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Wednesday 28 June 2017
Mattis: US arms for Syrian Kurds will continue after Raqqa

By LOLITA C. BALDOR PKK a terrorist organization,
Associated Press and has vowed it would
MUNICH (AP) — U.S. De- never provide weapons to
fense Secretary Jim Mattis that group.
said Tuesday that America U.S. officials have been
will continue to provide careful not to publicly de-
weapons to Syrian Kurdish tail the amount or specific
fighters after the battle to types of weapons going to
oust Islamic State militants the Syrian Kurds.
from Raqqa, Syria, is over. But officials have indicated
Describing American reas- that 120 mm mortars, ma-
surances to Turkey that the chine guns, ammunition
U.S. will take back weapons and light armored vehicles
given to the Syrian Kurds af- were likely. The officials,
ter the IS fight, Mattis said it who spoke on condition of
depends on when or where anonymity because they
the next mission is. And he weren’t authorized to pub-
also sounded a caution- licly discuss the matter, said
ary tone when asked if all artillery or surface-to-air
the weapons would be re- missiles would not be pro-
turned. “We’ll do what we vided.
can,” he told reporters trav- The initial weapons deliv-
eling with him to Germany. eries began at the end of
Mattis’ comments marked Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis walks from the podium after a news conference at the State May, and the Pentagon
the first time he has spoken Department in Washington, Wednesday, June 21, 2017. Mattis said Tuesday that America will said they included small
continue to provide weapons to Syrian Kurdish fighters after the battle to oust Islamic State
at length publicly about militants from Raqqa, Syria, is over. arms and ammunition.
the U.S. pledge to recover (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) Mattis also said that as the
the weapons provided to as an extension of a terror the fighters weapons they defense counterpart dur- fight against IS grows more
the Kurds. group operating in Turkey. needed for the urban ing a NATO meeting later complex and moves into
Turkish officials late last Mattis said the U.S. has fighting they are facing in this week in Brussels. the Euphrates River Valley,
week said Mattis had reas- made it clear all along Raqqa. And as the fight The U.S. is convinced that it will require more decon-
sured them by letter that that, “we’re going to equip goes on, he said the U.S. the Kurdish fighters, known fliction with the Russians.
arms given to the Syrian them for the fight. If they will collect weapons and as the YPG, are the most ef- In recent weeks, when
Kurds would be taken back have another fight and repair them, or take certain fective local force in trying the U.S. shot down a Syr-
and that the U.S. would they need, you know, the weapons back and pro- to oust IS militants from their ian government war plane
provide Turkey with a regu- light trucks that they’ve vide others . stronghold in Raqqa. and an Iranian drone that
lar list of arms give to the been using ... we’ll get “When they don’t need Ankara, however, fears were threatening U.S.-allied
fighters. them that.” certain things any more, that weapons given to the Syrian fighters, the angry re-
The Trump administration’s It depends, he said, on the we’ll replace those with Kurdish fighters will end up sponse from the Russians
decision last month to arm battle and what weapons something they do need,” in the hands of insurgents in was to declare they would
the Kurds roiled Turkey, the Kurdish fighters need. said Mattis, who is expect- Turkey, known as the PKK. not use the deconfliction
which views the fighters Mattis said the U.S. gave ed to meet with his Turkish The U.S. also considers the phone line.q
Kissinger: Chaos in the west could give boost to Russia

By LEONORE SCHICK ing that emerged from the United States, Russia, In-
CAROLINE SPIEZIO 1973 war between Egypt dia and China could gain
Associated Press and Israel. a foothold in creating a
LONDON (AP) — Former Speaking at the Margaret new world order. He also
U.S. Secretary of State Thatcher Conference on said that without strate-
Henry Kissinger on Tuesday Security in London, Kissinger gic thought, two scenarios
warned of Russia’s sim- predicted ongoing friction could unfold in U.S.-China
mering alienation from its with Russia over Ukraine relations: repeated con-
western neighbors but said and Syria. Russia, which has frontation or co-evolution
he believed that President backed the regime of Syr- born out of a “conscious
Vladimir Putin will ultimately ian President Bashar Assad, need to avoid conflict.”
work toward cooperative on Tuesday dismissed U.S. While Kissinger was award-
relationships with coun- claims that Assad was ed the Nobel Peace Prize
tries on its borders. During preparing for a chemical in 1973, his career has been
his diplomatic career, the weapons attack. The Unit- marked by numerous con-
94-year-old senior states- ed States has offered no Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gestures as he troversies, including his in-
man supported a policy evidence to support the delivers the keynote address at the 2017 Margaret Thatcher volvement in U.S. bombing
of detente with the Soviet claim. “Russia has evolved conference on Security, in London, Tuesday June 27, 2017. campaigns in Cambodia,
Union, opened relations to what amounts to a defi- Kissinger on Tuesday warned of Russia’s simmering alienation Laos and Vietnam, support
from its western neighbors but said he believed that President
with China and helped nition of absolute security Vladimir Putin will ultimately work toward cooperative for Pakistan’s military dicta-
negotiate the Paris Peace (and) absolute insecurity relationships with countries on its borders. torship in the 1970s against
Accords, which helped for some of its neighbors,” (AP Photo/Leonore Schick) what is now Bangladesh
end U.S. involvement in Kissinger said during the of 1930’s European nation- simultaneously.” and U.S. involvement in the
the Vietnam War. He was keynote address, adding alist authoritarianism. “Rus- Kissinger also warned that 1973 coup that overthrew
also involved in negotiating that Putin’s view of interna- sia wants to be accepted with political chaos en- Chilean President Salvador
with Syria to stop the fight- tional politics is reminiscent Allende.q
by Europe and transcend it veloping Britain and the