The Syrian government’s savagery has ruptured the friendship the Assad regime has enjoyed with Turkey since Prime Minister Erdogan came to power. There is now a refugee crisis on the border, and the Turkish military may be deployed to create a buffer zone to protect the Syrians that President Assad is trying to starve and abuse into submission.
On Sunday, Turkey delivered the first shipment of humanitarian aid to the refugees on the Syrian side of the border. The Turks are taking care of at least 10,000 refugees on its own territory, though the Turkish Red Crescent puts the number as high as 30,000. The assistance comes at a time of immense need. The army has made Jisr al-Shoughour a ghost town, and is now laying siege to the border town of Bdama. The 4th Division commanded by Assad’s brother, Maher, is burning down forests, stores and the bakery that is the single source of bread for the refugees. The cutting off of food, medicine and vital supplies to the refugees makes it more likely that Turkey will take drastic measures to contain the humanitarian crisis.
“If chaos starts, then we will have to form a security zone or buffer zone inside Syrian territory,” one Turkish official said. Prime Minister Erdogan has accused the Syrian regime of carrying out an “atrocity.” His government is urging that Assad carry out “shock” reforms and oversee a period of transition, echoing the words of President Obama in his speech about the Arab Spring. There are reports that Turkey will privately demand the sacking of Maher al-Assad as the commander of the 4th Division and Presidential Guards, as well as insist on specific reforms, but this has been denied.
Bashar Assad declared an agenda of reform on Monday. He said that over 100 figures would be invited to participate in dialogue regarding reform. He said that political parties besides his own Baath Party will be permitted to form, and parliamentary elections will be held in August if they are not postponed. Reforms would begin in September, he claimed. However, he again blamed the violence on “vandals” and if the past is any indication, there is no reason to believe this is anything other than a ruse.
The speech is not satisfying Turkey, the U.S. or the Syrian protesters. Refugees in the Turkish camps immediately staged protests. Turkish President Gul said it is “not enough,” and that the Syrian government must transition to a multi-party system. One of Gul’s advisers said “foreign intervention” is possible if far-reaching reforms do not begin within a week. The U.S. State Department said, “A speech is just words,” and the European Union expressed disapproval. The address also sparked protests inside Syria.
Erdogan only wants reform in Syria because he wants his Muslim Brotherhood friends to take over. Erdogan might not be as murderous as Assad(yet) but he is just as dangerous.
We all know that Syria is a satellite of Iran. The question to be asked , Is Iran ready to relinquish Syria to Sunni Turks? Both Iran and Turkey want to be the regional superpower
and Syria is the test case for both of them . Syria may be the coming attraction in the long running middle east saga.
http://www.islamicsolutions.com/government-of-the…
nm, we want your views not Muslim propaganda.
And where is Iran in all of this??? Syria, like Iraq are client states of Iran.
If the Assad regime is overthrown, there is the Muslim Brotherhood waiting in the wing, so the West and Israel gain nothing. However, instead of growing Iranian influence in the region, it will be Turkish influence. Will it have a effect on Hezbollah in Lebanon???
Can Iran tolerate the expansion or revival of the Ottoman Empire??? Will Turkey become a target of Iranian nuclear weapons???
What will it take for President Obama to finally say that the butcher of Damascus has lost his legitimacy? Mr. Obama gives the impression that an ally of the US like Mubarak is quick to be tossed out, but a dangerous thug like Assad who murders his own people without hesitation and seeks to oppose all that the US wants has some immunity. Is President Obama afraid of Assad's alliance with the mullahs of Iran?
Who is creating these disturbances there? Who is killing soldiers? Who is creating chaos over there?
Look at the massacre they are carrying out in Tibby … you call that a revolution man … you call that an operation for the people?
The only reason they carry out these disturbances is to get a license to go ahead bomb the government and take over their country. Is this what we are all going to support now? Is this what we are going to stand for now? That thousands of people be killed … millions of them be displaced … just so that a few people can get what they want. C’mon man!
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http://godinthejungle.com/index.php/story-notes/3…