PARIS, April 4 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and his US counterpart Donald Trump on Wednesday spoke by phone on the war against so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Macron's office said in a statement.
The call comes with the backdrop of strong hints by Trump that he will withdraw about 2,000 US troops from northern Syria in view of the conflict between Turkey and Kurdish and Arab forces in that region and following Turkish warnings it will target any combatants in its area of operations.
France has been critical of Turkey's military incursion deep inside Syria and has warned that this could weaken and distract from the "priority objective" of "completely defeating Daesh (IS)." The Kurdish and Arab forces under attack from Turkey have been crucial, France says, in helping defeat IS, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), composed of YPG Kurds and their Arab allies, have been praised here for their bravery and military achievements in the field.
But Paris also warns that the IS "terrorist organisation" is still not eradicated and is still active in Syria and Iraq and the SDF forces are still needed to finally overcome IS combatants.
"France and the United States are determined to pursue their actions within the international coalition to combat this terrorist organisation right up until the end, as (IS) represents both a threat to regional stability and to our own security interests," the Elysee Palace statement said.
"Nothing should distract us from the goal of preventing any resurgence of Daesh in the region and of progressing towards an inclusive political transition in Syria," it added.
Macron and Trump are certain to further discuss this key issue during a State Visit to the US by the French President April 23-25, the first State Visit by a foreign leader to Washington since Trump took office in January 2017.
The forthcoming visit by Macron was also discussed with the US president. (end) jk.sd