As attempts to normalize relations between Turkey and Syria continue after 12 years of pause, a startling analysis of the US approach to the process has been published.
While President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to send positive messages towards normalization with Syria, Damascus continues to insist on the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Syria.
The United States, which supports the Syrian Democratic Forces, an organization in northern Syria that is centered around the PKK/YPG terrorist group, has issued a statement opposing the normalization of the Ankara-Damascus border. The State Department said this week that it “does not support normalization efforts between Turkey and Syria, and will not normalize relations with Syria until a political solution to the 13-year-old issue is found.”
“The United States remains interested in mediating in Iraq.”
The London-based Middle East Eye website wrote that Washington’s allies continue to officially oppose normalization with Damascus but have abandoned an aggressive policy on the issue. Two former U.S. officials and one Arab official who spoke to the site said the issue was raised during contacts in Washington with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
“Iraq had previously told the US that it was working to conclude a reconciliation agreement between the two countries, but the US side showed no interest,” the Arab source said.
The Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad has recently taken steps to normalize relations with many Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. Analysts say the improved relations between Ankara and Damascus will be the normalization process that will have the most impact on the United States, due to its military presence in northern Syria and its support for the PKK/YPG.
Former US ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told Middle East Eye that “President Assad is very vulnerable to the US, but Syria and Turkey working together can corner the Syrian Democratic Forces. Ford also argued that Iraq’s mediation attempts are linked to Iran’s goal of removing US troops from Syria.
Douglas Silliman, a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said a U.S. troop withdrawal would benefit Iran, saying: “If the Iranian resistance axis is its main concern, it won’t want to see any progress in negotiations between Turkey and Assad.”
“Opposition to the mission in Syria is growing in the US.”
The United States has supported the Syrian Democratic Forces, part of the anti-ISIS coalition, since 2015 and still has nearly 1,000 troops and bases in the country.
Meanwhile, the source said a growing number of US military officials were viewing the Syrian mission as a “burden”, and noted ongoing debate within the US about withdrawing troops from the region.
The analysis said there were growing fears within the Syrian Democratic Forces that the United States would cut support.
