US trying to get Turkey to join the fight against ISIL

Hurriyet Daily News:

Turkey has been hosting three key Americans over the last three days. One is Vice President Joe Biden. The second is John Allen, the U.S. Special Envoy for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) strategy. The third is General James Jones, the U.S.’s former National Security Adviser and currently the chairman of the American-Turkish Council. General Jones is in Istanbul to attend the Atlantic Council Summit, where Biden is also giving a speech.

I had the chance to have a one-hour tete-a-tete conversation with General Jones and ask him the key questions in my mind.

First of all, why does Washington not make a commitment that Bashar al-Assad must go? Does it not want to topple him anymore? “No” Jones replied. “Our objectives with Turkey are the same. We both want to see al-Assad leave, ISIL to be defeated and Iraq to survive as a unified country. Those objectives are clear and common. We are now working on how we get to those objectives.”

Jones continued: “As long as both sides think the relationship is essential, they will find the path to accommodate. Since they agree on the objectives, they will agree on the methods as well. That we have different views right now doesn’t mean that in six months from now we won’t find accommodation.”

He also engaged in some self-criticism of the U.S.’s Syria policy. “When al-Assad crossed the red line [referring to al-Assad's use of chemical weapons], we should have taken stronger action. Then ISIL would not have grown this much. The message then transmitted to the region and Russia was very unfortunate. Had we acted then with Turkey, Turkey’s refugee problem would not be this big. And the Free Syrian Army [FSA] would be stronger. For a lot of reasons that was a mistake," he said.

What is the method the U.S. suggests today with regard to Syria? “To expel ISIL, you have to be completely engaged. Not just with airpower, but also on the ground. You can’t solve ISIL and al-Assad without Syria’s boots on the ground. You have to have commitment from Syrians themselves, because on a strategic level to affect change in a country you have to have support of its own people and military. But larger organizations like NATO and neighbor countries also need to join. Ultimately you have to do it," Jones said.

So, I asked whether Biden and Allen are trying to convince Turkey right now to put its forces on the ground. Jones’ reply was quite striking “It would be inconceivable to me if Vice President Biden comes here and does not talk about that," he said.
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Turkey has been a terrible ally in the fight with radical Islam.  It has contributed little and refused much.  If Turkey wants a no fly zone why don't they impose it?  Since Erdogan came to power Turkey has sided with the Hamas death cult and how host its leadership while Turkey continues to hamper the efforts of the Kurds to defeat ISIL.  The country's leadership is going to have to change its attitude if it is to be helpful in the war with the head choppers.