US Special Representative for Syria Engagement and Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, Ambassador James Jeffrey kicked off a 12-day trip to Europe and the Middle East to follow up on Syrian affairs and efforts to defeat the terrorist group.
He is expected to visit France, Jordan, Israel, Belgium and Germany, according to the State Department.
Jeffrey, accompanied by Deputy Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Ambassador William Roebuck, and Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counter-terrorism Alina Romanowski arrived in Paris on Tuesday to attend a meeting of political directors of the Global Coalition's Small Group.
The State Department said Jeffrey and Roebuck would then travel to Belgium on June 26 for a two-day visit, to join Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at a Small Group meeting of defense ministers from the coalition and to meet with senior EU officials to discuss Syria and Iraq.
The US official will then travel to Amman on June 29 to hold talks on Syria with Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi and other senior officials.
On July 2, Jeffrey will travel to Jerusalem, where he will deliver remarks on Syria at the Herzliya Conference.
Jeffrey will then visit Berlin to meet with Syrian partners and senior German officials from July 3-5, the State Department said.
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Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he believed the number of Syrians refugees returning from Turkey to their homeland would reach one million as soon as safe zones are set up along the border.
Turkey hosts nearly 4 million Syrians who have been displaced during the eight-year war.
Currently, Ankara is in talks with Washington over the establishment of a safe zone across its border with northeastern Syria where the US supports the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), considered by Turkey as a terrorist organization.
Turkey has been demanding the withdrawal of the YPG from the region, while the US has been seeking guarantees from it that it will not attack the Kurdish fighters, who have played a pivotal role in defeating ISIS in Syria.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
