Turkey, US agree on plan to remove YPG from Syria's Manbij

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Turkey and the US have endorsed a roadmap which envisages the withdrawal of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from Syria's Manbij, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after a long-awaited meeting with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo on Monday.

"In the first stage, there is removal of the YPG from Manbij. Turkish and US forces will provide security," Cavusoglu told reporters after the meeting.

The minister also said they would enable the Syrians, particularly those in Turkey that had to "flee under the pressure of the YPG," to return home.

The US and Turkey will also work together to establish a local administration, he said, referring to Ankara's earlier demand to form a city council at which the demographic structure of the region will be reflected.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) in Washington DC, June 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

The minister did not give any detail on the timetable of the roadmap, but earlier reports by state-run Anadolu Agency suggested that the YPG will leave Manbij in 30 days after the agreement between Turkey and the US.

A new governing body of Manbij will be established within the 60 days after June 4, according to the report.

"Turkey and the US remain committed to addressing their common concerns in a spirit of allied partnership," said a joint statement after the Cavusoglu-Pompeo meeting.

The two countries also considered establishing a working group on Syria on their cooperation in the war-torn country, the statement added.

The ministers' meeting in Washington came after a months-long negotiation between officials from Turkey and the US over the latter's support to the YPG.

US Soldiers stand at attention during a visit of a US delegation to the YPG-held northern Syrian city of Manbij, where the US has a military presence, March 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Turkish government sees the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the US.

The YPG has built up its forces in Syria after defeating the Islamic State militant group in the region with the support from the US.

The meeting between Cavusoglu and Pompeo is a "turning point" for bilateral ties between Ankara and Washington, as the two NATO members have come to the brink of doubting their alliance over disagreements on the Syrian crisis, Ali Faik Demir, an associate professor from International Relations Department said.

Resolving the Manbij issue is just a step for removing their disagreements in Syria, he added.

"In a couple of months, there will be developments with regards to the future of Syria. The US is in a hurry for that reason," Demir said, elaborating on the US move to agree on the roadmap with Turkey after a long time of reluctance.

He recalled a recent statement by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that he would not hesitate to use force to retake the region controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces dominated by the YPG.

But the US is unlikely to entirely give up support to the YPG, because the group is its only resource on the battlefield in Syria, the Turkish expert noted.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency