Turkey's Role in Syria Crackdown
source: http://rencadesign.com/wp/2011/11/turkeys-role-in-syria-crackdown/
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by Adam Leach , RD Magazine
http://rencadesign.com/wp/2011/11/turkeys-role-in-syria-crackdown/
Most of the articles on this subject start with the phrase “ Once one of Syria’s closest allies, Turkey…”. This hypothesis does not actually reflect the truth. Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, Syria and Turkey has never been close allies.
Syria, along with other Arabian tribes, has been one of the subjects of the Turks for centuries. The Arab Revolt of 1916 and later annexation of Hatay to Turkey in 1939 as its 63rd province are the most important cornerstones of the Turkish-Syrian dispute. In the year 2005, Syrian government has announced that it has no claims to sovereignty concerning Hatay any more. Until then, Syrian maps were showing Hatay within its borders. Hatay province of Turkey has a mixed population, consisting of Turks, Arabs and Christians. Arabic language is still commonly spoken in Hatay.
Water disputes have also been a major source of conflict, as Turkey has constructed several dams on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project to develop the region. Syria, however, claims that the dams on the rivers have been constructed to have a control over Syria in terms of the amount of water sent from the Turkish side.
Two countries came to the brink of a war, when Turkey threatened military action if Syria continued to shelter Abdullah Öcalan in Damascus, his long-time safe haven. Syria had been supporting, training and providing weapons for PKK, a terrorist organization recognized internationally by the US, EU and NATO, until Turkey massed its troops on the Syrian border for a possible invasion. Syria had no choice to stop supporting PKK and expell Öcalan, which was followed by his capture in Kenya by the Turkish special forces and brought back to Turkey for prosecution.
One might argue that Turkey and Syria has signed many agreements since the Adana agreement in 1999, in order to increase the cooperation between two countries in many areas. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made some close relations with the Syrian President Assad, invited him and his family for vacation in Turkey and in many occasions called Assad as his close friend.
Nowadays, Erdogan has made his disapproval with Assad very clear with his speeches and it seems to be getting tougher each day. He told the audiance in one of his meetings : “I can not continue being friends with someone who is killing his own people”. This sentence itself is a very important sign about what Erdogan thinks of Assad.
Since Syrian government has started its crackdown against the opposition, nearly 20,000 Syrian civilians and military deserters have fled Turkey. Now, the refugee camps in Hatay, Turkey hosts around 8,000 Syrians. But the camps are used as a base for the Free Syrian Army, to operate its offensives against the Syrian military. Although Turkish government does not acknowledge the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and refuses the claims that it is supporting their operations, the FSA is launching attacks inside Syria and returning back to their base in Hatay as reported by the world media.
To some, this is the best time to take a revenge, for harbouring PKK for decades. Yes, we might say that Turkey is taking the revenge by doing the same thing, supporting and protecting the Syrian opposition. There is of course, one difference. Syria has was supporting PKK terrorists to destabilize Turkey and kill civilians inside Turkey. However, what Turkey has been doing in return is to take the revenge from the Syrian government by supporting civilians and opposition in order to bring democracy, peace and stability to the Syrian people.
Turkey is not only helping the opposition with opening its borders for the FSA, but also frequently hosting the Syrian National Council (SNC) in Istanbul. SNC consists of 140 members right now, some living abroad and some living in Syria. SNC is hoping to be recognized as the legal government of Syria by the international community. SNC is supported by Turkey, US, EU and the Arab League, but has not been recognized to replace the Assad government yet.
SNC , during their latest meeting in Istanbul, demanded that Turkey should set up a buffer zone until 30 miles inside Syria, in order to create a safe haven for the refugees and FSA. This demand has been declined politely by the Turkish government, but the Turkish PM stated that if things go worse, all options are on the table. He means that a buffer zone inside Syria is not completely ruled out.
So what happens if Turkish Army enters Syria? Given the fact that the majority of the world is against the actions of Assad and condemning Syrian government for killing civilians, international community would be silent if such a thing takes place, even without a UN resolution. We might hear some voices from Russia, China and Iran, but they would probably be speaking for their own public only. The only question remaining here is if the Syrian army would confront the Turks when they enter Syrian soil. We might expect some minor resistance. However, the old memories of the Ottoman Empire are still not forgotten. After a few clashes and some miles of advancement of the Turkish troops, it is not expected to confront a major resistance. The SNC even claims that Syrian people would welcome the Turkish soldiers, waving Turkish flags in their hands.
With the no-fly zone in place and tough economic sanctions, if Assad manages to stay in power for a few months more and does not bring an end to the violence, it remains a very possible scenario to see the Turkish Army in Syria after 90 years of absence.
Read More ... http://rencadesign.com/wp/2011/11/turkeys-role-in-syria-crackdown/
http://rencadesign.com/wp/2011/11/turkeys-role-in-syria-crackdown/
Most of the articles on this subject start with the phrase “ Once one of Syria’s closest allies, Turkey…”. This hypothesis does not actually reflect the truth. Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire after WWI, Syria and Turkey has never been close allies.
Syria, along with other Arabian tribes, has been one of the subjects of the Turks for centuries. The Arab Revolt of 1916 and later annexation of Hatay to Turkey in 1939 as its 63rd province are the most important cornerstones of the Turkish-Syrian dispute. In the year 2005, Syrian government has announced that it has no claims to sovereignty concerning Hatay any more. Until then, Syrian maps were showing Hatay within its borders. Hatay province of Turkey has a mixed population, consisting of Turks, Arabs and Christians. Arabic language is still commonly spoken in Hatay.
Water disputes have also been a major source of conflict, as Turkey has constructed several dams on the Euphrates and Tigris rivers as part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project to develop the region. Syria, however, claims that the dams on the rivers have been constructed to have a control over Syria in terms of the amount of water sent from the Turkish side.
Two countries came to the brink of a war, when Turkey threatened military action if Syria continued to shelter Abdullah Öcalan in Damascus, his long-time safe haven. Syria had been supporting, training and providing weapons for PKK, a terrorist organization recognized internationally by the US, EU and NATO, until Turkey massed its troops on the Syrian border for a possible invasion. Syria had no choice to stop supporting PKK and expell Öcalan, which was followed by his capture in Kenya by the Turkish special forces and brought back to Turkey for prosecution.
One might argue that Turkey and Syria has signed many agreements since the Adana agreement in 1999, in order to increase the cooperation between two countries in many areas. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made some close relations with the Syrian President Assad, invited him and his family for vacation in Turkey and in many occasions called Assad as his close friend.
Nowadays, Erdogan has made his disapproval with Assad very clear with his speeches and it seems to be getting tougher each day. He told the audiance in one of his meetings : “I can not continue being friends with someone who is killing his own people”. This sentence itself is a very important sign about what Erdogan thinks of Assad.
Since Syrian government has started its crackdown against the opposition, nearly 20,000 Syrian civilians and military deserters have fled Turkey. Now, the refugee camps in Hatay, Turkey hosts around 8,000 Syrians. But the camps are used as a base for the Free Syrian Army, to operate its offensives against the Syrian military. Although Turkish government does not acknowledge the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and refuses the claims that it is supporting their operations, the FSA is launching attacks inside Syria and returning back to their base in Hatay as reported by the world media.
To some, this is the best time to take a revenge, for harbouring PKK for decades. Yes, we might say that Turkey is taking the revenge by doing the same thing, supporting and protecting the Syrian opposition. There is of course, one difference. Syria has was supporting PKK terrorists to destabilize Turkey and kill civilians inside Turkey. However, what Turkey has been doing in return is to take the revenge from the Syrian government by supporting civilians and opposition in order to bring democracy, peace and stability to the Syrian people.
Turkey is not only helping the opposition with opening its borders for the FSA, but also frequently hosting the Syrian National Council (SNC) in Istanbul. SNC consists of 140 members right now, some living abroad and some living in Syria. SNC is hoping to be recognized as the legal government of Syria by the international community. SNC is supported by Turkey, US, EU and the Arab League, but has not been recognized to replace the Assad government yet.
SNC , during their latest meeting in Istanbul, demanded that Turkey should set up a buffer zone until 30 miles inside Syria, in order to create a safe haven for the refugees and FSA. This demand has been declined politely by the Turkish government, but the Turkish PM stated that if things go worse, all options are on the table. He means that a buffer zone inside Syria is not completely ruled out.
So what happens if Turkish Army enters Syria? Given the fact that the majority of the world is against the actions of Assad and condemning Syrian government for killing civilians, international community would be silent if such a thing takes place, even without a UN resolution. We might hear some voices from Russia, China and Iran, but they would probably be speaking for their own public only. The only question remaining here is if the Syrian army would confront the Turks when they enter Syrian soil. We might expect some minor resistance. However, the old memories of the Ottoman Empire are still not forgotten. After a few clashes and some miles of advancement of the Turkish troops, it is not expected to confront a major resistance. The SNC even claims that Syrian people would welcome the Turkish soldiers, waving Turkish flags in their hands.
With the no-fly zone in place and tough economic sanctions, if Assad manages to stay in power for a few months more and does not bring an end to the violence, it remains a very possible scenario to see the Turkish Army in Syria after 90 years of absence.
Read More ... http://rencadesign.com/wp/2011/11/turkeys-role-in-syria-crackdown/
