Armitage Meets with Barzani

Armitage reportedly delivered a letter from US President George W. Bush that reiterated his support for the Kurdish public. Armitage arrived in Ankara last night. When asked about the letter, he said he did not bring any letter for the Kurdish leader. Armitage, second in command at the US State Department, will expectedly meet Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Speaker of the Parliament Bulent Arinc, and Chief of General Staff Hilmi Ozkok during his visit.

Ankara is expected to express displeasure that there are still no concrete efforts being made to provide Turkish citizens with security in Iraq, especially with the Musul (Mosul) attacks and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK/KADEK)).

Armitage also had meetings in Syria, which neighbors Iraq. Syrian President Besar Esad and Foreign Minister Farouq Shara met with Armitage who said Syria has noticeably progressed regarding Iraqi border security, but that it should work harder to prevent foreign militants from entering the country.

The US official also said they negotiated with Esad about the necessity of United Nations (UN) Security Council article number 1559, which requires the withdrawal of foreign soldiers in Lebanon. The Security Council accepted a resolution to respect Lebanese sovereignty and demanded the withdrawal of all foreign soldiers from the territories by on September 2nd.

Armitage’s Ankara visit will be his last visit to Turkey as Deputy Secretary of State. Armitage was considered for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) presidency, which became vacant with the resignation of George Tenet, and for Secretary of State, following the resignation of Colin Powell. Armitage is expected to leave his office at the New Year to coincide with the resignation of Powell and the appointment of National Security Adviser Condeleezza Rice as the new Secretary of State. The identity of Armitage’s successor is a hot topic in Washington these days.