MESSAGE
| DATE | 2020-07-02 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout - NYLXS] Real News Slips Past Us
|
While the US and Israel had been accused of occupational plans for
Syria, it is the Turks that are not entrentched in Sysrain Kurdistan and
seem to be set up for exteneding there empire by permentently occupying
Syria
I distinctly remember when US troops withdrew from Syria after chacing
there agressions over the Iraq border at the early phase of the Iraq
war. Now we have Tureky in that zone because we have failed to support
Kurkish independence.
It just pisses me off and weighs very heavily on the real political
future for the US and Israel ... and NATO.
Add to that, the Russians are no entrentched in Lybia. It is getting
very very dark.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
wsj.com
Turkey Uses Its Currency to Tighten Grip on Northern Syria
Isabel Coles in Beirut and David Gauthier-Villars in Istanbul
7-9 minutes
Syrians who want to buy a loaf of bread or fill their gas tanks in
parts of the countrys north are rushing to exchange Syrian pounds for
Turkish lira, as businesses switch currencies in an attempt to insulate
themselves against a crumbling economy after years of war.
I was shocked to see that they only accept the Turkish currency now,
said software engineer Malek Tarboush last week, after eating at a
restaurant in the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib.
Turkey is rolling out its currency in parts of Syria under its control
as it attempts to exploit its neighbors economic unraveling to further
entrench itself in the north of a country ravaged by the multisided
conflict.
The use of the Turkish lira is yet another indication that Turkey is
seeing this as an extension of its rule and is going to have a
long-term presence there, said Asli Aydintasbas, a senior policy fellow
at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Ankara sent shipments of Turkish lira to its allies in Idlib province
and other parts of northern Syria after the local currency collapsed
last month, according to Omer Ozkizilcik, an analyst with the SETA
Foundation, an Ankara-based think tank seen as close to the Erdogan
government.
The Turkish lira are being injected through currency-exchange points
and post offices, said Mr. Ozkizilcik, who closely follows Syria.
Residents are swapping Syrian pounds and sometimes U.S. dollars for the
Turkish currency, he said. Exchange shops in northern Syria have been
thronged with customers, residents said.
An official with Turkeys finance ministry said he had no information on
how Ankara was facilitating a shift to the Turkish lira in parts of
Syria. The Turkish central bank said it wasnt involved in the plan.
After nine years of war, Russia, Iran and Turkey are seeking to
consolidate their gains after backing different sides in a conflict
that began as a popular uprising against the government of President
Bashar al-Assad.
Syrians lined up outside a bank in Idlib last week. Turkish lira are
being introduced to the local economy through currency-exchange points
and post offices.
Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/Zuma Press
After multiple military interventions over the past four years, Turkey
controls a string of areas along its southern border representing
roughly 5% of its neighbors territory. There are an estimated four
million Syrians in the territory under Turkeys control, according to
the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The Turkish lira was already being used to pay fighters and bureaucrats
in administrative bodies backed by Ankara, which has also built
schools, hospitals and post offices in the areas under its control, and
connected some to its own electricity grid.
Replacing the Syrian pound with the Turkish lira knits parts of
northern Syria more tightly into the fabric of Turkeys economy.
Turkey says its presence in northern Syria is necessary to protect its
border against groups it regards as terrorist threats and to support
rebels who oppose Mr. Assad.
That strategy, however, has put Turkey on a collision course with
Russia, one of Mr. Assads main military backers.
After fierce fighting this year that pitted the Russia and Iran-backed
Syrian forces against rebel fighters and thousands of Turkish ground
troops, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed on enforcing a fragile cease-fire in
the area in March. The clash displaced nearly 1 million people.
But both sides have been massing forces there in recent weeks, raising
concerns of a renewed offensive. Turkish forces stationed in the Idlib
countryside fired rockets at Syrian military positions overnight on
Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The Syrian government didnt respond to a request for comment. It hasnt
commented on the adoption of the Turkish currency but has vowed to
reclaim all its territory.
For Syrians living in Turkish-controlled territories, the rollout of
the Turkish lira is a means to preserve their purchasing power against
the rapid erosion of the pound, which has lost around 70% of its value
against the dollar since the start of the year. The Turkish lira fell
to a low last month, but has only lost 16% against the dollar so far
this year.
Just like when our homes were destroyed and we had to flee: We have no
other choice, said Outhman Khani, an activist based in the city of
Idlib.
A man paid for gas last week with Turkish lira in Idlib.
Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/Zuma Press
Authorities in the areas held by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey turned
to Ankara for help last month, according to Mr. Ozkizilcik, the SETA
analyst.
The aim is to replace the Syrian pound entirely, protecting the
civilians in opposition-held areas from the bad economy and the
possible side effects of sanctions, and to increase pressure on the
Assad regime economically, Mr. Ozkizilcik said.
Abdurrahman Mustafa, the head of the Syrian Interim Government, a
Turkish-backed opposition political body that has sought to act as an
umbrella coalition for governance described the adoption of the lira as
a temporary measure that will be reversed when a comprehensive
political solution to the conflict is found.
The Assad regime has sought to blame growing hardships on U.S.
sanctions, but economists say they are the result of years of
mismanagement, conflict and corruption.
Many Syrians are resigned to the new reality.
I see [the Turkish lira] as a permanent replacement, said Mr. Tarboush,
the software engineer. The Syrian currency wont return to what it was
before.
On the Greek-Turkish Border, Migrants Hopes Meet a Violent Pushback
0:00 / 2:46
On the Greek-Turkish Border, Migrants Hopes Meet a Violent Pushback
On the Greek-Turkish Border, Migrants Hopes Meet a Violent Pushback
Clashes between migrants and Greek forces have erupted after the
Turkish government said it would open its borders for Syrian refugees
to enter Europe, prompting thousands to attempt the crossing. WSJ's
David Gauthier-Villars reports from the border between Turkey and
Greece. Photo: Sakis Mitrolidis/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Nazih Osseiran in Beirut contributed to this article.
Write to Isabel Coles at isabel.coles-at-wsj.com and David
Gauthier-Villars at David.Gauthier-Villars-at-wsj.com
--
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