Trump pleaded with then bullied Erdogan in letter over Syrian offensive, but Turkish leader binned it
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan summarily binned a letter from US President Donald Trump in which he urged negotiation on Ankara’s invasion of north-east Syria.
The letter, dated October 9 – the day Turkish troops entered Syria and a day after Mr Trump said he was pulling American soldiers back – urged the Turkish leader: “Don’t be a tough guy. Don’t be a fool”.
Reports from the BBC say that “President Erdogan received the letter, thoroughly rejected it and put it in the bin”.
In Mr Trump’s letter, obtained by US journalists on Wednesday – a week after it was sent – the president appealed to Mr Erdogan to halt the offensive and warned of dire consequences if he did not.
“Let’s work out a good deal! You don’t want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don’t want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy – and I will,” Mr Trump wrote.
“History will look upon you favourably if you get this done the right and humane way. It will look upon you forever as the devil if good things don’t happen.” A large bipartisan majority in the US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to oppose Mr Trump’s withdrawal from Syria and to prevent Turkish military operations against Kurdish forces.
The statement, issued by the House as a rebuke of Mr
Trump’s approach since Turkey announced its military incursion into Syria, was supported by 354 members and opposed by 60.
The resolution also calls on Turkey to halt its operation in northern Syria.
The bipartisan support for the resolution is an indication that it will pass the Senate next. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer repudiated Mr Trump’s approach, saying: “We are witnessing the collapse of years of American foreign policy in the Middle East.”
But speaking from the White House, Mr Trump appeared defiant on Wednesday, praising his own strategy and defending his decision to withdraw US troops. The president also made an eyebrow-raising accusation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, claiming the PKK was “more of a terrorist threat” than ISIS.
Mr Trump also hinted that Turkey is not opposed to ISIS as much as the US and the Syrian regime are.
In Washington, Congress is increasing the pressure with another sanctions bill. Congresswoman Liz Cheney announced her bill that will target arms sales to Ankara.
The bill would also go after the Turkish president, vice president and main ministers and calls for a report from Mr Trump revealing Mr Erdogan’s net worth.
The US president has, however, the power to override these sanctions and it excludes intelligence activities.