

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"There were a few that got out, a small number, relatively speaking, and they've been largely re-captured."

Trump seemed to downplay the ISIS escapees, and insisted that the extremist group was now a local problem.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"Now Turkey, Syria and others in the region must work to ensure that ISIS does not regain any territory. It's their neighborhood. They have to maintain it. They have to take care of it."

Turkey seems to have achieve every one of its objectives: It controls a buffer zone inside Syria free of Kurdish fighters, and will no longer face U.S. sanctions for its actions.

Trump presented this outcome as a major victory, taking credit for what he suggested marked a new era of peace.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:

"Now people are saying, 'wow, what a great outcome, congratulations.'"

U.S. lawmakers are less sanguine. Last week the House of Representatives handed Trump a major rebuke in the form of a bipartisan bill condemning the troop withdrawal.

Congress is still working on a sanctions package of its own intended to punish Turkey for the incursion.