Turkey required US approval to down Russian jet: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Don DeBar, an activist and radio host in New York, to discuss Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet near the Syrian border.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: It seems that the Turkish President does not like it when anybody brings up the issue of Daesh’s oil supplies to Turkey. Now is this just an accusation or do we have proof for it?

DeBar: There was a rather extensive presentation of satellite photography and just ordinary aerial photography that was issued by Russia, that was described by President Putin as it was delivered as showing an oil pipeline convoy, essentially oil trucks from horizon to horizon moving oil that was from ISIL (Daesh) going through Turkey out to delivery and the evidence is there. Russia blew up large part of that caravan. They have been taking out the military infrastructure on Syrian territory policed there by Turkey and I think everyone in the world doubts it at this point.

Press TV: So right now as Turkey is trying to repair its relations with Russia, what do you make of that? Is it an indication that Turkey had miscalculated the shooting down of the Russian plane and incurring the wrath of Russia or is this a part of a bigger plot?

DeBar: Well I do not think Turkey did any calculating. I interviewed Mark Sleboda from Moscow State University few days back and he pointed out that are user and user agreements on all of the US weaponry that is in the possession of countries like Turkey that requires a formative approval by the United States of any action against the third party using that hardware.

Now the F-16s that were used to shoot down the Russian airplane of course are among the most advanced weaponry that are available at the market, certainly those subjected to this and the use of restrictions. So it is clear that there was prior approval by the United States. Now when President Putin says he will not meet with Erdogan, of course there is really no reason to meet with Erdogan because he is merely an agent. The principal is in Washington DC and those discussions apparently took place today behind closed doors at the COP 21.

Press TV: Where does this fit in as far as the fight against Daesh goes? Russia is only increasing in doubling down on its bombardment of different positions of the Daesh terrorist group in Syria. However I do not think that was the intent here, was it, by Turkey at least?

DeBar: Well the intent of the US led group that is sponsoring all of the anti-government fighters in Syria is to overthrow the Syrian government. That has been the case from the beginning, from February of 2011. There have been a variety of public relations, fictions presented, characterizing the fight in this way or that way – it is an uprising, it is moderate rebels, it is a whole bunch of other scenarios that were played out, it is because of gas attack, etc. all of them have been proven false.

When Russia went in and started providing air cover for the Syrian Arab army to fight back against this invasion, which what it really is, of mercenaries and Jihadists fighters sponsored by the Saudis, Qataris and others, and as that fighting force in Syria crumbled, as the Syrian army finally got the proper air cover that it needed, the nature of the adventure became obvious to everyone and people like Erdogan and also the Saudis and others who had their hand in this, they were on the risk, basically they had been exposed before the world doing what they are doing - violation of international law.

Erdogan says he does not have to apologize for defending his airspace. When actually he was in Syrian airspace, his people were in Syrian airspace illegally, Russia would not have to apologize if they sent a drone out and took out Erdogan’s car sometime either because it would actually being justified under the UN Charter and others as an act of self-defense.

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