Turkish protesters rally to support Syria http://dlvr.it/20ry36
Turkish protesters rally in support of Assad in Hatay province
Turkish soldiers stand guard at the border gate Cilvegozu in Reyhanly near Hatay province. (File photo)
Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:5PM GMT
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Turkish protesters have held a demonstration in the southern province of Hatay near the Syrian border to show their support for the Syrian government.
Some reports say that demonstrators clashed with police on Wednesday, the third day of protests against Ankara’s foreign policies toward Syria.
Angry locals say Turkey’s closure of the borders has disrupted their trade. They also condemned the Turkish government for allowing Syria’s anti-government insurgents to move freely in the area.
Last month, a member of Turkey’s parliament said that the Hatay province has become a hub for swarms of CIA and Mossad spies infiltrating into Syria freely.
The legislator of the Republican People’s Party, Refik Er-Yilmaz, also accused the authorities of allowing US and Israeli troopers on Turkish soil without any approval from the parliament.
Syria has been the scene of unrest since March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of many people, including large numbers of security forces.
Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.
Turkey, along with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, has set up a secret base in the southern Turkish city of Adana, about one hundred kilometers from Syria’s border, to send military supplies to insurgents.
Syria has repeatedly criticized Turkey for supporting and arming insurgents fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
On February 20, Assad said that “some foreign countries” are fueling the turmoil in Syria by supporting and funding “armed terrorist groups fighting against the government.”
PG/AS
