Statement on Syria from Ümit Özdağ: 'On the brink of partition and civil war'

Zafer Party Chairman Ümit Özdağ, who is being held in custody, made assessments from prison regarding the developments in Syria. In a statement released via his social media account, Özdağ said, "Syria is on the brink of partition and civil war. There are both internal and external dynamics for a new civil war and partition in Syria. First, the internal dynamics; Syrian society is composed of Sunni Arabs, Alawite Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, and Druze. These groups are not geographically integrated and live in different regions." 

"I ask those who say 'We have won a victory' when Bashar al-Assad is toppled: Who has won the victory?" Özdağ asked, adding, "The government has 2 options: First, to occupy northern Syria and destroy the YPG; second, to accept the YPG joining the new Syrian army as a whole with an independent organization like the Peshmerga forces in Iraq, and to sell this to the Turkish public by saying 'We have solved the problem, there is no more YPG, there is the Syrian army'." 

The full text of Özdağ's statement is as follows: 

'THE GOVERNMENT HAS TWO OPTIONS'

"Syria is on the brink of partition and civil war. There are both internal and external dynamics for a new civil war and partition in Syria. First, the internal dynamics; Syrian society is composed of Sunni Arabs, Alawite Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, and Druze. These groups are not geographically integrated and live in different regions. 

Israel has been pursuing a strategy to partition Syria since 1982 and has come very close to this goal following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Israeli army, which occupied the Druze region in southern Syria, has effectively created a Druze zone there. 

In the north, the YPG/PKK controls Syria's oil and natural gas regions, and Damascus has recognized the PYD autonomous region. 

As the HTS-centered Damascus regime exerts pressure to take revenge on Alawite Arabs, the Latakia-Tartus region is also hardening and shifting toward an axis of conflict with Damascus. 

Turkmens, who demand a Turkmen region in Aleppo and its surroundings, feel marginalized. And Iran is supporting destabilization operations to maintain a presence in Syria, at least in the Alawite Arab region. The Damascus regime, meanwhile, has no army capable of keeping Syria together. 

When these internal and external dynamics come together, the 74 thousand YPG members armed and trained by the US, with the political, military, and intelligence support of Israel behind them, say, 'Öcalan's statement does not bind me.' If Öcalan were to make a specific statement regarding the YPG and call for laying down arms, would the YPG lay down its arms? No. 

I ask those who say 'We have won a victory' when Bashar al-Assad is toppled: Who has won the victory? 

The government has 2 options: 

First, to occupy northern Syria and destroy the YPG; second, to accept the YPG joining the new Syrian army as a whole with an independent organization like the Peshmerga forces in Iraq, and to sell this to the Turkish public by saying 'We have solved the problem, there is no more YPG, there is the Syrian army'."

News Source: 12punto