Despite Erdogan’s bravado, his Syrian offensive is squeezed in a US-Russian hug..
US-Russian coordination for holding back Turkey’s operation against Syria’s Kurds goes forward smoothly amid a flurry of talks.
On Tuesday, October 15, the US secretary of state held talks with his Russian counterpart, as did the two defence chiefs. That night, Turkish President Recep Erdogan held phone conversations with both US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Putin invited him to visit Moscow before the end of October, while Trump informed him that Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary Mike Pompeo would be arriving in Ankara on Thursday, October 17.
They would be coming with national security adviser Robert O’Brien and special Syrian envoy James Jeffrey. Erdogan was quoted as refusing to receive the Vice President, but the highly volatile Turkish leader may have backtracked on this snub.
Very little was disclosed about the content of this burst of high wire parleys.
Reliable sources have learned that Putin warned Erdogan that if the Turkish army attacked the Syrian forces which arrived to defend Kurdish districts against a Turkish onslaught, the Russian air force would intervene.
Trump is believed to have focused his warning against a Turkish assault on the key SDF-held town of Kobani and its environs. He demanded a pledge from Erdogan to stop his forces and allied Syrian militias from entering this town and to halt attempts to seize control of the strategic M4 highway.
The Turkish leader demanded as a quid pro quo that the US president guarantee that the Syrian forces not far from Kobani won’t enter the town.
However, since Moscow holds the whip hand over the Syria army, it was necessary for the American and Russian foreign and defence ministers to confer on this. For now, the SDF retains control of the town, shielded by Russian special forces.
Erdogan finds his troop movements increasingly constricted by the tough dictates coming at him from Washington and Moscow. They are operating in concert in a still unpredictable, inflammable situation.
Moscow again warns Turkey to back off northeast Syria.....
The Kremlin’s envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev on Tuesday called Turkey’s military offensive in northeast Syria “unacceptable” and denied Ankara’s operation had been cleared by Moscow in advance, as President Recep Erdogan had claimed.
This was the second Russian warning to Turkey a day after the Kremlin ruled that Turkey’s incursion was “not exactly” compatible with Syrian territorial integrity. Lavrentiev was the prime mover in the deal for Syrian forces to take over Kurdish areas and take part in their defence against the Turkish incursion.
According to Russian sources, a Turkish Air Force F-16 attempting to strike SDF headquarters in the north-eastern Syrian town of Manbij was intercepted by Russian SU-35 jets. The date of the incident, reported on Tuesday, was not cited.
Also unknown was whether the Russian jets intercepted the Turkish warplane over Syria or while still in Turkish airspace.
Don Stewart’s BREAKING NEWS – 16 October 2019
Vatican launches $110 'click to pray' wearable rosary.........
Rome’s Rosary is going mobile.
The Vatican announced the launch of the "Click to Pray eRosary" Wednesday. October is the month of the Rosary.
The eRosary is an app-driven device that can be worn as a bracelet. To activate it, all you have to do is make the sign of the cross, similar to how Roman Catholics begin praying the Rosary.
Once activated, the wearer can choose between three different options to pray. There is the standard rosary, a contemplative rosary or a thematic rosary, which will be updated every year.
The device shows the users progress throughout each prayer and keeps track of each rosary completed. The interactive device is a push from the church to reach tech-savvy millennials and Gen Z.
It "serves as a tool for learning how to pray the rosary for peace in the world," according to a news release from the Vatican.
The project -- part of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network -- brings together the best [?] of the Church's spiritual tradition and the latest advances of the technological world, the Vatican said.
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