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Press TV has talked with Sharif Nashashibi, journalist and Middle East expert from London, to further discuss Turkey’s role in fanning the flames of a civil war in Syria.

Press TV: Mr. Nashashibi, this leaked conversation implicates the upper echelons of the Turkish government in planning to carry out a false flag operation that could get Ankara directly involved in the Syrian crisis.

Why would Turkey want to directly get involved with the Syrian situation and why would they want more instability in their neighboring country?

Nashashibi: I mean, the only reason I can think of, personally I find it puzzling, but the only reason I could think of, is that this would be a means for Erdogan to shore up the flagging domestic support by taking the troops into a war on the basis of self-defense that then he would say: Well, you know, we have to support our troops.

That is the only think I can think of but it is not a policy I can find most logical but this is the reason I can think that he would find any reason to carry out such a dishonest and precarious and risky venture, risking the lives of Turkish soldiers. I mean, they would be going to fight and die on a false pretext. It does not make much sense to me.

Press TV: Well, Mr. Nashashibi, the Foreign Minister Davutoglu is heard in this audio along with the intelligence chief as saying that they could send ... and talked about missiles even being fired into Turkey.

What does that say though, about the leadership of a country that even they are willing to perhaps even hurt their own, if we are talking about missiles being fired into Turkey itself and as you pointed out even sending Turkish troops into Syria. I mean what does that say about the leadership?

Nashashibi: Well, it shows the level of desperation that they will go to such length for whatever gain that they think that they would achieve from this, to put the lives of the Turkish soldiers and civilians at risk and get mired in a war such as Syria, which is so complicated.

So it is really a level of desperation and for Erdogan to say that the leak of the audio recording is dishonest is really galling, I mean the actions of the Turkish leadership are dishonest by trying to dupe the public into believing that they are entering a war under a pretext that is not true.

But as Eric (Draitser) said, you know, not just in the Middle East but internationally, this is nothing new, the false pretext for war is nothing new. I mean just regionally you can take the invasion of Iraq, the Suez war in 1956, the Arab-Israeli war on 1967; there are false pretexts all over the place in the world, in the region. So this is nothing new.

Press TV: Ok, you talked about the desperation; desperation of what? Are we talking about remaining in power or desperation of what? Can you expand on what exactly you meant?

Nashashibi: Most of these wars that are launched on a false pretext are meant to shore up domestic support. At times of war people rally around the troops and rally around their leader.

So this is an attempt..., Erdogan has been under increasing pressure domestically over various issues and, you know, all I can see from this act is a way to divert people’s attention from corruption scandals, from other authoritarian practices that he is doing, focusing it on a war supposedly of national self-defense and shoring up his support.

This probably is the logic, because it is the logic of other leaders who have launched such actions around the world in other situations.

Press TV: Well, Mr. Nashashibi you have heard some of the comments, I want to expand on the last one and your take on that. Is this a ploy in general by the West to, actually, get NATO directly involved in the situation in Syria?

Nashashibi: I do not see any evidence for this and I do not buy into a conspiracy theory unless there is evidence for it. So this would be speculation. So I am not going to go to it because there is no proof either way.

Press TV: Mr. Nashashibi the audio also points to the US’ involvement, it talks about..., it has Davutoglu, actually, talking about that, basically, John Kerry knows about the actual impending attacks and, basically, just waiting to see when it would take place. What does that say to you? If Washington and Ankara are directly coordinating, it appears some would say false flag attacks?

Nashashibi: Well, again the leak is of what the Turkish officials are saying. You now, Kerry is not in the leak itself so we cannot say for certain what the US’ involvement is exactly and certainly Turkey and the US are allies and there will be coordination but to what level that is and what exactly has been agreed and what is not, I mean knowledge does not necessarily mean agreement.

So, again, it is speculating. There is no American voice in the audio; this is what the Turkish officials are saying. So, again, speculation, and you know, referring to the conspiracy theory...

Press TV: Well, let me approach this question from this way. We know that Washington’s goal is to topple the government of Bashar al-Assad and also that is one of the goals of the Turkish government. Is it possible that they are doing whatever it takes, these moments now going three years into this war, that would it be unlikely that they would, actually, reach this point, some would say of desperation because of the recent victories by the Bashar’s government, of actually, now trying to pull off something else that would get them directly involved?

Nashashibi: Look, it is possible ... but the US involvement with the Syrian opposition has certainly not taken on the level that would be a significant threat to Bashar al-Assad; so, again, it is speculation to say how involved the US would be in this particular Turkish operation.

I am inherently suspicious of American motives in the Middle East anyway, historically; this is the case but we do not know the level ...