Thousands take to the streets with an anti-way message after the Turkish government took a stance against Syria.
via Taksim Square, Istanbul. Oct 2012 – YouTube.
Category: Syria
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US supports Turkey’s military response against Syria
10/06/2012 01:10Photo: REUTERS/Larry Downing
WASHINGTON – The United States expressed strong support for Turkey Friday as it took military action to respond to Syrian attacks on its border.
“We do certainly stand behind Turkey as they take that action because we believe that action is appropriate,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said when asked about the recent flare-up between the two countries.
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Turkey returned fire Friday after a mortar fired from Syria landed in the southern part of the country. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Turkish army bombarded Syrian military targets after five civilians were killed by a Syrian shelling earlier in the week.
The Turkish parliament has authorized the military to engage in cross-border action should there be further Syrian attacks.
The violence is threatening to turn the internal Syrian conflict into a regional war.
Earnest also said that the United States “condemns the violence and the aggressive actions of the Syrians.”
NATO has passed a resolution condemning the violence, as did the UN Security Council. But UN Security Council permanent member and Syria ally Russia has called for restraint on the part of Turkey, as has Iran.
Earnest referred to Turkey’s actions as “designed to ensure that their sovereignty is no longer violated by Syrian aggression.”
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan warned on Friday his country was “not far” from war with Syria following the cross-border attacks.
In a belligerent speech to a crowd in Istanbul, Erdogan warned the Assad government it would be making a fatal mistake if it picked a fight with Turkey.
“We are not interested in war, but we’re not far from it either,” Erdogan said in his speech. “Those who attempt to test Turkey’s deterrence, its decisiveness, its capacity, I say here they are making a fatal mistake.”
The cross-border violence was the most serious so far in the conflict, now in its 19th month, and underscored how it could flare across the region.
Turkey, once an Assad ally and now a leading voice in calls for him to quit, shelters more than 90,000 Syrian refugees in camps on its territory and has allowed rebel army leaders sanctuary.
Violence has also spilled over into Lebanon.
More than 30,000 people have been killed in the revolt against Assad, which began with peaceful street protests but is now a full-scale civil war also fought on sectarian lines.
Reuters contributed to this report.
via US supports Turkey’s military response aga… JPost – Middle East.
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TURKISH DECEIT: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Allah’s Boys
In a classic provocation reminiscent of the Gulf of Tonkin fairy tale that “legitimized” the Vietnam War, and Hitler’s bogus rationale for invading Poland, the Turkish war criminal gang “led from behind” by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are trying to do the impossible. Impossible, if one has half a brain. They are trying to convince the world that Syria, besieged for over a year by its once friendly neighbor, Turkey, its cities ravaged by terrorists based and financed in Turkey, wants to provoke an even wider, bloodier conflict.
A miniscule border village, Akcakale, was hit by a solitary shell of undisclosed origin. It defies logic that it came from the Syrian army. The Syrian army has no control over Syrian borders thanks to the relentless subversive efforts of the Turkish government. Its army is certainly not so incompetent as to try to defend an indefensible border when the real battle is in its interior cities. So dispense with the idea that there are such things as borders between Syria and Turkey. They have been effaced by Turkish subversion. The gates are wide open. Syria has no control. And the non-Syrian “Free Syrian Army” is a rabble under arms, undisciplined and unscrupulous.
It is widely known that Erdoğan’s motley gang, with headquarters in Adana, Ankara, and Istanbul, has been raining havoc via over-the border raids from the Hatay province in southeastern Turkey. (See my writing of 29 June entitled America’s War-Horse Harlots for the grim, deceitful details.) Surprised by the horrific violence inflicted by the Orwellian “Free Syrian Army” in Aleppo and Damascus? Don’t be. Convoys of Turkish trucks have been supplying the explosive ingredients for car bombs over the Turkish border for months. Syria has been long under a medieval siege, courtesy of its treacherous neighbor.
Is it logical that Syria would lob a single shell into a Turkish village to prompt a massive response from NATO, the bloody-handed “savior” of Libya? Hardly. Besides, the Turkish prime minister has been lusting for NATO support. And the Turkish army is itching to prove its manhood after being purged of its command and general staff by the Turkish prime minister, Turkey’s new sultan. It’s a perfect storm for a catastrophe by incompetents. The Turkish media is the functional equivalent of Pravda during the Stalin era. And the Turkish people are either under deep anesthesia or, sadly, suffering from a fatal indifference. In short, Turkey is the perfect puppet for doing America’s bidding, that is, to be “led from behind.” And America is the perfect coward to do its deceitful bloody work while hiding under the capacious skirts of Turkey’s Allah’s Boys.
The “Free Syrian Army” gangsters have been lusting for heavier weapons, a no-fly zone, and stinger missiles. So why would Syria provoke a wider war? Answer… it wouldn’t. Only if you believe in the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, and Colin Powell’s infamous UN presentation would you echo the craven chorus now being orchestrated by the likes of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Hillary Clinton, and the American stooges in the apparent form of the UN and NATO. Listen to Erdoğan shout that Syria has “breached Turkey’s borders” and one wants to laugh out loud (or vomit) at the hypocrisy. Only if you are congenitally stupid would you believe the hypocritical bilge being spewed by these ever-outraged killers from the west and their henchmen. What is infinitely more logical is that the shell was fired by the criminal elements in the employ of Turkey and America. They are the ones with the clearest of motives. And by doing so, they got what they wanted all along, NATO and UN legitimacy for their rape of Syria. But regardless of who fired the shell that hit the house in Akcakale, Turkey and its patron, America, by their actions, have fomented all the violence in Syria. Turkey has funded, plotted and armed a phony civil war in direct contravention of international law. (See my Letter to The Honorable Abdullah Gül, president of Turkey dated 9 Sept. 2012.) The onus for the death, chaos and destruction is theirs. So why should Turkey and the Turkish people be exempt from suffering the consequences of their misdeeds?
So when you hear the orchestrated script of outrage over the errant or not-so-errant shell, when you hear the barrage of adjectives like “atrocious” (Erdoğan), “depraved” (the Pentagon), “flagrant” (NATO), and the ever popular “outraged” (Clinton) remember the following. This hype is an old, dirty trick. The truth lies in using our brains to examine what is logical and what is not. The truth lies in clear reasoning, devoid of influence from the spewers of propaganda and outright falsehoods. And remember this. The likes of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has yet to explain the killing of scores of his own people by his own military because of false intelligence rendered by his friends in the Pentagon and the CIA. Moreover, he has yet to explain the downing of the Turkish reconnaissance jet that so obviously violated Syrian airspace. This latter event has given Turkey the rationale for the recent blather from the Turkish foreign minister about “rules of engagement” as if Turkey has followed any rules in its extended attempt to overthrow the duly constituted government of Syria. This arrogant, criminal activity by America and Turkey is what is truly ATROCIOUS, DEPRAVED, FLAGRANT, and OUTRAGEOUS.
James (Cem) Ryan, Ph.D.
Founder, West Point Graduates Against The WarIstanbul
4 October 2012 -
Syrian refugees in Turkey: Police are forcing us from homes
By Ivan Watson and Gul Tuysuz, CNN
October 3, 2012 — Updated 1014 GMT (1814 HKT)
The United Nations refugee agency said that the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries has more than tripled since June to over 300,000 The United Nations refugee agency said that the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries has more than tripled since June to over 300,000
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Turkish police are making Syrian renters leave homes in Turkey, refugees say
Syrians say they are being unfairly pushed to refugee camps
More than 93,000 refugees currently live in a network of camps spread along the border
Antakya, Turkey (CNN) — Turkish police are going house to house in this border province issuing an ultimatum, Syrian refugees say: Either move into a refugee camp or go back to Syria.
More than a half dozen Syrian refugees living in rented homes in Antakya and the nearby town of Yayladagi offered similar descriptions to CNN of the stark choice recently imposed by local Turkish authorities.
“I told one cop, ‘What if I don’t leave?’” said a male Syrian refugee who asked not to be named to protect him from Turkish and Syrian government reprisals. “He said, ‘We will take you to the police station and force you to evacuate’” your home.
“The first time the police came, they asked for my passport, took a look at it, and then one of them said, ‘You have three months, you can stay here for three months,’” said another Syrian man who asked to be named as Abu Ahmed to protect his family members still living in Syria.
Syria’s new normal
Syrian refugees struggle to find haven
The Syrian refugee crisis
“Then 20 days later they came back,” he said. “I wasn’t home but my wife was, and they made her sign a paper to evacuate ourselves from this house within four days.”
At least a half dozen other Syrian refugees have told similar stories of Turkish police ordering them to abandon homes that they have rented here in Turkey.
Turkish officials at the local and national level of government confirmed that authorities were pushing Syrian refugees toward the camps.
“We are trying to guide and suggest people who arrived legally or ‘illegally’ to go either into the camps, if they have arrived illegally, or suggesting the others to move to nearby or different cities,” said a Turkish official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to be interviewed by the press.
“The local authorities … they have to do such things in the interest of regularizing the presence,” he added.
Officially, more than 93,000 refugees currently live in a network of camps spread along Turkey’s long border with Syria.
But Turkish diplomats estimate there are another 40,000 to 50,000 unofficial Syrian refugees who have chosen to live in Turkey outside of the camps. On Tuesday the United Nations refugee agency said that the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries has more than tripled since June to over 300,000.
via Syrian refugees in Turkey: Police are forcing us from homes – CNN.com.
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Russia helps U.S., Syria establish contact, Turkey in shock
With a little bit of help from Russia, the Americans and the Syrians have established contact with each other, sending shockwaves in Turkey, which has blamed Moscow and Beijing for the continuation of strife in Syria.
AP In this September 28, 2012 photo, Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, addresses U.N. General Assembly. He has said that Moscow had helped American experts to establish contact with Syria on the subject of chemical weapons. Addressing the American media on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov dropped a bombshell. He said that Moscow had helped the American experts to establish contact with the Syrians on the subject of chemical weapons. “I hope I won’t disclose any big secret, but we have helped American experts establish contact with the Syrians on this issue, and we have received explanations and assurances that the Syrian government is guarding these facilities in the best possible way,” said Mr. Lavrov, as reported by Russia Today.
He also added that Russia was not considering granting asylum to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, in case he decided to quit office.
“No, we won’t grant him asylum,” Mr. Lavrov said, pointing out that the Syrian President “was a friend of other countries northwest of Syria.”
Lebanon’s Al Manar television website quoted its Arab sources in France as confirming that the U.S. delegation at the U.N. General Assembly annual session wanted to discuss with Syria, the issue of chemical weapons. The Syrian side pledged “with a Russian guarantee” that it would not use these weapons “inside Syria during the conflict between the government and the militant opposition”. However, the Syrian delegation was emphatic in stating that in case Syria was subjected to a foreign attack, in that case countries involved in inciting and participating in that attack would be legitimate targets “for the Syrian rockets… loaded with chemical warheads, including countries neighbouring Syria”.
Coinciding with the Mr. Lavrov’s announcement of opening a U.S.-Syria dialogue track on chemical weapons, Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan went uncharacteristically ballistic—blaming both Russia and China of siding with Syria. His outburst against Moscow and Beijing was aired live on NTV, a leading Turkish television station.
“The main source of disappointment is Russia. Let alone raising its voice against Syria, it stands by the massacre,” said Mr. Erdogan as reported by Reuters.
“China stands by Russia, and although [Chinese President] Hu Jintao had told me they wouldn’t veto the plan [for a safe zone] for a third time, they did at the U.N. vote.” Mr. Erdogan described the position of Iran, a staunch Syria ally, as “impossible to understand”.
Turkey has emerged as a frontline state against the Assad government, with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States as allies.
The bitter acrimony that this has caused between one time allies — Turkey and Syria — is climbing to new heights. Syria is now seriously considering arming Kurdish fighters for combat against
Turkey, Al Manar said. Citing its “Kurdish sources,” close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria, the website said that the Assad government “had sent a letter to Turkey saying that the Turkish interference in Syria would prompt Damascus to arm every Kurdish man in both Turkey and Syria”.
The Syrian government is apparently considering supplying the Kurds advanced weaponry including the anti-tank Kornet rockets, as it considers playing its “Kurdish card”.
Adding psychological warfare to its arsenal, the Syrian army has been sending cellphone text messages nationwide to the armed opposition stating: “Game Over”. These messages have also said that the countdown to evict the foreign fighters from Syria had begun, Associated Press reported.
Keywords: Syria uprising, Bashar Assad regime, U.S.-Syria contact, chemical weapons, Turkey-Syria ties
via The Hindu : News / International : Russia helps U.S., Syria establish contact, Turkey in shock.
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Syrian TV – The Guardian: Different donors in Saudi Arabia were channelling money to a powerful Lebanese politician in Istanbul
The Guardian: Different donors in Saudi Arabia were channelling money to a powerful Lebanese politician in Istanbul.
It was past midnight in Aleppo when Captain Abu Mohamed and Captain Abu Hussein received a phone call informing them the ammunition from Turkey had arrived. Abu Mohamed, a portly 28-year-old member of Aleppo military council, perched unsteadily on a plastic chair in a garage on the edge of the Salah al-Din neighbourhood.
Abu Mohamed described where the weapons had come from. Different donors in Saudi Arabia were channelling money to a powerful Lebanese politician in Istanbul, he said. He in turn co-ordinated with the Turks – “everything happens in co-ordination with Turkish intelligence” – to arrange delivery through the military council of Aleppo.
via Syrian TV – The Guardian: Different donors in Saudi Arabia were channelling money to a powerful Lebanese politician in Istanbul..