Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday snubbed John Bolton after comments the national security adviser made on the future of a U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish militia.
Erdogan took issue with Bolton's call for Turkey to protect Syria's Kurds in the event of the withdrawal of American forces, calling his comments a 'grave mistake.'
'John Bolton has made a grave mistake on this issue,' Erdogan told his party's lawmakers in parliament.
'It is not possible for us to swallow the message Bolton gave from Israel,' he said.
He reportedly refused to meet with Bolton, who left Ankara after he was denied the sitdown, the pro-government English-language newspaper Daily Sabah reported.
National Security Advisor John Bolton was in Ankara to discuss the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Bolton's comments a 'grave mistake'
It's the latest set back among between Washington and Ankara amid tensions over America's planned withdrawal from war-torn Syria.
Erdogan's comments came shortly after Bolton held talks in the Turkish capital with Erdogan's adviser Ibrahim Kalin, in a key meeting focusing on the surprise U.S. decision to withdraw its troops from Syria.
Kalin said that a meeting between Bolton and Erdogan had not been scheduled and was deemed unnecessary after he and Bolton spoke.
President Donald Trump caused a political storm last month when he announced the troop pullout, claiming to have succeeded in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group.
Fighting continues however, with Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying IS suicide attackers had hit the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria late on Sunday, killing 23 of its fighters.
The pullout, which Washington has since stressed will be gradual, was hailed by Erdogan as the 'right call' in a column published Tuesday in the New York Times.
But it has also raised concerns that Kurdish fighters would be exposed to the threat of a cross-border operation by their archfoe Turkey.
- 'No promises'-
U.S.-led coalition forces have provided air power and other support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in its operation to flush out IS from the last rump of its now-defunct 'caliphate'.
As part of this, American forces have worked closely with the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, seen by Ankara as a 'terrorist offshoot' of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.
That U.S. military support for the YPG has shaken relations between Washington and Ankara.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo drew the wrath of the Turkish leadership last week when he said Washington would ensure 'the Turks don't slaughter the Kurds' in Syria as American troops withdraw.
'That Turkey targets the Kurds is the most vile, the most dishonourable, the ugliest and the cheapest slander,' Erdogan said on Tuesday.
But the Turkish leader made it clear that Ankara would not soften its stance against the YPG.
Kurdish-led forces are battling to flush out IS from the last rump of its now-defunct 'caliphate'
National Security Adviser John Bolton, left, and his Turkish counterpart and senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, right, talk at the Presidential Palace in Ankara
'Those who are in the terror corridor in Syria will learn necessary lessons,' he said.
After meeting Bolton on Tuesday, Kalin also urged Washington to take back all the weapons provided to Syrian Kurdish militia forces.
He denied comments by Pompeo that Turkey had promised the US not to attack the Kurdish fighters.
'Nobody should expect Turkey to provide assurances to a terror organisation,' he told journalists in Ankara.
Bolton's spokesman Garrett Marquis described the talks as 'productive' and centred on 'the president's decision to withdraw at a proper pace from northeast Syria'.
- Military win 'first step' -
When Trump first announced the pullout of 2,000 ground troops on December 19, Ankara was a lonely voice among NATO allies welcoming the decision.
Erdogan has promised Trump that Turkey could finish off the remnants of IS in Syria.
'A military victory against the terrorist group is a mere first step,' he said in the New York Times, warning against premature declarations of victory.
Nicholas Heras, an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, said Ankara would need so much support from Washington to completely eradicate IS, that it would be 'to the point where the US military would essentially still be inside Syria'.
Trump on Monday conceded that the fight against IS was not over.
'We will be leaving at a proper pace while at the same time continuing to fight ISIS and doing all else that is prudent and necessary!' he tweeted.
Last month, Erdogan threatened to launch a cross-border operation against the YPG, east of the Euphrates River, which he said later would be delayed after Trump's pullout order.
Turkish military forces supporting Syrian rebels launched incursions into northern Syria against IS in August 2016 and against the YPG in January 2018.
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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/08/turkeys-ergodan-refuses-to-meet-with-john-bolton-after-flap-over-syria-troop-withdrawal/
Main photo article Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday snubbed John Bolton after comments the national security adviser made on the future of a U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish militia.
Erdogan took issue with Bolton’s call for Turkey to protect Syria’s Kurds in the event of the withdrawal of...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
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