Unacceptable Trump/Erdogan Syria Security Zone Scheme
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Discussed in a previous article, Trump and Erdogan agreed on an illegal scheme to establish a 20-mile-deep, 286-mile-long so-called security zone along the length of Turkey’s northern border with Syria.
Erdogan wants Turkish forces controlling it - part of his aim to unlawfully occupy, control, and annex Syrian territory, as much as he can get away with grabbing, especially oil-rich areas.
He and Trump regime hardliners pretend to be combatting jihadists in Syria they support, supplying them with weapons and munitions, letting them freely move back and forth across the Turkish/Syrian border - safe haven granted them on the Turkish side.
Syrian Kurds reject the scheme, one of its political leaders, Aldar Khalil, saying UN peacekeepers are acceptable in Syrian territory bordering Turkey, not Erdogan’s troops - “infring(ing) on the sovereignty of Syria and the sovereignty of our autonomous region,” adding:
“…Trump wants to implement these safe regions through cooperation with Turkey. But any role for Turkey will upset the balance and the region will not be safe.”
"On the contrary, Turkey is a party (to endless war in Syria) and…cannot guarantee security.”
Damascus denounced the scheme, its Foreign Ministry saying “statements made today by the Turkish president reaffirms that this regime...does not deal (with anyone) except in the language of occupation and aggression.”
Erdogan earlier ordered naked aggression in northern Syria - in 2016 (Euphrates Shield) and Olive Branch last year, both campaigns against Kurdish YPG forces posing no threat to Turkish security, more aggression to be launched when he orders it, Turkish forces mobilized along the Syrian border to attack.
Russia earlier called for Syrian forces alone to control its territory throughout the country. No foreign forces are acceptable unless invited by Damascus
Next week, Putin and Erdogan will discuss Syria in Moscow, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Iran to be involved in the meeting.
Putin will have to be a lot tougher with Erdogan than just saying Syrian forces alone should patrol northern and other areas of the country. He should condemn the notion of a phony (illegal) safe zone at a time Turkey’s only enemies are invented ones.
Neither Kurdish YPG fighters or any others threaten its security and sovereignty. No foreign power has the legal right to meddle in the internal affairs of other countries for any reasons except self-defense if attacked - clearly not the issue in northern Syria or regarding jihadists in the country the US and Turkey support.
On Wednesday, Sergey Lavrov said only Syrian forces should patrol the country’s territory. He didn’t go far enough. His statement lacked vitally needed toughness. It fell on deaf ears in Washington, Brussels and Ankara.
Lavrov was way overly-optimistic in claiming meaningful progress has been made toward conflict resolution. He knows full well as long as the US wants endless war and regime change, its objective in all its war theaters, along with waging endless wars, what America’s military, industrial, security, media complex demand, resolving them diplomatically remains unattainable.
Separately, Russia again warned of an impending CW attack in Idlib province and elsewhere in Syria. According to an Interfax news agency report, (US-supported) terrorists are preparing to launch synchronized CW attacks in Idlib’s Maaret al-Numan area, Lattakia, Aleppo, and Hama provinces - using shells and mines containing deadly toxins, along with firing them from drones.
The report said what’s planned is being aided by foreign intelligence agents, perhaps a combination of Western, Israeli, Turkish and Arab ones - Syria again to be wrongfully blamed for what it had nothing to do with, not any time throughout the war.
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