© www.presstv.irErdogan: A human no-fly zone
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
renews a call for the establishment of a no-fly zone in Syria in the face of Russian airstrikes which have led to a series of militant losses recently. The Syrian army is closing in on the last pockets of militant positions in Aleppo which borders Turkey,
prompting an outcry among supporters of armed groups which are warning of a refugee influx. Turkey has long pushed for the creation of a no-fly zone in northern Syria but the proposal has so far
gained little traction with the US or NATO allies. The US and Europe fear
such a move could put them in direct confrontation with Russia and other allies of the Syrian government.
Erdogan accused the United Nations of insincerity in calling on Turkey to do more to help Syrian refugees instead of taking action to stop Russian airstrikes. Russian war planes have been bombing areas around Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city.
A Greek news website said on Monday that
Erdogan had threatened to flood Europe with refugees if EU leaders did not offer a better deal to Turkey. On Wednesday,
Erdogan accused the US of creating a "pool of blood" in the region by failing to recognize Kurdish organisations fighting Takfiris in Syria as terrorist groups.
Erdogan said on Thursday a no-fly zone is the only way to deal with the crisis, adding the problem could not be resolved without
safe zones. "We will show patience up to a point and then we'll do what's necessary. Our buses and planes are not waiting there in vain," he said.
"In the past we have stopped people at the gates to Europe, in Edirne we stopped their buses. This happens once or twice, and then we'll open the gates and wish them a safe journey, that's what I said," he said. "There is a chance that the new wave of refugees will reach 600,000 if airstrikes continue. We are making preparations for it," Erdogan said in a speech to a business forum in Ankara. He said he had told EU's Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk that
Turkey might open the gates for refugees to travel to Europe.Syria accuses Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar of funding and arming terrorist groups operating inside the country, including Daesh. The foreign-sponsored conflict in Syria, which flared up in March 2011, has reportedly killed more than 260,000 people and left over one million injured.
Comment: Erdogan would love the establishments of 1) a Syrian no-fly zone, and 2) the proposed buffer ("refugee safe") zone in order to gain access to supply the Daesh Takfiris without risk of Russian intervention. He would then gain Daesh support for his long-standing primary goal: to eliminate the Kurds, currently fighting for Syria. He is using the Turkish refugee gate-keeper issue as leverage against the EU to bolster support for his demands.
Comment: Erdogan would love the establishments of 1) a Syrian no-fly zone, and 2) the proposed buffer ("refugee safe") zone in order to gain access to supply the Daesh Takfiris without risk of Russian intervention. He would then gain Daesh support for his long-standing primary goal: to eliminate the Kurds, currently fighting for Syria. He is using the Turkish refugee gate-keeper issue as leverage against the EU to bolster support for his demands.