Middle East expert: If Erdogan wins Turkey referendum, the Arab world will 'catch on fire'
TURKISH president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s referendum on whether to hand him sweeping new powers could set the Arab world "on fire", according to a Middle East expert.
Mr Erdogan is putting up a tough fight for a constitutional reform that would see him awarded a swathe of new powers.
Voters will head to the polls on April 16 to have their say in the controversial referendum, which sparked diplomatic war between Turkey and much of mainland Europe.
But one Middle East expert has warned a vote in the Turkish leader’s favour will spark chaos across the Arab world.
Abdel Mottaleb El-Husseini claims that if Mr Erdogan succeeds, it will have catastrophic consequences for the whole region.
And he says this will have particular significant for the Kurds, who he warns will lose all hope for reconciliation.
He said: ”With his expanded capabilities and the belief that the Turks are behind him, Erdogan will carry all the Kurds' aspirations for autonomy and rights to the grave.”
And he predicted the result could spark off a spiral of violence, resulting in more terror by Kurdish factions and more repression by Ankara in response.
Mr Erdogan would also oppress the Kurds in Syria and Iraq more strongly, Mr Husseini claimed.
He said: "Turkish forces are already stationed at the border with Iraq. With this Erdogan is ignoring the will of Iraq.
“The troops are supposed to fight the Kurdish PKK on the ground, but it is actually about an occupation."
But he also warned the referendum could destablise the Middle East, which currently operates mostly in harmony between the Sunni Gulf States and Shiite Iran.
Mr Husseini said: "The Turkish president wants a Sunni alliance, that is, with Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and wants to be the leader himself."
And he added the vote would not just jeopardise the stability of his country, but also of the whole region.
He claimed: ”In his endeavour, he threatens to set the region on fire.”
The comments come amid strained diplomatic relations between Turkey and both the Netherlands and Germany, who cancelled a series of rallies encourage Turkish experts to vote in Mr Erdogan’s favour next month.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...-catch-on-fire
Geplaatst door Hayret 
