Just two days before the key statement on Syria was issued, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Trump and Putin have nothing "sufficiently substantive to talk about" at the moment. Relations between Moscow and Washington are currently at the "lowest point" since the Cold War.Well, the joint statement seems quite significant to us Mr Tillerson! For starters, it is a tacit acceptance on the part of the US that Assad is not going to be toppled any time soon.
President Trump and President Putin today, meeting on the margins of the APEC conference in Danang, Vietnam, confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS in Syria. They expressed their satisfaction with successful US-Russia enhanced de-confliction efforts between US and Russian military professionals that have dramatically accelerated ISIS's losses on the battlefield in recent months. The Presidents agreed to maintain open military channels of communication between military professionals to help ensure the safety of both US and Russian forces and de-confliction of partnered forces engaged in the fight against ISIS. They confirmed these efforts will be continued until the final defeat of ISIS is achieved.
The Presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria. They confirmed that the ultimate political solution to the conflict must be forged through the Geneva process pursuant to UNSCR 2254. They also took note of President Assad's recent commitment to the Geneva process and constitutional reform and elections as called for under UNSCR 2254. The two Presidents affirmed that these steps must include full implementation of UNSCR 2254, including constitutional reform and free and fair elections under UN supervision, held to the highest international standards of transparency, with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character, as defined in UNSCR 2254, and urged all Syrian parties to participate actively in the Geneva political process and to support efforts to ensure its success.
Finally President Trump and President Putin confirmed the importance of de-escalation areas as an interim step to reduce violence in Syria, enforce ceasefire agreements, facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, and set the conditions for the ultimate political solution to the conflict. They reviewed progress on the ceasefire in southwest Syria that was finalized the last time the two Presidents met in Hamburg, Germany on July 7, 2017. The two presidents, today, welcomed the Memorandum of Principles concluded in Amman, Jordan, on November 8, 2017, between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America. This Memorandum reinforces the success of the ceasefire initiative, to include the reduction, and ultimate elimination of foreign forces and foreign fighters from the area to ensure a more sustainable peace. Monitoring this ceasefire arrangement will continue to take place through the Amman Monitoring Center, with participation by expert teams from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Russian Federation, and the United States.
The two Presidents discussed the ongoing need to reduce human suffering in Syria and called on all UN member states to increase their contributions to address these humanitarian needs over the coming months.
Any and all records of communications sent to or from officials in the Offices of the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General regarding an immigration parole issued to Russian national Natalia Veselnitskaya between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2016.
Comment: What can one say about these charges against Roy Moore? Political? In the current climate they can't be otherwise. 40 years ago in Alabama it was not usual for a man of Moore's standing in the community to date 18 year old girls. Does that make him a sexual deviant? Only if you live in the progressive detached-from-reality utopia-land. Moore is an average member of the American political class, no worse, and likely a whole lot better than many others, including on the 'progressive' side of the fence.
As for counter-charges, Roy Moore's wife, Kayla Moore, says she and her husband plan to sue WaPo for defamation.