This archive report was first published on 17 October 2019.
October 17, 2019, marked a critical day in the Syrian civil war as US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Ankara, Turkey, to persuade President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to accept a cease-fire in northern Syria.
However, Erdogan had already rejected the cease-fire even before Pence and Pompeo departed Washington, amid reports that he had launched an invasion against American-allied Kurdish fighters.
On their way to a meeting with Erdogan, Pence and Pompeo ignored questions from reporters about whether a letter from President Trump warning Erdogan not to be a 'tough guy' would make their diplomacy more difficult.
The letter, dated October 9, read: 'Let's work out a good deal! You don't want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and I don't want to be responsible for destroying the Turkish economy — and I will.' It concluded with the phrase: 'Don't be a tough guy. Don't be a fool!'
Other nations with stakes in Syria's stability were left quizzical by Trump's letter, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitri S. Peskov describing it as 'highly unusual'.
As the meetings in Ankara unfolded, the new front in the eight-year civil war drew the forces of President Bashar al-Assad to the Kurds' defense, pitting them against Turkish troops backed by Syrian Arab rebels.
President Assad vowed to respond to any Turkish aggression with 'all legitimate means' available, while Russia, a key ally of Assad, maintained cordial relations with Turkey.
It remained unclear what could be achieved in Ankara as other administration officials expressed concern about the meeting potentially amounting to a too little, too late effort with Erdogan.
