ANKARA - Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Central Executive Board released a statement on the Turkish state’s imminent incursion into northern Syria.
The statement includes the following;
“The most urgent need in Syria is to start a democratic dialogue and negotiation process inclusive of all parties towards ending the civil war in the country. And the biggest threat is a new military intervention. That is why the fact that the AKP-MHP government has put forward a new military incursion against the Northern and Eastern Syria is an extremely dangerous and wrong step.
This step does not aim to maintain the territorial integrity of Syria or build a democratic regime, but operate on Syrian territory and change its demographic structure. The intervention itself and its objectives will severely violate the most fundamental principles of international law. The destruction and population engineering caused by such an intervention will also fall into the category of a crime against humanity with respect to the international law.
The peoples of Northern Syria, who sacrificed tens of thousands of people and resisted for their freedom in the fight against ISIS, are now faced with threats and chaos once again. Not only the Kurds, but also the Arabs, Turkmens, Assyrians, Armenians and Yazidis inhabiting the region are in great danger.
The war crimes and demographic change in Afrin and Shehba regions carried out by various proxy forces of Erdogˆan's regime are blatant. Now, now they want to spread this policy of demographic change throughout Northern Syria. Instead of the Arab Belt, which was implemented in the 1970s [by Hafez Assad to displace the Kurds and settle Arabs into the evacuated settlements, trans.], the AKP-MHP government is trying to establish a Salafi- Jihadist Belt this time, which will aggravate regional instability.
Furthermore, if the ISIS prisoners are delivered to the AKP-MHP government and the responsibility to deal with them is given to Turkey as mentioned in the White House statement, it will pose a grave threat and problem to our country. This step will also create the possibilities for ISIS to reorganize, wake its sleeper cells, and drag the region back into deep darkness as it was in 2014. In addition, ISIS will become a factor that will directly affect the political stability and social fabric in Turkey.”
HDP called on all the international entities involved in the Syrian issue, first and foremost the United Nations, to take responsibility in the face of this situation that is in violation of the international law and that poses an immediate risk for a new war.
HDP called on the forces of peace and democracy in Turkey to take an effective and determined stance against the AKP-MHP alliance that is trying to consolidate its destabilized rule; “Such a military intervention means more repression on the society in Turkey, more financial burdens, poverty, a deepening crisis, widespread lawlessness and the lack of democracy.”
Warning that with this likely intervention Turkey is being dragged into a dangerous and deep trap, an adventure with no boundaries, HDP added; “We can stop this together.”