Turkey wants Syrian factions to join forces against Assad

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Turkey wants Syrian factions to join forces against Assad

(Xinhua) 08:28, August 06, 2013

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ANKARA, Aug. 5 -- Turkey wants the warring Syrian factions, mostly the Kurds and the Arab anti-government fighters, to reconcile with each other so as to mount a strong resistance against the forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, analysts say.

However, that goal remains elusive as the clashes between the Kurds and Arab rebels have shown no sign of halting.

"We want all groups in Syria to consolidate their forces and work for the ouster of Assad first and foremost," a senior government official told Xinhua Monday on condition of anonymity.

"Power-sharing deal should come later as part of the constitution-writing and parliamentary election process," the official added.

At the same time, Ankara dismissed reports that it is backing al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front in Syria against the Democratic Union Party (PYD) connected with the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party, which is on the terror list of Turkey, the United States and the EU.

Turkey is comfortable with neither the PYD Kurds, who are trying to carve out an autonomous enclave in northern Syria, nor the Nusra fighters, who are blazing guns in areas close to the Turkish border.

Since Turkey wants to see Assad removed, it is willing to overlook the spillover of their clashes for now, said Mahir Zeynalov. "Stuck between a rock and a hard place, ... Turkey wants all non-state actors in Syria to turn their guns against Assad first."

That said, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lashed out at both sides recently, saying the radical groups betrayed what he called the Syrian revolution and warning the PYD against creating a de facto autonomy amid a power vacuum in northern Syria.

Ankara has made it clear that it will not take part in the ongoing battles between the Kurds and the Nusra rebels for the control of the region that borders Turkey.

Yet, PYD leader Saleh Muslim on Sunday accused the Turkish government of supporting al-Nusra Front, which Ankara categorically denied, claiming such groups are a threat to Turkey' s security as well.

On a related note, both the radical groups and the rebel Free Syrian Army accuse the PYD for aligning with Assad to win over all Kurdish groups in Syria.

The PYD's actions have also drawn resentment from Kurdish groups that oppose the Assad administration.

The leader of the pro-Kurdish Rights and Freedoms Party, Kemal Burkay, said that the PYD works in cooperation with Assad and that it does not represent all the Kurds in Syria.

Turkish analysts believe the PYD is simply buying time by not openly confronting Turkey, suspecting the PYD's real goal is to gain first autonomy and then independency.

Nihat Ali Ozcan, a terrorism expert, believes the establishment of a Kurdish autonomous region in northern Syria is not an unexpected development as the PYD has been working for this political end since the eruption of the Syrian unrest more than two years ago.

Ozcan said if Assad stayed in power, he would continue his alliance with the PYD just to be able to play the terrorism card against Turkey.