Turkish PM blames opposition for backing Assad regime

ANKARA

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has accused Tuesday Turkey's two opposition parties for voting against his government's Iraq-Syria motion for the sake of keeping Syria's Bashar al-Assad in power.

The main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, or HDP, cast no votes for the motion on October 2, which would authorize the government to deploy troops to Syria and Iraq, if necessary, to fight any group threatening the country.

The motion, submitted by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's cabinet, was ratified with 298 yes votes at the 550-seat Parliament, with support from the other opposition Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP.

Davutoglu also criticized CHP and HDP for their stance during last week's violence that killed 34 people. The protests were carried out by pro-Kurdish groups in Turkey's southeastern provinces after ISIL militants penetrated the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al Arab, on October 6.

"Turkey is against both ISIL and Assad. But will Kilicdaroglu (main opposition leader) and HDP be able to stand against them that clearly? Their aim is to protect the Syrian regime and Assad," he said.

The main opposition CHP proposed a separate motion at the Turkish Parliament on October 9, demanding that ground troops from the Turkish army against ISIL would be limited to the Kobani region.

The prime minister stated that the two parties have the same mentality with Assad's Baath Party, as "they view Turkey's cities just as Assad views Damascus."

He further said Assad is the Baath among Arabs, CHP resembles Baath among Turks and HDP resembles Baath among Kurds.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Turkish government led by Davutoglu has been criticizing the Turkish opposition and the West, especially the U.S.-led international coalition's air offensives against ISIL targets in Iraq and Syria for only raising their voice against ISIL terror in Kobani, but staying silent in face of Assad regime's agression against his own people during the four year civil war that left at least 190,000 people dead.

"Where were you when Turkmens in Bayirbucak and Cobanbey towns (in Syria's Latakia and Aleppo cities, respectively), and Arabs in Tal Abyad (Syrian city bordering Turkey) were being slaughtered?" he asked the leaders of the two opposition parties.

Turkey has been pushing the international powers for the establishment of a no-fly zone and a safe haven in Syria near the Turkish border for Syrian refugees as thousands of civilians from Kobani continue to flee into Turkey to seek refuge from ISIL attacks. However, officials from the U.S., leading the anti-ISIL coalition, have insisted that for the time being, the proposal is not on table.  

www.aa.com.tr/en