Spotlight: Turkey, U.S. step up to solve disputes in Syria amid tensions in bilateral ties

ANKARA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and the United States have agreed to take steps in Syria's Manbij region in line with a road map previously agreed between two countries, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

"We confirmed the approval of a roadmap on which our joint working group has reached an initial agreement," Cavusoglu said, after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels, on Friday.

"We will implement the Manbij model in other parts of Syria, particularly east of the Euphrates, and therefore be taking a step with the United States on an issue that causes tension in our bilateral ties," he said.

"If the roadmap is implemented, the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) will be withdrawn from Manbij. Otherwise we'll have to intervene against the terrorists just like we did in Afrin," the minister said.

Cavusoglu added that "approval phase of the roadmap is not finalized yet" and its implementation will have a timeline.

Two ministers met on the sidelines of a NATO meeting after Pompeo's nomination as secretary of state was confirmed at congress. Ankara has been waiting for the meeting since former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was dismissed by President Donald Trump.

In March, Tillerson had meeting with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a bid to repair relations with its NATO ally following months of spat mostly because of the U.S. support to Syrian Kurds.

Tillerson had agreed with his Turkish counterpart to form working groups which focus on sorting problematic areas out in bilateral relations, primarily the issue of disputed Syrian town Manbij where Turkey intimidates to launch military operation in order to drive YPG fighters away.

The first working group meeting was held in Washington from March 8 to 9 and officials from the two NATO allies reportedly agreed to finalize a plan on the security and governance of Manbij.

The roadmap for the plan was to be completed by Tillerson and Cavusoglu, but dismissal of the former U.S. secretary of state delayed the process.

At present, the U.S. troops are stationed alongside YPG militants in Manbij following an offensive against the Islamic State (IS), a move irked Ankara, who sees the Kurdish group as Syrian branch of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

"If this roadmap is implemented, the YPG will be withdrawn from Manbij and a transparent process will be carried out for the security and governance of the city," Cavusoglu said in Brussels.

Pompeo is "very determined" for the resolution of issues related to Syria, according to the Turkish minister. "He asked me to visit Washington as soon as possible so that we can resolve this quickly," he added.

The United States is likely to try to gain time and prevent Turkish army from launching another military offensive in Manbij, Hasan Unal, a professor with the International Relations Department of Atilim University, told Xinhua.

"I believe that the United States wants to slow down the Turkish army's advance in Syria after its Afrin offensive against the YPG," Unal said.

Recalling that the Turkish government has called for snap elections, Ankara also wants to gain time as it will have difficulty to conduct a new operation into Manbij, he said.

On the same day of foreign ministers' meeting, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar had a phone conversation and discussed "regional security issues and exchanged views about cooperation on the issues," a statement form Turkish army said.

Turkey's procurement of Russian S-400 antiballistic missile systems was also part of the talks between Cavusoglu and Pompeo.

Turkish minister said the U.S. sanctions were adopted after Turkey and Russia finalized the purchase of S-400 systems, but Turkey is ready to discuss future procurement of antiballistic missile system from the United States or other allies as well if provided good proposal.

While Ankara and Washington moves ahead in solving Manbij dispute, other obstacles in bilateral relations such as American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who is detained in Turkey on "terror" charges, has the potential for fueling bilateral tension as some U.S. congressmen threaten Ankara to prevent the delivery of the F-35 joint strike fighters.

At a time when Ankara tries to solve the pending problematic issues with State of Department, three senators from the U.S. Congress introduced a bill to prevent the transfer of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, which they claimed to jeopardize the security of NATO allies by purchasing Russian S-400 missile defense systems.

Last week, 66 senators from the U.S. congress sent a letter to Turkish President Erdogan and called allegations against Brunson as "an absurd collection of anonymous accusations" and hinted that other measures are underway to ensure Turkey to respect the right of citizens and employees from the United States in Turkey without fear of persecution.

Not only Brunson, but also other U.S. citizens and local U.S. consulate staff are detained in Turkey over charges of terror.

"Undoubtedly, this draft bill is an effort to further corner Ankara ahead of Brunson's second hearing on May 7 by demonstrating the U.S. side will no longer defer measures ranging from hurting military cooperation to hurting Turkey's economy," Cansu Camlibel, Hurriyet Daily News commentator said.

If Washington is convinced there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Brunson, the congress might go ahead with a vote on the sanctions bill right after the June 24 elections in Turkey, she said.

Camlibel said she has been told by sources familiar with discussions at Capitol Hill that the draft bill on F-35s could be extended in a manner to include targeted sanctions against Turkish individuals or institutions. Enditem