Category: Middle East

Turkish Parliament to Discuss “Sarin Came to Syria via Turkey” Claims

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Turkish newspaper Aydinlik Daily reported that Luftu Turkkan, a Member of the Parliament for Turkey’s MHP, has brought the claim that the Sarin that was used by foreign-backed terrorists in Syria to the agenda of Turkey’s Parliament.

Turkkan’s and the MHP’s initiative adds to the growing domestic and international pressure that is mounting against the AKP government of Turkey’s Prime Minister R. Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Davotoglu, for Turkey´s involvement in the unconventional and undeclared war against Syria, nsnbc reported.

The MHP and Turkkan claim, along with many others, that Turkey’s AKP government is giving militant groups connected to Al-Qaeda free reigns to operate in Turkey, writes Aydinlik Daily. Lüftü Türkkan has directed a number of questions to Foreign Minister Ahmed Davotoglu in parliament, stating among others:

“In the Tunisian press, it has been claimed that the materials used in the production of chemical weapons were taken by armed groups in Libya to Syria via Turkey; . … The claims include that the Ansar al-Sharia (Partisans of Sharia) organization has produced both mustard gas and sarin in Libya and brought it via Turkey to Syria.”

Aydinlik Daily reports that Türkkan then proceeded, asking a number of questions to Foreign Minister Ahmed Davotoglu, focusing among others on Turkey assisting the armed groups with transferring the chemicals to Syria via Turkey.

Türkkan asked Davotoglu whether the claims that the chemicals were transferred by armed groups from Libya via Turkey are true, and if they are true, Türkkan added, which justification is there for Turkey to provide such assistance to the armed groups. Türkkan continued, asking Davotoglu:

“Does Turkey have any kind of relationship with the organization named Ansar al-Sharia, and why was the sending of sarin and mustard gas by this organization first overlooked, and the permission only denied in September? . … While the question of who carried out the chemical weapons attack in Syria occupies world public opinion, is Turkey trying to mediate the procurement of chemical weapons to the Syrian opposition?”.

Several investigations have documented that Turkey, along with Jordan is a main hub for the delivery of both weapons and troops to the terrorist or mercenaries in Syria. Only recently, Turkey attracted additional international attention when the Tunisian government complained that young Tunisian girls who were kidnapped to be sent as sex slaves for the terrorists in Syria were being trafficked through Turkey.

The MHP and Türkkan’s questions to Foreign Minister Davotoglu come nine days after political analyst and nsnbc international editor, Christof Lehmann, who has been following the development of the situation in Syria closely since 2011, published an analysis that places the political and command responsibility for the chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus on 21 August, directly at the highest level of the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA and the Saudi Interior Ministry.

The discussion that was sponsored in Turkey’s parliament by MHP MP Türkkan could initiate a process that ultimately also places direct political and command responsibility for war crimes committed in Syria among top government and military officials in Turkey.

via Farsnews.

October 20, 2013
The Independent: How Turkey blew its chance to lead this troubled region

The country could have enhanced its influence and saved a lot of lives. It did the exact opposite

Whatever happened to the idea that Turkey was the coming power in the Middle East, with its surging economy and stable democracy under a mildly Islamic government which might be the model for Arab states as they ended decades of police state rule in 2011? Turkey seemed perfectly positioned to lead the way, with no serious enemies in the region and with good relations with the US and the EU. Oversimplified headlines comparing modern Turkey with the Ottoman empire in the days before it became a great power in the 16th century did not seem wholly exaggerated.

Two years later, none of these good things has come to pass for Turkey, and it is very short of friends in the Middle East. It has managed simultaneously to make enemies of the four powers to its south and east: Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon – as well as the monarchies of the Gulf with the exception of Qatar. Turkish pilots are kidnapped in Beirut and Turkish truck drivers arrested in Egypt. Turkish support for the former president of Egypt Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood has infuriated the military regime, which has even intervened to stop the showing of Turkish soap operas on Egyptian television.

Most serious of all, Turkey’s entanglement in support of what may well be the losing side in the Syrian crisis is bringing nothing but disaster. It did not have to be like this: at the start of the Syrian crisis Ankara was well placed to play a moderating role in the crisis, since it was on good terms with President Bashar al-Assad but able to put pressure on the insurgents who depend on keeping open the 560-mile Turkish-Syrian frontier. But the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, overplayed his hand, assumed that Assad would go down as quickly as Muammar Gaddafi in Libya and gave full support for the armed groups Many other governments made the same mistake, but the consequences of the failure of the armed groups to win a decisive victory is most serious for Turkey.

via Syrian TV – The Independent: How Turkey blew its chance to lead this troubled region.

October 20, 2013
Turkey becomes a victim of its own arrogance

Ben Levitas

Well Halleluya! Turkey has started to build a wall along its border with Syria. Guess what, most of the wall is 2 metres tall and will ‘have barbed wire fencing over it’ according to the Hurriyet Daily News, making it nearly 2,5 metres high. The first part of the wall that could extend over the 900 kilometres border between Turkey and Syria, is being built near the city of Nusaybin.

According to the Times, of October 11th, “It is a largely Kurdish area, and the first aim is to make it more difficult for Syrian Kurds to join radical Kurdish groupings in Turkey”. Walls separate people and break up families. Walls cut people off from each other and their fields. This wall will split vulnerable refugees from their kith and kin across the border.

This wall will divide Turkish Kurds from Iraqi and Syrian Kurds, and Turkey’s ruthless war against Kurdish nationalists has already claimed more lives than the Israel Arab dispute and dragged on for a longer time.

Haven’t we heard all this before about the ‘Security fence’ that Israel built to stop attacks on its civilians. Yes, indeed and that one has been dubbed an ‘Apartheid Wall’, by Israel’s detractors. So why should this wall, which is likely to be longer and higher, not be painted with the same brush. Is it ok to separate Muslims from Muslims, but not Muslims from Jews?

Surely if it permissible for Turkey to prevent terrorists from penetrating into its territory, the same rules should apply to Israel? Surely a wall is a wall, irrespective of where it is built!

In 2003, while Israel was building its ‘wall’ there was an international outcry. No one expressed any concern while suicide bombers entered Israel at will and blew up thousands of civilians. In November, 2003 Pope John Paul II criticized Israel’s building of a wall to keep Palestinians out, and he called for a global movement against terrorism following deadly attacks in Iraq and Turkey.

At a Sunday blessing on November 16th , 2003 the Pope said ; “In reality, the Holy Land does not need walls but bridges. Without reconciliation of souls, there can be no peace…The construction of a wall between the Israeli and Palestinian people is seen by many as a new obstacle on the road to peaceful coexistence.”

Surely Israel’s detractors will need to acknowledge that the Pope’s words apply fittingly to the Turkish wall as well! Let’s see whether Turkey being a member of the NATO alliance, will draw any ire from the organization. It begs the question whether the European Union and even the International Criminal Court, which have pronounced on Israel’s Security barrier, will have equally vocal opinions.

Is it not ironic, that Turkey who so arrogantly led an illegal flotilla to breach and deliberately challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, is now falling prey to its own venom. Turkey was shrill and defiant in its assault on Israel. Even after Israel apologized to Turkey, and offered compensation to the kin of those killed in the raid, Turkey has rejected with disdain Israel’s overtures.

Turkey is now being ‘hoisted with their own petard’ and is culpable of the very same actions it so vociferously accused Israel of. Remember how Turkey reacted with brute force against its own citizens, over 3 million of them, when they protested in Gezi Park and elsewhere. The Turkish Police and military killed 11 protesters, injured about 8,500 some critically and arrested over 5,000 people.

Remember how Turkey invaded Cyprus twice during 1974 and is still occupying 40% of the Island. Remember how the Greek majority that were living in Turkish occupied Cyprus, about 200,000 people were forced to flee to the south. Bear in mind that United Nations forces are required to man the ‘Green line’ separating the Turkish north from the Greek, south. Recall that a week ago, the Turkish parliament voted to extend by a year a mandate authorizing a military deployment to Syria if needed. Note with concern the firing of a TV presenter, Godze Kansu, only because she wore a revealing dress, while on air.

Heed the move to Islamisize the country by the removal last week of the restriction on wearing headscarves, which exemplified Turkey’s status as a secular country since 1920. Observe with concern the continued imprisonment of journalists, more than any other country, as the Committee to Protect Journalists reported;

“In Turkey, the world’s worst jailer with 49 journalists behind bars, the authorities held dozens of Kurdish reporters and editors on terror-related charges and a number of other journalists on charges of involvement in anti-government plots.”

I await with anticipation an outcry from the multitudes of human rights activists who find walls and infringements of constitutional rights so cantankerous.

via Turkey becomes a victim of its own arrogance | News24.

October 19, 2013
Turkey Suspects Turkish Students Who Visited Iran of Espionage

The detention of 25 Turkish students who visited Iran on suspicion they had been used for spying and propaganda activities reveals how tense Iran-Turkey relations actually have become. (photo by naturalgasasia.com)

By: Tulin Daloglu for Al-Monitor Turkey Pulse Posted on October 4.

Since the Islamist-based Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002, there has been much debate about Turkey’s deepening identity crisis. Domestically, people are increasingly divided about the role of religion in political and civil life. Internationally, there have been allegations about Turkey’s tendencies toward moving away from its traditional Western alliance. While there is nothing surprising in all of this, since secularism has been one of the most contested components in this country’s political life since its establishment in 1923, what is intriguing is that the lack of debate about the strength of the people’s loyalty to Sunni traditions.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Summary :

The detention of 25 Turkish students who visited Iran on suspicion they had been used for spying and propaganda activities reveals how tense Iran-Turkey relations actually have become.

Author: Tulin Daloglu

Posted on: October 4 2013

Categories : Originals Turkey Iran Security

Despite Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan government’s opening to Iran within the framework of its “zero problems with neighbors” policy, Turkey reminds us often that these two countries have never fought a war since the 1514 Battle of Chaldoran, where the Ottomans defeated the Safavid Empire. Although there may be a different reading of this historical record, too, one thing is clear: Since that battle, the Ottomans and the Persians have been divided as being the representatives of the Sunni and Shiite worlds, and they chose to keep their relationship at a controlled distance. That distance did not change after the foundation of the Turkish Republic from the ashes of a defeated Ottoman Empire.

So when Turkish authorities on Sept. 12 detained 25 Turkish students, ages 13-19, returning at the Gurbulak border gate from their 20-day study trip in Iran on the suspicion that they had been used for spying and propaganda activities, one needed to recall the long, historic perspective. Despite all the talks of brotherly bonding, there always has been a different underlying current between Ankara and Tehran. Although those students were quickly released after some questioning, pending further investigation, the leader of the group — identified only by the initials K.A. — was arrested. He said the Istanbul branch of Iran’s Camia-tul Mustafa University organized the study-course tour. Hurriyet Daily News reported that the university denies any involvement in this trip.

The students visited various universities, including sacred Shiite venues, over the 20-day course in Iran. They were introduced to the country’s leading religious scholars, and held conversations with them. They also studied political and religious courses. That is to say, from the Iranian perspective, they were shown utmost hospitality and taken good care of. From the perspective of Iran’s ambassador in Ankara, Alireza Bikdeli, these students are nothing but a bridge helping to strengthen the ties between the two countries.

“We have more than 3,000 Iranian students registered at our embassy starting their school year at the universities here,” Bikdeli told Al-Monitor. “Unfortunately though, there are only a few Turkish students in Iranian universities. And the latest news reports about the 25 students who visited Iran and were detained at the border gate were quite saddening.” The ambassador added: “If we also take the same path, and decide to interrogate our Iranian students about their stay here, we may end up bringing all our interrogation officers to the border with Turkey.”

So, why Iran does not take the same attitude and consider those Iranian students studying in Turkey as potential spies for the Ankara government? Or, why do the Turkish authorities worry about Turkish students visiting Iran, as if they can betray their country and faith as Sunni Muslims in a matter of 20 days, and move closer to the Iranian regime? Could there be a problem in Turkey regarding its loyalty to secularism and the Sunni faith?

This issue of arresting those 25 students actually begs answers to questions like the above, and none are easy to answer in some ways. But the truth could be quite simple and unpleasant to admit.

Tulin Daloglu is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Turkey Pulse. She has also written extensively for various Turkish and American publications, including The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, The Middle East Times, Foreign Policy, The Daily Star (Lebanon) and the SAIS Turkey Analyst Report. On Twitter: @TurkeyPulse

via Turkey Suspects Turkish Students Who Visited Iran of Espionage – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

October 5, 2013
Assad: Turkey Will Pay for Supporting ‘Terrorists’

VOA News

October 04, 2013

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is warning neighboring Turkey will pay a “heavy price” for supporting what he referred to as “terrorists” in his country.

Turkey-Syria ties were once close, but have deteriorated over Ankara’s staunch support for rebels fighting to overthrow Assad’s government.

In an interview aired Friday on Turkey’s Halk TV, Assad accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of allowing extremists from over 80 countries to cross the border. He said this resulted in the deaths of “tens of thousands” of Syrians.

The comments come after Turkey’s parliament extended authorization for troops to be sent to Syria, if necessary. The mandate was originally passed last year after a Syrian mortar shell crossed into Turkey and killed five Turkish citizens.

President Assad’s government is fighting a divided rebel force that analysts say is increasingly being infiltrated by Muslim extremists. Last month, al-Qaida-linked fighters seized the town of Azaz, just five kilometers from the border with Turkey.

Meanwhile, international inspectors in Syria are pressing ahead with their fourth day of efforts to oversee the destruction of the Syrian governments’ chemical weapons arsenal.

The Geneva-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said Thursday their team has made “encouraging process” following meetings with Syrian authorities. The group said it hopes next week to begin onsite inspections and start the initial disabling of some of the weapons systems.

Their mission, endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, stems from a deadly August 21 attack on opposition-held Damascus suburbs in which the U.N. determined the nerve agent sarin was used. The U.S. and its allies accuse the Syrian government of being responsible for the attack, while Damascus blames the rebels.

The U.S. has said the attack killed 1,400 people.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

via Assad: Turkey Will Pay for Supporting ‘Terrorists’.

October 4, 2013
Homemade Sarin Was Used In Attack Near Damascus

Homemade Sarin Was Used In Attack Near Damascus – Lavrov

By RT

September 26, 2013 “Information Clearing House – Russia has enough evidence to assert that homemade sarin was used on August 21 in a chemical attack near Damascus, the same type but in higher concentration than in an Aleppo incident earlier this year, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said.

“On the occasion of the incident in the vicinity of Aleppo on March 19, 2013 when the United Nations, under the pressure of some Security Council members, didn’t respond to the request of the Syrian government to send inspectors to investigate, Russia, at the request of the Syrian government, investigated that case, and this report, i.e. the results of this investigation are broadly available to the Security Council and publicly,” Lavrov said.

“The main conclusion is that the type of sarin used in that incident was homemade. We also have evidence to assert that the type of sarin used on August 21 was the same, only of higher concentration.”

The minister said he had recently presented his US counterpart John Kerry with the latest compilation of evidence, which was an analysis of publicly available information.

“The reports by the journalists who visited the sites, who talked to the combatants, combatants telling the journalists that they were given some unusual rockets and munitions by some foreign country and they didn’t know how to use them. You have also the evidence from the nuns serving in a monastery nearby who visited the site. You can read the evidence and the assessments by the chemical weapons experts who say that the images shown do not correspond to a real situation if chemical weapons were used. And we also know about an open letter sent to President Obama by former operatives of the CIA and the Pentagon saying that the assertion that it was the government that used the chemical weapons was a fake.”

Lavrov emphasized that Russia stands fully committed to implementing the Geneva framework of September 14, a bilateral agreement with the United States to move forward with the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons stockpiles under the Chemical Weapons Organization’s supervision.

The foreign minister, however, reminded that the agreement did not suggest adopting any UN resolution that mentions immediate UN Chapter 7 measures against Syria, or rather the potential for the use of military force.

“We set in that framework which we agreed in Geneva that we would be very serious about any violation of the obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, we would be very serious about any use of chemical weapons by anyone in Syria and that those issues would be brought to the Security Council under Chapter 7.”

UN resolution within two days?

The draft resolution to back Syria’s disarmament could be finalized “very soon,” possibly “within the next two days,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the AP.

Although the text of the resolution will include a reference to Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, Gatilov stressed there will be “no automaticity in engaging” in military or non-military actions without a separate discussion at the UN Security Council.

The five permanent members of the Security Council have yet to agree on a final text of the resolution, though the group has indicated significant progress is being made.

Russian news agency Interfax rebutted earlier reports on Wednesday made by Western news agencies that claimed that a deal between the United States, Russia, France, China and Britain on wording of the draft resolution on destruction of chemical weapons in Syria had been reached.

“The alleged report claiming that five Security Council agreed on the main part of the resolution on Syria is not true. The Russian delegation was extremely surprised by the appearance of such information,” a source from the Russian delegation told Interfax.

#Russian UN delegation says reports that the #UNSC has agreed on a resolution are false. #Syria #UN @RT_America @RT_com

— Anastasia Churkina (@NastiaChurkina) September 25, 2013

“This is just their wishful thinking,” the spokesman for Russia’s UN delegation said. “It is not the reality. The work on the draft resolution is still going on,” quoted Reuters.

Earlier AFP and Reuters had reported that three Western diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity indicated that the permanent members of the Security Council had agreed on a new proposal.

“It seems that things are moving forward,” one source told Reuters, adding that there was “an agreement among the five on the core.” “We are closer on all the key points,” he said.

The envoys told AFP that the draft resolution would allow for sanctions under Chapter 7 of the UN charter to be considered if President Bashar al-Assad fails to keep to a Russia-US disarmament plan.

On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UNGA US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a “constructive” meeting and agreed to continue pushing towards destruction of chemical weapons held by all sides in Syria under international supervision.

© Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2013

via Homemade Sarin Was Used In Attack Near Damascus – Lavrov.

September 28, 2013