Erdogan to try to push Obama toward Syria involvement

Turkish premier visits Washington days after deadly terror blasts near border with Syria; White House has been reluctant to intervene in civil war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is looking for stepped-up action on Syria as he meets with President Barack Obama at the White House Thursday. But the US and Turkey remain far apart on how to handle Syria’s bloody civil war.

Erdogan is visiting Washington just days after two car bombs in Turkey killed dozens in the deadliest terrorist attack there in years. Turkish authorities have blamed Syrian intelligence, and Erdogan has been calling for more aggressive steps to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.

But the Obama administration remains reluctant to take the kind of action that Turkey would like to see, including establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.

The disagreement is unlikely to spoil a day of pomp for Erdogan, who will meet with Obama ahead of a formal lunch with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry and again for a working dinner with the president. However, the visit comes at a moment that Obama is struggling with scandals, including the targeting of conservative political groups by the federal tax agency, his response to last year’s deadly attack on a US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, and the seizure of Associated Press phone records in a leak investigation. The topics are likely to come up at a joint news conference following the leaders’ morning meeting.

Despite the differences over Syria, Erdogan will welcome the opportunity to showcase his close ties with Obama. He arrives after recently marking ten years in office, a dominant figure in Turkish politics. As much as Erdogan wants the US to exert greater power in Syria, the Obama administration sees Turkey as a critical broker on a host of issues in the region.

The administration recently brokered a deal to repair ties between Turkey and Israel that were severed following a 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla that killed eight Turks and a Turkish-American. The administration hopes to see an understanding sealed during Erdogan’s visit on the compensation for the victims of the raid and families. The US sees reconciliation between Turkey and Israel as critical, as it seeks to revitalize peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

It is also looking for Turkish help in ramping up sanctions on Iran and in cooling ethnic tensions in Iraq. Both Turkey and the US see an opportunity this year to restart talks on the reunification of Cyprus, an issue that is also likely to come up in talks between Obama and Erdogan.

Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of a union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in 1983 is recognized only by Turkey, which maintains 35,000 troops there. Turkey doesn’t recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country.

Following the recent terrorist attacks in the US and Turkey, the two sides also will look to step up cooperation on counterterrorism.

Finally, the US administration is likely to reassure Erdogan that Turkey will not lose out as the administration seeks a massive free trade deal with the European Union. And Obama may offer praise for Erdogan’s initiative to make peace with Kurdish rebels after a nearly 30-year battle.