Turkish Forum

Category: Syria

  • US training Syrian rebels in Turkey

    US training Syrian rebels in Turkey

    Press TV – December 9, 2011

    A former employee with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has said that American and NATO forces are training Syrian rebels in southeastern Turkish city of Hakkari.

    Sibel Edmonds also said that she had received information from Turkish and US sources indicating that training Syrian opposition forces, led by defected Syrian colonel Riad al-Assad, had started in May, the Turkish daily Milliyet reported.

    Edmonds further added that the US is involved in smuggling arms into Syria from Incirlik military base in Turkey in addition to providing financial support for Syrian rebels.

    Syria has been experiencing a deadly unrest ever since mid-March, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

    Confessions by a number of Syrian rebels about foreign-sponsored plans to carry out armed operations and killing ordinary people as well as security forces prove that recent developments in the country are part of an attempt to incite a revolt in the strategic country neighboring the Israeli regime, aiming to overthrow the current government and replace it with a US-backed regime.

    The Western-backed opposition in Syria accuses security forces of a bloody crackdown on protests. But Damascus has dismissed the accusation, arguing that the security forces have been given clear instructions not to harm civilians.

    Damascus blames the violence on foreign-sponsored terrorist groups, with the Syrian state TV broadcasting reports showing seized weapons caches and confessions by terrorists describing how they obtained arms from foreign sources.

    PM/JG/MA

    via ‘US training Syrian rebels in Turkey’.

  • Turkey sets terms for backing Free Syrian Army: Bow to Muslim Brotherhood group

    Turkey sets terms for backing Free Syrian Army: Bow to Muslim Brotherhood group

    Special to WorldTribune.com

    WASHINGTON — Turkey, aligned to the Muslim Brotherhood, has cracked

    down on the rebel army in Syria.

    Opposition sources said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan

    has frozen Free Syrian Army bank accounts in an effort to pressure

    the rebels to recognize the authority of the Brotherhood-aligned Syrian

    National Council.

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan. /Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images

    “The popularity of the Free Syrian Army inside Syria is a sore issue with Erdogan and the MB,” the Reform Party of Syria said. “From a strategic point of view, control of the Free Syrian Army by the MB is an essential component for which it must not fail.”

    The Washington-based opposition movement asserted that Ankara imposed sanctions on FSA on Nov. 30 after the secular rebel army refused to take orders from SNC. FSA, based in Turkey, was said to be entirely dependent on Ankara for safe haven of its fighters as well as training and logistics.

    The sources said FSA attacks on Syrian military installations and

    convoys increased the credibility of the rebel force, particularly with NATO. They said Britain and France were persuaded to cooperate with FSA, which consists of thousands of deserters from the Syrian Army.

    For its part, SNC has been strongly supported by Arab opponents of

    Assad. They were said to include Qatar and Saudi Arabia, deemed primary

    financiers of the revolt in Syria.

    “Tensions are also rising over the little financial aid the FSA is

    getting from Saudi Arabia and Qatar whose aim is to control the organization

    to serve the MB,” RPS, which supports the secular opposition, said.

    In late November, Turkey hosted the first meeting of the leadership of

    FSA and SNC. Following the session in the southwestern town of Hatay, SNC

    said FSA agreed to end all but defensive operations in Syria.

    RPS president Farid Ghadry said SNC contains elements of the Palestinian

    insurgency group Hamas. Ghadry cited Ahmed Ramadan, identified as a leading

    operative and, until May, news director of the Hamas television

    station in Beirut.

    “Ahmed Ramadan today is one of the behind-the-scene operatives of the

    SNC providing capital, logistics and advice,” RPS said. “That’s a known and

    public fact to many Syrians, including two RPS supporters who attended the

    first meeting.”

    RPS said Turkey has directed French military aid to Islamic fighters who

    posed as defectors from FSA. RPS said Erdogan sought to recruit Western

    support for the Brotherhood, targeted as a future proxy for Turkey in Syria.

    “The MB military wing would become Turkey’s proxy against the Kurds,”

    RPS said.

    via Turkey sets terms for backing Free Syrian Army: Bow to Muslim Brotherhood group | World Tribune.

  • Syrians in Turkey eye uncertain future

    Syrians in Turkey eye uncertain future

    By Justin Vela

    The Daily Star

    ISTANBUL: Normally, Issa does not like big cities such as Istanbul. But conditions are anything but normal in his native Syria, where Bashar Assad’s forces continue a brutal nine-month crackdown on opposition that has left over 4,000 people dead, according to the latest United Nations estimates.

    Issa – who did not wish to give his full name for fear of reprisals against himself or his family – arrived in Istanbul in August having fled Syria after attending three opposition demonstrations in Damascus and transporting an injured protester to safety after he was hit by a tear gas canister.

    Issa, who had previously worked as an Arabic teacher for foreigners in Damascus said there was no longer any work in Syria with the exodus of foreign language students.

    After searching for employment in Turkey’s vast unofficial economy, he eventually began to build up a pool of students to teach Arabic and rented a room in Istanbul.

    “There are many, many Syrians here, moving around [in Istanbul], he said. “Some leave because they can’t find jobs here, and don’t speak Turkish,” Issa added.

    For Syrians such as Issa, Istanbul is merely an escape.

    For others, the city has become a staging ground to shape Syria’s future with various Syrian opposition groups using the city as a base to coordinate activities inside Syria.

    Most Syrians contacted for this article declined interview requests, citing security concerns.

    Many were in Istanbul without government permission and did want their activities described.

    But three Syrian men described their frustration following the news of violence in Syria and concern for their families there.

    “We don’t really feel like we are outside because all our families are inside [Syria],” said Bekes-who had lived in Istanbul for six years.

    Yilmaz Saeed, one of the few Kurdish members of the Syrian National Council, an umbrella civilian opposition organization based in Paris, said he is concerned about the lack of discussion over the future of minorities in a post-Assad Syria.

    “The future of Syria does not guarantee the [rights of] minorities,” he said, describing how he was trying to advance the Kurdish voice in the SNC.

    “We could come back to the same point, it could be the same.”

    Another Kurd, a businessman named Bahzad, added that while Syrians were “everywhere” in Istanbul, Syrian Kurds faced more difficulties than Arabs.

    “The Turkish government really has a problem with Kurds,” according to Bahzad.

    Only Saeed said he planned to return. “Most of Syria is still quiet. When is Damascus and Aleppo going to join?” he asked.

    “The Kurds joined on the first day, the Kurds actually started protesting in 2004. The Syrian revolution started in 2004. The others did not join [then], it was only the Kurds.”

    The influx has some worried that the unrest next door is spilling over the border.

    “Damascus is already in Istanbul,” wrote Kerim Balci, a columnist at the Turkey’s daily Today’s Zaman, following a Nov. 30 shooting inside the Topkapi Palace – a popular Istanbul tourist destination – by a Libyan gunman allegedly driving a car with Syrian license plates on the same day that Ankara announced that was slapping sanctions on Damascus.

    “Turkey is in the Middle East … The artificiality of the political borders in this region holds, not only for the political authorities, but also for social and economic problems. A prolonged social unrest in Syria will certainly have repercussions for Turkey,” Balci added.

    While he felt generally accepted by the Turks, Issa claimed that most had little understanding of the events taking place in Syria.

    “The Turks do not seem to have a very good idea what’s going on,” he said. “They are always just asking about [Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. They give me the thumbs and say, ‘Erdogan or Assad?’”

    Still, Istanbul is a fresh start for him. He has begun sending some money back to his family who does not support the regime, but are too scared to join demonstrations. They stay inside their house, he said.

    His father no longer has work and their savings are running out.

    But now he faces a new challenge: His passport will soon expire and other Syrians have warned him against going to the Syrian Consulate to have it renewed.

    “They will keep an eye on me [if I go there],” he said. “What I am doing … and if I am against the regime, they will do something against my family. That’s not just in Istanbul, it’s all of Europe.”

    A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on December 08, 2011, on page 8.

    via THE DAILY STAR :: News :: Middle East :: Syrians in Turkey eye uncertain future.

  • Turkey: Dialing Back Efforts to Oust Syria’s Assad

    Turkey: Dialing Back Efforts to Oust Syria’s Assad

    December 7, 2011
    Threats from Kurdish terrorists, concern that the Arab Spring uprising could spill into Turkey, and continued support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by Russia and China have caused the Turkish government to quietly back away from its vocal support for anti-government protesters in Syria. Turkey’s reversal could be a serious setback for the Syrian uprising and may presage similar reassessments by other states.
    syria turkey AP090722012615

    2009 photo of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and Syrian President Assad meeting in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/SANA
    Turkey has largely led the effort to support the Syrian opposition to oust Assad, who has led the country since 2000.Turkey’s opposition to Assad’s brutal crackdown appeared to grow stronger on November 22 when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on Assad to step down and compared him to Muammar Qadaffi.Ankara has worked closely with the Muslim Brotherhood to support the Syrian opposition, aligning its aims against Syria with its broader regional goal of supporting Islamist trends sweeping through several Arab nations. In the last two weeks, however, Turkish media affiliated with the ruling Turkish AK Party have begun expressing reservations over focusing so narrowly on Assad’s ouster.The Turkish government itself has also shown signs of moderating its stance against Assad, although it continues to take action to isolate Syria, such a recent decision to suspend a Turkey-Syria free-trade agreement.
  • Syria claims Turkey aiding ‘terrorist’ infiltrators

    Syria claims Turkey aiding ‘terrorist’ infiltrators

    Official Syrian media claims Turkish military aided wounded “armed terrorists” beaten back at border by Syrian forces.

    milBEIRUT – Syrian border guards blocked an infiltration attempt from Turkey by about 35 “armed terrorists”, the official Syrian news agency SANA said on Tuesday, as Syria forces battle a growing threat from army defectors and rebel fighters.

    SANA said some of those who came over the border were wounded and escaped back to Turkey where they received aid from the Turkish army. The wounded were transported in Turkish military vehicles, SANA said.

    Relations between Syria and Turkey have disintegrated since the government of President Bashar al-Assad began using force to suppress a popular revolt.

    Turkey has said a buffer zone may be required on its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria if the violence causes a mass exodus of Syrians fleeing the cities.

    A rebel Free Syrian Army of defectors and Assad opponents is believed to be smuggling fighters and weapons into Syria from Turkey to launch attacks on Assad’s forces.

    “The border guards forces suffered no injuries or losses. They warned they would stop anyone who even thinks of touching Syria’s security or its citizens,” SANA said.

    The agency earlier reported the funerals of seven army and police members killed in fighting with armed rebels. Syria says the latter are “terrorists” organized and financed from abroad.

    Clashes erupted on Tuesday between army defectors and security forces in the town of Dael in southern Deraa province, the activist Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

    “There were raids and arrests … and random gunfire and stun grenades exploding to terrify the people,” it said. All phone lines and mobile phone connections were cut off.

    Diplomatic efforts to stop violence stalled

    What began nearly nine months ago as a peaceful protest against Assad, inspired by the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt, has slid closer to civil war as armed opposition groups organize and protect city districts.

    The United States, the European Union, Turkey and Jordan have called on Assad to step down in order to bring the violence to an end and permit democratic elections for a new government in Syria, where the Assad family has ruled for 40 years.

    At least 4,000 people have been killed in the unrest, according to the United Nations. About a quarter of them were from the security forces, according to activists.

    Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis have stalled and Syria is now the target of international economic sanctions and a travel ban on VIPs close to the regime.

    Syria has said it may sign up to a peace plan by the 22-state Arab League which calls for forces to be withdrawn to barracks and Arab observers allowed into the country.

    But it says, as a precondition, the Arab League would have to revoke economic sanctions it imposed earlier this month and unblock Syria’s frozen membership of the League.

    Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby suggested on Tuesday holding an urgent meeting at ministerial level to evaluate Syria’s position. No date was proposed.

    US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was due to meet members of the opposition movement for talks later on Tuesday in Geneva, her second meeting with Assad’s opponents since the unrest began in March.

    She will meet Syrian National Council leader Burhan Ghalioun, who has said the a post-Assad Syria would align itself with the Arab League and the Gulf, and end its special relationship with Iran and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah.

    via Syria claims Turkey aiding ‘terrorist’ inf… JPost – Middle East.

  • How is Turkey to deal with troubled neighbour Syria?

    “Are Middle East radicals targeting Turkey?”

    Just for a moment, Wednesday’s attack against the Ottoman Empire’s 400 hundred year old seat of power, the Topkapi Palace, brought this question to the minds of many Turks. A Libyan gunman opened fire after declaring “I am Syria.” At the same moment that police were trying to stop him, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was announcing Turkey’s new sanctions against the Syrian government.

    Nine new areas of sanctions made a clear distinction between the Assad regime in Damascus and the civilian population of Syria. Syrian assets in Turkey have been frozen, while travel restrictions to the members of the ruling regime and an arms embargo have been introduced. The question on many lips now is: will Turkey go one step further and launch a military operation against Syria?

    Professor Mesut Hakkı Caşın from the Yeditepe University in Istanbul believes that the international conjuncture is not convenient for such an action. He says: “Turkey seems to be cooperating with the Arab League for sanctions. But Turkey did not cut the flow of water, food and electricity; Turkey learnt lessons from Iraq and Libya. And now Turkey is pursuing a wait-and-see policy. Russia is an important factor in this equation: if NATO, the UN and other international organisations decide to intervene, then Turkey will use its weight. The most important point for Turkey is preventing the establishment of a de-facto Kurdish entity in Syria. The Turkish Foreign Ministry and General Staff is very careful on this. In the past we supported Kurdish pashmarga in Iraq, but the gun turned on us. We must be very cautious. Turkey is not after anyone’s territory.”

    Chairman of the Center for Strategic Communication and former AK Party MP Suat Kınıklıoğlu is also cautious on the subject. He told Euronews that “Turkey’s priority is a regime change in Syria by internal dynamics. If this does not happen Turkey has responsibilities as a neighbour. Turkey will do its part according to international norms and decisions, and will stay within the limits of international legitimacy.”

    Former Turkish Ambassador Volkan Vural is more critical to Turkey’s Middle East policy. He warns officials not to get involved in Arab matters more than is necessary. “Turkey is not an Arab nation. If there is going to be an intervention against Syria, let Arabs do it. Turkey does not have to join in any military action against Syria. If we do it it will be perceived as ‘Turkey intervening Arab matters’ and it will have negative consequences in the long run.”

    According to many experts, the best option for Turkey is to wait and see, support the internal dynamics against the current regime and remain part of international negotiations on the subject. However Turkey cannot join a European Union meeting despite the invitation from UK, France and Germany. Greek Cypriots blocked Davutoglu’s participation in the EU foreign ministers meeting on Syria. “This is shame on Europe,” said Mr. Kiniklioglu, “I don’t know if we should still name Europe as a ‘Union’. It is Europe’s loss, we could contribute to this meeting and make it more meaningful.”

    Copyright © 2011 euronews

    via How is Turkey to deal with troubled neighbour Syria? | euronews, world news.