Obama Heads to China, Laos for Possibly Last Asia Trip

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FILE - U.S. President Barack Obama, right, smiles after a group of children waved flags and flowers to cheer him during a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 12, 2014.

Next month, U.S. President Barack Obama will make what is expected to be his last official trip to Asia.

The White House announced Thursday that the president will travel to China on Sept. 2 to attend the G20 summit in Hangzhou.
He then will go on to Laos, making him the first U.S. president to visit that Southeast Asian nation.
In China, Obama will focus on the importance of a level playing field and broad-based economic opportunity, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said.
He also will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as tensions continue to rise in the region over the South China Sea and North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
In Laos, the president will attend the U.S.-ASEAN meeting, and hold talks with President Bounnhang Vorachith and other key officials to advance cooperation between the U.S. and Laos.
The trip also will be a chance for Obama to promote the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, a key part of his Asia strategy that he hopes Congress will approve before his term ends Jan. 20.
During his time in the White House, Obama has sought to "rebalance" America's defense and economic policy to counter China's rising influence in the region.

US: $400M Payment to Iran Used as 'Leverage' in Prisoner Release

  

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FILE - Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna. The Obama administration on Thursday clearly and publicly said a cash payment of $400 million to Iran was used as leverage to ensure the release of a group of American prisoners

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For the first time the Obama administration on Thursday clearly and publicly said a cash payment of $400 million to Iran was used as leverage to ensure the release of a group of American prisoners being held by Tehran.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama denied that the payment to Iran on the same day as a hostage release was "some nefarious deal," pointing out that the transfer was announced in January, a day after implementation of the U.S. nuclear deal with Tehran.
Not a ransom payment

On Thursday, State Department spokesman John Kirby repeated the administration's position that the negotiations to return the Iranian money -- the result of an aborted arms deal in the 1970s with the U.S.-backed shah -- were conducted separately from the talks to free four U.S. citizens in Iran.
"We had concerns that Iran may renege on the prisoner release,'' Kirby told reporters, citing years of mutual mistrust between the two countries. "Obviously when you're inside that 24 hour period and you already now have concerns about the endgame in terms of getting your Americans out, it would have been foolish, and prudent, irresponsible, for us not to try to maintain maximum leverage.
"So if you're asking me was there a connection in that regard at the endgame, I'm not going to deny that," he added.
The prisoners were The Washington Post's Tehran bureau chief, Jason Rezaian; Marine veteran Amir Hekmati; Christian pastor Saeed Abedin; and a fourth man, Nosratollah Khosravi-Roodsari, whose disappearance had not been publicly known before he was freed.

The cash transfer and the release of the hostages -- both on January 17 -- came at the same time as Iran's deal with the United States and five other world powers restraining Tehran's development of nuclear weapons, along with the lifting of sanctions that had hobbled Iran's economy.
Republican criticism

Critics, especially those who oppose the Iran nuclear deal, have termed it a ransom payment. Republican lawmakers also criticized the action, saying it undermined the longstanding U.S. opposition to ransom payments.
Iranian media reports have quoted senior defense officials as saying they considered the cash as a ransom payment.
On the day of the transfer, non-U.S. currency cash — in euros and Swiss francs among others — was stacked on wooden pallets and flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane.

Muslim US Army Chaplain Sets Out to Bridge Cultures

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Dawud Agbere, stationed at the Pentagon, is one of five Muslim Army chaplains or imams. (Photo - courtesy of U.S. Army)

THE PENTAGON —  Inside the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial chapel, built where Islamic extremists attacked the building nearly 15 years ago, sounds of the Muslim call to prayer softly welcome passersby at around 2:00 p.m. each day.
The prayer service is led by Dawud Agbere, one of five Muslim Army chaplains or imams. Since being stationed at the Pentagon, Agbere leads afternoon prayer to give fellow Muslims a chance to connect with their creator.
Abdul Zaid, an IT contractor who works in the building, credits Agbere with "running interference" to make the prayer service available. He calls Agbere a spiritual leader who cares, consoling his fellow Pentagon employees during times of grief and occasionally taking them for cookies or ice cream in times of celebration.

Dawud Agbere, a Muslim Army chaplain, has served in war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army)

"It's about the community that he has built here," Habiba Heider, another Pentagon contractor, told VOA.
Unusual path to service
Agbere will be the first to say he's not a typical U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. Born and raised in the West African nation of Ghana, Agbere won the U.S. Diversity Visa lottery, which randomly selects immigrants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
"When you are growing up in Ghana — in Africa, not just in Ghana — America is the land of prosperity," he said.
He eagerly accepted the visa and got a job teaching high school students in New Jersey, but after months with the unruly students, he yearned for a job with more discipline and order.
"So when I saw the Navy was hiring people, I said, ‘That's where I belong,'" Agbere said.
He went to boot camp with the Navy until he discovered he could not become an officer without U.S. citizenship. Rather than make him wait, his superiors allowed him to switch to the Army, which did not have the same restriction.
Bridging the gaps
His Army career has taken him to war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. As a fluent Arabic speaker and oftentimes the only Muslim in his unit, Agbere says he works to "bridge the gap" between cultures. He said many in the allied armies he worked with "never fathomed" they'd see a Muslim in the U.S. Army.

Dawud Agbere, a fluent Arabic speaker and oftentimes the only Muslim in his unit, says he works to "bridge the gap" between cultures. (Photo courtesy of US Army)

"Then they see one; they are shocked," he said.
Only a small fraction — less than 3,600 — of the U.S. Army active duty and reservists self-identify as Muslim. Despite Agbere's ever-present optimism, his minority status has not always been a positive experience. When he deployed to Iraq, for example, one of Agbere's military leaders was extremely apprehensive of him even before they met.
"He had his own misconception about who that Muslim guy is going to be," Agbere said, "but today, he's one of my best friends."
Adding Agbere's time in the Army and the Navy, he has served in the U.S. military for nearly two decades. He says he doesn't judge those who have sought to vilify his faith during this turbulent political time, choosing instead to point out the "beauty" of American diversity.
"Definitely some of these things are based on ignorance, and I always see this as an opportunity to teach people," he said.
"I want to be able to define my story. I don't want my story to define me.

US Swimmer Will Donate $11,000 to Charity, Settle Rio Robbery Dispute

American swimmer James Feigen smiles during a swimming training session prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

American swimmer James Feigen has agreed to pay a charity in Brazil nearly $11,000 to settle his part of a robbery scandal at the Rio Olympic Games, allowing him to return to the U.S.

Feigen's attorney made the announcement early Friday after lengthy meetings with government and legal authorities in Rio.
The three other American swimmers involved in the false robbery report are already back home.
Brazilian police had said they were considering charging the swimmers with vandalism and giving false testimony after the swimmers admitted they fabricated a story about being robbed at gunpoint.

American Olympic swimmers Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger walk in the departure area after checking into their flight at the airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016.

Lied about robbery at gunpoint

Swimmers Ryan Lochte, Jack Conger, Gunnar Bentz and Feigen initially told police they were robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning on their way back from a party outside Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro.
But two of the swimmers, Conger and Bentz, admitted to fabricating the story after they were detained at the airport late Wednesday while attempting to head back to the United States.
The two boarded a flight back to the U.S. late Thursday after being questioned by authorities. Lochte returned to the United States Monday before any of the news emerged.

A view of the bathroom doors at the gasoline station where U.S. swimmers Ryan Lochte, Jimmy Feigen, Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were accused by staff of having caused damage, in Rio de Janeiro, August 18, 2016.

US Olympic Committee apologizes

The U.S. Olympic Committee has apologized to Brazil for the false robbery claim.
Fernando Veloso, head of the civil police of Rio, told reporters Thursday that security cameras revealed the swimmers actually visited a gas station early Sunday morning, and that witnesses said they damaged a bathroom, were confronted by an armed guard and left before police arrived.
Brazil's Globo TV on Thursday aired security video of the swimmers showing them arriving at the gas station in a taxi, entering the building, leaving, and later sitting on the curb with their hands up, as instructed by one of the staff members at the gas station.
Veloso said the men left $20 and 100 Brazilian reals to pay for the damage to the bathroom, which included broken mirrors and damage to the door. The police chief also said Lochte was "physically outraged" during the incident and was "probably drunk." But he said Lochte could not be held solely responsible for the incident. "That would be a premature assumption of guilt," Veloso said.
Rio Games: 'give kids a break'

Despite the visible ire of the police, Rio Games organizers defended the swimmers, insisting, "Let's give these kids a break."
Rio 2016 spokesman Mario Andrada told reporters, "They competed under gigantic pressure... They had fun, they made a mistake, life goes on."
The gas station is close to Olympic Park, where the sporting events have been overshadowed over the past two weeks by a series of muggings and robberies, including incidents involving other athletes and two visiting government ministers.

Who Killed Pavel Sheremet?

FILE - Journalist Pavel Sheremet talks on the air at a radio station in Kiev, Ukraine, October 11, 2015.

KYIV, UKRAINE —  The bomb blast was just 100 meters away, terrifying the skittish British businessmen who already were worried about whether Kyiv was safe. The explosion came the morning after Ukrainian translator Eugene Rysunkov had dropped them off at their four-star hotel.

“They were just sitting down to breakfast and they were shocked,” says Rysunkov. “I had reassured them that conflict and war was far away - that Kyiv is as safe as any other European city.”

The Britons weren’t the only ones shocked by the July 20 car bombing that killed Pavel Sheremet, a pioneering journalist and radio talk-show host who left his home country of Belarus six years ago after run-ins with its autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, and a suspended prison sentence.

The high-profile murder in the heart of a district housing embassies and diplomats took Ukrainians aback — and police investigators now tasked with identifying the killers.

Last day alive

Sheremet was driving to work when a bomb exploded under the Subaru SUV belonging to his girlfriend, Olena Prytula, the former editor-in-chief of the newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. She wasn’t in the car. The bomb had been triggered by remote control, investigators say, but they won’t confirm earlier statements by officials that the bomb consisted of 500 grams of TNT.

“Assassinations are rare things in Ukraine,” says Viktor Gunko, the deputy chief of the investigations section at the Ministry of Interior. “And unusual when it comes to journalists in Kyiv,” he adds.

Investigators inspect a damaged car at the site where journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed by a car bomb in central Kiev, Ukraine, July 20, 2016.

Observing Ukraine from afar might strike some as an odd statement - Ukraine is hardly associated with peace these days. For 28 months, there has been on and off fighting in the east of the country, and images still remain fresh for many of protesters being gunned down in 2014 in Kyiv’s Independence Square as they battled to topple President Vladimir Putin’s ally, Viktor Yanukovych.

In the past 25 years, journalists have been murdered or died in mysterious circumstances - 11 in all; but, with the exception of two killings, they took place outside the capital and involved local journalists prying too deeply into political corruption, organized crime or the affairs of oligarchs.

One of the most notorious slayings came in April 1995, in Sevastopol, when Vladimir Ivanov, then editor-in-chief of the daily The Glory of Sevastopol, died four days after being blown up by a rudimentary bomb planted in a trash can. His murder came after he exposed some Crimea mobsters. He’d been campaigning also for semi-autonomy for the Black Sea peninsula - and doing so didn’t endear him to Ukrainian ultranationalists.

The most high-profile murder of a journalist in Kyiv before Sheremet was in September 2000, when Georgy Gongadze, an editor at Ukrayinska Pravda, disappeared. A leaked recording that appeared to implicate then-President Leonid Kuchma and two senior aides in the journalist's disappearance sparked a huge political scandal.

Former deputy prime minister and civil rights campaigner Oleh Rybachuk was on Pavel Sheremet's last radio show -- he thinks the slaying of his friend is part of Russia's "hybrid war" against Ukraine. (Photo: J. Dettmer / VOA)

Very symbolic execution

Sheremet’s highly public slaying smacks more of Moscow than Kyiv, say his friends. They compare it to the 2006 assassination in the Russian capital of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, who was known for her opposition to the Second Chechen War and was an uncompromising critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“It was a very symbolic execution - Pavel could have been killed in another, quieter way,” says his friend Oleh Rybachuk, a former deputy prime minister and now a civil rights campaigner. “It struck me where he was killed was important too - right in the heart of the diplomatic quarter of Kyiv. When was the last time a journalist was killed in a car bombing like this - it never happens in Ukraine.”

The assassination was meant to send a message, says Rybachuk. “It was a political killing and I think this goes back to the Russian intelligence services,” he says. Rybachuk links it to what he sees as Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine involving on and off war in the east and disinformation.

“Hybrid war means keeping your opponent stressed and frightened,” he says. “I can’t believe he was doing some investigation that got him killed. We know reporters who are doing very complex investigations involving big money. And I am not aware of him having any case he was delving into.”

Rybachuk was on Sheremet's last radio show. “He had the gift of talking in a simple way about complex stuff.” They discussed political corruption in Ukraine; but, most of Sheremet’s focus was, as always, on freedom of speech issues and President Putin. “He had Russian dissidents often on his show - he was very well known in Russia,” Rybachuk says.

Other friends say they wonder if the slaying was a domestic one. “Sheremet was also a threat to corrupt Ukrainian officials,” says Olexiy Haran, a political scientist at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Sheremet’s partner believes she and the Belarus journalist had been under police surveillance for months.
Evidence of third party

Investigator Viktor Gunko is cautious about divulging details of the ongoing probe into Sheremet’s murder. He nods in agreement that the killing was connected with Sheremet’s work but declines to comment on whether an overseas power was involved, saying he doesn’t want to compromise the inquiry. Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general, Eugene Yenin, told VOA that the evidence so far suggests the involvement of “a third party.”

Last week, police released video footage of a man and woman who are suspected of planting the bomb. Both suspects were wearing loose-fitting track suits and baseballs caps, which helped obscure their faces from the CCTV cameras. The woman appears to have planted the bomb.

A Ukraine military intelligence official laughs at the killers’ appearance. “My suspicion is they were contracted local criminals. They looked like characters out of a Hollywood movie. They weren’t intelligence operatives and for me this points to Russia’s Federal Security Service rather than Russian military intelligence,” he says.

Iran's Foreign Minister Boosts Ties During Ankara Visit

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) for a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Ankara on Aug. 12, 2016.

ISTANBUL —  The foreign ministers of Turkey an Iran agreed Friday to boost trade relations and pledged greater cooperation on resolving the Syria crisis despite their differences on the issue.
At a joint news conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed his country's support to Turkey over last month's failed coup attempt by officers within the military that left more than 270 people dead.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was quick to heap praise and thanks on his Iranian counterpart. Cavusolgu stressed how important Zarif’s support was during last month’s failed military takeover.
“During the coup night I did not sleep until morning nor did my friend Javad Zarif. He was the foreign minister I talked to most, calling me five times during the night," Cavusoglu said.

US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whose followers Turkey blames for a failed coup, is shown in still image taken from video, as he speaks to journalists at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, July 16, 2016.

Lack of Western solidarity
Turkey has complained of a lack of solidarity from Western allies who have raised concerns over Turkey's massive crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement led by U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Ankara accuses Gulen of orchestrating the coup.

In addition to the slow response in the days after the failed coup, Ankara is infuriated by growing criticism by both Europe and Washington over its ongoing crackdown against alleged coup plotters. Over 35,000 people have been detained since the coup attempt, of which nearly 18,000 have been arrested.
Tehran’s support of Ankara is predicted to have positive consequences.
“It's very important for us,” declared Ayse Sozen Usluer, chief international adviser for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Whoever gave support to democracy in Turkey and democratic regime in Turkey is very important for us and we will always remember that.” During his Ankara visit, Zarif also met with Erdogan.

Political columnist Semih Idiz of Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper predicts that Tehran’s support during the failed coup will facilitate ongoing efforts to improve relations as well as drive Turkey away from its allies.
“Yet even before the coup, we saw a move to these improved relations," he said. "And of course Iran was one the first countries to come and condemn the coup. Of course it tried to change the situation to its own advantage by saying Saudi Arabia and Qatar were not so keen in condemning the coup against Erdogan.”
Turkey's friends, Iran's rivals
Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both rivals of Iran, have in the last few years become among Ankara’s strongest regional allies, a relationship strengthened by their shared support of rebel forces fighting the Syrian regime — a regime strongly backed by Tehran.
But Ayse Sozen Usluer, chief international advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, played down differences over Syria with Tehran.
“We don't have serious problems between Iran and Turkey," said Usluer. "We have various cooperative areas in the region. We only have different foreign policy approaches in the region. That's why from time to time we stand on different sides. But these are not serious problems, [that] will effect Turkish Iranian relations in the region.”
During Zarif’s Friday visit to Ankara, the two countries committed to deepening economic cooperation, particularly in the field of energy. Ankara is striving to become a bridge for Iranian gas to European markets.
“There will be a deepening of relations with Iran no matter what, in economic ties,” predicted International relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. But he warned age old rivalries will remain.
“Iran’s hegemonic aspirations, no matter who runs Turkey, are going to be a thorn in the side of the Turkish government. So as usual we will both compete and cooperate,” he said.
Zarif’s visit follows Erdogan’s visit this week to Moscow, in which both sides agreed to work together more closely in resolving the Syrian civil war and cooperate in fighting Islamic State.

Ukraine-Russia Tensions Flare as Russians Rebuild Military in Crimea

WASHINGTON —  Ukrainian troops are on high alert as tensions rise with Russia. Kyiv has accused Moscow of increasing its troop presence on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia two years ago. Moscow is accusing Kyiv of an incursion into Crimea. Some experts say the timing is ripe for a conflict because the world's attention is elsewhere.
Two years ago in Ukraine's Independence Square, riot police fired on protesters in Maidan. More than 50 were killed at close range. The result was the ouster of Ukraine's Russian-leaning President Victor Yanukovych and Russia's subsequent annexation of Crimea.
Now, the Ukrainian military is on high alert, fearful of another conflict with Russia. Moscow shut off three crossings at the Crimea-Ukraine border last week. Kyiv accuses Russia of massive troop buildups in the Donbas region and along the border shared by the two countries.
Phillip Karber of the Potomac Foundation told VOA's Jela De Franceschi the moves have clear invasion potential.
"They're reorganizing the 20th Army and then they created this new first guard's tank army. Since the end of the Cold War, the Russians haven't had anything tank army. Well, they're back," said Karber.

Crimea

But Russia accuses Ukraine of provocations by planning raids in Crimea. Moscow released video of a suspected saboteur accused of planning to bomb infrastructure in Crimea. President Vladimir Putin said the alleged raids are a terror tactic.
"This attempt to provoke an outbreak of violence, to provoke a conflict, is nothing other than a desire to divert public attention from the country by those who took power in Kyiv, to continue to stay in power and to continue stealing from their own people," said Putin.
Residents in Dzhankoi, a Crimean city near the de-facto border with Ukraine, report all is calm now.
"I have seen police patrols in a couple of places near the market, nothing special. Actually everything is as usual," said local Bekir Mambetov.
Observers say both sides seem to be preparing for "something bigger" -- defense analysts in Moscow like Pavel Felgenhauer say a full-scale battle would take the world by surprise.
“The United States is in the turmoil of a very divided election campaign, President Obama is a lame duck, and most likely will not take any serious action. Europe is also divided by the Brexit, by the refugee crisis, by other things," said Felgenhauer.
Experts say the West needs to provide a united front to help diffuse the tension. One goes so far as to say Western politicians should at least start paying attention.

Russia, Turkey Plan to Coordinate on Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Konstantin palace outside St.Petersburg, Russia, on Aug. 9, 2016.

MOSCOW— Russia and Turkey are taking unprecedented steps to directly coordinate actions in Syria after a rapprochement between their presidents and despite disagreeing over support for Damascus.
The level of cooperation in the five-year civil war was made possible after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reconciled face to face Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
Putin announced that Russia would begin rolling back sanctions and restart important energy projects such as a stalled nuclear plant, which would be Turkey's first, and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline from southern Russia to the Black Sea.
Russian officials said trade with Turkey could be fully restored by the end of the year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, hold a news conference in the Konstantin palace outside St. Petersburg, Russia, Aug. 9, 2016.

On the sticking point of Syria, Turkish media reports said a newly formed joint committee would meet for the first time Thursday in Russia. The committee consists of intelligence, military and diplomatic representatives from Russia and Turkey.
The Hurriyet Daily News reports the Turkish and Russian militaries also agreed to set up a direct military line to prevent any future incidents between the two sides in Syrian airspace.
Coordination, cooperation or compromise?
But while military communications are easily established, political analysts are questioning the extent of cooperation between the two sides that is possible in Syria.
Russia’s military is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad’s forces while Turkey is supplying rebel groups battling to remove Assad from power, a stated goal of Ankara and its Western allies.
“I think until now they have no clear decision because it's clear that their interests are colliding in Syria,” said Alexander Golts, a Moscow-based independent military analyst and visiting researcher at Uppsula University in Sweden.
“In fact, Erdogan, Putin, the same day leaders met in St. Petersburg, Russian government sent to Duma (Russian parliament) the agreement which permits Russian armed forces to be in Syria as long as they want. So, it means that Russia will participate (in) this cruel civil war for a long period,” Golts said.
“And, now it's obvious that (the) Russian goal is support of Assad, which is totally unacceptable or was unacceptable for Erdogan," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a news conference following their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, Aug. 9, 2016.

But the change in attitude by Erdogan toward Putin could signal an appetite for compromise on Syria and to demonstrate he has options amid tensions with his Western allies as well as back home in Turkey.
“I think that Erdogan needs Russia more than Putin needs Turkey, and Erdogan has not reached the goals he had in mind when he spoiled the relations with Russia,” said Ishat Saetov, director of the Modern Turkey Studies Center in Moscow. “On one hand, he wanted to be closer to the West, to show that he is on their side.
"On the other hand, he did not expect that the deterioration of political relations with Russia would bring along economic sanctions in such a severe manner as Russia did: loss of more than 4 million tourists made quite a blow on the economy,” Saetov said.
“But the heart of the matter is not actually the economy, but its effect on the voters,” he added. “Much depends on the positions of voters, whose incomes are falling and then his legitimacy is fading."
Coup attempt
Russia supported Erdogan after a July coup attempt, in contrast to U.S. and European concerns about the massive crackdown that followed.
Turkey accuses Fethullah Gulen, a cleric exiled in the U.S., of orchestrating the failed putsch and wants him extradited, which Washington has refused to do without evidence.
Ankara is also upset with the European Union over payments to stem migrants and refugees, mainly from Syria, and granting visa free status to Turks.

FILE - A Free Syrian Army tank fires in Ramousah area, southwest of Aleppo, Syria, Aug. 2, 2016.

“Syria is one of the issues that Erdogan may trade upon,” Saetov said. “I think Erdogan is ready to concede in other issues, including Assad, and perhaps they'll find the right wording.
Despite the warming ties with Russia, Turkish officials maintain that Assad must eventually step down and say relations with Moscow will not take the place of its Western allies.
Turkey and Russian relations plummeted in November when Turkey shot down a Russian bomber jet along its border with Syria, accusing it of violating Turkish airspace. Russia denied crossing the border and called the act a planned provocation by supporters of terrorism.
Moscow retaliated with economic and diplomatic sanctions that lasted until late June when Erdogan apologized for the incident and Putin invited him for direct talks.

Europeans Bemused and Dismayed by Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump applauds during a campaign rally at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016.

PARIS— It’s not often that a major ally calls the next potential United States president “sickening,” but that indeed was how French President Francois Hollande described the “excesses” of Republican candidate Donald Trump just a week ago.
In neighboring Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is striking a more diplomatic note, saying merely she is following the U.S. campaign “with interest.”
But German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls Trump a “hate preacher,” while Italy’s Prime Minister Mateo Renzi has placed his bets squarely on Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
If the presidential campaign is polarizing America, it is also riveting Europe.
Mainstream leaders are following every dramatic and often unscripted Trump turn on issues such as NATO, nuclear weapons and immigration with concern and even fear, analysts say, even as populist parties are cheering his run.

FILE - French President Francois Hollande shakes hands with Paris Mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur, left, after a meeting with religious representatives in Paris, July 27, 2016. Hollande said the excesses of U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump "make you want to retch."

“People are kind of stuck as slightly horrified spectators,” said Ian Bond, director of foreign policy at the London-based Centre for European Reform.  “Hoping that it turns out all right, but not having much influence over the outcome.”
Low confidence in Trump
A June poll by the Washington-based Pew Research Center found just 9 percent of Europeans had confidence in a Trump presidency, compared to 59 percent for Clinton, a known quantity here after her years as secretary of state.
Clinton’s chief handicap among U.S. voters, a popular perception she cannot be trusted, doesn't necessarily resonate in Europe. In France, for example, allegations of scandal have not stopped politicians such as former President Nicolas Sarkozy from eyeing another run for office.
“I don’t think trust is an issue so much in France as it is in the United States,” said Paul Godt, a former political science professor at the American University of Paris.
Europe’s parliamentary system also means voters tend to back parties, he says, rather than individuals.
After years of diplomacy, Clinton holds an advantage when it comes to European leaders.
“Many probably found her to be a reliable, steady interlocutor,” analyst Bond said. “From that perspective, the trust issue is a much bigger hurdle for Trump in terms of future relationships with allies, than it is for Clinton.”
Defense
That is especially the case when it comes to defense.
Trump’s nuclear stance, questioning why nuclear weapons cannot be used and suggesting new countries such as Japan and South Korea should adopt them, has sparked unease in a region haunted by its Cold War past and recent terrorist strikes.

FILE - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, arrives for a news conference in Berlin, July 28, 2016. Merkel has not responded to taunts that she would lose reelection by U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Eastern European countries, in particular, reacted strongly to his suggestion the United States may not defend NATO allies who don’t pay their “fair share," not to mention his praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the benefits of closer U.S.-Russian ties.
Recent remarks by a key Trump ally, former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who described Estonia as a “suburb” of Saint Petersburg, have not helped.
“This really adds to the sense that something horrendous has happened to the Republican Party. This is not the party of Ronald Reagan standing in Berlin and saying, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,' ” analyst Bond said. “It’s not the party of George H.W. Bush dealing with the consequences of the Cold War.”
Trump has also criticized Germany’s refugee policy that saw the country take in nearly 1 million asylum-seekers last year, and predicted Merkel would not win reelection.
The German leader has offered a low-key response, telling reporters she did not want to “wade into the American debate.” But Foreign Minister Steinmeier has been more outspoken, accusing Trump of fear-mongering.
Trump has also ruffled feathers in the Britain, where the British parliament debated whether to ban him from entering the country, and its new foreign minister, Boris Johnson, described him earlier this year as unfit to be president.
Past leaders sparked concern
To be sure, the American business titan is hardly the only U.S. candidate who has sparked European jitters.
Three decades ago, many saw Republican hopeful Ronald Reagan as just another Hollywood star, overlooking his two terms as California’s governor.
Eyeing the presidency in the 1990s, Democrat Bill Clinton was seen as an inexperienced Arkansan with an isolationist bent. Barack Obama, too, had little experience when he ran for the job eight years ago, as a mere junior senator from Illinois.
“Europeans have long considered Americans quite naive when it comes to politics,” Godt said. “So I don’t think that having someone unqualified running for president bothers them very much.”
Even so, Trump stands out, Godt and others say, with his rhetoric about immigration and Muslims resonating with populists on both sides of the Atlantic.

FILE - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrives to deliver his state-of-the-nation speech in Budapest, Hungary, Feb. 28, 2016. Orban has called U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump an "upstanding candidate."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has built border walls to keep out illegal migrants, has described him as an "upstanding candidate.” Far-right politicians in the Netherlands and France also praise him.
"What appeals to Americans is that he is a man free from Wall Street, from markets and from financial lobbies and even from his own party," French National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who is eyeing her own presidential run, told Valeurs Actuels magazine, adding that if she were American, she would vote for Trump.
No wonder, perhaps, that some of the harshest anti-Trump rhetoric is coming from Hollande.
The French president faces reelection next year and is battling abysmal ratings and Le Pen’s sizeable appeal. “His excesses make you want to retch,” Hollande told French reporters of Trump.
“The last thing Hollande wants is Trump’s anti-Muslim views to become respectable, because they rather parallel the sorts of things the National Front has to say,” analyst Bond said. “The language may not be the same, but the appeal is.”

Trump, Clinton Trade Barbs Over Dueling Controversies

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign during a campaign rally at the BB&T Center, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump attacked each other Wednesday over dueling controversies dogging both candidates  -- new Trump comments on gun control that even have shaken up some supporters, and the old Clinton email controversy that her backers wish would go away already.
A conservative group called Judicial Watch released a new batch of emails sent and received when she was secretary of state. The messages were between Clinton aides at the State Department and the Clinton Foundation, a charity she started with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Conservatives allege the emails prove contributors to the foundation had special access to the State Department -- something the Clinton campaign has always denied.
Speaking to an audience of coal miners in the eastern state of Virginia, Trump called the latest Clinton emails "pay for play," meaning you could buy influence with the world's leading diplomat.
"It's really really bad" and illegal, Trump said, before ripping into the media, whom he accused of failing to report the facts.

At the same time Trump spoke to the miners, Clinton was talking to supporters in Iowa. She excoriated Trump for comments Tuesday that critics say was a call to gun rights supporters to assassinate Clinton and Supreme Court judges who want more gun control.

Clinton said Trump's comments "crossed the line."
"Words matter, my friends. And if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences."

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally at Lincoln High School in Des Moines, Iowa, Aug. 10, 2016.

She tweeted that she is "humbled and moved" by the Republicans who are willing to stand up and say that Donald Trump does not represent their values.
The U.S. Secret Service, which is in charge of protecting the president and major candidates, says it is aware of Trump's comments. It is unclear what action it has taken, if any.
Trump denies any intent of violence behind his remarks. He said he clearly meant that those who want to protect the constitutional right to own a gun must unite and vote against Clinton.
As miners waved signs reading "Trump Digs Coal,", Trump promised to revive the waning U.S. coal industry and put miners back to work. He said mines are an important energy source that has been destroyed by government regulations against pollution from burning coal.

Clinton in Iowa highlighted what she said is the importance of clean renewable energy. She said such technology as solar and wind will create thousands of jobs and turn the U.S. into a 21st century "clean energy superpower."