Turkish Envoy: Toppling Syrian Government Will Cause Catastrophic Consequences

Thursday 12 March 2015

Turkish Envoy: Toppling Syrian Government Will Cause Catastrophic Consequences

TEHRAN (FNA)- Deposing Syrian President Bashar Assad will upset public order and security, raising the number of victims in the Syrian conflict even further, former Turkish Finance Minister Abdullatif Sener said.

Sener spoke to RIA Novosti on Monday on the heels of the Turkish delegation’s visit to Syria last week. Turkey was represented by Head of Patriotic Party (Vatan) Dogu Perincek, Vatan’s Co-founder Birgul Ayman Guler, and Sener, founder of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). (President al-Assad Meets With Turkish to Discuss Erdogan’s Support for Terrorism)

“I came to a clear belief during the visit that if Assad is overthrown, public order, security and sovereignty will cease to exist throughout the country,” Sener said.

The envoy noted during his trip that vital infrastructure, security and public institutions operate fault-free in Syria’s government-controlled regions.

“I am convinced that if Assad is overthrown, various groups with no political traditions, ethical standards,… a clearly defined program and – even worse – that have no idea how to govern, will destroy and raze to the ground everything around them,” Sener said.

Commenting on late January’s intra-Syria talks held between government officials and opposition representatives in Moscow, the Turkish envoy pointed to the absence of a unified opposition in Syria.

“The Free Syrian Army (FSA) exists in name only. From time to time, its members enter into clashes with government troops, joining Islamic State (of Iraq and the Levant) militants, the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups,” Sener said.

Syrian reconciliation talks were held under Russian mediation for the first time since January 2014, when UN-backed negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland failed to provide significant results.