Russian President Vladimir Putin did on Sunday what no major western
leader from the NATO member countries cared to do when he telephoned his
Turkish counterpart Recep Erdogan to convey his sympathy, goodwill and
best wishes for the latter’s success in restoring constitutional order
and stability as soon as possible after the attempted coup Friday night.
The
US Secretary of State John Kerry instead made an overnight air dash to
Brussels to have a breakfast meeting on Monday with the EU foreign
ministers to discuss a unified stance on the crisis in Turkey. The
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was in an angry mood ahead of
the breakfast, saying “questions” have arisen as to whether Turkey is
any longer a “viable” ally. He voiced “suspicions” over Turkey’s
intentions and insisted that European backing for Erdogan against the
coup was not a “blank cheque” for him to suppress his opponents.
The US has expressed displeasure regarding the Turkish allegations of
an American hand in the failed coup. Indeed, Turkish allegation has no
precedent in NATO’s 67-year old history – of one member plotting regime
change in another member country through violent means. Clearly, US and
Turkey are on a collision course over the extradition of the Islamist
preacher Fetullah Gülen living in exile in Pennsylvania whom the Turkish
government has named as the key plotter behind the coup. Turkish Prime
Minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Ankara will regard the US as an
“enemy” if it harbored Gülen. The dramatic developments expose the
cracks appearing in the western alliance system. (See the commentary in
the Russian news agency Sputnik entitled NATO R.I.P (1949-2016): Will Turkey-US Rift Over Gulen Destroy Alliance?)
Interestingly, the senior Turkish army officials detained so far include the following:
-
Commander
of the Incirlik air base (and 10 of his subordinates) where NATO forces
are located and 90 percent of the US’ tactical nuclear weapons in
Europe are stored;
-
Army Commander in charge of the border with Syria and Iraq;
-
Corps Commander who commands the NATO contingency force based in Istanbul; and,
-
Former military attaches in Israel and Kuwait.
Most
certainly, the needle of suspicion points toward the Americans having
had some knowledge of the coup beforehand. Two F-16 aircraft and two
‘tankers’ to provide mid-air refuelling for them and used in the coup
attempt actually took off from Incirlik.
Of course, Ankara has
been wary of the US and France establishing military bases in northern
Syria with the support of local Kurdish tribes, which it suspected would
be a stepping stone leading to the creation of a ‘Kurdistan’. (The
advisor on foreign affairs to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Akbar Velayati,
who is an influential figure in Tehran alleged on Sunday that the US is
attempting to create a Kurdistan state carved out of neighboring
countries with Kurdish population, which will be a “second Israel” in
the Middle East to serve Washington’s regional interests.)
Today,
the famous Saudi whistleblower known as ‘Mujtahid’ has come out with a
sensational disclosure that the UAE played a role in the coup and had
kept Saudi Arabia in the loop. Also, the deposed ruler of Qatar Hamad
bin Khalifa Al-Thani (who is a close friend of Erdogan) has alleged that
the US, another Western country (presumably France) had staged the coup
and that Saudi Arabia was involved in it. (here and here) Meanwhile,
word has leaked to the media that in a closed-door briefing to the
Iranian parliament on Sunday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif hinted at
Saudi and Qatari involvement in the coup.
Putin’s phone call to
Erdogan suggests the possibility that Russian and Turkish intelligence
are keeping in touch. The two leaders have agreed to meet shortly.
The
timing of the coup attempt – following the failure of the US push to
establish a NATO presence in the Black Sea and in the wake of the
Russian-Turkish rapprochement – becomes significant. Equally, the signs
of shift in Turkey’s interventionist policies in Syria would have
unnerved the US and its regional allies.
Israel, Saudi Arabia and
Qatar have a great deal to lose if Turkey establishes ties with Syria,
which is on the cards. Thus, stopping Erdogan on his tracks has become
an urgent imperative for these countries. The spectre of the Syrian
government regaining control over the country’s territory haunts Israel,
which has been hoping that a weakened and fragmented Syria would work
to its advantage to permanently annex the occupied territories in the
Golan Heights. Again, Turkey’s abandonment of the ‘regime change’ agenda
in Syria means a geopolitical victory for Iran. On the contrary, a
triumphant and battle-hardened Hezbollah next door means that its vast
superiority in conventional military strength will be rendered even more
irrelevant in countering the resistance movement. Significantly, Israel
is keeping stony silence.
Will the US and its regional allies
simply throw in the towel or will bide their time to make a renewed bid
to depose Erdogan? That is the big question. Erdogan’s popularity is
soaring sky-high today within Turkey. He can be trusted to complete the
‘vetting’ process to purge the Gülenists ensconced in the state
apparatus and the armed forces. The meeting of the High Military Council
due in August to decide on the retirement, promotions and transfers of
the military top brass gives Erdogan the free hand to remove the
Gülenists.
Source: Russia Insider
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