Spotlight: U.S., Turkey in tricky discussions, fighting IS still crucial

Top U.S. diplomat Rex Tillerson had challenging yet unfruitful discussions Thursday with Turkey's leadership in Ankara on joint efforts for a decisive push against Islamic State (IS) in Syria's Raqqa stronghold amid frictions on the future role of the Kurdish militias there.

Kurds aren't the only source of friction in the U.S.-Turkey relations. Ankara insists on his NATO ally to hand over the Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of orchestrating a coup attempt last summer.

Furthermore, this week, U.S. officials arrested the deputy CEO of a public Turkish bank, Halkbank, closely allied to the country's elites for violating sanctions against Iran.

And a day before Tillerson left for Ankara, the State Department warned Americans of increased terror threats in Turkey, asking them to "carefully consider" whether they should travel there.

Rex Tillerson is the most senior U.S. diplomat to visit Turkey since President Donald Trump took office in January. The important visit in a country where the anti-American sentiment is on the rise, failed however to address Turkish concerns and frustrations on the Syria conflict.

Presidential sources said Erdogan told Tillerson that it was important for the fight against terrorism in Syria to be conducted with "right and legitimate" partners, clearly excluding the Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units (YPG), whom the Turks brand as terrorists.

During a press conference in the Turkish capital with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Tillerson who also met the Turkish president, evaded questions on the Syrian Kurdish fighters of YPG that Ankara views as an offshoot of Kurdish rebels PKK, outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, while Cavusoglu centered his statement on U.S. support to YPG, saying that his government is "saddened" by this fact.

Tillerson said that he and Turkish leaders are exploring "a number of options and alternatives" for liberating Raqqa but he suggested that no agreement has been reached.

"There is no space" between Turkey and the United States in their determination to defeat IS, acknowledging the difficult choices that his country has to make in Syria.

"What we have discussed today are options available to us. They are difficult options. Let me be very frank, it's not easy," Tillerson told reporters.

He stated on the other hand that Syrian president al-Assad's long-term status is to be decided by the Syria people, signalling possibly the end of "Assad must go" policy which is still vehemently pursued by Turkey.

"It takes challenging diplomacy for the U.S. and Turkey to stay committed to their long-standing partnership while having different views on ways to destruct IS," Deniz Zeyrek, political commentator and journalist, said to Xinhua.

Tillerson's visit also came ahead of a Turkish referendum in April to decide whether to expand Erdogan's executive powers and allow him to remain as president for another 12 years.

The Turkish leader repeats at every occasion that he doesn't want to see the Kurds expanding their territory in Syria and that he is strongly opposed to the U.S. becoming a permanent supporter of the Kurds.

Seemingly not to anger Turks any further and put strained relations in any more jeopardy, Tillerson did not meet with any members of the Turkish opposition while in Ankara, criticized by European nations of having launched a major crackdown of suspected followers of the Gulen network after the failed coup.

Tillerson did not comment on the broad crackdown on civil society members, journalists and academics.

According to Turkish sources, Tillerson also had discussions on Iran, Syria, Iraq, trade and investment, and he offered condolences to the Turkish loss of life to terrorism and appreciation for their work to defeat IS.

Less than 24 hours before his arrival, Turkey announced its six-month long military campaign inside northern Syria, the Euphrates Shield, has been "concluded successfully."

Since the onset of the unprecedented operation, Turkey-backed rebels from the Free Syrian Army have captured from jihadists several towns, including Jarablus and Al-Bab, where Turkish forces sustained heavy casualties.

Erdogan has repeatedly blasted the previous Obama administration and said Turkey wants to work with its allies to capture Raqqa but without the involvement of the YPG.

"This is not going to happen, it's over. With the end of Euphrates Shield, Turkey will have no say in a Raqqa offensive and Tillerson had the uneasy job to tell it to the Turkish partner," argued Deniz Zeyrek.

The U.S. knows connections between the PKK and YPG, but sees them as two separate groups. Turkish officials, however, argue that weapons and support that the U.S. gives the Syrian militia will end up in the hands of the PKK that will use them to launch attacks in Turkey.

The matter on the extradition of Fethullah Gulen also seemed unresolved though government sources said that parties discussed steps that should be taken for Gulen's return to his home country.

"The question of this individual's extradition was also discussed, we have to work on it within a spirit of cooperation but there is still a lot of work to be done," said the Turkish diplomatic source.

American officials have said the evidence provided by Turkey so far is insufficient to make a legal case for extradition. Endit