Former CHP leader justifies Turkey's shelling of PYD, draws praise from PM

The former leader of Turkey's main opposition party has lent support to the government's shelling of Kurdish and Syrian positions in northern Syria, while underlining the "Sunni" identity of the rebel stronghold of Aleppo and arguing that the city should not be handed over to "Shiite/Nusayri" forces.

Deniz Baykal, the previous leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), also argued that his party needed to make its stance against "terror" clearer, stating that his successor, Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu, was also aware that "the party needs a fundamental change."

"Turkey has the right to bomb in order to keep the Azez-Aleppo line open," Baykal said in a live interview with CNN Türk late on Feb. 15, suggesting that the bombing had so far been effective, while also drawing praise from the government.

"Unfortunately, as long as the Azez-Aleppo line is not kept open, we will be sending an open invitation to this refugee influx," Baykal said, justifying Turkey's move as "a legitimate right in the face of the possibility of new migration waves."

The dispute is no long limited to Azez, he said.

"It is seen that a move from the south to Aleppo is being planned. Aleppo is a Sunni city; it is historically so. It is a city where Islamic civilization has put its stamp everywhere. There is a need to very seriously question a policy which is aimed at handing over this city to [Bashar] al-Assad forces, to Shiite, Nusayri [Alawite] forces under the auspices of Russia," Baykal said.

Baykal said the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) was pursuing its own goals of "uniting cantons to the south of Turkey, near Syria's border" and "to this aim, it is enforcing migration in non-Kurdish, Arab villages, changing the...