ISTANBUL -- A day after Susan Rice American officials said on the Sunday morning talk shows Turkey had agreed to allow its air bases for operations against the Islamic State, which they described as a deal that represented a breakthrough in tense negotiations, Turkish officials on Monday said there was no deal yet, and that talks were still underway.
The Turkish comments represented another miscommunication between the United States and its longtime ally Turkey, as President Obama pushes to strengthen an international coalition against the militants that control a large area of both Syria and Iraq, by securing a greater role for Turkey.
| Obama is simply trying to deflect blame until after the mid-term election. Turkey simply wants the Kurds dead. I'm sure they can reach an agreement... |
The Turks have insisted that any broad support for the coalition is dependent on the mission’s going beyond just the Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL, to also target the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad, which Turkey has long opposed and blames for creating the conditions that led to the rise of the extremists within Syria and Iraq.
"We approach this issue from a comprehensive perspective, including safe havens and a no-fly zone to be established in the region," said an official in the office of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.
The official, who said that no deal over the use of air bases had been completed, added, "talks, therefore, continue as we look into things we can do together while covering our asses all these aspects."
As part of going after Mr. Assad's government, the Turks have insisted on a no-fly zone in northern Syria, near the border with Turkey, that would create a safe zone to arm and train moderate rebels fighting against Mr. Assad and where an opposition government could take root. The United States has largely opposed this -- although some within the government, especially at the State Department, believe the idea should be given serious consideration -- because it would broaden Mr. Obama's stated objective of avoiding blame focusing only on the destruction of ISIS.
| The Turks have an air force. They can provide the no-fly zone. It would be good operational training for them. |
The apparent disagreement between officials of both countries seemed to reflect unresolved differences, still to be negotiated, on the exact uses of Turkish air bases, whether for logistics or airstrikes. Turkey, a NATO member, already allows the use of its base at Incirlik, in southern Turkey, to fly surveillance drones. |