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  • Scottish MP Natalie McGarry arrested by Turkish Police

    Scottish MP Natalie McGarry arrested by Turkish Police

     

    • Scottish_national_partyGlasgow East MP was arrested in the Diyarbakir region, south east Turkey
    • She was released shortly afterwards and said she was ‘absolutely fine’
    • McGarry was forced to resign from SNP after links to missing donations

     

    According to Daily Mail Scottish MP Natalie McGarry was today arrested by Turkish special forces less than 80 miles from the Syrian border.

    The Glasgow East MP said she was ‘recording the sound of bombs falling across the border in Syria’ when she was detained at a security check point in the Sur district of Diyarbakir, a region in the south east of the country.

    She was taken away for questioning and released shortly afterwards, her office said.

    Ms McGarry, who was forced to resign from the SNP party whip last year while police investigate missing donations from a pro-independence group she founded, tweeted: ‘Thank you for any concerns, but I am safe and absolutely fine,’ she told her Twitter followers this afternoon.

    Explaining the arrest, Ms McGarry’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, said: ‘I can confirm that Natalie McGarry MP was questioned earlier on today but was released shortly thereafter and is grateful to everybody for their messages of support.

    ‘It appears that a member of the Turkish Security Forces became alarmed as Natalie had her mobile phone out near a security check point.

    ‘She was taken away for questioning and it was subsequently explained that she was simply recording the sound of bombs falling across the border in Syria. There will be no further statement and Natalie will be returning home soon.’

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    Suspended: McGarry, pictured centre alongside Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, was forced to resign from the SNP while police investigate ‘missing donations’ from a pro-independence group she co-founded

    Confirming reports of her arrest in Turkey, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: ‘A British national was briefly detained and released in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Our embassy staff were in close contact with local authorities.’

    Police named her as part of their investigation into allegations that £30,000 of donations had gone missing from the Women for Independence (WFI).

    Withdrawing the party whip leads to an automatic suspension from the party.

    The suspension came just six months after winning the Glasgow East seat off former Shadow Scotland Secretary Margaret Curran.

    McGarry, who co-founded WFI in 2012, denied any wrongdoing.

    She was the second SNP MP to leave the party following Edinburgh West MP’s Michelle Thomson suspension over allegations of mortgage fraud involving property deals.

    Last month Ms McGarry again hit the headlines when she was threatened with legal action by Harry Potter author JK Rowling after the pair became embroiled in a remarkable Twitter spat.

    It started with the MP accusing JK Rowling of defending ‘abusive misogynist trolls’, claiming she had supported an anti-Scottish nationalist Twitter user ‘Brian Spanner,’ who has sent abusive tweets to Ms McGarry and other pro-independence politicians in the past.

    The Harry Potter Rowling, who received a string of sexist abuse for opposing nationalists during the Scottish referendum campaign, immediately demanded an explanation.

    McGarry responded by sending a screenshot of the author describing Spanner as a ‘good man’ in a Tweet posted in October last year and accused Rowling of ‘bullying’.

    The row came to an end after Rowling suggested she would take legal action against Ms McGarry, tweeting: ‘You don’t appear to understand how Twitter or defamation works.

    ‘I’m going to help you out with the latter,’ adding that any damages she wins will go to her charity.

     

     

  • How Turkey Misreads the Kurds ……….. NY times

    How Turkey Misreads the Kurds ……….. NY times

    FEB. 24, 2016

    Turkish policeman and protesters clash during a demonstration against government-imposed curfews. Credit Ilyas Akengin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

    The Turkish government’s hostility toward the Kurds is drawing the country further into the Syrian war, complicating the battlefield and fanning new tensions between Ankara and the United States. The dispute with the Kurds also risks bringing Turkey into direct conflict with Russia, destabilizing the region even more.

    Turkey has long feared Kurdish aspirations for a separate state. The Kurds are an ethnic group of perhaps 35 million in Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey, where about 15 million live. Last fall, in a politically calculated move before an important election, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey resumed a war against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K., in the southern part of his country. More recently, his forces began attacking Kurdish militants across the border in Syria.

    A big part of the problem is that Mr. Erdogan refuses to acknowledge important differences between the two Kurdish groups. The United States and Turkey both consider the P.K.K. a terrorist group; it has openly claimed responsibility for bombings and attacks that have shaken Turkey. By contrast, the United States sees the Syrian Kurds not as terrorists but as a highly effective adversary against the Islamic State whose focus is protecting Kurdish areas of Syria from the civil war. Washington provides the group with intelligence and other assistance.
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    Last week, Turkey added to the tensions by blaming the Syrian Kurds for a bombing in Ankara that killed 28 people. The Syrian Kurds denied responsibility; American officials say the culprit was likely a P.K.K. splinter group. Mr. Erdogan went so far as to demand that the Americans choose between him and the Syrian Kurds, which Washington refused to do.
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    The United States has urged Mr. Erdogan to halt his attacks on the Syrian Kurds, who now control most of the 565-mile boundary with Turkey and may soon seize the last section of territory that would give them a contiguous region. American officials say the Turks agreed to a pause in the fighting negotiated by the United States and Russia that takes effect Saturday.

    At the same time, Washington has asked the Syrian Kurds to resist taking advantage of the chaos of war to seize more land. An effort on their part to claim that final patch of territory along the border could provoke Mr. Erdogan to come down even harder with military force. One worry is that Russia, which is also courting Kurdish allegiance by providing air cover for their operations, would then retaliate against Turkey on behalf of the Kurds. President Vladimir Putin of Russia may indeed be looking for an excuse to pay Turkey back for shooting down a Russian jet that strayed into Turkish airspace in November, but Mr. Erdogan should resist giving him an excuse to do so.

    Mr. Erdogan’s problems with the Kurds are largely of his own making. He had in fact made some headway in peace talks with Kurdish leaders in Turkey before resuming hostilities last year. He should seek ways to revive that process. As for the Kurds in Syria, he should stop shelling them and instead work with the United States to find a way to accommodate what could eventually become an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria. Mr. Erdogan has found a way to work with the Kurds in Iraq. Fighting Syrian Kurds and inflaming tensions with America makes no sense.

     

  • AZERBAIJAN FILES : Resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Must be Based on the Rule of Legal Principles

    AZERBAIJAN FILES : Resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Must be Based on the Rule of Legal Principles

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    Despite the extensive evolution of the international relations, political theorists continue to refer to it as jungle where everybody is against everybody, in order to highlight its distinctive peculiarities. Whereas today the goal of existing mechanisms founded on legal norms and principles is to ensure peaceful coexistence and mitigation of threats to peace and security.

    This requires common vision and methods. Otherwise, there would be more exceptions, questioning the existence of the general rules. This would be the pathway to jungle. Therefore, any given conflict or contentious situation must be assessed based on legal framework regardless of political positions or views. Only that could warrant lasting peace.

    The OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992, is mandated with the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict. More than 20 years later, this body still struggles to report any progress. The worst part is that the Minsk Group has done nothing practical for identifying the substance of the conflict and shaping common position underpinned by the principles of the international law. Co-chairs have tried to isolate the peace process from other international organizations and relegated the norms of the international law. This in turn has decelerated the resolution of the problem.

    Co-chairs need to acknowledge that as Armenia enjoys impunity for the act of aggression it perpetrated, it would never agree to any compromises for the sake of peace. Compromised peace is based on mutual concessions enabling the parties to yield the benefits of the concord and constitutes legally sound resolution that implies granting high autonomy to the Nagorno Karabakh within the framework of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

    Adoption of documents by the international and regional organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation that condemn the facts of aggression and occupation contravening the international law are very important steps. They oblige the Armenian leadership to be more responsible, give up the aggression and seek compromised peace. In this regard, the Co-chairs must be guided by the documents adopted by the international organizations, including the verdict of the European Court of Human Rights on “Chiragov and Others v. Armenia” case in order to evaluate the situation objectively and produce own position on the essence of the conflict and Armenia’s aggression.

    It is worth mentioning that back in 1993, Mario Rafaelli – one of the Co-chairs of the Minsk Group – recognized the Armenian deception and condemned the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territory in the report he had produced. Today the course of the events requires the Co-chairs to be unwavering. Regrettably, instead of welcoming the contribution by international and regional organization serving the common cause they issue a statement urging PACE to refrain from discussing the documents pertaining to Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The very statement defies logic. Apparently, deliberately or not, the Co-chairs demonstrate indifference to principles that firmly reject the policy of aggression and occupation, thus undermining the foundation of a mechanism that politicians of the world so tirelessly worked to build in 20th century.

    Was not the fight against aggression and territorial occupation a key value the countries of the world rallied around? Had not the international community denounce the situations resulted by the use of military force? These are important questions for the Co-chairs to address.

    On the other hand, they need to exercise extra caution while interpreting the principles related to this conflict. How can the same principles and norms be misinterpreted? This is obvious when it comes to definition of territorial integrity and right to self-determination. The hierarchy of norms and the legal pyramid rests upon the application of commonality of the norms. For example, if once the territorial claims were perfectly legitimate, the territorial integrity became a fundamental principle of the international law overriding it and constituting a major pre-condition for sovereign development of the nations and peaceful coexistence.

    Its unanimous recognition by the international community is beyond doubt. Otherwise, there would be no point of safeguarding of international peace and security. The UN Security Council resolutions constantly underscore the territorial integrity of the countries and emphasize the degree of its significance. No international organization is willing to turn a blind eye on this issue because the consequences could be dire. It could be detrimental for the international law that took so many years to establish and shake the pillars of the Westphalia system that is at the heart of the present world order.

    The right to self-determination is characterized by more subjective factors and often highlighted in line with narrow national interests of certain countries. First used as a political notion, it was eventually incorporated into legal framework to ensure internal peace and stability. Its peculiarity is that it is applied to the People whereas the international law does not define the term – People. Despite certain countries exploiting it and suggesting subjective interpretations, the international jurisprudence and doctrine identifies concrete limits.

    First, it is common knowledge that the term People implies a nation and as such, self-determination is possible within the framework of the existing state. Second, certain groups, victims of colonialism, were recognized as People and their right to free themselves of colonial domination through peaceful or military means was recognized as well.

    The ruling of the International Court of Justice on Namibia and Western Sahara reaffirmed that. For instance, Canada’s Supreme Court avoids clearly defining the term People. Yet it states that the right to self-determination only generates a right in situations of former colonies; where People is oppressed; or where a certain group is denied meaningful access to government.

    Third, minorities living within national borders are not People. They have the right to exercise the right to self-determination but not to the detriment of the territorial integrity of a state. There are specific provisions in the international documents regarding the minority rights.The sole objective of those documents is to foster favorable conditions for minorities to continue developing their cultural identity.

    In light of the above mentioned the Minsk Group Co-chairs must acknowledge their mission for the humankind and increase efforts for resolution of the conflict based on the norms and principles of the international law.

    Fazıl ZEYNALOV
  • Omar Mansoor LFW A/W ‘16“L’art Vivante”

    Omar Mansoor LFW A/W ‘16“L’art Vivante”

    Omaar_mansoor_2016_01“L’art Vivante”

    (Living work of art)

    Omar Mansoor returns with his 11th collection at LFW featuring couture gowns inspired by Marchesa Casati, who was an Italian heiress, muse, and patroness of the arts in early 20th-century Europe known for her eccentricities.

    A celebrity and femme fatale, the Marchesa’s famous eccentricities dominated and delighted European society for nearly three decades. As the concept of dandy was expanded to include women, Marchesa Casati fitted the utmost female example by saying: “I want to be a living work of art”.

    Models wearing eye masks symbolizes Venetian Carnival, as Marchesa Casati set up residence on grand canal in Venice in 1910 and known for her soirees.

    Omar picks up the contrasting combination of Pewter and Gold colors. The collection features full-size ball gowns and knee-length dresses made up of Koya Silks, Crepe, Silks and Velvet.

    Three of the key items in the collection are made of hand woven Koya silk. Koya ( Cocoon in Urdu) is a movement headed by veteran Pakistani designer Maheen Khan. The Koya initiative that actually inspires to revive, re-introduce and even rehabilitate the dying craft of hand woven fabric. It aims to provide sustainable solutions to a group of artisans, living mostly in Karachi’s Banaras Colony, through creative consultation and pattern guidance to breathe new life into this dying craft.

    By combining hand woven fabric alongside modern fabrics, Omar creates an elegant look for a woman, who embodies the jauntiness, gaiety, and grandeur.

    Click on photos for the gallery

    Credits:

    Footwear: Lucy Choi London

    Concept and Styling: Edita Lozovoska 

    Photography: Shahid Malik

    PR: Enigme Internationale

     

    Instagram: omar.mansoor 

    Twitter: @omarmansoor          

    Email: info@omarmansoor.com

  • 400,000 British tourists have canceled their trip to Turkey

    400,000 British tourists have canceled their trip to Turkey

    In just 7 days 400,000 British tourists have canceled their trip to Turkey…

    …announced a leading tour operator, Thomas Cook, highlighting the cause as the terrorist attacks in Turkey.

    However while the neighbor is losing an increasing share of the tourism market, Greece does not increase its share, at least not from Britain.

    As reports the British newspaper «Telegraph», the majority of British tourists prefer Spain to take a holiday instead of Turkey, despite the fact that there is a sharp increase in package prices offered by tour operators on the Spanish coast.

  • Leaked G20 Documents Reveal Blackmail, Bargaining, and Tension Between Turkey and the EU

    Leaked G20 Documents Reveal Blackmail, Bargaining, and Tension Between Turkey and the EU

    Author: Benjamin Bilgen Date: Feb 12, 2016

    Recently leaked minutes from a meeting at the G-20 summit this November between Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan and EU officials Jean Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk revealed tensions and threats between the two parties concerning the Syrian refugee crisis.

    The minutes of the meeting, which were leaked February 7 by the Greek newspaper Euro2day, recorded a conversation between the Turkish President and the EU officials concerning a  €3 billion deal with Ankara in exchange for tighter controls on Turkish borders to curb the flow of Syrian refugees into Europe.

    The conversation featured a frustrated Erdoğan criticizing the EU for its minimal contributions during the Syrian refugee crisis. At one point in the meeting, Tusk expressed surprise that the previous agreement of €3 billion over the course of 2 years had been rejected by Prime Minister Davutoğlu, who is now demanding €3 billion per year instead.

    Erdoğan responded; “If the proposal is 3 billion euros for two years, we have nothing to discuss. We are not dependent on the EU’s money. We will just open our borders with Greek and Bulgaria, and send the refugees out on buses. Greece was given 400 billion euros during their crisis period. With even a portion of this money we could have set up a safe zone in Syria itself and solved the refugee crisis once and for all.”

    At another point in the meeting, Erdoğan asked the two EU officials hypothetically how they would deal with an increased influx of Syrian refugees; “If there is no deal, how will you stop the refugees? Will you kill them?”

    Tusk responded; “We can make the EU less attractive for refugees but this is not our desired solution.”

    Erdoğan then elaborated the hypothetical scenario; “The EU will have more on its hands than just the boy drowning on the Turkish shores. It will be around 10, 15 thousand. How will you face this influx? The Paris attacks stemmed from poverty and a sense of isolation. These people are uneducated, they will continue to be terrorists in Europe as well.”

    The meeting also revealed tensions surrounding Turkey’s potential membership to the EU and Turkey’s increasingly problematic human rights record. Speaking in the meeting, Juncker stated; “If the Schengen agreement falls apart, Turkey won’t be able to benefit from a visa exemption.”

    The Schengen agreement is the agreement that ensures the free movement of EU citizens within EU member state borders. Some have speculated that a greater influx of Syrian refugees into Europe may lead to the suspension of the Schengen agreement for security purposes.

    Juncker also revealed that the publication of the mostly negative progress report assessing Turkey’s potential EU membership prospects had been intentionally postponed till after the November 1st elections as a kind of favour; “I will remind you that we delayed the publication of the progress report till after the Turkish elections. We were criticized for this delay. Tusk and I are not in a position to toy with the numbers, we need to cement a deal within 1-2 weeks.”

    On November 1st, Turkey held early elections after the June 7 elections failed to determine a majority party in the Turkish parliament. The outcome of the November 1st elections reinstated Erdoğan’s AKP party as the ruling majority.

    Erdoğan responded heatedly to Juncker’s assertion, claiming; “The delay did not in any way help AKP win the elections. The report itself was an absolute insult. Who prepared this report? How could you write such things? This isn’t the real Turkey, you didn’t come to me to learn about the real Turkey.”

    EU officials have declined to comment on the validity of the meeting minutes or release an official statement concerning the minutes. However, President Erdoğan publicly stood behind what was said at the meeting and reiterated his position stating;

    “I’m sorry but we won’t be taken for fools. We’ve already packed busloads of people at Edirne, but we turned them back. This is once or twice. After that, we’ll open the doors and say ‘have a nice trip.’” Erdoğan further asserted that “Someone leaked these minutes with an intent to attack. But what did we do there? We defended the rights of Syrian refugees. These leaked minutes are not a source of shame for us, they are acquitting.”

    Benjamin Bilgen

    Bilgen, Benjamin, “Leaked G20 Documents Reveal Blackmail, Bargaining, and Tension Between Turkey and the EU”, Independent Turkey, 12 February 2016, London: Centre for Policy and Research on Turkey (Research Turkey).