U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met top Turkish officials Sept. 8 to take Ankara’s pulse on what Turkey can do to take part in the coalition, given the fact that 49 of its citizens are being held hostage at the hands of ISIL.
Hagel first met with Turkey’s top soldier, Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel, at the military headquarters, before meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz. Hagel’s visit was interpreted as a follow-up to Erdoğan’s meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Wales last week during which nine NATO countries, including Turkey, as well as Australia, discussed the formation of a core group to “destroy ISIL.”
Obama will announce Washington’s strategy against ISIL on Sept. 10. He called on Sunni countries, like Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to participate in the international community’s efforts to dislodge the jihadists, in an interview with the NBC Sept. 8
“I think that it is absolutely true that we’re going to need Sunni states to step up, not just Saudi Arabia, our partners like Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey [too]. They need to be involved. This is their neighborhood. The dangers that are posed are – are more directed at them right now than they are us,” Obama told the NBC.
Turkey raises concerns
Meanwhile, Turkey appears to have indicated that it would list certain caveats to an eventual decision to play a role in the coalition being constructed by the U.S.
“Turkey’s participation in every development and in every step that will be taken within the region is our allies’ desire. But we openly told them what will happen, how it will happen, what we will do and what we will not do,” said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, speaking before Hagel held talks with governmental and military leaders of the country later in the day........................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-us-discuss-joint-action-against-isil-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71439&NewsCatID=510
8/9/14
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US President Obama says he 'has authority' to widen IS fight...
ReplyDeletePresident Barack Obama has said that he has the authority to widen military action against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria without the approval of Congress.
He will still ask Congress to approve the arming of Syrian opposition forces.
Mr Obama is due to give a speech on Wednesday night in which he will outline his anti-IS strategy.
IS militants have taken over large parts of Syria and Iraq in recent months and have declared a "caliphate".
In the past month, IS militants have beheaded two US journalists in protest against American airstrikes on its forces in Iraq.
Mr Obama's moves come as Secretary of State John Kerry goes to the Middle East in an effort to build up regional support for a coalition to combat IS...................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29131830
10/9/14