France's Macron "deeply regrets" U.S. withdrawal from Syria

2018-12-24 0

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he deeply regrets President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
He made the remarks at a press conference in Chad on Sunday, where he also paid tribute to the outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who stepped down over differences with Trump's policies.

"About our American allies, I deeply regret the decision taken in Syria and I would like to pay tribute here to General Mattis and the words that accompanied his decision….An ally should be reliable, coordinate with other allies. Mattis understood this. That's what I'm committed to."

Trump's decision has faced strong backlash from U.S lawmakers and allies, who disputed the president's claim that the Islamic State group had been defeated.