Iraqi president denies mediation between PKK, Assad

By Ibrahim Salih

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi presidency on Sunday denied a report claiming a proposed mediation between the PKK terrorist group and Assad regime in Syria.

The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said in a report that Iraqi President Barham Salih is filling the gap left by the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The report claims that Salih's proposal includes allowing leaders of the PKK terrorist group to come from the Qandil Mountains to Iraq's Sulaymaniyah and then visit Damascus to restore relations.

Restoring the ties would include "the return of the [Syrian] army and border guards to all Syrian border points with Turkey and Iraq."

"This information is inaccurate, and we stress that the President of the Republic has previously stressed the need to support the efforts of peaceful solution to end the vicious cycle of violence in neighboring Syria," Lukman Faily, a spokesman for the Iraqi presidency said in statement.

He went on to say the Iraqi approach to Syria is based on "respect for its independent decision and end to interference in its internal affairs."

"We have always stressed that Iraq is always seeking to strengthen its relations with all its neighbors, including Turkey," he added.

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered all of the U.S. forces in Syria to withdraw from the country, saying Daesh's defeat was his sole reason for being in the civil war-torn country.

The U.S. began its air campaign in Syria in 2014, deploying troops to the country to assist in the anti-Daesh fight alongside local partners the year after.

Reports have suggested U.S. forces will leave within 60 to 100 days.