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Turkey at odds with US over arms supply to Kurds in Syria
by Joseph Earnest October 24, 2014
Newscast Media BAGHDAD—Turkey's reservation in helping the Kurdish populated Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, and the U.S. unilateral action to arm Kurds have strained bilateral ties, triggering a harsh verbal exchange between Ankara and Washington.
"It seems that there are more disagreements than agreements between Turkey and the United States," Turkish analyst Emre Uslu said, describing the trading of accusation between the two as "a tug of war."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not hide his frustration when the United States air dropped weapons and other supplies on Sunday to a Kurdish group defending the town of Kobane, which has been under siege by Islamic State (IS) militants for weeks.
Erdogan told U.S. President Barack Obama that the Syrian Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), includes leaders of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
"I have told him (Obama) that the PYD and the PKK are the same. Therefore, assistance to the PYD goes to the terrorist group (the PKK)," Erdogan said.
Obama had called Erdogan to notify him about the U.S. intention to air drop aid to the PYD. On Sunday, the U.S. military dropped the aid to the PYD in Kobane via the territory of the Kurdistan Regional Government, a move interpreted as Turkey being sidelined by the United States.
"Erdogan's tough talk comes at a time when NATO allies are greatly disappointed with Turkey's performance regarding the fight against IS and terrorism in general," Turkish analyst Cengiz Aktar said.
"These countries nurture serious doubts about Turkey's tolerance towards IS members, including its IS-affiliated citizens, " he added.
David Cohen, U.S. Treasury Department's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said on Thursday that "IS was selling oil at substantially discounted prices to a variety of middlemen, including some from Turkey, who then transport the oil to be resold."
The Turkish government denied that no oil was sold to Turkey. Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said last month that Turkey was not involved in oil trade with the IS, saying that such allegations are part of an attempt to undermine Turkey's international reputation.
Washington has also made it clear that it takes a different view of the PYD than that of Turkey. Add Comments>>
Source: Xinhua
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