Blinken meets Erdogan as forces backed by US, Turkey clash in Syria

ANKARA - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Turkey on Thursday for talks focused on a critical aspect of establishing stability in Syria: clashes in the north of the country between U.S.-backed Kurdish forces and Turkey-backed rebels.

Blinken met President Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara's Esenboga Airport after visiting Jordan on his first trip to the region since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government was ousted on Sunday.

Erdogan and Blinken discussed the latest developments in Syria, with Erdogan calling on the international community to work together for the reconstruction of institutions in Syria, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Erdogan also told Blinken that Turkey would take preventive measures in Syria for its national security against all organisations it deems as terrorists, the statement said, adding that Ankara would not allow any weakness in the fight against Islamic State.

Blinken noted the shared interest of the U.S. and Turkey in supporting a Syrian-led political transition to an accountable and inclusive government, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.

He emphasised the need to ensure the coalition to defeat Islamic State can continue to execute its critical mission, Miller also said.

Blinken will meet Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday.

NATO allies Washington and Ankara supported Syrian rebels during the 13-year civil war, but their interests notably clashed when it came to one of the rebel factions - the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF is the main ally in a U.S. coalition against Islamic State militants. It is spearheaded by the People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara sees as an extension of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants that it outlaws and who have fought the Turkish state for 40 years.

Before arriving in Ankara, Blinken said the PKK is an "enduring threat" to Turkey.

"At the same time ... we want to avoid sparking any kinds of additional conflicts inside of Syria at a time when we want to see this transition to an interim government and to a better way forward," he said.

Syria is also expected to top the agenda of Blinken's talks with Fidan, a Turkish official said on condition of anonymity, adding Ankara is ready to support Syria as a safe and stable place governed by an inclusive government.

NORTHERN SYRIA

Earlier this week, Turkish-backed forces seized the northern city of Manbij from the U.S.-backed SDF, which then headed east of the Euphrates River. A Syrian opposition source told Reuters the U.S. and Turkey had reached an agreement on the withdrawal.

A Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday the advance on Manbij aimed to "clear terrorism".

The official warned about unspecified efforts to provide cover for the PKK by flagging risks related to Islamic State, adding that Ankara has told Washington that one terrorist group cannot be used to eliminate another.

Blinken said on Monday that Islamic State will try to use this period to re-establish capabilities in Syria, but the United States is determined not to let that happen.

Some SDF fighters also withdrew from Tel Refaat and parts of Aleppo to the west in the early days of the lightning rebel offensive that swept south across the country.

Turkey also directly targeted the YPG in recent days with its intelligence agency destroying 12 trucks loaded with missiles and heavy weapons in northeast Syria.

(Additional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Ece Toksabay, Frances Kerry, Rod Nickel and Daniel Wallis)