Washington and Ankara finding common ground, Mattis says
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said yesterday that the United States and Turkey are having an open dialogue about their growing differences over the fight in Syria, and are “finding common ground.”
Speaking at the close of a Nato defence ministers meeting, Mattis presented a more calm and understated view of the escalating rhetoric over America’s continued aid to the US-backed Kurdish rebels in Syria. Ankara considers those fighters a terrorist group.
“I believe we are finding common ground and there are areas of uncommon ground where sometimes war just gives you bad alternatives to choose from,” Mattis said.
Turkish Defence Minister Nurettin Canikli said he has asked that the US end its support for the Kurdish fighters and remove them from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, that is fighting Daesh in Syria.
Canikli said he told Mattis that US support for the Syrian Kurdish militia, known as YPG, has helped Kurdish rebels in Turkey “to grow and strengthen,” posing an increasingly “existential” threat to Turkey.
Canikli said he presented documents to Mattis proving “organic” links between the YPG and Kurdish rebels in Turkey.
Mattis characterised the overall conversations as “absolutely open and honest dialogue.”
There have been persistent tensions between the two allies over US support for the Kurdish rebels in Syria, and Turkey’s increasing military assault against Kurds in northern Syria. Mattis has repeatedly called for a renewed focus on the campaign to defeat Daesh, and prevent it from any resurgence.
Canikli said Mattis told him that the United States believed it was possible to ensure that the YPG turns against Kurdish rebels fighting in Turkey. Canikli, however, said he rejected this assumption, insisting that it was “impossible and unrealistic” for the two entities to go against each other. Canikli also said that Mattis told him that the US was working on plans to take back weapons supplied to the YPG.
Iraq declared victory over Daesh in December, having taken back all the territory captured by the terrorists in 2014 and 2015.
“The lesson learned from Iraq: it is dangerous to leave too early because we may be forced back
Rasmussen proposal
However, one senior Nato diplomat said the mission will need to be more than several hundred troops to be effective and to have training centres beyond the capital.
Former Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Reuters that Nato’s reluctance to do more in the Middle East until now had been bad for the alliance’s image.
He proposed a $1-billion fund to support the training efforts, although financing the new mission needs to be discussed by allied governments.
“I fully agree with the Americans. If Nato is to live up it its name, it must do more on counter-terrorism,” he said.