We won’t let Syria chaos spill into Turkey: President Gül

HATAY - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish President Abdullah Gül criticizes world for offering only symbolic rhetoric on Syria during his visit to the border town of Reyhanlı following deadly May 11 bombings. AA Photo

Turkish President Abdullah Gül strictly negated concerns that the Syrian crisis would spread into Turkey during his visit to the bomb-hit Syria border town of Reyhanlı, where he criticized the poor
international support of refugees in Turkey.

“Turkey will never allow the chaos in Syria to spill into Turkey. Everyone must acknowledge this. We will never permit that, I want this to be understood,” Gül said on May 16.

Gül criticized the world’s response to the Syria conflict as limited to “rhetoric,” saying Turkey had received little help in coping with a huge influx of Syrian refugees. “The international community’s contribution to Turkey’s financial aid to these people who are in a difficult situation is only symbolic,” Gül told members of the press in the border town of Reyhanlı where car bombs killed 52 people at the weekend, the deadliest bombing in the country’s history.

Rhetoric and heroism from global community

“From the very start the international community has only used rhetoric and heroism in their approach to the Syrian problem,” Gül said.

“Some 200,000 Syrian refugees are living in tents – Turkey is providing for them by itself. Many [Syrian citizens] are also living in our cities with the tolerance of our people. In Jordan alone there are 400,000 refugees. This is supremacy and grace that we are showing,” Gül said. “The international community must show more solidarity and must not approach it with heroism and rhetoric. I must say the international community’s contribution to [the humanitarian crisis] has not been a step beyond symbolic [rhetoric],” Gül said.

Gül said Turkey would act responsibly and bring whoever was involved in the attack to account.

Gül also stated that the Turkish government would do whatever “state responsibility” requires to find the parties behind the deadly attacks. “Whoever carried out these attacks or encouraged these attacks will be questioned, and we’ll make them pay for the attack,” Gül said.

Gül said the Turkish police were working efficiently to shed light on the unanswered questions. The perpetrators will definitely pay for their violent actions, he said. The president, accompanied by Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Güler, was greeted by Hatay Gov. Celalettin Lekesiz, Hatay Police Department head Ragıp Kılıç and Hatay Gendarmerie Regional Commander Col. Mustafa Başoğlu.

The president met with the families of some of the victims to offer his condolences.

A Turkish court has ordered the arrest of four suspects taken into custody during the investigation launched into the deadly attacks in Reyhanlı.

Another four people who were referred to the court by the prosecutors after their interrogations were released while eight suspects are still being interrogated.

A total of 17 suspects were detained following the attacks. The Turkish government had publicly accused groups connected with the Syrian intelligence agency for the bombings.