SOHR exclusive | Turkey derides Arab League and international community and underestimates their decisions, and Arab League’s stances has been always placatory,” say politicians
Since the beginning of the Syrian Revolution, the Arab Ministerial Committee meetings on Turkish intervention in the internal affairs of Arab countries had been satisfied with statements and press releases, condemning this intervention. The “timid” condemnation by the Arab League is met by military escalation by Turkey which tries every possible way to entrench its presence in Arab counties, such as increasing its military posts and bases in Iraq to 27 and the ongoing threats of a new incursion into north Syria region.
In an exclusive interview with SOHR, the general coordinator of the Kurdish Reform Movement in Syria, Faisal Yusuf says, “the Arab League’s decisions are taken in placatory way. Recently, the Arab League seeks to maintain the minimum level of participants of its members, at least in theory, without stirring up any practical details which may enlarge the gab and fuel disagreements among its members regarding several causes. In addition, the Arab League have no authorities entrusted to implementing its decisions or practical projects designed to change the current situations. Accordingly, the decision taken by the Quadripartite Commission regarding the Turkish intervention in the affairs of some Arab countries cannot leave tangible effect, especially since the Arab regimes have strong ties with Turkey. At the same time, most of the member states of the Arab League are struggling with interior crises, and they need workable reform and solutions empowering their peoples and solve the issues which the group handle in democratic techniques, so that it can be a decision maker obligating others to respect its sovereignty. In the current phase, it seems that the regional powers: Turkey, Iran and Israel, which have already enjoy large capabilities, will not stop their intervention in the affairs of other countries, as along the neighbouring states suffer from division and wars at a time when their regimes have chosen to use security solutions to deal with the demands of their peoples. Regarding the situation in Syria, decisions are hostage to international consensus which only put major powers’ interests into considerations.
On the other hand, the Syrian regime opponent, “Samir Nashar” has told SOHR, “the statement by the Arab Ministerial Committee regarding Turkish and Iranian intervention in the internal affairs of Arab countries was not the first of its kind. The problem which Arab states suffer from is the absence of a unified Arab stance relying on a deterrent Arab authority countering such intervention.”
Nashar has noted out that Turkey and Iran would not have interfered in the affairs of the Arab World, unless they had been aware of the fragile stances of Arab states and their contrast positions. He adds, “through the current bilateral dialogues, Turkey may make concessions in Libya, but not in Syria which has become Turkey’s most major and important bargaining chip for dominating decision making, especially since Turkey imposes its guardianship over the opposition’s official institutions.
The member of the General Council of Democratic Union Party (PYD), Mohamed Amin Aliko has stated that the presence of Turkish forces in Syria, Iraq and Libya, their direct intervention in the affairs of neighbouring countries, the change of the demography of some areas which they have occupied, particularly in the occupied city of Afrin, Tel Abyad and Ras Al-Ain, and the ongoing blatant violations of the sovereignty of some countries, all refer to Turkey’s underestimation of the Arab League and international community.
Aliko says, “the international community has ratified laws and rules to be respected during the time of war, and it classified the internationally banned weapons. However, Turkey deliberately and publicly violates all of these laws, traditions, international standards and human rights conventions, disregarding all statements related to these violations, the latest of which was the statement by the Arab Ministerial Committee on Turkish intervention in the internal affairs of Arab countries. It seems that the fascist Justice and Development Party pays no attention to the efforts exerted by everybody calling for peace, democracy and coexistence among the peoples of the region, and it does not respect any statements or decisions. The Turkish government’s policy is based on the ‘glory of the Ottoman empire in the Middle East,’ especially in the Arab countries. This policy adopts terrorist methods to create havoc in societies. Erdogan has made advantage of the Palestinian cause and used religion to gain support serving his blackmailing and expansion project in the region.”