that's the acronym that stands for this syria northern syrian kurdish militia is associated with the kurdistan workers party the p.k. k. which the us and the e.u. do recognize as a terrorist group is he right well that the fact that the that there is an association between these two groups is a fact in the sense that they share a certain. you know i think heritage political affiliation having said that they are two separate organizations with two distinct histories and goals for arabs who want to claim that. that wife is a terrorist threats to turkey he has to substantiate that the government the turkish government has never actually provided any facts to substantiate that the wife has engaged in acts of terrorism in turkey or targeting turkey as opposed to the p.k. the p.k. has done that but it as far as why piccies concerned that's not the case so what i don't is doing is that sort of you know. conflating these organizations and and presenting them as one in order to provide the justification for his government's intervention into syria if you suspect your opening statement appears to indica

that's the acronym that stands for this syrian northern syrian kurdish militia is associated with the kurdistan workers' party the p k k which the us and the e.u. do recognize as a terrorist group is he right well that the fact that the that there is an association between these two groups is a fact in the sense that they share a certain. you know i think heritage political affiliation having said that they are two separate organizations with two distinct histories and goals for arabs want to claim that. that wife is a terrorist threats to turkey he has to substantiate that the government the turkish government has never actually provided any facts to substantiate that the wife has engaged in acts of terrorism in turkey or targeting turkey as opposed to the p.k. the p.k. has done that but it as far as like peachy is concerned that's not the case so what i don't is doing is that sort of you know. conflating these organizations and and presenting them as one in order to provide the justification for his government's intervention into syria if you suspect your opening statement appears to indicate

g that's the acronym stands for this syrian northern syrian kurdish militia is associated with the kurdistan workers party the p.k. k. which the u.s. and the e.u. do recognize as a terrorist group right. well that the fact that the that there is an association between these two groups is a fact in the sense that they share a certain. you know i think heritage political affiliation having said that they are two separate organizations with two distinct histories and goals for the want to claim that. that wife is a terrorist threats to turkey he has to substantiate that the government the turkish government has never actually provided any facts to substantiate that the y.p. she has engaged in acts of terrorism in turkey or targeting turkey as opposed to the p.k. the p.k. has done that but as far as why peachy is concerned that's not the case so what i don't is doing is that sort of you know. conflating these organizations and and presenting them as one in order to provide the justification for his government's intervention into syria if service for your opening statement appears to indicate tha

that's the acronym that stands for this syrian northern syrian kurdish militia is associated with the kurdistan workers' party the p k k which the u.s. and the e.u. do recognize as a terrorist group is he right. well that the fact that that that there is an association between these two groups is a fact in the sense that they share a certain. you know i think heritage political affiliation having said that they are two separate organizations with two distinct histories and goals for arabs who want to claim that. that wife is a terrorist threats to turkey he has to substantiate that the government the turkish government has never actually provided any facts to substantiate that the y.p. she has engaged in acts of terrorism in turkey or targeting turkey as opposed to the p.k. the p.k. has done that but as far as like you choose concern that's not the case so what i don't is doing is that sort of you know. conflating these organizations and and presenting them as one in order to provide the justification for his government's intervention into syria if service for your opening statement appears to

that's the acronym that stands for this syrian northern syrian kurdish militia is associated with the kurdistan workers party the p.k. k. which the u.s. and the e.u. do recognize a terrorist group is he right well that the fact that that that there is an association between these two groups is a fact. they share a certain. you know i think heritage political affiliation having said that they are two separate organizations with two distinct histories and goals for arabs want to claim that. that is a terrorist threats to turkey he has to substantiate that the government the turkish government has never actually provided any facts to substantiate that the wife has engaged in acts of terrorism in turkey or targeting turkey as opposed to the p.k. the p.k. has done that but in as far as white beaches concern that's not the case so what i don't want is doing is that sort of you know. conflating these organizations and and presenting them as one in order to provide the justification for his government's intervention into syria if a service for your opening statement appears to indicate that you would a

everybody is pretending it is much better in syrian kurdistan that it is elsewhere. ypgs who do not support the will tell you that their situation is more difficult. ypg has killed more oppositional politicians than the assad regime ever did and we should not forget this. daniel: that last statement is totally unsubstantiated. if you say that, you probably lack the k knowledge of what the assad regime has done to the opposition over many decades. syriane're talking about kurds. daniel: we're talking about the regional context of syrian kurds. i agree the pyd is not only a creation of the pkk but is also somehow and emulation in this method of the assad regime. that is why it was grown. that is why it sought refuge during the times when it was oppressed and persecuted in turkey and the assad regime supported them. if you look at the regional context, then the performance of the ypg -- i'm not talking about human rights. i'm talking about our notion of stability. in this difficult context, they did prove themselves. they showed that they can be efficient -- have very l

everybody is pretending it is much better in syrian kurdistan that it is elsewhere. ypgs who do not support the will tell you that their situation is more difficult. ypg has killed more oppositional politicians than the assad regime ever did and we should not forget this. daniel: that last statement is totally unsubstantiated. if you say that, you probably lack the knowledge of what the assad regime has done to the opposition over many decades. syriane're talking about kurds. daniel: we're talking about the regional context of syrian kurds. i agree the pyd is not only a creation of the pkk but is also somehow and emulation in this method of the assad regime. that is why it was grown. that is why it sought refuge during the times when it was oppressed and persecuted in turkey and the assad regime supported them. if you look at the regional context, then the performance of the ypg -- i'm not talking about human rights. i'm talking about our notion of stability. in this difficult context, they did prove themselves. they showed that they can be efficient -- have very lit

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization however america and turkey have different views on the syrian based kurdish militia called the people's protection units or the wife p.g. anchor regarded as a branch of the p.k. k. and therefore terrorists but the us led coalition seized the white p.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria well in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response ankara launched a military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a direct clash with american forces. when tillerson arrived in the turkish capital he was met by a large number of protests against his business. well let's discuss this issue with president of kurdistan's national assembly in syria shaker thank you very much indeed for joining me and hopefully you can hear me i can certainly hear you which is good do you think that this meeting will ease the tensions between wa

is no different from the p k k that is the kurdistan workers' party that kurdistan workers' party has been bombing teicher cities and attacking tucker soldiers and policemen and even talkers that in some respects over the past several decades so for the turkish people any price is essentially there's no price really high enough to pay in order to ensure the defeat of a group they consider to be a terrorist organization iran's president has called for unity across the political spectrum of mass rally celebrating the thirty ninth anniversary of the islamic revolution it's still the overthrow of the shah of iran and the creation of the islamic republic a sign romney's comments follow last month antigovernment protests when sales of people arrested didn't tell him when we have differences over a couple of issues or when political factions have different views there is no reason to fight or chant slogans the ballot box is the answer bring the ballot box and do whatever people say. we should observe universal political rules we should stand together. a north korean delegation has left south

last year, the autonomous region of iraqi kurdistan planned to declare independence and annex the contested province of kirkuk. baghdad launched an offensive to tatake back these arereas, which account for 10% of iraq's oil production. good food used to export almost 200,000 barrels per day to turkey to a kurdish-contrololled pipeline. but until october 2017, this facility was run by a kurdish company. now itit has been taken over byn iraqi state-owned company, but production has halted because the only export route runs the kurdistan. attempt to diffuse tensions are underway. meanwhile,e, special forces are determined to protect kirkuk, should kurdish fighters attemptt to retake itit. worried that kurdish peshmerga a could retu.. i do notot think the risisk is g because ththe force presesence n kirkuk is very strong. counterterrorism forces control the city, and we also have backup forces. simona: in the streets of kirkukuk, there is lingering fear that the conflict could escalate again. amid worrieses, business is slow in thihis restaurant, and its owner is increasingly tired of being cau

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more uncertainty is both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization however america and turkey have different views on the syrian based kurdish militia called the people's protection units or the wife p.g. and her regards it as a branch of the p.k. k. and therefore terrorists but the us led coalition sees the wife e.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria when in january the pentagon and state was creating a kurdish led security force on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response and her launched a military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a direct clash with american forces when tillerson arrived in the turkish capital he was met by a large number of protests against his visit earlier we spoke to the president of the kurdistan national assembly of syria a bus eve believes the differences between the u.s. and turkey we can't resolve. this so us knows clearly that turkey has a lot of support for islamist group or in the only way to stop that is using the ku

is the kurdistan workers' party a group of fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization however america until you have different views on the syrian based kurdish militia called the people's protection units or the wife p.g. and regards it as a branch of the p.k. k. and therefore terrorists but the u.s. led coalition sees the wife e.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria when in january the pentagon and state was creating a kurdish led security force on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response and current launched a military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a direct clash with american forces when rex tillerson arrived in the turkish capital he was met by a large number of protests against his visit earlier we spoke to the president of the kurdistan national assembly of syria he believes the differences between the u.s. and turkey will be hard to resolve. so u.s. knows clearly that turkey has a lot of support for islamist groups in the only way to stop that is using

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization however america and turkey have different views on the syrian based kurdish militia called the people's protection units or the white petri anchor regarded as a branch of the p.k. k. and therefore terrorists but the us led coalition sees the white p.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria. well in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force on turkey's doorstep in northern syria and in response ankara launched a military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a direct clash with american forces went to listen arrived in the turkish capital he was met by a large number of protests against his visit earlier we spoke to the president of the kurdistan national assembly in syria of us he believes the differences between the u.s. and turkey will be hard to resolve. so u.s. knows clearly that turkey has a lot of support for islamist groups in the only way to stop that

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil. it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to tout to exploit the field other big players include exxon streets the story for those to lazy to find a bin for their trash and jeni

it is hard to say that it is not about kurdish demonstration in germany or marching in iraqi kurdistan, it is about other issues that we have been talking about. unfortunately there isn't any clear answer right now about this. the syrian kurds and the white -- it is next to the united able tothe kurds were hold on, and the vanguard of defeating isis in that area, so the kurds and the u.s. need each other. wouldt see that the ypg see any reason to change its american it's probably position, positions willing to be the lead fighters against isis and stop further infiltration. what sort of negotiations will go on between them to try to defuse a possible situation, the it has made it clear that remains firmly on the side of the united states despite what is happening. for liza a question marquez, mainly on the relationship with the pyd and ypg and the iranian regime and militia operating in syria, how do you assess those relationships. there has been evidence of collaboration and tolerance and suggestion that perhaps that iranians will lay off a little bit on the northeast in the conflict,

terrorist groups with ties to turkey's banned kurdistan workers party turkish forces began a campaign against the wife. of a fleeing region last month. now tributes are being paid to one of india's biggest movie stars sri davey. the fifty four year old died of a heart attack while attending the wedding in dubai making her debut in just four years old she acted hundred films right those are the headlines al-jazeera world journalism is not a crime continues next. i am looking at why my colleague much the same has been in jail in egypt for a real year without trial. he is experienced and as covered several pollutions as a foreign correspondent. as an egyptian revolution in twenty eleven was a huge challenge for him here what was he like to work with and you know mahmoud in a wellness in the can with or was it what i was certain. of and i came to tell them what can them and he made them that man with a better hope are behind the saffi you have. to live and what money i would still have from a then that's just a tad million dollars k. faith and a lot. of the really elements said going in t

doing to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars peshmerga forces and iraqi kurdistan so there are actually patients of iraq created on the ground both u.s. presence and iraqi forces which are allied to them or our proxy forces to them so any iraqi government is subjected to this massive u.s. presence they still have the biggest embassy in the world by the way and baghdad so there is that u.s. employers are obviously the other countries have influence in iraq as well through . all our neighbors if you like ok but if he's president or term hasn't acquiesced to tory's amazed to say bomb damascus in the border in iraq would bring syria well terrorism may obviously what they sometimes do successive british governments actually is is really behave more royalist time they came to feel like if that is a metaphor or a back could that i could use when it comes to us foreign policy they often have us policy they go beyond these very badly to justify it this has been unfortunately britain's role over the decades they tag along with us aggressive policies across the world not just in the middl

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil. it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian oil and british petroleum but the world's second largest oil

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil. it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with the u.s. chevron and france's to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian oil and british petroleum. but the world's second lar

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil. it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian oil and british petroleum. but the world's second largest oil co

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil. it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian oil and british petroleum. but the world's second largest oi

but obviously it is hard to say not about the kurdish demonstrations in germany with the iraqi kurdistan so unfortunately there isn't any clear answer but to the pkk and ypg to maintain that relationship that the kurds could hold on and then in turn that was the vanguard for the kurds in the u.s. need each other but the ypg would not be any reason to change that position being willing to be the lead fighter against isis to stop the infiltration so what sort of negotiations will go on for this impossible situation but ypg made it clear firmly on the side of the united states. >> wearing their hat. >> yes. >> i think on the relationship of ypg with the iranian regime , how do you assess those with evidence of collaboration or tolerance or that they asked the syrian regime to lay off a little bit? and also the last comment but i noticed early in the operation there was a comment to kick the americans out was that the lone voice? >> obviously with the relations they have always been complicated and shifting to have the affiliate party that sometimes fights and sometimes does not fight depend

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and france's to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil. and british petroleum but the world's second largest oil company royal dutch sh

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that's some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian look at oil and british petroleum but the world's second la

is no different from the p k k that is the kurdistan workers' party that kurdistan workers' party has been bombing tucker cities and attacking tucker soldiers and policemen and even talkers that since in some respects are over the past several decades so for the turkish people any price is essentially there's no price really high enough to pay in order to ensure the defeat of a group they consider to be a terrorist organization the u.n. is calling for an immediate and unconditional deescalation of fighting in syria to address a worsening humanitarian crisis according to its world to its food agency the world food program nine million syrians need food assistance more than thirteen million people require immediate aid such as medical supplies of those three million are in areas that the u.n. describes as besieged and hard to reach all the five million people have fled the country since the civil war began in two thousand and eleven joining us now via skype from damascus is yacob kern who's the syria country director for the world food program good to have you with us the scope of what

that is the kurdistan workers' party very kurdistan workers' party has been bombing targets cities and attacking turkish soldiers and policemen and even some respect over the past several decades so for the turkish people any price is. there's no price really high enough to pay in order to ensure the defeat of a group they consider to be a terrorist organization many thanks steve. given the news out from out of syria still to come on the program a threat to democracy that's what critics in the philippines call president to taze push to change the constitution such as. to map out the entire population this genetic makeup the hope of finding cures for diseases in sports six years on from egyptian football's worst stadium disaster mastery fans return to the. iran is marking thirty nine years since its islamic revolution hundreds of thousands of people have been taking part in mass rallies and president hassan rouhani has been speaking in france freedom square the one nine hundred seventy nine revolution saw the overthrow of the shah of iran to keep the creation of the islamic republic let

especially his journalistic work here and the fact that he did interviews with leaders of the outlawed kurdistan workers' party the p.k. k. which is from a journalistic point something journalists do they do listen to different sides of a conflict in order to understand what's going on and yes the state prosecution is asking for a jail time of up to eighteen years but since he was not demanded to stay here in turkey there were no no bans and he can actually leave for germany i wonder whether he will be back and actually be appearing in court any time soon again. many journalists who were. tell us about the situation other reporters well yes right there are dozens of other journalists still in turkish prison still behind bars and why this has been a very happy day for dan his huge l. it has been a terrible day for several other turkish journalists well known turkish journalists who were charged today. with a terrorist propaganda in the name of the so-called green movement and actually they were sentenced to life times in jail this is a very very harsh sentence for journalists so of course this da

which are currently with a lot of arms which were provided by the united states in the syrian parts of kurdistan so turkey wants to get rid of them this way of freeing the so important for turkey really the united states on the other hand which are also one of the power brokers of course they don't have no specific interest in a free and really i mean their military bases are not in a free but they are and they are in the just so they will just let everybody do what people really want to do there i think russia which is supporting the syrian regime of course but on the other hand if the syrian regime takes a friend or not it's not of great importance for four for russia and iran again of course they also have an alliance with the u.k. with the y. p.g. but again it's not the region which is important for them in the middle of all this is free and what is going to happen if nobody steps in to help the kurds there. well i think if the syrian regime doesn't get in now i think that turkey will stay there and try to get rich off the p.k. k. so if you have a look on a friend who's living there we see t

which turkey claims is a terrorist offshoot of the kurdistan workers' party or. turkish forces are now closing in on the city of af. all of the siege of the city center will start rapidly in the coming days. turkey's offensive has further complicated an already bewildering web of alliances and rival recent syria that will become even more complex if turkey encounter syrian forces aligned with the kurds. all right let's get you the latest on those breaking developments syrian pro-government fighters entering a kurdish held efrem despite turkish threats dorian jones is in istanbul during what are you hearing well we are getting reports that a force of maybe several hundred possibly five hundred. syrian backed militias and possibly elements of his blog which is linked to iran have deployed in a large convoy into the afternoon they appeared according to video released on social media to be carrying heavy weapons even possibly tanks have been deployed with this heavy force it is now our latest escalation and it's very worrying situation how has turkey reacted to this

the one hand and russia and iran arms which are provided by the united states in the syrian part of kurdistan so turkey wants to get rid of them this is why i freeness so important for turkey really the united states on the other hand which also one of the power brokers of course they don't test no specific interest enough really really i mean they are military bases are not enough but they are in money and they are in the just euro so they will. just let everybody do what people really want to do there i think then b.s. russia which is supporting the syrian regime of course but on the other hand if the syrian regime takes a friend or not it's not of great importance for four for russia and iran again of course they also have an alliance with the u.k. with the y. p.g. but again it's not the region which is important for them in the middle of all this is free and what is going to happen if nobody steps in to help the kurds there well i think if the syrian regime doesn't get in now i think that turkey will stay there and try to get rich off the p.k. k. so if you have a look on afridi who is liv

the influence of this low or will then or to that's basically the question for those living in syrian kurdistan it's a different question i think they will neither they neither like to live under turkish power nor under such power and there are many of course of the criticizing the why p.g. ok well let's let's let's first start with deal with damascus with the assad regime . are they willing to grant these currents autonomy independence some know that they aspire to no i don't think so there is no reason to believe that the us who seem a lot with the kurds any form of autonomy any form of federalism any form of them local government so what are they turning to that well actually for the. turkey is the big and in need. and they have always been dealing with the assad regime and so for them it means that if they can fight with the assad regime turkey they were turned to the us have to assume they are more or less not really interested in the interests of the kurds living in syria but they are interested in the interests of the party of the care of the p.k. k. ok let's look a little bit now toward

understanding i don't think they actually learned that differently from the experience in the iraqi kurdistan. on the insurgency it's interesting. you could argue that based on their experience that they would be more successful in the urban battles that were launched in 2015. and that proves not to be true. i'm not sure they learn anything back. it is now very experienced in getting training and support from the americans which is a lot more than anything they can really learn on the ground. since the failed urban battles in 2015 it has moved back into guerrilla warfare in the mountains. and that just doesn't match with the terrain and syria. but i think the lesson that they've drawn from all of that and what they've realized is they head under estimated the degree for which turkey is prepared to question both during the 2015un battles and now as were witnessing that. >> claire lopez the center for security policy. maybe this might be a good sum up question for the panel as we are looking ator at turkey and statements from some of the senior officials i think it might've been the foreign min

the offering a region that borders turkey the areas controlled by the kurdish which is linked to the kurdistan workers' party or p k k which is regarded a terrorist organization. turkish forces are now closing in on the city of often. the siege of the alfred city center will start rapidly in the coming days. turkey's offensive has further complicated an already bewildering web of alliances and rivalries and syria that will become even more complex if turkey encounter syrian forces aligned with the kurds. we have with us she is the president of the european center for kurdish studies here in berlin thank you for joining us in our studio today we heard turkey's president everyone saying that he's talked to russia he's talked to iran and he's managed to stop the syrian government from its plans to send its own troops into this region northern syria into offering who are the real power brokers here well you already mentioned the reason i think this is turkey on the one hand and russia and iran on the other hand though those different sectors have of course different interests in a flea in. the lar

is the kurdistan workers' party a group that's been in conflict with the turkish authorities for more than thirty years. considers the p.k. k. a terrorist organization the wife is a mostly kurdish militia based in syria seen by the u.s. led coalition as a key ally in the fight against i still however regard it as a branch of the p.k. k. now in january i started a military campaign against kurdish militias in northern syria that's after the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led border security force in the region and the move triggered a furious reaction from ankara which has long been calling on the us to stop arming the kurds however washington now seems to be denying it ever actually supplied their weapons in the first place. we have never given heavy arms to the y.p. jews so there's none to take but in terms of weapons the united states has provided weapons to the syrian democratic forces for use in iraq we need to arm and train and equip their pressure help the kurdish government in erbil and strong and starch allies we should be using we should be doing the kurdish reg

is the kurdistan workers' party a group that's been fighting a turkish authorities for more than thirty years and quote considers them a terrorist organization the white p.g. on the other hand is a mostly kurdish militia based in syria ankara regards them as a branch of the k.k. however the us led coalition sees the white b.g. as allies in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force right on turkey's doorstep to northern syria in response i launched a military campaign against kurdish militias and cross has long been complaining about the us arming syria's kurds however washington insists that his weapon supplies a limited. we have never given heavy arms to the wife e.g. so there's no one to take but we need to arm and train and equip their pressure and help the kurdish government in erbil and strong and starch allies we should be using we should be doing the kurdish region to be that been. really proven to be the most really do is not a long standing. supporting the kurds or the peshmerga who are on the front lines fighting isis now the turkish governmen

kerry that's the kurdistan workers' party a group that's been fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them to be a terrorist organization on the other hand america and turkey have different opinions on the syria based kurdish militia group called the peoples protection units or why p.g. anchor regards them as a branch of the p.k. k. there for terrorists but the us led coalition sees the y.p. g.'s being allies in the fight against islamic state in syria in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force right on turkey's door step in northern syria in response and lord's the military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a possible direct clash with u.s. forces. rex tillerson arrived in the turkish capital he was met with a large number of protests against his visit. author and journalist karen luka feld who's been specializing in coverage of the middle east believes that the u.s. has underestimated the conflict between turks and kurds seem to have not a really good idea of the situation on the

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization on the other hand american turkey have different opinions on this syria based kurdish militia called the people's protection units all the white p.g. and regards it as a branch of the k.k.k. and therefore terrorist but the us led coalition sees the white p.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria in january the pentagon and loudest it was creating a kurdish led security force right on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response ankara launched a military campaign against kurdish militia they're threatening. to have a clash with american forces while. in has been following this story. as tennyson visit to the turkish capital produced any specific results yet well it's hard to tell now at this moment there seems to be an agreement that the countries will normalize their relations with each other but on the principle issue of disagreement which is u.s. support for kurdish forces in syria neither side seems w

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both ankara and washington consider them a terrorist organization on the other hand american turkey have different opinions on this so we are based kurdish militia called the people's protection unit saw the white p.g. and co regarded as a branch of the p.k. k. and therefore terrorist but the us led coalition to seize the white p.g. as allies in the fight against islamic state in syria in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force right on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response. to a military campaign against kurdish militia turkey has long been complaining about the us arming syria's kurds however washington insists its weapons supplies a limited. we have never given heavy arms to the y. p g so there is no one to take back we should be using we should be. driven to be that this. really proved to be the most. now the turkish government considers these kurdish forces operating in syria to be terrorists and feels quite threatened by them and has been

right here the kurdistan workers party a group that's been fighting turkish authorities for more than three decades calls them a terror group now the why on the other hand is a mostly kodesh militia based in syria regards them as a branch of the p.k. k. however the us led coalition seized the y.p. g as allies now in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led security force right on turkey's doorstep in northern syria so in response to a military campaign against codice militias and korea has long been complaining about the us serious codes however washington insists that its weapons applies unlimited. we have never given heavy arms to the wife e.g. so there's none to take but we need to arm and train and equip their pressure and help the kurdish government in erbil and strong and starch allies we should be using we should be doing the kurdish region to be the biggest smoothers really proving to be the most reused long standing. of support in the kurds or the peshmerga who are on the front lines fighting isis now the turkish government considers these kurdish forces o

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. directly government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to town to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian look at oil and british petroleum but the world's second large

air bill is the capital of the autonomy region of kurdistan in northern iraq the local. headquarters of carters is in the district of on kala where a rented house serves as both office and accommodation. final preparations for a mission are underway but despise what i see and i know what can go wrong i know it can happen to the team which is one of the reasons why we have to work so closely with the military. is the wrong expression it's more like treating the violence with respect in a negative sense its immense. divide so humans who have a. shave bellman is responsible for the mission in iraq the former event manager has been in northern iraq for months she coordinates carter says work in the war zone as. its roots i am very you know when you have a baby or to sit down together get organized and start it in a book or look down on fronts without a. high sig is a surgeon in berlin he's taken two weeks' leave for this mission the team aims to set up right behind the front line in a couple of days. it's hard to see what it's like talking all the talking all stick equipment

the kurdistan workers party with which turkey has been in conflict for three decades russia controls the airspace over threaten but ahead of the turkish operation it withdrew hundreds of its soldiers from near the city kurdish fighters held after in six years ago after the syrian president bashar al assad's soldiers left northern syria let's go to our guests now joining us from istanbul messmate the yangon and affiliates of the political science department at the university of bill kent in berlin sell a muslim member of the diplomatic committee of tev demme the movement for a democratic society that's an alliance bringing kurds together in northern syria and joining us from moderate so in italy on skype is joshua landis director of the center for middle east studies at the university of oklahoma welcome to you all joshua coming to you first who's going to end up fighting whom here. i don't think this is it is-i need to avoid fighting and it should be a win win for everybody because turkey gets to stop its invasion over twenty turkish soldiers have been killed so far syria gets to rea

o'donohue was in syria for twenty years and he was a pro-creation not wanted in syria and all of part of kurdistan so this is something different and to have all done in relations with the because it is different do we don't see people as a terrorist organization but what to say is trying i mean is that they just the. i mean the account everybody who looking for the democratic votes for the kurdish people as a terrorist and their want to connect them with a think it which is not true i would just like to look forward for a minute before we go because you know everyone recognizes the very important role that the kurds in syria played in fighting the so-called islamic state supported by the united states we have to mention this turkey says that it is going to push the y. peachey out of man bitch and then all the way back to the iraqi border that is threatening the system that you have in place right now that is threatening the territory that you are currently governing are you sure that your american allies are going to continue to support you well the question is not the trick is just dreaming to d

considers the kurdish wife p.g. a terrorist organization and an extension of its outlawed p k k or kurdistan workers' party which it's been fighting for decades the turkish military plans to create a thirty kilometer buffer zone near the border president reject type and one has warned people in the area to evacuate. portions. mark one of the it's up to those in the area whether to evacuate the places where terrorists are present or not as we have openly declared without playing games we'll continue to clamp down on terrorists regardless of whom they are accompanied by nobody should expect us to act according to the statements of those who do not even respect their own words al jazeera zero l. shell sat down with the turkish foreign minister and asked him about the operation in northern syria. there had been white p.g.p. terrors for region and they were sending harassment fires and the rockets to turkey to different parts of turkey and it became a serious threat to our security and also to our borders we warned you warned the countries who. engage with them nevertheless they increase the hara

that's the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting it is for more than thirty years both ankara and washington considered them to be a terrorist organization then on the other hand america and turkey have very different opinions about the syria based kurdish militia called the peoples protection units or the y.p. g eight and to regards it to be a branch of the p.k. k. therefore terrorists but the us led coalition sees the y.p. g. is being allies in the fight against islamic state in syria. in january the pentagon announced that it was creating a kurdish led security force that would be right on turkey's doorstep in northern syria in response and korea launched a military campaign against kurdish militias they're threatening a direct clash with american forces on the scale of morgan has been following the meeting between the u.s. and turkey and whether it's likely to produce any significant results. there seems to be an agreement that the countries will normalize their relations with each other but on the principle issue of disagreement which is u.s. support for kurdish forces in syr

is the kurdistan workers' party a group fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years both angry and washington consider them a terrorist organization.

is the kurdistan workers' party a group that's been fighting turkish authorities for more than thirty years considers them a terrorist organization there why p.g. on the other hand is a mostly kurdish militia based in syria and who are gods then as a branch of the p.k. k. however the us led coalition sees the y p g as allies now in january the pentagon announced it was creating a kurdish led border security force in the region and that move triggered a furious reaction from ankara which started a military campaign against kurdish militias in northern syria the turkish president even threatened to target u.s. forces if they stood in the way of the operation and crew has long been complaining that the u.s. is failing to deliver its promise to stop militias however washington now appears to have changed its messaging on the issue. we have never given heavy arms to the wife e.g. so there's none to take but in terms of weapons the united states has provided weapons to the syrian democratic forces for use in iraq we need to arm and train and equip their pressure and help the kurdish governm

o'donohue was in syria for twenty years and his appropriation not one of the in syria and all of parts of kurdistan so this is something different and to have all going to relations with the because it is different and the we don't see people as a terrorist organization but what to say is trying i mean is that they just the. i mean the account everybody who looking for the democratic votes for the kurdish people as a tourist and their want to connect them with a figure which is not true i would just like to look forward for a minute before we go because you know everyone recognizes the very important role that the kurds in syria played in fighting the so-called islamic state supported by the united states we have to mention right now it's turkey says that it is going to push the y. peachey out of man bitch and then all the way back to the iraqi border that is threatening the system that you have in place right now that is threatening the territory that you are currently governing are you sure that your american allies are going to continue to support you well the question is not that trick is just

complicating matters is the fact that the country is effectively under two governments there's the autonomous kurdistan region in the north with around forty five billion barrels of oil reserves the rest of iraq has at least one hundred fifty billion barrels. but it's difficult to get reliable data from a country like iraq which is plagued by political instability but what's clear is just how dependent the country is on oil it's estimated to account for around ninety two percent of overall state revenues. that some fifty seven billion out of sixty eight billion u.s. dollars. the iraqi government is currently looking for investors for refineries pipelines and production facilities at its manned you can all field one of the country's largest the government hopes to double output and the chinese led consortium could be the favorite to take over the field. state owned petro china is already the largest foreign investor in iraq and it could work with us chevron and francis to tout to exploit the field other big players include exxon mobil russian look at oil and british petroleum but the world's second larg