As Turkey continues to threaten to invade North and East Syria under the guise of a “safe zone”, a delegation from the US met with Turkish officials yesterday. The meetings are to continue today, and the only item on the agenda is the invasion attacks under the guise of a “safe zone”.

Meanwhile, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria also continues diplomatic efforts to prevent a war. The “safe zone” is also on the agenda in meetings between the US and Coalition officials and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. One of the points is Turkey’s claim to “return the land to its rightful owners”.

Gire Spi Canton Autonomous Administration Co-chair Hemid Al-Abid spoke to the ANF about the Turkish state’s claim.

Al-Abid said they won’t accept an invasion: “We are the true owners of these lands. Anybody who migrated to Turkey for whatever reason can come back to their lands whenever they want, but if some want to return on top of Turkish tanks, we will not accept that.”

“WE KNOW WHO THE REAL OWNERS OF THESE LANDS ARE”

Gire Spi Canton Co-chair Al-Abid, an Arab man, said: “We know very well who the real owners of Gire Spi are. There were over a hundred groups under the name FSA when the Syrian war began. After a while, they started to discuss who controls what territory, and when ISIS came most of them joined it. Some fled. Until YPG and YPJ came to rescue the land,” is Al Abid’s summary of the last 8 years.

“CRIMINALS THINK TURKISH TANKS ARE THE SOLUTION”

Al-Abid spoke about Turkey’s claim that the locals were “exiled” from the region: “We are calling on everybody from Gire Spi who migrated to Turkey to now return. We repeat our numerous calls before. Come back, live in your home and on your lands. The persons who committed massacres and other crimes against the people don’t want this, they think the way back is through Turkish tanks.”

“LET’S INVESTIGATE”

“The Turkish state keeps saying that we are not the true owners of these lands. Let’s investigate then. Did we come here from Afghanistan? We are the rightful owners,” said Al-Abid and added that many in Turkey are actually ISIS members: “Turkey makes them speak to the press to realize their Ottoman dreams. That is the extent of the situation.”

“WE WANT PEACE NOT WAR”

Al-Abid said they want peace, not war, and that they will continue to defend their lands: “For the last four years, we have lived here in harmony as Arabs, Kurds, Armenians and Turkmens. I dare them to show one example of a rights violation in these years. They can’t. Because we live here on the basis of the fraternity of peoples. There hasn’t been any conflict among us, and if there had, it could be discussed and sorted out through the legal system. There are courts, there is the law. We do not solve problems with beheadings, pillaging or torture.”

TEV-DEM HAD ISSUED A CALL

TEV-DEM Executive Board Member Aldar Xelil had spoken to the ANF about the “settling Syrians in the safe zone” argument Turkey uses to legitimize the invasion and said: “Any Syrian persons from this area, who had to migrate due to the war or any other reason, should return to their lands. That is what we have said time and time again. We are ready to support them any way we can as they build a new life back home. But that is not what Erdogan is going for. He wants to settle armed groups here.”

TEV-DEM Executive Board Member Foza Yusif spoke at a program on Ronahi TV and called on Syrians who migrated from Northern and Eastern Syria to Turkey or other countries, for any reason, to return to their lands.