Press TV has conducted an interview with Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer, about Turkish tanks crossing into northern Syria from Kilis province in a new phase of operation against Kurdish-led forces.

Here is a rough transcription of the interview:

Press TV: How do you feel about these latest incidents that are taking place now with Turkey further taking out incursions within Syria?

Bennett: Well it is obvious. The Turks have a very deep concern about the Kurds, they always have. It is a historical, cultural, ethnic issue and no Westerner can ever really appreciate it the way the Turks can as well as the Kurds and the Syrians but the question becomes how is the US enjoined into this operation?

It is clear that the US has miscalculated in its attempt to facilitate a coup against Erdogan according to Erdogan’s claims, the US did not provide sufficient air cover for Turkey’s initial operation and incursion into Syria, so the US is desperate to salvage its relationship with Turkey and I think this is one of the mannerisms. It is trying its best as it can to give Turkey money, weapons, cover and this is an indicator too of the United States throwing the Kurds under the bus and abandoning alliance and Turkey would be wise to pay close attention because their life cycle friendship with the US is limited and it is seasonal so it can change with the winds of time very easily.

So now is the time for really the Russians and Assad and Iran and the other coalition members to step in and ensure that the US does not push Turkey into making any serious incursions that could be construed as an open declaration of war by Assad.

Press TV: From day one of this crisis in Syria, Turkey has always wanted a “buffer zone” within Syrian territory. Do you think that to an extent, though Turkey obviously denies it at this point, that it is working towards that?

Bennett: Well absolutely it is. That has been its agenda all along. It is trying to establish a buffer zone. It has been desired by Obama, it has been desired by Joe Biden Vice-President as well as Hillary Clinton in her half delusional state, so their attempt to create a buffer zone that really Turkey can use to expand its geographic region is very clear.

The countermeasure is going to be the next step and that is what Russia and Syria decide to do and I think inevitably they are going to be polite and respectful and tell Turkey that now that you have cleared the area of ISIS you better leave immediately or we are going to make you leave.

I think that is going to be the next step because Russia and Assad, Iran and China in their coalitional aims to destabilize and destroy ISIS, that does not give Turkey permission to infiltrate Syria and claim portions of its geography as its own, neither does it give Israel the right to keep the Golan Heights or other areas that belong to [Syria].

So we could see a … cannibalistic parasite move by Turkey, by Israel as they think Syria is on its last legs but I think that would be a grave mistake geopolitically because we would see a second wind inspired into [Syria], I think with its supporters – Russia and Iran and elsewhere – and they would push back and I do not think the United States wants this sort of a war.

This essentially is a declaration of war by the United States President which is an unconstitutional violation of the congressional mandate, only Congress can declare war, and there is no other thing to call firing missiles, dropping bombs into a foreign nation other than war and it is miraculous that Obama has not yet been impeached for just that.

Press TV: I was wondering, there is talk and there are reports that Russia is pushing for some sort of a trilateral meeting in Moscow sometime in September between Turkey’s leader as well as the Syrian leader and of course President Putin himself will be present too to try to hammer out some sort of a resolution possibly to this. How do you think any such meeting would succeed or not?

Bennett: Well the bargaining chip ultimately is going to be the Kurds so the Kurds need to be present there too because the Kurds have a claim  and a standing whether anyone wants to acknowledge it or not and how is that going to be defined and it needs to be defined by the Kurds, it needs to be defined by Syria and it needs to be defined by Turkey but all of those claims and definitions need to be compromised and the compromise respected and I think Russia has more standing to come in because it would be seen as more of a permanent compromise or permanent agreement where the United States comes in and the agreements are erased like chalk on a chalkboard. They have no standing. The United States has burned up its reputation in the Middle East because of these misadventures and no one trusts it likely so.

So a coalition such as Iran, Russia and China coming in as a threefold coalition that establishes a joint agreement between Syria, Turkey and the Kurds I think is the way forward to peace and they all should also oppose any Wahhabism Takfiri elements from Saudi Arabia. That should be a joint resolution that Saudi Arabia has no such place in this standing of a political settlement because Saudi Arabia has been the source of the major disruption using the United States since the very beginning. They are the Siamese twins of wickedness.

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