Istanbul/Damascus, Dec 23, (dpa/GNA) – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday he expects US President Donald Trump to announce the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal in the “first weeks” of the new year.
“Our expectation is that the second phase will begin in the first weeks of the new year, with a declaration by Mr Trump,” Fidan said in Damascus, adding that transferring administration to a Palestinian-led structure was a “priority.”
Fidan was speaking at a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani.
Significant obstacles still stand in the way of launching the second phase of the peace plan. However, it could begin once the Palestinian militant group Hamas hands over the last deceased Israeli hostage and Israel, in return, transfers the bodies of 15 Palestinians.
Whether the second phase can then be implemented successfully remains uncertain. One of the most contentious issues is the proposed disarmament of Hamas.
Fidan said the US presented preliminary project studies on rebuilding Gaza during talks in Miami over the weekend, which included representatives from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt.
Fidan met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Monday, accompanied by the Turkish intelligence chief and defence minister, to discuss security, economic, and regional cooperation, according to the state news agency Anadolu.
Following the upheaval in Syria last year, the current transitional government and the Kurdish-led Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed in March to integrate the SDF fighters into the military, a core Turkish national security concern.
Details of how the integration would be carried out remain unclear. The SDF control the north-east of Syria. They have set up their own administration there. During the civil war, the SDF fought against the Islamic State extremist militia with US support.
Turkey controls areas in north-western Syria. It considers the US-backed SDF a terrorist group due to its ties to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), complicating regional dynamics.
The integration agreement has yet to be implemented. Fidan on Monday accused the SDF of stalling and said its coordination with Israel posed a major obstacle in talks with Damascus. Ankara earlier warned the SDF to accelerate integration.
Al-Shaibani said Damascus is reviewing a response the SDF sent over the weekend, but criticized the group for delays in north-eastern Syrian reconstruction.
The deadline to implement the March deal was the end of 2025, and Ankara raised the possibility of a military intervention if it is stalled further.
GNA