Publish date5 Oct 2014 - 12:33
Story Code : 170592

Turkey's priority is getting rid of Assad regime rather than ISIL

While Turkey seems on board with the US-led multi-national coalition against radical group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after the hostage crisis was resolved about two weeks ago, observers agree that getting rid of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria is more of a priority for Turkey than fighting ISIL.
Turkey
The US has been working on forming a coalition to go after ISIL both militarily and financially for some time and pressing Turkey to join the campaign.

In early September, first US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel came to Ankara to press Turkey to contribute to the efforts against ISIL, including sealing the border to prevent foreign fighters traveling into Syria through Turkey, providing over-flight rights to coalition forces and allowing the use of the İncirlik Air Base in Adana province for military strikes and surveillance.

Following Hagel's visit, US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Ankara to twist arms a bit more and get Turkey on board the campaign against ISIL.

Turkish officials seemed reluctant to be vocal in their support for the coalition in early September, saying that their hands were tied because ۴۶ Turkish nationals had been kidnapped by ISIL in June from the Turkish Consulate General in Mosul by the ISIL militants.

But, in an unexpected development, all of the Turkish hostages were freed on Sept. ۲۰ without military or financial exchanges. The Turkish government gave the credit for freeing the hostages to its National Intelligence Organization (MİT). President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, immediately after the hostages arrived in Turkey, said their release is a “victory for diplomacy.” Turkish officials refused to comment on the details of the rescue operation.

President Erdoğan's rhetoric against ISIL shifted significantly, however, since he returned from the United Nations meetings in New York held at the end of September.

Erdoğan expressed full support for the coalition's efforts to defeat ISIL, underscoring in several recent speeches that ISIL is a terrorist organization and that it has nothing to do with Islam.

According to an analyst who follows Turkish-American relations, it is clear that Erdoğan, who met with US Vice President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN summit in New York, finally listened to the US's message. US President Barack Obama also called Erdoğan during the Erdoğan-Biden meeting and expressed the importance of Turkey's participation in the campaign against ISIL.

The analyst, who wished to remain anonymous, said it is easy to understand what the US wants by reading the White House transcript of the Erdoğan-Biden meeting.

“The two leaders discussed the urgent need to build a broad-based coalition to defeat ISIL through a variety of means, including military action, efforts to stop terrorist financing, countering flows of foreign fighters into the region, and delegitimizing ISIL's extremist ideology,” said the White House in a statement issued on Sept. ۲۵.

In terms of “delegitimizing ISIL's extremist ideology,” Erdoğan held a press conference at İstanbul Atatürk Airport, after returning from the UN meetings and strongly emphasized the terrorist nature of ISIL by saying: “We need to do whatever it takes [against ISIL] as Muslims. Even the Christian world is doing its part.”

“It is not possible to associate their [ISIL's] actions with our religion. Islam is a religion of peace and brotherhood. Our religion will never allow the killing of defenseless people. These acts hurt us deeply as Muslims and cast a shadow over Islam,” said Erdoğan.

During an interview with PBS television, Erdoğan also mentioned establishing a “buffer zone” inside Syria and a “no-fly zone” to protect this area.

Turkey is worried about what will happen in Syria and Iraq after the military strikes against ISIL and supports ousting Assad. Turkey sees the Assad regime as partly responsible for paving the way for the emergence of entities like ISIL by favoring other groups over Sunnis.

“Air strikes are only one dimension," President Erdoğan said on a PBS talk show that was aired in late September. He warned that if the coalition does not have a comprehensive approach towards ISIL, then the job will be half done.

“…because you bomb a place, and that's where you leave it. What about the social ramifications? What about the political ramifications?” he said, according to a transcript.

Turkey has been a target of Western criticism due to its reluctance to define ISIL as a terrorist organization for some time and Turks have been accused of turning a blind eye to extremists traveling to Syria to join ISIL via Turkey. Ankara denies those claims.

Turks insist Assad must go



According to Erdoğan, the main reason for establishing a safe zone and a no-fly zone is to prevent an influx of refugees fleeing ISIL militants.

“ISIL has no aircraft or helicopter. Why does Turkey insist on a no-fly zone? Why is it such an urgent issue for Turkey? Whose aircraft, whose helicopter are they [the coalition forces] going to prevent flying over?” asked pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, following the “safe zone” and “no-fly zone” argument by the government.

This question has a clear answer, according to experts. Ankara is trying to prevent military aircraft from Syria flying over this region, because in this area, other than the military aircraft of the coalition forces, only Syrian military aircraft are flying.

Ankara does not want the Syrian regime's aircraft flying over Syria for one reason: To protect the regime opponents the Free Syrian Army (FSA). According to Ankara's calculations, the FSA's armed men will be positioned in the area that is going to be cleared of ISIL militants. By replacing ISIL with the FSA, Ankara will be closer to realizing its ambition of getting rid of Assad.

Despite the fact that Turkey is presenting its strategy against ISIL as something that is brand new, it is actually in line with what Turkey has been pursuing since Turkey's fall-out with the Assad regime back in ۲۰۱۱ when Assad's men reacted violently to street protesters who were against his regime.

According to news portal T24's writer Cem Sey, Turkey's goal is more like strengthening the Sunni front against the Assad regime.

“If Turkey somehow succeeds to convince the West, particularly the US, on these steps [deploying FSA militants inside Syria and enforcing a no-fly zone there], Ankara will be killing two birds with one stone. One bird will be Assad. The second one will be the only force that has been fighting against ISIL: the Kurds,” wrote Sey on Monday.

Sey argued that Turkey's efforts to support the FSA against Assad will increase the tension between Turkey and the supporters of Assad, such as Russia and Iran, and argued that Turkey's policies may contribute to more bloodshed in the region.

But the US is not warming to the idea of a buffer zone or a no-fly zone in Syria. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, rejected the idea of a buffer zone in Syria last week. US Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki also reiterated on Monday that a buffer zone or a secure zone is not part of US plans.

“There is another alternative,” said Sey: finding a political solution to the civil war in Syria by reaching a political agreement with Assad.

It seems that Ankara does not like the idea of shaking hands with Assad. On Wednesday, while addressing Parliament at the start of the new legislative year, President Erdoğan clearly expressed Turkey's position once again: “Assad must go.”
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