MESOP NEWS TODAYS DECLARATION – AFRIN / STATEMENT BY PKK LEADER MURAT KARAYILAN

AHMET TURK SPEECH IN GERMAN DW (DEUTSCHE WELLE)

PKK leader questions world’s stance on Turkey’s Afrin operation

By Rudaw  – 27 Jan 2018 –  PKK leader and executive council member Murat Karayilan.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A PKK leader has condemned Turkey’s offensive in Afrin as racially-motivated and part of its larger problem with the Kurdish nation. He questioned how world leaders can say they understand Ankara’s concerns.

Turkey’s problem with Afrin is based on “racism and enmity for Kurds,” Murat Karayilan a member of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)’s Executive Council said on Friday in an interview with Ronahi TV, an outlet with ties to his organization – On that basis, he questioned on what basis members of the international community were expressing sympathy with Turkey.

“Regarding Turkish security, some officials from US and other countries say ‘We understand Turkish concerns.’ What concerns?” he asked.

US President Donald Trump, in a phone call this week with his Turkish counterpart, urged Turkey to “avoid civilian casualties,” but said that he was open to discussing “Turkey’s legitimate security concerns.”  The UK’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that “Turkey is right to want to keep its borders secure.”

Karayilan accused Turkey of making up stories to legitimize their offensive. “The world has to know that this country [Turkey] can make a flood from a glass of water… There is no danger to Turkey. They fabricate scenarios and lies and disperse them around the world,” he said.Noah Bonsey, a senior analyst writing for the International Crisis Group, argued that Turkey’s problems with Syrian Kurds cannot be solved without restarting the peace process with the PKK.

A veteran Kurdish politician recently warned Turkey against its ambitions in Syria. “If Turkey enters Afrin, the problems will not be solved,” Ahmet Turk said in an interview with Germany’s DW media published on January 18, adding that Turkey cannot eliminate 40 million Kurds in Middle East with threats.

Former KRG president Masoud Barzani said on Friday that the military option is not a solution.  “We are deeply concerned. And we do hope that this military operation would stop as soon as possible, because the fighting and wars are not the solution to the problem,” Barzani said in an interview with BBC.  www.mesop.de