By Metin Mutanoglu
MUNICH, Germany
Turkey and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) could join the U.S. in an “Al-Bab-style” operation to retake Daesh’s Raqqah stronghold, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said.
He said the FSA, who have been fighting Daesh across northern Syria with the backing of Turkey and are currently mopping up in the town of Al-Bab, could be the lead forces in the Raqqah operation.
“There will be an Al Bab-style fight in Raqqah,” Yildirim told journalists at a security conference in Munich. “There are Turkish troops in the region supporting FSA fighters.”
The premier was talking on Sunday following a meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in the Bavarian capital.
Discussing the relationship with the new administration in Washington, Yildirim said Turkey had turned a “new page” with President Donald Trump’s government and said his discussions with Pence had focused on Syria and the potential extradition of U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, who Ankara accuses of orchestrating the July coup attempt.
In Syria, Turkey wants to see the U.S. end its support for the PKK/PYD -- the Syrian affiliate of the PKK, which has waged war on Turkish soil since 1984 and is listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.
“We told them that using PYD/YPG elements to fight Daesh was not the right method of fighting,” Yildirim said. The YPG is the armed wing of the PYD.
“It is not correct to use a terror group to fight another terror group. So the job should be done worthily of a strategic partnership, a NATO alliance. I think they will take this sensitivity into consideration.”
He said the U.S. was considering its ties to the PKK/PYD. “They are in an evaluation process,” he added. “We should wait for the result. I guess they will evaluate and take a decision soon.”
Sweeping operation
Turkey wants to continue Operation Euphrates Shield -- its joint action with the FSA -- after the capture of Al-Bab “on the condition of not having terror groups in the job”, Yildirim said.
Yildirim said Al-Bab, which Turkey and the FSA attacked in late November, was “under control now.”
He added: “The sweeping operation is underway but there are so many difficulties. There are tunnels under the city, suicide bombers, but the important thing is their supply route was cut by the [FSA and Turkish] forces.”
The next target would be Manbij, a town that lies 30 kilometers (19 miles) to the west of the River Euphrates and is currently held by the PKK/PYD, Yildirim said.
“Our view to Manbij is clear. The city should be cleared of PYD elements. We are evaluating this differently to the fight against Daesh.”
The U.S. has promised PKK/PYD forces would be removed to the east of the Euphrates but this has not yet been implemented, Yildirim said.
On Syria’s future, the prime minister repeated Turkey’s position that Syrians should determine their own destiny.
Turkey, Russia and Iran have brokered talks in the Kazakhstan capital Astana to reinforce the Syrian cease-fire introduced in the New Year, in addition to the UN-backed peace talks in Geneva.
“The aim should not be a single state’s influence in Iraq and Syria,” Yildirim said. “There is not only Iran but other countries are also in the region.”
Syrian self-determination
He added: “There should be a solution that allows Syrians to decide their own fate, their own regime. The most important thing is to avoid sectarian conflict… All ethnic groups in Syria have right to speak. We care about territorial integrity in Syria…
“Syrians should decide their government model. It should not be imposed from outside. Arabs, Kurds, Nusayris, Ezidis and Turkmens have the right to speak on this model.”
A major impediment to Turkey’s relationship with the White House under Barack Obama was the failure to extradite Gulen, who heads the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) from his base in Pennsylvania.
According to Yildirim, Pence said the matter would be dealt with according to the extradition arrangements between Turkey and the U.S. He said the Obama administration delayed extradition and used the judicial process as an excuse. “But the current administration took the issue seriously,” he said.
Ankara has accused FETO of a long-running campaign to overthrow the government – culminating in the July 15 attempted coup that left 248 dead.
Turning to domestic issues, Yildirim said the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party and the opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) could join together to campaign for a Yes vote on introducing a presidential system in an April 16 referendum.
“They will run their own campaign, we will ours… But there is no obstacle to running a campaign together,” he said. “If the conditions are suitable the two parties can organize some joint program but nothing has been decided yet.”
The constitutional changes have been discussed since then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was voted president in August 2014. The 18-article bill was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposal to a referendum.
The reforms would hand wide-ranging executive powers to the president, who would also be allowed to retain ties to a political party.
