Decree on the withdrawal of the US troops from Syria has been signed Breaking News, 24th of Dece

US President Donald Trump announced the appointment of a new Pentagon chief starting from 1st of January, 2019. The current deputy head of the Pentagon, Patrick Shanahan, will take the job. On 21st of December, Donald Trump announced the resignation of US Secretary of Defense James Mattis. The general himself said that he didn’t agree with some decisions of Donald Trump. The resignation of James Mattis is considered to be a significant loss to the American administration, since he is respected in Congress by both Republicans and Democrats. He is considered to be one of the ministers holding moderate positions on the key international issues.

US President Donald Trump signed a decree on the upcoming withdrawal of the US troops from Syria, CNN reported while citing an official at the Pentagon. The CNN source said that the decree sets the terms and procedures for the withdrawal of the US military from Syria. The source, however, refused to disclose this information, TASS reports. A Pentagon spokesman later confirmed that the presidential decree on the upcoming withdrawal of the American military contingent from Syria was indeed signed. Its implementation is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

Reporters of ANNA NEWS report from Syria with a reference to SANA agency: A group of Syrians arrived in Syria from the refugee camps in Lebanon. Many civilians were forced to flee to the neighboring countries during the occupation of their areas of residence by the militants of the armed opposition. Since the south-eastern part of Syria has been completely cleared of Islamists — an increasing number of Syrian citizens are coming back home. The territory of the province of Damascus came under the full control of the Syrian army in May, while Daraa and Quneitra were liberated only in late July.

British Prime Minister Theresa May shortened the Christmas holidays for the cabinet members in order to hold an emergency meeting on 2nd of January, on the so-called «hard Brexit» that doesn’t include a deal with the EU, TASS reports while citing ‘the Financial Times’. The unplanned meeting was called in order to develop a plan of action to the two-day long debate in the British parliament on 9th of January, regarding the draft agreement on the Brexit conditions. The day of voting on the whole deal wasn’t specified. Initially, the vote was to be held on 11th of December, but Theresa May moved it to January due to the fact that the House of Commons clearly didn’t intend to support the whole thing.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will make a working visit to Russia on 25th of December, Interfax reports while citing his press office. “At the talks in Moscow with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, the results of the Belarusian-Russian cooperation in the outgoing year will be concluded. The most urgent tasks of the cooperation in the near future will also be discussed” — the message said. Earlier, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, announced that the presidents of Russia and Belarus agreed to have a meeting before the end of this year in order to discuss the controversial situations of their relations. In particular — it is planned to discuss the pricing conditions for Belarusian gas consumers, and the alleged Russian “tax maneuver” in the oil industry.