US enacts Turkey sanctions
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Monday aut horised sanct ion s on Tu r ke y ’s le ader s , rei mposed steel t a r i f f s a nd ended ta lks on a trade deal as he sought to punish the countr y for its deadly of fensive into Sy ria.
Trump announced the measures as he came under intense scrutiny at home for appearing to at first give the green light to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to crush US-backed Kurdish fighters in war-ravaged Syria.
“I am fully prepared to swiftly destroy Turkey’s economy if Turkish leaders continue down this dangerous and destructive path,” Trump, who until recently spoke of his friendship with Erdogan, said in a statement.
The president said he had issued an executive order to allow sanctions on sitting and for mer Turkish off i ci al s – although he has not yet imposed them – and was immediately ending talks on a US-Turkey trade deal he valued at $100 billion, a goal mentioned by Erdogan when he welcomed a US delegation last month.
Trump also said he was reimposing tariffs of 50 per cent on Turkish steel – one of a series of measures taken last year to win the release of a detained US pastor, and which contributed to a plunge in the value of the country’s lira currency.
In May, Trump reduced tariffs back to 25 per cent, in line with levels the protectionist-minded president has imposed on other trading partners including the EU.
Signa lling an esca lat ing r if t in relations, Defence Secretar y Mark Esper said he would head nex t week to Br ussels to ask Nato a l lies to punish Turkey over t he incursion, which he s a id had “r e s u lt e d i n t he release of many dangerous Isis detainees”.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces were in the forefront of the campaign to defeat Islamic State (IS) extremists, but Erdogan links them to separatist militants within Turkey.
Nato has long been seen as keeping Turkey in the Western orbit, but Erdogan angered the US earlier this year by buying the major S-400 missile defence system from Russia.
Trump had come under attack
even within his Republican Party after withdrawing US troops who had served as an effective buffer against Turkish invasion.
Less than an hour before his statement, statement, Trump was on Twitter defending his hands-off stance, saying that the fate of Syria’s Kurds was not the business of the US.
“Anyone who wants to assist Sy ria in protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte. I hope t hey a l l do g reat, we a re 7,000 miles away!” Trump wrote.
Turkey is expected to be high on the agenda when the US Congress returns to session on Tuesday.
Three senior Democratic senators ca l led sa nct ions “good a nd just i f ied” but a l s o insuff icient.
They sa id t hey would ask Republica ns to join t hem in passing a resolution ca lling on Trump to reverse the pullout of US forces.
“President Trump should use this moment to step up, do t he r ig ht t hi ng, a nd cor rect course,” top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer wrote in a joint statement a long with Bob Menendez and Jack Reed, the top US Democrats on t he Senate Foreig n Relat ions a nd Armed Ser v ices committees.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier said she was forging ahead on a Turkey sanctions bill with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a nor mal ly loya l Tr ump a l ly who has been sharply critica l of t he pullout.
Trump confirmed he was pulling a ll troops out of nort h-eastern Sy ria – a position he has favoured for months and nearly carried out in December a f ter a prev ious conversat ion with Erdogan.
He said that US troops would remain in the southern Syrian base of al-Tanf. US officials said around 150 Americans were at the base while 1,000 were leaving north-eastern Syria.
Trump said that the withdrawn troops will “redeploy and remain in the region to monitor t he situation” to prevent a resurgence of t he IS group, a lthough he did not specif y where.
The US maintains thousands of troops in nearby Iraq and on Friday announced reinforcements to Saudi A rabia a mid tensions bet ween t he oil-producing a lly and Iran.
Trump again warned Turkey it was responsible for t he safet y of civ ilians and minorities, and eventually t he detention of IS extremists held by Kurdish f ighters.
“I have been clear with President Erdogan: Turkey’s action is precipitating a humanitarian crisis and setting conditions for possible war crimes,” Trump said.