Turkey-Syrian relations hit bottom after Houla massacre
Condemning the May 25th Houla massacre, Turkey has expelled Syrian diplomats from its borders, increasing pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave power.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for SES Türkiye -- 31/05/12
Pressure on the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad mounted in Ankara early this week, after the UN Security Council condemned the massacre of at least 108 Syrians, including 49 children and 34 women in Houla, on May 25th.
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![Syrian refugees protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Yayladagi refugee camp in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border on April 20th. [Reuters]](/shared/images/2012/05/31/ALAKBARphoto-310_213.jpg)
Syrian refugees protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Yayladagi refugee camp in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border on April 20th. [Reuters]
![Syrian refugees protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Yayladagi refugee camp in Hatay province near the Turkish-Syrian border on April 20th. [Reuters]](/shared/images/2012/05/31/ALAKBARphoto-800_550.jpg)
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"It would be cruel to remain silent against cruelty happening in Syria," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his reaction statement.
Turkey is among 13 countries that have expelled top Syrian diplomats, and reduced the number of its personnel in the consulate in Aleppo, to protest the massacre.
All Syrian diplomats have been given 72 hours to leave Turkey. In Istanbul, the Syrian consulate will remain open for consular duties only.
Yahya Akman, a deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) from Sanliurfa, near Syria, says the expulsion decision "wasn't easy" for policymakers in Ankara.
"Our situation is different than the Europian countries'. We're a bordering neighbour to Syria and are carrying thousands of [Syrian] refugees. Hundreds of our citizens still remain there," he told SES Türkiye, adding that Turkey will continue pressuring the Assad regime to leave power immediately.
Khaled Khoja, Syrian National Council spokesman, believes that Ankara's latest step is a clear message to Assad "to think deeply how he lost a strong ally."
"By losing a strong neighbour like Turkey, Assad will feel more isolated and weakened," he told SES Türkiye. As a strong supporter of the Syrian people, Turkey "is working on preserving the mutual gain of the exceptional relationship between two countries," he said.
In the meantime, Khoja said, the Syrian people want "concrete support in order to defend themselves. Turkey seeks for a strong coalition in order to stop the bloodshed in Syria. We are now more close to this concept."
Akman said that the Turkish governent is hoping to persuade Moscow to cut with Damascus as the violence in Syria continues.
Russia criticised the diplomatic expulsions, calling them "counterproductive."
The UN Human Rights Council has scheduled a special session on Friday (June 1st), to discuss the latest situation in Syria; hours after former Secretary-General Kofi Annan met with Bashar al-Assad and expressed "grave concern" about the escalating violence.
The request for the council's fourth special session was submitted in a letter Wednesday by the ambassadors of Turkey, Qatar, Denmark and other countries.
Back in Ankara, the government's Syrian policy will likely "get more support from the opposition, even by the left nationalists, after the Houla massacre," Veysel Ayhan, a Syria analyst at the Ankara-based Centre for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies, said.
"Those who were criticising the AKP with playing [into] the Western countries' hands, are now themselves very furious against the al-Assad regime and are calling on the Syrian dictator to step aside," he told SES Türkiye adding, however "it's still unclear whether the opposition's support will continue to AKP, in case of a military intervention against Syria."
Michael Weiss, communications director of the London-based think tank Henry Jackson Society, who recently returned from Syrian camps in Turkey's southeastern Hatay province, said that he believed that Ankara "would be willing to intervene militarily in Syria if the Western powers agreed to offer their support, particularly air cover."
The expulsion of the Syrian diplomats is more significant for Turkey, he added, "as it signals that it definitively judges the Assad regime as illegitimate and beyond reconciling with."
"It could also be read as a prelude to a more aggressive strategy for dislodging the regime through direct intervention, although I think that's premature at this time," Weiss told SES Türkiye.
What do you think of this article? (Total Votes )
33 Like(s)
0 Dislike(s)
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Mr. Assad, life is short, so leave dictatorship aside. Don’t forget that god, who created you, will take your life, too.
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Turkey needs to push for a tougher position that prevents the region from falling into chaos.
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Why did the prime minister, who said “It would be cruel to remain silent against cruelty happening in Syria”, remain silent against the cruelty in Iraq? Why is he still a strategic partner of the US? Is there anything that we don’t know? Is the US actually an “oppressed party”?
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It is so obvious that you are part of the partisan press. I wish you had the strength to write about the truth.
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Each country, except fascist governments, should solve their own problem with their own people. I don’t think that Esad is a fascist.
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A very good article. Regards, Dursun
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We’re feeding the rioters on our borders and send them to war in Syria by giving guns into their hands. We’re causing the children to die by interfering into the internal affairs of people living in brotherhood for 15 years. Israel and USA and Alliance power project.
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Inquire into the background of Esed, where did he come from? In short, a Muslim does not kill so many Muslims. Now I’m calling to all Muslim world: The day will come when all these are being called for account, and besides from all Muslims as to how you’ve permitted such cruelty and massacre. Unless a misbeliever like Esed is prevented, Muslim world will lessen and ’Esed’s will increase.
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Mahir Yildirim. The flutters of an ummah (religious community) without a leader makes fair hearts crazy. There is no doubt that every road leads to divine retribution. We are living at a time when human soul does every kind of evil for leadership. We are waiting for the arrival of the ones like [Caliph] Ali, [Caliph] Omar and [Sultan Mehmet] the Conqueror if god permits. Cruel people all belong to the same nation. That is what our god says. The ummah might be divided, but [Caliph Ali’s sword] the Zulfiqar will certainly find a way out, my friends.
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Nothing will happen against cruelty. We have remained silent against the Israel’s massacres next door for years. They only expected an apology from Israel when they killed 16 volunteers, but Israel threatened instead of apologizing. They said, “if they attempt to come again, the same things will happen.” Pure scandal! It is the same for Syria. They would still expect an apology even if Syrians shot down 100 planes of ours. We are an apology club. We cannot even get back our islands from Greece, which has a population of 12 millions, so how can we not remain silent against the cruelties between others? Best regards.
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