In Close Liaison with Washington
All Turkish military actions are approved by or complicit with Washington. Erdogan would never act unilaterally on his own, not even aggressively against his own Kurdish population, slaughtering civilians in cold blood.
Does he intend a Syrian incursion, unprovoked aggression, if launched? Russian evidence suggests it, according to Defense Department spokesman General Igor Konashenkov, saying:
We have serious grounds to suspect intensive preparations by Turkey for a military invasion on the territory of the sovereign state of Syria. We are recording more and more signs of concealed preparations by the Turkish military.
Days earlier, Russian video evidence revealed cross-border Turkish shelling on northern Latakia province Syrian populated areas.
US-led NATO officials “and numerous organizations allegedly protecting human rights in Syria, despite our call to respond to these actions, still remain silent,” despite irrefutable evidence of Turkish aggression, along with supporting ISIS and other terrorist groups, Konashenkov explained.
Turkey wants evidence of its illegal military activities along the Syrian border suppressed.
It denied a Russian observation flight over its territory, scheduled from February 1 – 5, permitted under the Open Skies Treaty (OST), up to a range of 1,900 km, with Turkish specialists onboard, after earlier expressing no pre-conditions or restrictions.
In 1992, 34 nations signed OST, effective in 2002, including Russia, America, Turkey, EU countries and Canada.
Treaty objectives are to foster transparency, monitor fulfillment of arms control agreements, and improve capabilities to prevent crises.
Konashenkov called denying Russia’s legitimate right to conduct an observation flight over Turkish territory according to OST provisions “a dangerous precedent and an attempt to conceal illegal military activity near the border with Syria.”
Russian satellite and other intelligence can keep close watch on what Erdogan may intend, including possible cross-border belligerence against Syria.
In 2015, 32 foreign observation flights over Russian territory took place, according to OST principles, four by Turkey.
If Erdogan intends aggression against northern Syria, Russian intelligence will prove it. Key is how Putin and Assad respond.
Neither leader wants greater war than already, nor will they tolerate naked aggression, threatening their national security.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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