“Who will guarantee us, if we militarily intervene, that Arab countries will be defending and supporting this?” Davutoğlu asked, in response to an apparent veiled criticism of Turkey and the global coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the form of question over who would stop Russia’s air bombardments in Syria.
The Turkish prime minister provided the example of Bashiqa, a camp in northern Iraq which recently became a source of tension between Ankara and Baghdad when the Iraqi government asked Turkey to withdraw some 150 troops it had deployed in the region late last year in order to train an Iraqi militia to fight ISIL.
“We sent military trainers and some troops to defend them in order to liberate Mosul. We sent them to Bashiqa and the Arab League has condemned Turkey,” Davutoğlu said, referring to an Arab League decision to condemn Turkey’s deployment of troops as an “assault” on Iraqi sovereignty on Dec. 24, 2015.
“Now, all those who are asking us questions, they have to look at themselves,” he added. “Which Arab country did more? And why, when Turkey went to Mosul, to liberate Mosul, to help Mosul, did the Arab League condemn Turkey and ask [Turkey] to withdraw?”
Turkey will not support ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Syria
Davutoğlu also responded to a question on Turkey closing its border to Syrian refugees, refuting the claim that the closure was a result of Turkey’s agreement with the European Union.
Arguing that Russian bombardments in Aleppo and Azaz amounted to “ethnic cleansing,” the prime minister said Turkey would not assist Russia’s alleged strategy of driving all anti-regime forces, especially Sunnis, out of Syria.
“We don’t want to hurt them [Syrian refugees]; we will keep them in Syrian territories and help them there, but if there is a danger [to their] lives, we will never close the border,” he said.
“We know very well the aim of this tactic is to create a refugee crisis in Turkey and in the EU,” Davutoğlu said, adding Europe and Turkey now shared a common position on the necessity to create a safe-zone for Syrian refugees to stay inside Syria.
Ceasefire in Syria a ‘litmus test’
When asked about the recent ceasefire announced by the United States and Russia, Davutoğlu suggested the success of the talks depended on the seriousness of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies. The prime minister warned that continued air bombardments against Aleppo or Azaz would work as a “litmus test” to determine whether the Syrian regime wanted the negotiations to succeed.
“Syria and its allies are responsible for not having a result in the last round of talks,” he said, adding the talks would fail if the al-Assad regime and its allies continued “talking on one side to gain time and attacking civilians and Syrian people on the other side.”
[hurriyetdailynews.com]
24/2/16
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Opposition: PM confessed to Turkish gov’t intervention in Syria...
ReplyDeleteThe opposition parties of Turkey have argued that a recent statement by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was an acknowledgement of his government’s interference in the domestic affairs of Syria, thus a violation of international law.
“Despite the backing of Russian airstrikes, Syrian regime forces still couldn’t capture either Idlib or Aleppo,” Davutoğlu said in an interview with international Al Jazeera channel.
“How have they defended themselves if there was no Turkish support?” he was quoted as asking in the interview by the state-run Anadolu Agency on Feb. 23. “If there is a truly moderate Syrian opposition today, this is thanks to Turkey. If the regime is today not able to control all territories of the country, it is thanks to support from Turkey and other countries,” Davutoğlu said.
The statement by the prime minister clearly showed Turkey’s “intervention in domestic affairs of Syria,” Rıza Türmen, a deputy of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said, recalling the U.N. Charter’s established principle of non-intervention.
“This expression is very wrong in regards to international law. States have the right to sovereignty in their own countries. If another state uses this sovereignty, then this would mean intervening in internal affairs. Such intervention is against the United Nations charter,” Türmen, who was previously a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), said. “Jurisdiction on this issue belongs to the International Criminal Court [ICC], but for the court to use its authority, both of the sides need to recognize this authority,” he said......hurriyetdailynews.com
25/2/16