New CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus arrived in
Ankara on Monday in an unannounced visit to hold talks with military and
government officials about ways to reinforce bilateral cooperation in
the fight against terrorism.
“This visit from Petraeus was planned two weeks ago,” a senior
official told the Hürriyet Daily News on condition of anonymity. “This
is a clear indication that U.S. support to Turkey’s fight against
terrorism will continue.”
Petraeus came to Ankara from Afghanistan, where he handed over the
command of his troops to Gen. John Allen. He is scheduled to begin his
job as CIA chief in early September.
Petraeus met late Monday with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu and senior military officials; he is scheduled to leave Turkey
early Tuesday.
Sources said Washington’s potential contribution in helping Turkey
fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, would top
the agenda of Petraeus’ visit, which was made primarily to thank Turkey
for its leadership in commanding the International Security Assistance
Force, or ISAF, in Afghanistan and for cooperating with American troops
in ending the terrorism threat.
“Petraeus’ visit was set two weeks ago with both sides’ confirmation
that cooperation in the fight against terrorism will be particularly
reviewed,” a source with knowledge of the meeting said. During her
meetings with Turkish officials Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton promised to strengthen efforts to this end. Coming only
days after a fatal PKK attack killed 13 Turkish troops, Petraeus’ visit
is expected to be an important one in terms of discussing new measures
to boost cooperation.
Sources said that although American troops would pull out from Iraq
by the end of this year, there was still a possibility that they would
give more support to Turkey in eliminating PKK elements based in
northern Iraq.
With former CIA chief Leon Panetta having been appointed as the new
U.S. defense secretary, Turkish officials said this duo will be
important for Ankara in establishing direct contacts with Washington on
the fight against terror.
Mideast on the agenda
In addition to the fight against the PKK, Petraeus’ and Turkish
officials reportedly discussed a wide range of issues common to both
countries, including the Syrian regime’s crackdown on protesters and
diplomatic relations with Damascus, as well as Iran’s growing influence
in Iraq at a moment when the United States is set to withdraw its
troops. The ongoing NATO operation against the Libyan regime and other
regional political and security matters were also reportedly analyzed.
No official meeting with MIT
As Petraeus has not assumed his job as CIA chief, he made the trip to
Ankara in his capacity as the outgoing commander of the ISAF. For this
reason, no official meeting with Turkey’s National Intelligence
Organization, or MİT, was scheduled, an MİT official told the Daily
News.
/Hurriyet Daily News/