High-profile US delegation seeks to put squeeze on Erdoğan   

A high-profile US delegation is expected to arrive in Turkey tomorrow in an attempt to persuade Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to end his military incursion in north-east Syria. The Turkish President has so far remained defiant in his attempt to clear out Kurdish fighters from north-eastern Syria and create a “safe zone” for the return of Syrian refugees. Ankara’s military incursion is thought to have been given the green light by President Donald Trump who withdrew US troops from the region over a week ago, provoking outrage.

Since the withdrawal, Trump has made a number of threats to Turkey and warned Ankara of severe consequences if it does not end its campaign. On Monday, several Turkish officials and institutions were hit with US sanctions. The move represented the first concrete step since threats made by Trump over a week ago warning Erdoğan that he would “devastate” the Turkish economy.

The warnings were issued as universal condemnation was hurled at Trump, including by some senior members of his own party. In what seems to be an attempt to assuage anger over his withdrawal of US troops, Trump said yesterday that, “We’re being very tough on Turkey. We’re asking for a ceasefire. We put the strongest sanctions you can imagine.”

Erdoğan is defiant, though, telling the US that he will never declare a ceasefire in north-eastern Syria and will not negotiate with Kurdish forces. “They say ‘declare a ceasefire’. We will never declare a ceasefire,” he insisted. “They are pressuring us to stop the operation. They are announcing sanctions. Our goal is clear. We are not worried about any sanctions.”

READ: Erdogan is too late

The US delegation includes Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Robert O’Brien, the new White House National Security Adviser, and James Jeffrey, the State Department envoy for Syria policy. Together, they are likely to be seen as a further indication of a change in direction in Washington; having given the green light to Turkey and at one point even warning the Kurds not to make peace with the Assad regime, the Trump administration has now pushed ahead with a policy to punish its NATO ally.

Pence is expected to meet Erdoğan on Thursday. “Vice President Pence will reiterate President Trump’s commitment to maintain punishing economic sanctions on Turkey until a resolution is reached,” said his office. “The ongoing violence in the region severely undermines the [anti-Daesh] campaign, endangers civilians and religious minorities, and threatens the security of the entire region.”