Turkey destroyed Mosul and Aleppo Now wants its share of reconstruction with Help from Russia

August 17, 2018 By administrator

GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images
A boy walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in the city of Aleppo, Syria, July 22, 2017.

by Fehim Tastekin,

Although Turkey publicly appears to sustain its anti-Bashar al-Assad stance on Syria, it is actually getting ready for a new Syria that will allow Assad to stay on as the country’s president. While a termination of the de facto Kurdish autonomy in northern Syria seems to be the first precondition for a possible normalization between Ankara and Damascus, there is another unspoken condition as well: the allotment of a share in Syria’s reconstruction.

Naturally, the Assad administration does not have the intention to allot any share to Turkey, which is accused of supporting anti-regime military groups that have destroyed the country and looted Aleppo’s industrial zones. However, Turkey’s control of a sizable territory in northern Syria and its cooperation with Russia make it difficult for Damascus to exclude Turkey from these calculations.

Turkey’s influence over opposition groups that could have a bearing on the Geneva process can not be dismissed. Turkey has been able to preserve its most important trading partner position with Syria despite the seven-year-old conflict. Its geographical proximity to Syria, logistical superiority and advanced capacity of its construction sector encourages Turkey to obtain a substantial part in the reconstruction process.

Moreover, Turkey is currently organizing local entities in al-Bab, Jarablus, Azaz, Cobanbey and Afrin that are de facto under its control. It is also setting up systems for security, education, religion and even issuing ID cards to residents. In addition it has started building a road network.

Manbij, which Turkey has begun patrolling the periphery of following an agreement with Washington, is also in the works. If Turkey can impose its control over the area, a new highway will be built between Jarablus and Manbij. In fact, local sources have confirmed that the construction work has already started.

The Turkish government sees Manbij as a key trading hub both for Iraq and Syria, and Manbij and al-Bab will be preludes to the rebuilding of Aleppo. This de facto situation created by Turkey will likely be a stepping stone to lucrative reconstruction contracts.

Ankara’s entire calculations are based on getting the reconstruction contract for Aleppo. But will Russia and Iran, which also have spent billions of dollars in Syria, allow Ankara to get what it wants?

For the reconstruction of Aleppo, Ankara relies on its negotiations with Russia. An operation in Idlib and potential withdrawal of Turkish troops from there may well determine the outcome of those negotiations. Ankara hopes that an agreement with Russia on these two issues may overcome the reluctance of Damascus to deal with Turkey.

A foreign technocrat who is closely involved in the reconstruction process of Syria said that Assad considers the reconstruction process an “extremely delicate” issue. He told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Contacts are top secret at high levels. Assad insists that those who had a part in destroying Syria cannot have a role in its reconstruction and he prefers Russian, Iranian and Chinese firms. Can Russia persuade Damascus to allot Turkey a portion?”

Assad: Reconstruction of Syria will cost $400bn and will take 15 years

April 15, 2018 By administrator

Assad: Reconstruction of Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday revealed his country’s need for $ 400 billion for the reconstruction of infrastructure, stressing that the reconstruction process could take 10 to 15 years Nenosplace.forumotion.com reports.

“Repatriation of the infrastructure will cost at least $ 400 billion, and this needs 10 to 15 years,” the Russian news agency Sputnik quotes Assad as saying during a meeting with Russian parliamentarians.

On Sunday, Assad met with a group of Russian parliamentarians, including a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Duma, Sergei Glyzinak.

“The meeting of Russian parliamentarians with President al-Assad was constructive and important on both sides,” he said.

At the time of the Syrian Army General Command announced that the triple strike included the launch of about 110 rockets towards Syrian targets in Damascus and outside, and that the Syrian air defense system confronted and dropped most of it.

Iraq urges billions for reconstruction amid donor fatigue

February 12, 2018 By administrator

Iraq needs close to $90 billion to rebuild after a 3-year war with the “Islamic State” group, a donor conference has heard. Having spent billions on the conflict, Washington is unlikely to pledge any new funds.

The Iraqi government needs $88.2 billion (€71.92 billion) for reconstruction efforts after its victory against the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group, Iraqi Planning Minister Salman al-Jumaili said at the opening of an international conference on the issue in Kuwait on Monday.

He said the figure was based on a study by Iraqi and international experts, who assessed the impact of the conflict that left large swathes of the country destroyed and approximately 2.5 million people displaced.

Global responsibility

“Rebuilding Iraq is restoring hope to Iraq, and restoring the stability of Iraq is stabilizing the states of the region and the world,” al-Jumaili told delegates, adding that the reconstruction was therefore partly the international community’s responsibility.

His words are likely to fall on deaf ears in Washington and elsewhere in the West, partly due to donor fatigue amid several conflicts and refugee crises globally, and US President Donald Trump’s more protectionist stance.

US officials have already said there will be no new pledges of assistance for Iraq’s reconstruction drive, after Washington pumped some $60 billion into rebuilding the country following the US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Private sector involvement

Although US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will attend the donor conference on Tuesday, he will instead call for multinational companies and banks to boost their activities in the war-torn country. Thousands of private sector delegates, including representatives from more than 100 American firms are expected to attend.

Iraq’s leaders say construction of new housing is a major priority after thousands of homes were destroyed during the war with IS

Analysts said Iraqi leaders are expected to pressure Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states to step up to the plate.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also vowed his country’s support during a visit to Iraq on Monday, without giving a specific figure.

“I have come to tell you of France’s support to accompany you. We will always be there. We were there to participate in the coalition (against IS). We will also be there in the reconstruction phase,” he said.

About $22 billion is required in the short term and another $66 billion in the medium term, the director-general of the country’s planning ministry, Qusay Adulfattah, told the conference, which lasts until Wednesday.

New housing needed

Housing is one of the most urgent priorities, delegates heard, after some 140,000 homes were destroyed during the conflict against the jihadist group.

Mahdi al-Alaq, the Secretary-General of Iraq’s Council of Ministers, said the Baghdad government had been given preliminary indications that some states were prepared to act as guarantors with lenders, allowing Iraq to take out soft loans to fund infrastructure projects,

Oil-rich Iraq’s economy was weakened by years of international sanctions under Saddam Hussein’s regime. The years of insurgency, sectarian violence and ethnic tensions that followed his overthrow in 2003 helped fuel the emergence of IS, a little more than a decade later.

Iraq declared victory over the jihadists in December, having taken back all the territory captured by the militants in 2014 and 2015.

mm/uhe (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Damascus under reconstruction for intl. fair

August 7, 2017 By administrator

Syria’s capital is hosting large-scale reconstruction projects as it prepares to host the country’s major international exhibition after a six-year hiatus.

The last edition of the Damascus International Fair was held in 2011, when foreign-backed militancy began sweeping the country to bloody and devastating effects.

Major streets and buildings are now undergoing renovation and restoration in anticipation of the August 17-26 event, which would serve as its 59th edition, footage showed on Monday.

The projects comprise widening of several main roads, and refurbishment of old buildings and landmarks, including the Damascus Sword Statue in the capital’s Umayyad Square.

The event has been traditionally used as an occasion to market the country’s products and attract foreign investment.

Its expected renewal would mark a hard-earned victory which the country’s Army and allied forces have decisively scored against foreign-backed militants in recent months.

On Sunday, Syria’s Tourism Minister Beshr Yaziji said visits to the country had jumped by 25 percent so far this year.

Yaziji said 530,000 people had visited Syria during the first half of 2017, a 25 percent increase from the same period last year.

Also attracting foreign tourists to the country are a number of shrines, held in veneration among Shia Muslims worldwide. Defense of the sites has notably heartened the Shia fighters to join the Syrian forces in their counter-terrorism operations.

Now pilgrims are flooding back to the Arab country as relative calm has returned to Damascus and the country’s second-largest city of Aleppo thanks to the joint anti-terror operations.

France: First contribution to the reconstruction Kessab

June 19, 2014 By administrator

Armenian city Kessab, Syria, is released. The jihadists occupying forces put out of the city infrastructure, especially schools and places of worship. The Armenian Fund of France sends a first sum for for reconstruction.

Following the release of Kessab, the Armenian population of the city gradually returning to their homes as and when demining operations. However, destruction and depredations are numerous and educational facilities are decommissioned.

Responding to the call of the Armenian population Kessab transmitted by voice Catholicosate of Cilicia, the Armenian Fund of France transfers this day the sum of € 50,000 for the reconstruction of these schools. The allocation will be decided by the Unit Council established in Syria, according to the needs on the spot, under the control of Catholicosate of Cilicia.

To date, the Armenian Fund of France had transferred € 150,000 for educational institutions Aleppo and a sum of € 50,000 for refugees Kessab. With this new support, in total € 250,000 have been so transferred in favor of the Armenians of Syria. On their behalf, the Armenian Fund of France warmly thanks all donors.

These amounts are unfortunately not sufficient to meet the needs of the Armenian population of Syria, even today, is subjected to intensive bombing, which claimed many victims especially in Aleppo.

Also, the Armenian Fund launches France again an urgent appeal for donations and solidarity to support this population sister. Our duty is to help the Armenians wherever their survival is threatened. The Armenian Fund of France is counting on your generosity.

Armenian Fund of France.

Donations can be made to our fondsarmenien.org, or by check, payable to the Armenian Fund of France, BP 12, 75660, Paris cedex 14. Donors receive tax deductions required by law.

PRESS RELEASE June 19, 2014