For the past few weeks tensions have risen between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Turkish forces concerning the contested city of Manbij in Northern Syria.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry announced on Friday, May 25th, that a delegation of officials belonging to the United States arrived in Ankara to discuss the present situation surrounding the city of Manbij. Turkish officials said that the mechanism is the same one that was established by the former US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. According to the ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy, May 25th’s negotiations were intended to set the stage for the meeting between US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on June 4 in Washington. Aksoy also said that there will be discussions taking place regarding the US Senate bill that barred the sales of F-35 jets to Turkey in retaliation for Turkey looking to procure Russian S-400 Missile Systems. Relations between the two NATO allies deteriorated sharply over the past three years due to the US support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Turkey believes is linked to the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). The SDF control over Manbij remains a sticking point between the two sides.
On Monday June 4th, the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to discuss the on-going tensions between the two countries regarding Manbij. Çavuşoğlu, whose earlier statements regarding the two sides reaching an agreement on Manbij were denied by the Department of State, spoke optimistically about the meeting. However, in a statement published after the meeting, the two sides only endorsed a roadmap, suggesting that a number of key issues were not conclusively agreed upon.
However soon after the meeting between the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the United States’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo where a “roadmap” towards resolving the impasse in Manbij was agreed, Çavuşoğlu issued a further statement detailing the process. According to Çavuşoğlu, the first step of the process, which would be implemented “within months” would involve the removal of all forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij, followed by the removal of all people in local organisations affiliated with the group. Subsequently, joint US-Turkish patrols would be established and a new local administration based on the local population would be found. Çavuşoğlu also added that the YPG would be disarmed during its retreat and that the same model may be implemented east of the Euphrates. Although the Manbij Military Council (MMC) initially denied reports of the YPG withdrawing from Manbij, they issued a statement on Wednesday, thanking the People’s Protection Units (YPG) for the support it had provided over the years. At present, this does not mean that the YPG control over Manbij came to an end. However, it does suggest that the group is working to reduce its visible presence in the region.
For more information, read our daily report:
https://www.integrityuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Daily-Report-06-June-2018-Syria-PDF.pdf