MESOP : OBAMA’S PKK/PYD – DAVUTOĞLU: “THE PKK CANNOT EARN LEGITIMACY”

 Davutoğlu maintained that the PKK, which has carried out an armed campaign for independence for more than 30 years, has exploited the Syrian civil war: “Just like [the jihadist Jabhat al-Nusra], the PKK cannot earn legitimacy [this way].”Despite its listing of the PKK as “terrorist”, the US has switched support from Syria’s rebels to Kurdish forces sine last October, with the supply of weapons, ammunition, and special forces. President Obama’s envoy Brett McGurk met Kurdish leaders in Kobane in northern Syria earlier this month.

The US repeated its backing of the PYD on Monday, angering Ankara.

On Thursday, Washington tried to ease the tension with State Department spokesman Mark Toner declaring:

Turkey is a NATO ally, a strong partner within the anti-Daesh [anti-Islamic State] coalition and we appreciate their support. We coordinate closely with them across a variety of fronts and all lines of effort…We’re going to continue those discussions [on the PYD] moving forward, but I think no one should question our commitment to our alliance with Turkey. McGurk told a Congressional committee that Turkish officials “are doing quite a lot” to seal the border: This is having an impact. It is much harder for ISIL fighters to get into Syria now than it was even six months ago and once they’re in it is much harder for them to get out. www.mesop.de