Turkey’s Euphrates plans rely on Trump
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to convince President Donald Trump to accept Turkey's demands about the planned safe zone in northern Syria.
Turkey is not fully satisfied with the joint operations center set up on the Syrian border in cooperation with the United States. In Turkey's view, the center restricts a comprehensive, all-out operation east of the Euphrates against Kurdish forces that Turkey considers a threat to its national security.
The Turkish-American joint patrols began Sept. 8, yet the depth of the area under patrol does not match Turkey's expectations. The Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted on a safe zone with a depth of 30-40 kilometers (18-24 miles) while also articulating a new target: to transform the entire east of the Euphrates — from Raqqa to Deir ez-Zor — into a “peace corridor,” and to transfer 3 million refugees from Turkey to the safe zone.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the goal is to set up permanent bases in northern Syria as Turkey has done in northern Iraq.
“We will build patrol bases to the east of the Euphrates," Akar said. "Shall we stop there? No. Our goal is to create a 30-40 kilometer safe zone along the border. Then by constructing homes we will encourage the Syrians to return. These will be joint US-Turkish bases. We want them to be permanent. They could be similar to ones in northern Iraq. Their locations and numbers will be decided as negotiations advance. If the US tries to stall, then our B, C plans are ready.”
