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A2 UP FRONT
Friday 12 May 2017
US tries to ease Turkey’s concerns on arming Kurds North Korea poses ‘existential’

By LOLITA C. BALDOR ing to oust IS militants from that “there is still an op- threat, US intel chief warns
Associated Press their stronghold in Raqqa, portunity for the United
LONDON (AP) — U.S. De- Syria. Turkey wants the States to take Turkey’s sen-
fense Secretary Jim Mattis arms agreement reversed. sitivities into consideration. By MATTHEW PENNING- its ballistic missile forces.
made clear Thursday that Its leaders have railed Otherwise, the outcome TON, Associated Press Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart,
America is committed to against any strategy that, won’t only affect Turkey. WASHINGTON (AP) — the Defense Intelligence
protecting Turkey after an- in their view, would involve A negative outcome will North Korea’s nuclear Agency’s director, said
gering its NATO ally with a the U.S. using one terrorist also emerge for the United weapons program poses North Korea was at the
deal to arm anti-Islamic group to fight another. States.” a potentially “existential” same time developing a
State fighters in Syria that Washington is trying to pro- Mattis has played down threat to the United States, nuclear device and pro-
Turkey considers terrorists. vide Turkey assurances. A the friction between the al- the national intelligence cessing fissile material,
Mattis stressed the enduring senior American official lies, saying that while “it’s director said in a bleak aiming to miniaturize a
nature of the U.S.-Turkey re- said the U.S. will step up not always tidy,” they will appraisal to Congress on device for a warhead to
lationship in a meeting with joint intelligence-sharing resolve any differences. Thursday. He wouldn’t say mount on such missiles.
how close Pyongyang is “They are on that path
to being able to strike the and they are committed
U.S. mainland. to doing that,” he said.
Dan Coats said the un- On Iran, whose nuclear
precedented nuclear ambitions preoccupied
and missile testing last Washington under Presi-
year indicates leader Kim dent Barack Obama,
Jong Un is intent on prov- Coats said the U.S. sees
ing North Korea’s capa- Tehran maintaining last
bility. The North’s public year’s agreement that
claims suggest it could contains its program in
conduct its first flight of an exchange for sanctions
intercontinental ballistic relief.
missile this year. The deal has enhanced
And Pyongyang’s state- transparency of Iran’s nu-
ments that it needs nu- clear activities, Coats said,
clear weapons to survive and he cited Obama ad-
suggest Kim “does not ministration estimates that
intend to negotiate them the time it would take Iran
away at any price,” Coats to produce enough mate-
added at a Senate intelli- rial for a nuclear weapon
gence hearing on world- has been extended from
wide threats. a few months to about a
The heads of six U.S. in- year.
telligence agencies re- But he said the U.S.
viewed a slew of national doesn’t know if Iran will
Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, right, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of Defense James security challenges facing eventually decide to try
Mattis, ahead of the Somalia Conference, in London, Thursday, May 11, 2017.
(Prime Minister’s Press Service, Pool Photo via AP) the United States, warning to build nuclear weapons.
about deteriorating secu- Intelligence chiefs gave
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, with the Turks to help them Turkey’s president, Recep rity in Afghanistan, China’s a somber appraisal of
the first face-to-face con- better target terrorists. The Tayyip Erdogan, is to visit rising challenge, and Rus- security in Afghanistan,
tact between officials from move, first reported by The President Donald Trump in sian and other countries’ scene of America’s lon-
the two countries since the Wall Street Journal, is one Washington next Tuesday. use of cyberspace to tar- gest-running war. U.S.
U.S. announcement about of the things Washington Erdogan has demanded get the U.S. and its allies. forces invaded after 9/11
military support for the Syr- is offering to ease Turkish that Washington undo the Senators sought an as- to defeat al-Qaida and
ian Kurds. concerns that the weap- arms decision, and said sessment of when North their Taliban hosts, and
The defense secretary, ons will end up in enemy he would take up the issue Korea would be able the Trump administra-
speaking to reporters hands. with Trump. to strike the U.S. with a tion is currently reviewing
aboard a U.S. military air- The official, who wasn’t au- The Trump administration nuclear weapon. Coats strategy and considering
plane after the meeting thorized to discuss the issue has not specified the kinds declined to provide such an augmentation of the
in London, characterized publicly and spoke on con- of arms to be provided. details in an open hear- current 8,500-strong U.S.
the discussions as “honest, dition of anonymity, said U.S. officials have indicat- ing. Democratic Sen. Di- force.
transparent and helpful.” the U.S. has yet to provide ed that 120 mm mortars, anne Feinstein countered, Coats said the situation
Their half-hour conversa- the weapons. machine guns, ammuni- “It’s time for the American will deteriorate and the
tion took place before an Mattis acknowledged Tur- tion and light armored ve- people to understand.” Taliban will make gains,
international conference key’s concerns that weap- hicles were possibilities. Coats, however, de- especially in rural areas.
on Somalia, and Mattis said ons could end up in the The officials, who spoke on scribed the threat as po- The performance of Af-
he had no doubt the U.S. hands of the Kurdish mili- condition of anonymity be- tentially “existential.” ghan national security
and Turkey would “work tants in Turkey, known as cause they weren’t autho- North Korea’s missile tests forces will worsen due to
this out with due consider- the PKK. Like Turkey, the rized to publicly discuss the in 2016, including a space weak military leadership,
ation and significant atten- U.S. considers that group a matter, said artillery or sur- launch that put a satel- desertions and combat
tion paid to Turkey’s secu- terrorist organization. face-to-air missiles would lite into orbit, have short- casualties, he predicted.
rity, to NATO’s security and “We support Turkey in not be provided. ened its pathway toward If left unchecked, Stewart
the continuing campaign its fight against PKK,” he A spokesman for the U.S.- a reliable intercontinental added, the “stalemate”
against ISIS.” said. “We do not ever give led coalition against IS, Col. missile that could strike will deteriorate in the Tal-
The U.S. is convinced that weapons to the PKK. We John Dorrian, said Wednes- America, he said, and the iban’s favor, risking “all the
the Kurdish fighters, known never have and never will.” day that the weapons North has expanded the gains” from U.S.-backed
as the YPG, are the most Before his meeting with would be delivered to the size and sophistication of efforts there.q
effective local force in try- Mattis, Yildirim had warned Kurds soon.q