Turkey to do whatever necessary for own safety
By Rufiz Hafizoglu
The head of the Trend Arabic News Service
On Oct. 2, Turkey's Grand National Assembly (TBMM) adopted a
mandate authorizing the country's army to participate in military
operations in Syria and Iraq.
An open vote was held for adoption of the mandate with
participation of 396 MPs. Some 298 of them voted for granting the
mandate, while 98 MPs voted against it.
The army's mandate will be valid for one year.
The document was supported by Turkey's ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP).
Earlier, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish
People's Democratic Party (HDP) said they will not support the
document.
A similar mandate was granted to the Turkish army during Saddam
Hussein's reign in Iraq, to carry out military operations in this
country.
At that time, under the mandate, Turkish army conducted 24 military
operations in Iraq against the terrorists of the Kurdistan Workers'
Party, known as the PKK.
On the other hand, the Syrian mandate was adopted in 2012.
Indirectly, Ankara had a right to hold military operations in Iraq
and Syria as part of the adopted mandates.
And yesterday, the parliament united both of these mandates.
What does the mandate say?
Under the mandate, adopted yesterday, Turkey is authorized to take
any action against terror and other threats aimed at the country,
and repel the risk that may come from terrorist groups in Iraq and
Syria.
Turkey is also authorized to protect its interests before and after
any crisis, as well as, if necessary, to use army in military
operations in other countries (Syria and Iraq).
However, the mandate also includes a possibility of presence of
foreign military units in the country, and using them when
necessary in line with the Turkish government's instructions.
No doubt that the mandate, along with fighting against terrorist
groups, also helps to address any threat that may come from the
Syrian authorities.
"Using chaos, the terrorist groups, acting in neighboring Iraq,
created the chaos in this country too with the support of Bashar
al-Assad's regime," says one of the mandate's main points related
to Syria.
Buffer zone in Syria
While discussing the mandate in the parliament, Turkish National
Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said that one should not expect
Turkey's rapid military intervention in Syria and Iraq.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey will do
everything possible to protect Kurdish city of Kobani in Syria from
the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL or ISIS). Davutoglu's words
give reason to say that the Turkish soldiers will likely to cross
the Syrian border in the next few days.
It should be stressed that the adoption of the "mandate of October
2" in the Turkish parliament was ambiguously considered by the
neighboring countries.
Despite the elimination of the IS terrorist organization is in the
interests of Iran, Tehran expressed its concern. During a phone
conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Iran's Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Ankara's this action will more
exacerbate the situation in the region.
Tehran also fears that after liberating some Syrian lands from the
terrorists, the Turkish army will deliver them to the Free Syrian
Army. Thus, it will create a solid basis for the opposition in the
fight against Assad's government. But Ankara will unlikely to take
such an action and the Free Syrian Army, controlling other cities
of Syria, will unlikely to agree with it.
Controlling most of the Syrian-Turkish border by the IS makes
Ankara to resort to more effective actions.
So, one of the country's most important tasks is to create a no-fly
buffer zone in Syria. This, however, doesn't mean solving the
problem, as by creating such a zone is not in the interests of the
PKK terrorist organization, at least, because it will strengthen
Turkey's control over the region.