Trump suggests he can mediate between Israel and Turkey on Syria

US President Donald Trump on Monday touted himself as a mediator between Israel and Turkey in their struggle over politically fragile Syria, where both countries are jostling for influence.

Trump, speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, said negotiations could be helped by his “great relations” with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom he said he likes very much and called “very smart.”

Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition in Syria that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after almost 14 years of civil war.

Trump appeared to acknowledge Turkey’s dominance in Syria, saying he told Erdogan he had “taken it over through surrogates.”

“I said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve done what nobody’s been able to do in 2,000 years. You’ve taken over Syria.’ With different names, but same thing,” Trump said.

“I told the [Israeli] prime minister, I said, ‘Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey, I really think I’m going to be able to work it out,'” Trump told reporters, using Netanyahu’s nickname.