US will consider Turkey’s concerns about PKK says Tillerson

The US will continue to work with Turkey and consider Ankara’s concerns about the PKK, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday.

Tillerson's remarks came following Turkey’s heavy criticism of a US plan to establish a 30,000-strong border security force in Syria with the SDF, an alliance of militants dominated by the YPG who fought against Daesh with Washington's backing.

The YPG spearheads the SDF and is the armed wing of the PYD which is considered by Turkey as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and EU. 

“On counterterrorism, we will continue to work with our allies and partners such as Turkey to address the terror threat in Idlib and address Turkey’s concerns with PKK terrorists elsewhere,” Tillerson said in speech at Stanford University.

He said the US recognises Turkey’s “humanitarian contributions and military sacrifices” in Syria defeating Daesh, adding that Washington needs Ankara’s “close cooperation” in achieving a new future for Syria that ensures security for Syria's neighbours.

As a response to the US plan to set up a 30,000-strong force, Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad vowed to crush the new force and drive US troops from Syria. Russia called the plans a plot to dismember Syria and place part of it under US control, and Turkey described the force as a "terror army." 

TRT World's Leone Lakhani has more.

US presence in Syria

The US signalled an open-ended military presence in Syria as part of a broader strategy to prevent Daesh's resurgence, pave the way diplomatically for the eventual departure of Syrian regime leader and curtail Iran's influence.

Tillerson called for "patience" on Assad's departure - the clearest indication yet of an acknowledgment that Russia and Iran have bolstered Assad and that he is unlikely to leave power immediately.

Billed as the Trump administration's new strategy on Syria, the announcement will prolong the risks and redefine the mission for the US military, which has for years sought to define its operations in Syria along more narrow lines of battling Daesh and has about 2,000 US ground forces in the country.

While much of the US strategy would focus on diplomatic efforts, Tillerson said:

"But let us be clear: the United States will maintain a military presence in Syria, focused on ensuring ISIS [Daesh] cannot re-emerge," while acknowledging many Americans' scepticism of military involvement in conflicts abroad, Tillerson said.

US forces in Syria have already faced direct threats from Syrian and Iranian-backed forces, leading to the shoot-down of Iranian drones and a Syrian jet last year, as well as to tensions with Russia.

Trump administration officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, had previously disclosed elements of the policy but Tillerson's speech was meant to formalise and clearly define it.

A US disengagement from Syria would provide Iran with an opportunity to reinforce its position in Syria, Tillerson said.

Change in Syria

Tillerson said free, transparent elections in which the Syrian diaspora participate "will result in the permanent departure of Assad and his family from power. This process will take time, and we urge patience in the departure of Assad and the establishment of new leadership," Tillerson said.

"Responsible change may not come as immediately as some hope for, but rather through an incremental process of constitutional reform and UN-supervised elections. But that change will come," he said.

After nearly seven years of war, hundreds of thousands of Syrians killed and a humanitarian disaster, Tillerson asked nations to keep up economic pressure on Assad but provide aid to areas no longer under Daesh's control.

Opposition cheers Tillerson's remarks

Syrian opposition member Hadi al Bahra welcomed Tillerson’s announcement but urged more details.

“This is the first time Washington has said clearly it has US interests in Syria that it is ready to defend,” Bahra said.

However, he said, more clarity was needed on how Washington will force the implementation of the political process and how it “will force the Assad regime into accepting a political settlement that leads to establishing a safe and neutral environment that leads to a transition through free and fair elections."

Peace efforts in Syria

The top US diplomat said Washington would carry out "stabilisation initiatives" such as clearing landmines and restoring basic utilities in areas no longer under Daesh control, while making clear that "'stabilisation' is not a synonym for open-ended nation-building or a synonym for reconstruction. But it is essential."

Tillerson said the US would "vigorously support" a UN process to end the conflict, a so-far stalled process, and called on Russia, a main supporter of Assad, to "put new levels of pressure" on the Syrian regime to "credibly engage" with UN peace efforts.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria said on Wednesday he had invited the Syrian regime and opposition to a special meeting next week in Vienna.

But it was not immediately clear how or why Moscow would heed Washington's oft-repeated demands.

'Swiss cheese'

James Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Turkey and Iraq who served as a deputy national security adviser to President George W. Bush, said that while Tillerson set down the broad parameters of a first comprehensive US strategy for Syria, he left major questions unanswered.

“It’s full of holes like Swiss cheese, but before we just had the holes,” said Jeffrey, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Key questions that Tillerson left unaddressed, he continued, included how long Assad should remain in power and whether he would play a role in any political transition.