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In a strongly worded statement, Syria’s representative to the UN, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, accused Turkey of illegally occupying Syrian territory, and said that all foreign forces must exit immediately. His comments came as Iran, Turkey and Russia met in Astana and slammed the US recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.
In his speech Al-Jaafari said that Turkey had not complied with a September agreement regarding its presence in Idlib province in Syria, and that Turkey had not removed terrorist groups from Idlib. Al-Jaafari claimed that there were numerous extremists in Idlib and that the details agreed at Sochi and Astana meetings by Turkey, Russia and Iran to remove these terrorists had not been complied with. “What Turkey’s delegation says is not applied on the ground,” he said. “The Sochi agreement clearly stipulated that Turkey’s side was committed to the withdrawal of the terrorists groups to a behind a buffer of 20km.” Syria also accused foreign powers of practicing economic terror against Syria.
Syria’s regime also slammed US, British and French forces for being “illegaly” present on Syrian soil, a reference to the international Coalition’s work in eastern Syria. He called on them to leave immediately. Then he turned his attention to Turkey again. “Today the Turkish authorities occupy six thousand square kilometers of Syrian territory in Afrin and other cities, as well as Idlib.” He said Turkey was building a new wall 70 km long near Manbij to separate part of Turkey-occupied Syria from Aleppo. It was imposing its own curriculum in schools. “Turkey’s occupation is four times larger than Israel’s,” he said, referring to the Golan. “Turkey’s negative attitude to Syria is thus four times worst than Israel.”
He then criticized the US for its role in southern Syria at a base called Tanf where he said there are 50,000 Syrian refugees who are in need of humanitarian aid. The US-led Coalition has said that it is ready to support delivery of UN humanitarian aid at the Rukban camp near Tanf.
The Syrian statement seemed geared to pressure Russia and Iran, which are allies of the Syrian regime, to do more about Turkey’s role in the country and the frictions in Idlib. Russian media did not carry major coverage from Astana, but Turkey sought to highlight condemnation of US recognition of the Golan. In a joint statement Iran, Turkey and Russia said that they reaffirmed commitment to the “sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.” They therefore “strongly condemned the decision of the US administration to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.”
Turkey wants to expand its role in Syria, not decrease it. It is arguing that it should be allowed to run part of a safe zone in Eastern Syria or even “bring peace” to eastern Syria, by which it means launch a military operation against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the main group that has been fighting ISIS.
Iran’s Press TV highlighted the importance of the Astana meeting in the continued “fight against terrorism.” This was a largely Orwellian phrase since the three countries seem to mean different things when they use the word “terrorism.” Russian presidential envoy Alexander Lavrentiev said at the 12th Astana talks that they deal with Idlib aand the “terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra” in particular. Nusra, also known as HTS, controls most of Idlib and the Turkish army is also present in Idlib. The presence of HTS in Idlib and Turkey’s unwillingness to remove it appears to increasingly anger the Syrian regime and Iran.
Russia is in a difficult position because it wants its S-400 delivery to Turkey to go smoothly and it cannot risk a flare up in Idlib. Russia plays a major role backing the Syrian regime, but any conflict in Idlib would bring Russian and Turkish forces into close proximity. Russia prefers a peaceful agreement and for the S-400 deal to continue and for its gas and energy deals in Turkey to go well. The Syrian regime, Russia’s main ally, may therefore have to wait despite its concerns about HTS and increased clashes near Idlib.
Iran, Russia and Turkey all agree in opposing the US role in eastern Syria and they agree on the Golan issue. They don’t agree on much else in Syria and the comments by Syria’s Al-Jaafari show that the regime is losing patience with the Astana process and other Russia-Turkey deals.
