Macron’s mediator-vorstob emports erdogan

Turkish president recep tayyip erdogan has emportantly rejected any mediation role by france in the turkish offensive against the kurdish militia YPG in syria.

Erdogan on friday levelled serious accusations against his french counterpart emmanuel macron over the latter’s advances. "After this behavior, france no longer has the right to complain about a single terrorist organization, a single terrorist or a single terrorist attack," erdogan said in ankara. "Those who get into bed with terrorists and even receive them in their palaces will realize their mistake sooner or later"."

Erdogan’s statements were met with horror in paris, after all, france had been shaken by another terrorist attack just a few days ago. The reason for erdogan’s rage: macron had previously received a delegation from the syrian democratic forces (SDF). Macron had then expressed his hope that with the help of france and the international community, a dialogue between the SDF and turkey could be established.

In ankara’s view, however, the SDF are no more than a front organization for the YPG and its affiliated, banned kurdish workers’ party, the PKK. The state-run anadolu news agency reported on friday a PKK attack in the southeastern turkish province of siirt in which six security forces were killed.

Erdogan now said, to the applause of officials of his AKP: "hey, west! Those you call the SDF, the syrian democratic forces, are the same as this "terrorist organization" – meaning the YPG and thus the PKK. "You try to swap us with them."The turkey does not let itself be fooled by "letter games": "we know therefore that they are all the spawn of the same snake." In his usual direct manner, the turkish president accused the french – who, in his words, "could not even account for their own sordid and bloody past" – of inculpation. "We don’t need a mediator."

Erdogan stresses that turkey is fighting terrorists "as it is doing in afrin". 3800 "terrorists" killed since offensive began on 20. January "neutralized. Turkey’s "operation olive branch" against the YPG in northern syria has now led to an open dispute with france – and is increasingly isolating NATO partner turkey in the west.

Earlier, erdogan had already tangled with the u.S., which sees the YPG as an ally in the fight against the terrorist militia islamic state (IS). German chancellor angela merkel condemned the offensive last week in an address to the bundestag, which the government in ankara called "unacceptable". Critics say the operation violates international law, which turkey denies: it argues with the right to self-defense.

Concerns grow in the west that turkey’s offensive against the YPG is undermining the fight against IS. US president donald trump made a surprise announcement on thursday (local time) in richfield in the US state of ohio of an imminent withdrawal from syria. The U.S. Was expected to leave the country "very soon. "By the way, we’re really kicking IS’s ass," trump said. "We are coming (….) very soon out of syria."Pentagon spokeswoman dana white, however, had said just hours earlier that there was still much to be done in syria to ensure a lasting victory over the extremists.

The ongoing violence in northern syria also speaks for this: two members of the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition and five others were injured in a bomb explosion, as the alliance announced on friday. The syrian observatory for human rights stated that the explosive device was detonated in the northern syrian city of manbij. Manbij is under the control of the SDF, and so far U.S. Soldiers are also stationed in the region. Erdogan, however, has already announced that he will let his troops march on manbij after the offensive in afrin.