WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2019) A new bipartisan US Senate bill proposed by US Senators Lindsey Graham and Chris Van Hollen calls for a broad range of sanctions against Turkey, including against high-level officials such as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in response to Ankara's military incursion in northern Syria.
"Mandatory sanctions go into effects upon enactment of this Act unless the administration certifies to Congress - every 90 days - that Turkey is not operating unilaterally... in Syria and has withdrawn its armed forces, including Turkish supported rebels, from areas it occupied during the operation beginning October 9, 2019," the bill said on Wednesday.
The sanctions apply to the Turkish president, vice president as well as ministers of defense, foreign affairs, trade, energy and natural resources and treasury and finance, according to the bill.
Turkey's leadership would also be subject to visa restrictions under the proposed legislation.
In addition, the bill proposes a ban on military transactions with Turkey, including aircraft or aircraft parts, machinery, automotive equipment and services, weapons or defense articles utilized by the Turkish military.
The bill would, moreover, remove Turkey's waiver from the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense systems.
Foreign entities or individuals engaging in business with Turkey's energy sector would also be subject to sanctions under the new measure.
Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump agreed that sanctions on Turkey would be necessary if Ankara's incursion into northern Syria is inhumane and vowed to take even tougher measures.
Turkey is conducting a land offensive in northeastern Syria as part of Operation Peace Spring against Kurdish fighters and the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).
While the United States backed Kurdish forces in Syria as allies in the fight against the Islamic State, Turkey considers them to be an arm of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey has classified the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Ankara claims that the operation aimed at clearing the border area of Kurdish militias, creating a security zone and accommodating Syrian refugees there.
