Turkey's main opposition warns of ‘war plot’ against Syria

A deputy leader of Turkey’s main opposition party has said a “plot” is being staged in unrest-hit Syria to pave the way for the country’s foreign occupation. She also said the Republican People’s Party (CHP) does not back all practices of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad but is against a foreign intervention in Syria.

“The West has written a plot about democracy and liberty, and they are staging it. But this plot of democracy and liberty is nothing but the plot for an invasion,” Birgül Ayman Güler told the Hürriyet Daily News. She said this plan would result in thousands of deaths.

A delegation of female members of the CHP crossed into Syria over the weekend for a five-day visit to observe the situation on the ground along with representatives from the Worker’s Party (İP), Labor Party (EMEP), Turkish Women’s Union, Republican Women’s Association and other women’s groups. They were invited by the General Union of Syrian Women.

The female Turkish delegation visited Aleppo, Latakia and Damascus and met with high-ranking politicians including Vice President of Syria Najah al-Attar, who is the country’s top female politician, Grand Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, whose son was shot dead Oct. 3, and Chair of the General Union of Syrian Women Majida Qteit.

Güler said almost every Syrian politician they met had lamented Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s attitude toward the Syrian administration. “We had very good relations with Turkey until six months ago,” Güler quoted al-Attar as saying. “We were discussing removing the borders. We don’t understand why he has this hostile attitude toward us at the moment. He should give up supporting the terrorists.”

The Syrian administration made a distinction between the Syrian opposition demanding reforms and the armed rebels, Güler said. “They told us they understood the opposition who demand more reforms, but they are against armed protesters, whom they called as terrorists.”

In response to Erdoğan’s hailing the “glorious resistance” in Syria, Güler said they never faced a “resistance,” and the daily routine continues in the Syrian cities they visited.

Stressing that the CHP does not back all the practices of the al-Assad administration, she said: “If you say ‘al-Assad is a bad statesman, that’s why foreign intervention is a must,’ I’m against it. I did not think highly of Gadhafi in Libya, but look at the post-Gadhafi era. The first thing they’ve done is to allow marrying with four women. They said, ‘Democracy and liberty would come,’ but an unacceptable reactionary has come. I’m complaining about anti-democratic actions of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). But if there were a foreign intervention to overthrow the AKP, I would be the first to defend it. Democracy never comes with foreign intervention” said Güler.

The CHP also requested permission from officials to visit the refugee camps established in Hatay for nearly 7,000 Syrian people who have fled the violence in their country.