MESOP : CONTENT OF THE BIDEN – ERDOGAN – DAVUTOGLU TALKS ON SYRIA

Syria Daily: Is US Talking to Turkey About Assad’s Removal?

By Scott Lucas November 23, 2014 08:11 Updated – US President Joe Biden has claimed an American goal of President Assad’s departure from power, following a four-hour discussion with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday. – “On Syria, we discussed…not only to deny ISIL [the Islamic State] a safe haven and roll back and defeat them, but also strengthen the Syrian opposition and ensure a transition away from the Assad regime,” Biden declared http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/22/us-mideast-crisis-usa-turkey-idUSKCN0J60KC20141122”- Meanwhile, Turkey has pressed for “safe havens” inside Syria, protected by airpower, along its border from the Mediterranean in the west to the Iraqi border in the east. France has joined the call.

It remains to be seen if Biden’s assertion on Saturday was anything more than a bit of appeasement at a joint press conference. The Vice President told an audience at Harvard University in late September that Turkey had assisted the Islamic State and other extremists in establishing their positions in Syria.

Biden later apologized to Erdoğan for the remark.

The Vice President said of the issue in the press conference: “We are attempting to both stem the flow of foreign fighters to battlefields in Iraqi and Syria and dry their funding. We thank Turkey for their leadership in that regard.”

The Turkish President put out a general statement with no details:

We had a chance to discuss recent issues with Biden. It is a pleasure to announce that Turkey and the U.S. have a consensus on several regional issues.

The coordinated steps taken by Turkey and the U.S. will have a role in changing the future of the region. Turkey is determined to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. to maintain regional peace and security. http://eaworldview.com/2014/11/syria-daily-us-talking-turkey-assads-removal/