The Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate passed a sanctions bill on Turkey in response to its acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile system and offensive in northern Syria.
The move by the Republican-led committee is expected to force President Donald Trump to take a harder line against Turkey. Instead of imposing stiff sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), Trump argued for negotiations with Ankara.
The committee’s voting had been postponed due to an objection by another Republican Senator, Rand Paul, who spoke and voted against the bill in the chamber.
Paul said the Trump administration was objecting to the CAATSA as it would lessen the possibility of negotiation with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over problematic matters.
Democrat Senator Robert Menendez, one of the co-sponsors of the bill, said the US act would make clear to Turkey that its operation in Syria is “unacceptable,” and its S400 purchase is “untenable.”
“Turkey’s actions over the past year are truly beyond the pale,” said the Democrat Senator.
The bill called The Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence of ISIS Act requires Trump to impose at least five out of 12 possible CAATSA sanctions no later than 30 days after its enactment.
The bill, however, includes more measures than the CAATSA, such as targeted sanctions and restrictions on Turkish officials, institutions, loans from international financial institutions that Turkey benefits from.
If enacted, the bill will restrict US arms sales to Turkey, which used during the offensive in Syria and to those who provided the Turkish military with weapons in Syria.
The legislation will also require investigations and reports on war crimes committed by the Turkish army and its Syrian rebel allies during the incursion.
It will also require the same measures on Turkey’s participation in NATO and on the provision of humanitarian assistance to people in Syria.
Another report will be conducted on the net worth and income sources of Erdogan, according to the bill.
“The Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the estimated net worth and known sources of income of Erdogan and his family members, including assets, investments, other business interests, and relevant, beneficial ownership information,” the bill reads.
In reaction to the US act, Turkey’s Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Wednesday that the Turkish stance would remain regardless.
“The process regarding the S400s will continue whether the US Congress passes the bill or not. The framework set by our president is clear, there is no step back from the S-400s, and we will make the necessary arrangements to prevent any risk when we use them,” Kalin said.
The committee voted by 18-4 to send the legislation for a vote in the full Senate. If a simple majority, 51 out of 100, passes the bill in the Senate, the resulting bill will go to Trump, who will have ten days to sign or veto the enrolled bill.
If the US president signs the bill, it will be enacted into law. If not, meaning a veto, the president’s objections shall be considered by the Congress. Then a two-thirds majority of each house will be required to override the president’s veto and to enact the bill into law.
Ankara launched a military operation into Syria on October 9 against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which has played a crucial role in the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) since 2014.
Turkey aims to clear the region off the Kurdish militia to set up a “safe zone” where it plans to resettle up to one million refugees currently living in the country.
The US House had previously passed a resolution over Turkey’s S-400 acquisition. Ankara, however, ignored the decision and started receiving its first S-400 deliveries in July and testing the system in November.
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from IPA NEWS https://ipa.news/2019/12/12/us-senate-committee-passes-sanctions-bill-against-turkey/
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