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Turkey's Top Military Meeting Focuses On ISIL Threat

27.11.2014 19:10

A Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting on Thursday chaired by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu focused on Turkey's role in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), among other issues. Turkey has still not fully committed to the anti-ISIL coalition as US Vice President.

A Supreme Military Council (YAŞ) meeting on Thursday chaired by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu focused on Turkey's role in the US-led coalition against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), among other issues.

Turkey has still not fully committed to the anti-ISIL coalition as US Vice President Joe Biden's recent visit to Turkey did not produce an expected agreement to allow US-led coalition forces to use Turkish facilities for their aircraft and other assets.

Turkey and the US also have had disagreements over arming the Democratic Union Party (PYD) -- an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- which is fighting ISIL in Syria's Kobani. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

Ankara reacted strongly to US air-drops of weapons and aid to the PYD in Kobani last month.

Since then, however, Turkey yielded to US pressure and opened its territory to allow Kurdish peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq to pass through Turkish territory to relieve the besieged Syrian town of Kobani.

The YAŞ meeting also reportedly covered issues such as regional challenges, the ongoing settlement talks with the PKK, the modernization of the Turkish military and war preparedness.

Davutoğlu chaired the meeting for the first time as prime minister. YAŞ decisions become effective with the signature of the president.

Prior to the meeting, YAŞ members paid a visit to Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Writing in the Anıtkabir guestbook, Davutoğlu said: “We are trying to solve our country's problems with democracy and eliminate all areas of the rift based on citizenship. We have covered much ground in this respect.”

The meeting was held at the headquarters of the General Staff in Ankara with the attendance of Chief of General Staff Gen. Necdet Özel, Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz, Land Forces Commander Gen. Hulusi Akar, Naval Forces Commander Adm. Bülent Bostanoğlu, Air Forces Commander Gen. Akın Öztürk, Gendarmerie Commander Gen. Abdullah Atay and others.

YAŞ has 13 members and consists of senior generals, including the chief of the General Staff, four service commanders and two civilian members -- the prime minister and the minister of defense.

Following the meeting, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hosted a dinner for YAŞ members at the controversial new presidential palace, or Ak Saray, which cost a little over $600 million (TL 1.37 billion).

Emre Soncan (Cihan/Today's Zaman)



 
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