A severe US-Turkish dispute and new hopes of imposing sanctions on Ankara

A US spokesman did not confirm or deny details of Pompeo's participation in the videoconference, but several sources familiar with the matter described the exchange as heated.

Turkey has faced criticism for its position in a territorial maritime conflict with fellow NATO member Greece and its support for Azerbaijan in the recently revived conflict with Armenia over a disputed enclave in Karabakh.

European warships are also trying to impose an arms embargo on war-torn Libya, where Turkey supports the Tripoli government.

Some NATO members and the European Union - with the exception of France - were wary of criticizing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, for fear of escalating the crises.

Senior participants told AFP that Pompeo accused Turkey of being a game in the hands of NATO rival Moscow by purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system, despite opposition from allies.

Pompeo urged Ankara to act more as an ally, accusing it of frustrating efforts to build consensus on vital reforms, according to those who participated.

"His intervention was very short, but it was very clear," a senior official told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

The State Department's official reading of the meeting did not mention Turkey, but Pompeo has criticized Ankara in recent weeks.

The chief diplomat in Washington was in Paris last month, telling the daily Le Figaro that he had spoken with President Emmanuel Macron, and agreed that Turkey's recent actions were "extremely aggressive."

Germany is leading the process of diplomatic contact with Turkey to try to resolve some of the concerns of European capitals. NATO has created an "avoidance of conflict mechanism" to prevent accidental clashes with Greek forces, but some EU members are also pushing for economic sanctions.

Macron clashed with Erdogan at a NATO summit in London in December, but Trump defended the Turkish leader at the time.

In this week's talks, the US secretary was the least protective of Turkey, and France and Luxembourg joined Pompeo in launching the attack.

European Union members will decide at a December 10 summit whether to begin the process of applying sanctions against Turkey for violating Greek waters to search for gas or violating the UN arms embargo on Libya.

"Ankara no longer has much support in the European Union, as the Turks have not adopted any positive behavior since the dual strategy was adopted in October," an EU official told AFP.

But sources told France Press that Angela Merkel may be the last person standing against the sanctions when the next European Union meets on this issue.

T/S

ANHA