Arab Analyst: Damascus Not to Compromise with Erdogan on Afrin, Idlib

Rasa - Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor-in-chief of Rai al-Youm newspaper, rejected any possibility about war coordination between the Syrian and Turkish armies in Idlib and Aleppo, saying Damascus would never go for a deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over its territories.

News ID: 436074

Date: 28 January 2018 - 21:43

RNA - Atwan referred to the statement issued by the Kurdish authorities in Afrin after the Turkish army attacks, saying that they called Afrin as an inseparable part of Syria.

The renowned Arab analyst reminded that the Kurdish authorities have even called on the Syrian government to protect the Syrian citizens living in the region against the Turkey-backed militants, meaning that the Kurds identify themselves as Syrians and respect the country's territorial integrity.

Atwan also pointed to Ankara's problem with the Syrian refugees, and said their return to Syria could happen only through an agreement with the Syrian government and army, otherwise Turkey will be entangled in a long war of attrition.

He stressed that Afrin and Idlib will rejoin Damascus and the Syrian Kurds will return to the situation that they had 7 years ago before the war in Syria.

"Damascus will not agree to any compromise with Erdogan over Afrin and Idlib," Atwan said.

Turkey’s Operation ‘Olive Branch’ kicked off last Saturday from air and ground around the area of Afrin in Syria's Aleppo to oust the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terror organization and the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK).

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday stressed that Turkish offensive in Afrin is part of Ankara's strategy based on supporting terrorists.

The Syrian government has condemned the “brutal Turkish aggression” against the Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, rejecting Ankara’s claim about having informed Damascus of the operation.

The Damascus government had made clear to Ankara that it considers Turkey’s military presence on its territory as a violation of its sovereignty, and warned that it will shoot down Turkish bombers in Syrian airspace.

Washington also continues providing Kurdish fighters with more military hardware in Syria despite US President's promise to his Turkish counterpart to halt arms shipment to the Kurdish fighters.

Ankara said late November 2017 that Trump told Erdogan that he had issued instructions that weapons should not be provided to Kurdish fighters in Syria.

According to reports, the US plans to keep its troops in Syria long after the defeat of ISIL. Washington has been justifying its deployment of ground troops in Syria, which violates the embattled nation’s sovereignty, by citing the need to fight ISIL.

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