FORMER LEBANESE MINISTER CONDEMNS TURKISH PRIME MINISTER'S EXPLOITATION OF THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE
By Appo Jabarian
Executive Publisher/Managing Editor
USA Armenian Life Magazine
June 28, 2012
Sensing eventual political abandonment by Israel, Turkey haphazardly
carried out a 'pro-Palestinian' 'humanitarian' outreach to Palestinians
in Gaza staging a controversial and failed sea-lift through a civilian
vessel - 'Mavi Marmara' in 2010.
For a short time, before taking missteps in Egypt and elsewhere,
Erdogan became the hero of the Arab street.
Despite his humanitarian heroics, several Arab nations remember
vividly Turkey's decades-long military and economic alliance with
their archenemy Israel.
As for Syria, Damascus has been at odds with Ankara, especially for
the continued Turkish occupation of Syrian Arab lands of Alexandretta -
now called 'Hatay' by Turkey.
For a few years in late 2000 Syria considered the Alexandretta issue
as a frozen conflict with Turkey falling to Turkish false promises
of a new 'friendship' and began warming to Ankara. But that was when
the Arab Spring had not been exported to Syria via Turkey.
To their credit, at a time when the Syrian leaders were in honeymoon
with Turkey, several Arab political observers and analysts were
lucidly unmasking Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
conniving politics to manipulate his way to pan-Arab leadership by
exploiting the Palestinian issue.
Apprehensive about Turkey's political ambitions in the Middle East;
and mindful about Turkey's long history of nation-to-nation bullying,
objective observers raised many 'red flags.' They were wary about
Ankara's hidden desire to create a new Turkish-Ottoman empire
encompassing all of the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.
One such politically savvy Arab thinker and foremost political leader
has been former Lebanese Minister Wiam Wahhab.
In Sept. 2011, almost a year before a Turkish fighter jet belonging to
Turkey's Air Force violated Syria's airspace in June 2012, Mr. Wahhab
lambasted Turkey and its Prime Minister Erdogan for the latter's
boastful public declarations designed to force Syrian Pres. Bashar
Assad out of power. Mr. Wahhab especially ridiculed Turkey's age-old
bullying tactics.
During the 2011 interview broadcast live on Lebanese TV and later
disseminated via numerous YouTube channels worldwide, Mr. Wahhab
prophesized the June 2012 Syrian downing of a Turkish fighter jet
that had 'inadvertently' violated Syria's airspace over the latter's
territorial waters near Syrian coastal city of Latakia.
Directly referring to the Turkish PM, Mr. Wahhab said: "Let's
begin with Erdogan, the watermelon seller. There's nothing wrong
with being a watermelon seller. " (Click here or use this link -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhEtxzU8Mio - to see the interview in
Arabic with English subtitles.)
In response to the TV host's rebuttal, "You're calling him a watermelon
seller? A year ago you considered him a pan-Arab hero!"
Mr. Wahhab countered: "I never called him a hero. The Syrians are
the ones who got him wrong. I never got it wrong; not even once. The
Syrians did! I knew what he was doing, and I said it more than once.
His only goal is to snatch the Palestinian flag away from the
Iranians. That was his only goal. Erdogan thinks that a watermelon
seller who shouts louder sells more. If that's what he thinks, I'd
like to tell him that if he goes even one meter into Syrian land,
100,000 missiles will fall on him - from Syria and elsewhere. If he
goes even one meter into Syria..."
The following is the remainder of the televised conversation between
the TV host and Mr. Wahhab:
TV Host: "What, are you trying to incite war between Syria and Turkey?"
Mr. Wahhab: "If he goes even one meter into Syrian land ... It won't
be me firing missiles. I don't have any. I am telling you what will
happen. This is a Syrian decision. It is the Syrian decision of Bashar
Al-Assad and of the Syrian army. If he enters even a single meter and
occupies Syrian land ... I will be one of the people who will go and
fight, and I call upon all Lebanese who believe in this nation to go
and fight if Turkey enters Syrian land. But Erdogan wouldn't dare to
do so. He's too much of a coward. If he sets foot on a single meter,
100,000 missiles will fall on Turkish cities."
TV Host: "And that is a Syrian decision?"
Mr. Wahhab: "Yes, it's a decision of Syria and of the entire axis of
resistance. If Syrian land is occupied ... First of all, Turkey is
an occupier, just like Israel. Let's be clear about this. Israel took
Palestine and Turkey took Alexandretta (Syria). That's my opinion. I
believe in the (Arab) nation. I have never had a good word to say
about Turkey. Never! If NATO sends a plane, the first missile it fires
(at Syria) will mean that 100,000 missiles will fall on Palestine.
That decision has been made. I am speaking on behalf of Syria, Iran,
the resistance, and everybody. That is a done deal."
TV Host: "Missiles will be fired from Syria and from Lebanon too? By
Hezbollah...?"
Mr. Wahhab: "From everywhere. The entire region will go up in flames.
If the (Lebanese) government says that it wants to disarm Hezbollah
by force, in accordance with an American and Israeli decision, of
course we will resort to weapons. The (Lebanese) government will
become the enemy."
A few years ago at a time when Turkey was actively lobbying to send its
'peacekeeping' forces to south Lebanon many independent Arab leaders
worked to block the Turkish forces entry into south Lebanon near the
border with Israel, foretelling the troubles to be caused by Turkish
hegemony in Middle East.
Will more and more Arabs detect Turkish political opportunism before
it's too late?
Will they become increasingly aware of the anti-Arab Turkish policy of
'divide and conquer' that pits Sunni Arabs against Shia Arabs?
For a starter, Arab may well count their blessings in political
thinkers and activists like Mr. Wahhab.
As Turkey's true designs for the Arab countries increasingly become
clear, many more Christian and Muslim Arabs may openly join Lebanese
former Minister Wahhab in condemning Turkey's exploitation of the
Palestinian Cause; and insatiable appetite for new imperial rule
reminiscent of Turkish Ottoman era oppression.