Opposition calls on gov’t to use diplomatic channels over Syria

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Bahçeli (2nd L) reportedly tells Erdoğan that some western countries put pressure on Turkey for an intervention in Syria andTurkey should not fall into this trap, in a meeting on June 24. AA photo

Condemning Syria’s downing of a Turkish jet in the Mediterranean, main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said his party is ready to lend its support to the government for taking the issue to the international platform as other opposition parties urged the government to use diplomatic channels to resolve the crisis.

“This was an unacceptable attack against a Turkish jet over international waters. The government will apparently take this issue to the international platform. We are ready to lend all kinds of support to the government on this issue,” Kılıçdaroğlu told private news channel NTV yesterday, adding that the government’s current foreign policy in the Middle East would lead to Turkey losing credibility within the region.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with leaders of Parliament’s three opposition parties June 24 to discuss the downing of a Turkish warplane from Syrian airspace on June 22.

Kılıçdaroğlu, who initially suggested that Turkey should use its rights deriving from international law in an absolute manner, told NTV that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu informed them about Turkey’s contact with the British base in the Cyprus after the downing of the Turkish jet.

Both the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) called on the government to respond to Syria’s downing of a Turkish jet within the limits of diplomacy and international law during the closed-door meetings. MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli warned the government not to “fall into a trap of intervention in Syria.”

“Some western countries have put pressure on Turkey for an intervention in Syria. Turkey should not fall into this trap,” Bahçeli reportedly told Erdoğan.

Bahçeli reportedly said that Syria’s attack was unacceptable and Turkey should defend its rights derived from international law. He also said that the MHP is ready to lend its support to the government in regards to taking “appropriate steps for Turkey’s national interests.” He also warned that Turkey’s response “should not instigate a fresh conflict in the region.”

BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş also opposed any military intervention in Syria, as his deputy announced that they will oppose any possible resolution for military operation to Syria.

“If any resolution for [military operation against] Syria is brought to the Parliament, we will oppose it. The problems with Syria should be resolved within diplomacy in peaceful manners. Turkey does not benefit from hostile policies,” BDP deputy group chair Hasip Kaplan said yesterday.

Demirtaş said a conflict with Syria could easily lead to a regional war. “There’s a potential for war in Syria. An action against Syria could lead to a regional war. Turkey is not a country that could easily be slid into war. The government should give this clear message to the world,” Demirtaş told reporters after his meeting with Erdoğan, adding that military intervention into Syria should be out of the question.