Syria: Turkish Cross-Border Operations an Act of Aggression

Warns Turkish Parliament's Decision a Violation of UN Charter

by Jason Ditz,

Syria’s Foreign Ministry has issued a statement today blasting the Turkish parliament for its approval of cross-border operations into Syrian territory, saying the move is an “act of aggression.”

“The declared approach of the Turkish government constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations charter, ” the foreign ministry statement warned, saying Turkey would face “catastrophic consequences” if it continued on.

The Turkish parliament’s bill authorized military operations inside Iraq and Syria against any potential enemy of the Turkish government. Syria’s Ambassador to the UN noted Turkey has been backing Islamist rebels, and said the Turkish intervention could be a pretext to further prop up Islamist factions in the nation’s far north.

Turkey was one of the first nations to jump on the regime change bandwagon in Syria, and has in the past allowed various militant factions more or less unrestricted access to their territory. With virtually the whole Turkey-Syria border now held by al-Qaeda, ISIS, or other factions, Turkish officials seem increasingly to acknowledge that the Syrian Civil War hasn’t turned out very well for them.

Given the role they played in the war up to this point, however, it is unsurprising that Syria doesn’t trust their intentions.

http://news.antiwar.com/2014/10/03/syria-turkish-cross-border-operations-an-act-of-aggression/