aawsat.com, Amir Taheri :

While some commentators are speculating about a possible change of Turkish policy towards Syria in favor of Iranian and Russian positions, Tehran’s daily Kayhan yesterday launched a scathing attack on Ankara for pursuing a “hidden agenda” in Syria.

The newspaper, reputed to reflect the views of Iran’s “ Supreme Guide” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claims Turkey is trying to establish a foothold for itself in Syria to bolster the position of “moderate” anti-Bashar Al-Assad forces while preventing Syrian Kurds from creating an autonomous mini-state of their own along the border.

The Turkish military intervention, Kayhan claims, is designed to “legitimize the presence of so-called moderate Syrian forces such as the terrorist group Free Syrian Army.” Kayhan also believes that Turkey’s decision to inform Russia of its military operation in Syria is something of a ruse.

“Afraid of the Russian reaction, Turkey didn’t want to embark on military action without informing Moscow,” the paper claims. This is why Ankara has adopted “a two-faced policy” towards Syria, signaling normalization with President Bashar Al-Assad but in fact providing armor for his opponents.

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