ISTANBUL: France must take back its militant nationals from Syria, Turkiye’s top diplomat said Friday, insisting Washington was its only interlocutor for developments in the northeast where Ankara is threatening military action against Kurdish fighters.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted Turkiye’s only aim was to ensure “stability” in Syria after the toppling of strongman Bashar Assad.
In its sights are the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which have been working with the United States for the past decade to fight Daesh group militants.
Turkiye considers the group as linked to its domestic nemesis, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye and is considered a terror organization by both Turkiye and the US.
The US is currently leading talks to head off a Turkish offensive in the area.
“The US is our only counterpart... Frankly we don’t take into account countries that try to advance their own interests in Syria by hiding behind US power,” he said.
His remarks were widely understood to be a reference to France, which is part of an international coalition to prevent a militant resurgence in the area.
Asked about the possibility of a French-US troop deployment in northeast Syria, he said France’s main concern should be to take back its nationals who have been jailed there in connection with militant activity.
“If France had anything to do, it should take its own citizens, bring them to its own prisons and judge them,” he said.
Turkiye says France must take back its militants from Syria
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Turkiye says France must take back its militants from Syria
- Ankara is threatening military action against Kurdish fighters in the northeast
- Turkiye considers the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces as linked to its domestic nemesis
Moroccan lawyers end strike after reform bill suspended: bar
- Moroccan lawyers had launched a rolling strike protesting the bill several weeks ago, deeming it a threat to their independence and demanding a participatory approach
RABAT: Lawyers in Morocco ended a weeks-long strike on Monday after the government suspended a bill regulating the legal sector and created a commission tasked with initiating dialogue, a professional association said.
Omar Mahmoud Bendjelloun, a board member of the Association of Moroccan Bars (ABAM), told AFP that Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch had promised on Wednesday to “personally take charge” of the bill with the cooperation of the ABAM, “putting in place a mixed commission” of officials and legal practitioners.
Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi had initiated the legislation, which was presented as being intended to modernize the sector and strengthen anti-corruption measures.
The government approved the text of the bill in December, but has now put off forwarding it to the parliament for a vote as previously planned.
Moroccan lawyers had launched a rolling strike protesting the bill several weeks ago, deeming it a threat to their independence and demanding a participatory approach.
Early this month, thousands of black-robed lawyers gathered in the capital Rabat for a demonstration against the measure.
A main point of contention was the provision to grant the courts direct disciplinary power over lawyers. Normally, disciplinary matters are handled internally by the bar association.
According to Bendjelloun, the government has since taken “a step back,” opening the door for a “way out of the crisis.”
Justice Minister Ouahbi told a session of parliament earlier this month that the “matter is in your hands.”
“Let them (the lawyers) give you the changes they want and I will discuss them with you,” he said. “I am ready to drop, modify or reform anything that harms lawyers.”
But, he added, “the legal profession needs change, and I will implement that change.”
