The advisor at the Egyptian Nasser Higher Military Academy, Major General Dr. Muhammad Zaki Al-Alfi stated the need to internationalize the issue of the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds by seeking European countries to understand the issue of the Kurdish people. Al- Alfi stressed that the isolation imposed on the "Kurdish leadership" is totally unacceptable because it represents a popular revolutionary movement.

 

Dr. Muhammed Zeki Al Elufi answered the questions of Hawar News Agency (ANHA).

 

What are the consequences of the use of chemical weapons in conflicts in accordance with international laws?

 

Chemical weapons are toxic chemical substances that cause temporary disability, death and deliberate harm to humans and non-humans such as animals in general, through their toxic properties and their use through munitions, projectiles, missiles and other equipment designed to transform toxic chemicals into weapons, which is what is called chemical weapons.  It is also classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

 

As a historical background, it has been known since 1925 and prohibited and adhered to by this ban, 193 countries have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, constituting 98% of the world’s population.  and entered into force on April 29, 1997.

 

Article 8 of this Convention states that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Convention;  Articles 10 and 12 provide for assistance and protection to a state party that, if it is attacked or threatened with the use of chemical weapons, includes measures to ensure compliance with and implement sanctions against states that do not respect their treaty obligations.

 

The Turkish state has used chemical weapons dozens of times against the regions of northern and eastern Syria, and against the regions of southern Kurdistan. It also used white phosphorous in the city of Nusaybin, northern Kurdistan, but the international community did not move a finger.  Why do you think?

 

This takes us to the American viewpoint or definition of the Middle East, because this is one of the reasons why the sanctions related to the articles of the Chemical Weapons Convention were not imposed on Turkey, which uses chemical weapons against the Kurds, whether in northern Iraq, Syria or Iran. The American definition of the Middle East states, which it defined from Iran in the east to Morocco in the west, as well as Israel, with the exception of Turkey from this definition as it is one of the NATO countries. This exclusion comes in the direction of overlapping Turkish-American interests in the region, especially against NATO. Hence the US intervention in the decisions that could be implemented against Turkey in the event that chemical weapons were used in the areas I mentioned, especially against the Kurds in northern Iraq and Syria.

 

The Turkish state launched an attack on northern and eastern Syria on October 9, 2019, and on the third day of the attacks, white phosphorous was used, and its effects were visible on the injured, including the child Muhammad Hamid.  White phosphorous is not considered a chemical.” According to the 1980 Geneva Convention, the use of white phosphorous against the civilian population or even against enemies in areas where civilians live, is a war crime.  In your opinion, why did the Organization for the Prohibition of Arms make this argument?

 

As for Turkey's asylum and use of white phosphorous against defenseless civilians, especially against young people, the elderly and children, it is a crime and a violation of the laws.  However, the international organization stated that white phosphorous is not considered a chemical substance. White phosphorous is a weapon that works by mixing phosphorous with oxygen, and it is a white transparent waxy substance, and it has an odor similar to garlic, and is deposited in the soil and is therefore harmful to the soil, and is also deposited at the bottom of rivers and waterways and on fish that can be eaten by humans.  The phosphorous causes burns in the skin up to the bone. There is a violent debate about whether the use of phosphorous is illegal or not. The most important thing here is that its use against civilians is internationally prohibited, and there are many agencies and humanitarian organizations in the world that forbid its use.According to the military classification of weapons, it is an incendiary weapon and is not used against civilians or civilian objects.

 

How can the issue of the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian and Iraqi peoples be internationalized in international forums, and what is required now of the Arab countries, especially the Arab League, to deter Turkish attacks?

 

The issue of the use of chemical weapons can be internationalized by seeking for European countries to understand the issue of the Kurdish people and put it on the agenda of their parliaments. Deny the accusation of terrorism that was attached to the Kurds.  Imposing strict isolation on the Kurdish leadership is completely unacceptable, because they represent a popular revolutionary movement. We must not be silent about the humanitarian violations suffered by the Kurdish people, most notably in European countries.Help highlight the Turkish blackmail process to European countries under the name of stopping immigration operations to Europe or the cost of refugees. Work and strive with the United Nations for international recognition of self-government, and recognition of the reality on the ground. Work and strive to recognize the reality in northern and eastern Syria.  Work to improve relations with the United States of America and Russia to achieve and move in the direction of the interest of the Kurdish people. A peace conference was held in Europe in order to recognize the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and to remove the Turkish threat. As for what is required of the Arab countries and the Arab League, all the points you mentioned must be supported, especially in the event of a peace conference for the Kurdish cause.