UK accused of putting trade deals before condemnation of Turkey

BRITAIN was left isolated and facing condemnation by its allies last night after ministers defended Turkey’s attack on Kurdish-controlled northern Syria.

Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, shocked delegates at a Nato meeting in London when he said: “Turkey needs to do what it sometimes has to do to defend itself.”

Meanwhile, European diplomats reacted with disbelief when the UK allegedly resisted language condemning the Turkish action at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

Addressing the Nato parliamentary assembly, Mr Wallace said Turkey “must take due regard to the treatment of civilians and human rights in regard to the current campaign”.

He added: “It is absolutely clear that Turkey has had, and still does have, a threat emanating towards it from groups such as the PKK, a terrorist organisation in this country as well, and that Turkey needs to do what it sometimes has to do to defend itself.”

Britain last night said it would not grant any new arms export licenses, but did not commit to halting those already in place.

In Luxembourg, diplomats accused Britain of blocking criticism of Turkey out of fears it would jeopardise a post-brexit trade deal with Ankara. “The thinking here is they thought condemnation might not tally well with their wish to come to a free-trade agreement post Brexit,” said one EU diplomat. It is understood Josep Borrell, the incoming EU foreign policy chief, intervened to break the logjam.

The European Council statement eventually read: “The EU condemns Turkey’s military action which seriously undermines the stability and the security of the whole region.”

The EU yesterday called on members to halt arms exports to Turkey.

Germany, France, the Netherlands, Finland, and the Czech Republic had all complied by last night – but not the United Kingdom.

The tense diplomatic exchanges came as UK special forces, who for years fought alongside the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), were ordered out of Syria. The Squadron of about 100 men, thought to be from 22 Special Air Service Regiment, cannot operate without US logistical support which will vanish following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the region.

They are believed to have played a key role in calling airstrikes and training SDF fighters in advanced infantry tactics during the five-year war against Isil.

They also stayed on to hunt down fugitive commanders who escaped after the group’s last bastion fell in March.