Page 2 - aruba-today-20180217

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 17 February 2018
US, Turkey return from brink, aim to 'normalize' ties

By MATTHEW LEE it was going to take a turn
SUZAN FRASER for the worse.”
Associated Press Tillerson’s visit came as anti-
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The U.S. rhetoric from Turkish of-
United States and Turkey ficials, including Erdogan
pulled back from the brink and Cavusoglu, had spiked
of a potentially disastrous in recent days, with the
crisis on Friday, agreeing to president earlier this week
normalize badly strained re- suggesting that the Ameri-
lations over Syria and other cans might be deserving of
issues that had threatened an “Ottoman slap,” a refer-
the NATO allies’ longstand- ence to the Ottoman Em-
ing ties. pire’s one-time might.
However, details of the rap- Such rhetoric was absent
prochement were vague on Friday and U.S. officials
as the two sides agreed in expressed hope that it
principle only to form work- would not resurface in the
ing groups that will begin days after Tillerson’s visit,
meeting within the month which followed a similar trip
to examine points of con- earlier this month by na-
tention and try to resolve tional security adviser H.R.
them. McMaster.
After talks in Ankara, U.S. Tillerson said the first work-
Secretary of State Rex Til- ing group would deal with
lerson and Turkish Foreign the issue of the town of
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Manbij, held by the U.S.-
announced the creation Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shake backed Syrian Kurdish mi-
hands before their talks at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. Til-
of new “mechanisms” to lerson started a two-day trip to Turkey amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies. litia and where the United
improve the relationship, (Pool Photo via AP) States has a military pres-
starting with the question of ence.
American support for Kurd- sian air defense system. group. Turkey considers it zens and Turkish employees Turkey has long pressed
ish rebels in northern Syria. “We brought forward pro- a “terrorist” group linked to of U.S. consulates in Turkey the United States to ensure
Those talks followed a posals on how we can ad- Kurdish rebels fighting in- on alleged terror charges. that the YPG leave Manbij
lengthy meeting of Turk- dress all of the critical issues side Turkey. “We find ourselves at a bit and has threatened to ex-
ish President Recep Tayyip that are standing between Compounding the difficul- of a crisis point in the rela- tend an offensive to drive
Erdogan, Cavusoglu and our countries,” Tillerson ties over Syria, ties had also tionship,” Tillerson said. But, Syrian Kurds from a border
Tillerson late Thursday at said during a joint news been damaged by what he also stressed the long- enclave to that region. U.S.
which a broad range of dis- conference with Cavuso- Ankara perceives to be standing nature of the re- officials said one idea to be
agreements were covered. glu. He said joint working Washington’s reluctance lationship. “Ours is not an considered is to place Turk-
In addition to Syria, those groups would take up spe- to extradite U.S.-based alliance of convenience,” ish troops alongside Ameri-
included Ankara’s com- cific issues including troop cleric Fethullah Gulen and he said. “It is a time-tested can soldiers stationed in
plaints against a U.S.-based deployments to address the trial in the United States alliance built on mutual re- northern Syria in order to
Turkish cleric whom Erdo- Turkish border security con- against a banker accused spect. improve transparency.
gan accuses of fomenting cerns before the middle of of helping Iran evade sanc- We’re going to work to- Cavusoglu repeated that
a failed 2016 coup, U.S. March. tions. gether moving forward.” promises made by the pre-
concerns about the state Turkey is riled over Washing- For its part, Washington is “Our relations were at a vious U.S administration
of Turkey’s democracy ton’s support to the YPG — angered by the detention critical turning point,” Ca- about the YPG moving to
and opposition to Turkey’s the top U.S. ally in the fight of journalists and opposi- vusoglu said. “We were ei- the east of the river Euphra-
planned purchase of a Rus- against the Islamic State tion figures, American citi- ther going to correct this or tes were broken.q

People in Asia and beyond welcome Lunar New Year

BEIJING (AP)—People in being snapped up by the performed at a street fair in
Asia and around the world churning crowds. Other Manila and children used
are celebrating the Lunar New Year traditions include crates and buckets to put
New Year on Friday with the eating of dumplings in on improvised lion dances.
festivals, parades and tem- northern China and gift giv- In Japan, lion dances were
ple visits to ask for blessings. ing to children in the form of performed in Chinatown
This year marks the year cash-stuffed red envelopes in the port city of Yoko-
of the dog, one of the 12 called "hongbao." How- hama, while in Malaysia, a
animals in the Chinese as- ever, a ban on fireworks diver dressed as the god of
trological chart. People in 400 cities, including the good fortune fed fish at an
in Beijing celebrated with capital, severely curtailed aquarium in Kuala Lumpur
family feasts and visits to such traditional ear-splitting as visitors looked on. Tai-
bustling temple fairs amid displays this year. Ethnic wanese marked the start of
the mid-winter chill. Ditan Chinese and others around the new year with a mad
Park in the city center was the world also marked the rush to be the first to plant a
the most vibrant, with emp- In this Friday, Feb. 16, 2018, file photo, a man carries his child un- holiday with celebrations. stick of incense in a temple
ty tree branches festooned der traditional Chinese lanterns on the first day of Chinese Lunar In the Philippines, which censor, with the victor re-
with red lanterns and tra- New Year at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. boasts a large ethnic Chi- ceiving a prize and bless-
ditional goods and foods (AP Photo/Sadiq Asyraf) nese minority, fire breathers ings for a prosperous 2018.