Category: America

  • Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel

    Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel

    By TOVAH LAZAROFF

    Tunisia, Egypt also reportedly dismissed potential meeting; group intended to discuss security in region has not met since 2008.

    ShowImage

    Erdogan visits Egypt Photo: AMR ABDALAH DALSH / REUTERS

    Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt rejected plans to hold a meeting of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue group, Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported on Saturday. Israel is one of the Dialogue group’s seven member-nations.

    The Mediterranean Dialogue group for Foreign Ministers – which also includes Algeria, Jordan, Mauritania and Morocco – has not met since 2008, according to Hurriyet.

    A Turkish official told Hurriyet that the meetings had not been held because of political problems between Israel and Arab member-nations.

    Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office had no comment.

    News that Turkey was among the countries that nixed the meeting comes as Jerusalem and Ankara struggle to reestablish diplomatic relations.

    Ties between Israel and Turkey were severed in 2010 after the IDF raided the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara and killed nine Turkish activists.

    Last month, at the end of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologized to Turkey for the deaths.

    Turkey, in turn, agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties.

    However, it then asked Israel to delay sending a delegation to Turkey to discuss issues relating to the restoring of diplomatic relations.

    The delegation, which had been scheduled to leave for Ankara at the start of the month, is now scheduled to depart on April 22.

    via Turkey opts out of NATO talks with Israel | JPost | Israel News.

  • Turkish Police Foil Al-Qaeda US Embassy Plot

    Turkish Police Foil Al-Qaeda US Embassy Plot

    Turkish police have uncovered and foiled an alleged plot by Al-Qaeda to bomb the United States embassy in Ankara, as well as a synagogue and other targets in Istanbul, Turkish media reported on Friday.

    img415813As a result of a February raid in Istanbul and the northeastern city of Corlu, police had arrested 12 people, including eight Turks, two Azeris and two Chechens, and seized 22 kilograms of explosives, CNNTurk reported.

    Police also found documents that allegedly revealed plans by the group, which they described as a Turkish cell of Al-Qaeda, to attack a synagogue and a museum in Istanbul.

    The embassy in Ankara was the target of a suicide bombing on February 1, which killed a Turkish security guard. That attack was claimed by a radical Marxist and anti-US armed group, The Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP-C), blacklisted by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization.

    via Turkish Police Foil Al-Qaeda US Embassy Plot – Middle East – News – Israel National News.

  • Kerry’s quest: Who really wants peace?

    Kerry’s quest: Who really wants peace?

    What was John Kerry thinking when he asked Turkey’s anti-Jewish prime minister to be “a partner”?

    ShowImage
    US Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Netanyahu, March 20, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Larry Downing
    What was John Kerry thinking when he asked Turkey’s viscerally anti-Israel and anti-Jewish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to be “a partner” in brokering peace between Israel and the Palestinians? Does he honestly think Hamas’ loyal and enthusiastic supporter, a man who has called Zionism a crime against humanity, could be an honest broker? The State Department spokeswoman confirmed a Turkish newspaper report that Kerry wants Erdogan to play an active role in the peace process, and said Kerry asked Turkey to use its “significant influence with the Palestinians” to encourage Hamas to accept the demands of the International Quartet.

    That means persuading his friend Khaled Mashaal, Hamas’ leader, to do everything he and his organization have sworn they never would do: recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce armed struggle and abide by all Israeli- Palestinian agreements.

    Most NATO and European countries – except Turkey – consider Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza strip in a bloody 2007 coup, a terrorist organization.

    Erdogan’s inclusion is bad news for Egypt, Fatah and Israel. Egypt resents Turkey moving on to its turf. Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak felt he had a monopoly as the regional intermediary and told Erdogan to keep his hands off; his successor, Mohamed Morsi, apparently feels that way as well, plus now it’s an Islamist as well as national rivalry.

    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas knows Erdogan is a close ally of arch-rival Hamas and hostile to the secular nationalist Fatah. If anything, Erdogan is more radical than Abbas, and that’s the last thing the PA leader needs. Relations between the two men are said to be cool at best. Abbas also knows Hamas wants to overthrow him and take over not only the PA but control of the PLO as well.

    There are few people who Israelis distrust more than Erdogan. Bringing him in is no way to win their confidence.

    Two senior cabinet ministers have already rejected any suggestion of a Turkish role, recalling Israel’s unhappy experience with Erdogan in 2008 when he tried to mediate with Syria, then his close ally, and acted more like Bashar Assad’s advocate.

    It has been suggested that a more appropriate mediator would be King Abdullah II of Jordan, who is on good terms with both the Israelis and Palestinians. He is scheduled to visit President Barack Obama later this month and is said to be eager to play a role in any peace process.

    One reason for Kerry’s unexpected stop in Ankara on his second trip to the region in two weeks was concern that Turkey was backtracking on its promise to normalize relations with Israel following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Erdogan in connection with the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident that led to a rupture in relations between the two former allies.

    Kerry told Turkish leaders he’d like Ankara to make good on its promise to quickly reach agreement on compensation and return its ambassador to Israel, but new Turkish demands and Erdogan’s triumphalist boasting have raised doubts in Jerusalem and Washington about Turkish intentions.

    The latest setback is Turkish insistence that “all of the embargoes should be eliminated once and for all,” meaning Israel’s blockade of Gaza, before diplomats can be exchanged, although that was not part of the reconciliation brokered by President Obama. In his press conference with Kerry Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu repeatedly called for Israel “going back to 1967 borders.”

    Speaking of borders, Abbas has a new precondition for resuming negotiations with Israel. He is demanding Netanyahu announce acceptance of the 1967 lines as the basis for negotiations and present a map detailing Israel’s position on borders. Israel objects, saying that would give away its bargaining position and provide the Palestinian with a starting point for negotiations. Besides, Israel’s positions would depend on what kind of state is agreed to, the extent of demilitarization, security arrangements, the Arab uprisings in the region and other factors.

    The demand for the map came with a threat. “If Kerry fails” to get Israel to hand it over in approximately two months, “we will start moving toward the international organizations” and file complaints against Israel in the International Criminal Court, said Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister Riad al-Maliki.

    And if Israel does all Abbas demands, would he resume negotiations? Maybe, said his chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat. Meeting those terms “could lead to an immediate resumption of talks.”

    Abbas told the Globe and Mail this week, “I think there was some opportunities [for peace] in the past, but unfortunately we missed these opportunities.”

    He complained that time is running out for a two-state solution yet he continues to refuse to resume negotiations.

    Instead he keeps upping the ante by adding new preconditions for talks. Now it is the map, before that it was the release of prisoners and before that a total construction freeze beyond the 1967 lines, including in east Jerusalem.

    The logical conclusion is that he simply isn’t interested.

    He may talk about peace but he keeps finding excuses not to talk.

    President Obama has told Abbas, and Kerry repeated the message this week, that Washington backs Netanyahu’s call for resuming talks without any preconditions.

    Critics say Netanyahu, who has failed to contradict key ministers who openly oppose the two-state solution and keeps expanding settlements, isn’t any more interested in returning to the peace table than Abbas, but Palestinians are clearly afraid to call his bluff.

    Kerry would reportedly like to revive and revise the 2002 Arab peace initiative, which Israel rejected at the time and the Arabs did nothing serious to convince them otherwise. Much has changed in the region over the past decade, and Kerry’s challenge will be to convince all sides they will need to show much greater flexibility if they are serious about doing more than missing opportunities.

    The big question is whether the United States is the only one that wants peace badly enough to devote more than empty rhetoric to the cause. Despite the flurry of diplomacy at Foggy Bottom, it’s far from clear whether the Israelis and Palestinians themselves are ready to work with the new secretary of state.

  • Shai Franklin: What Part of “Yes” Doesn’t Turkey Understand?

    Shai Franklin: What Part of “Yes” Doesn’t Turkey Understand?

    Does the United States or Israel really need Turkey’s help with Syria or Hamas, which controls Gaza, or are we simply offering Ankara a path back to relevance and responsibility?

    Turkey has nearly come to blows with all sides in Syria’s civil war, and has forcefully retaliated against cross-border incursions. On Gaza, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has willingly escalated tensions with Israel, almost to the point of outright hostilities. The new Turkey-Israel rapprochement initiated last month by President Obama has yet to bear fruit.

    When Gaza and Israel had a hot war last year, raining missiles across half of Israel, it was Egypt’s new Iran-leaning government that brokered the ceasefire, not the once moderate Turkey. Earlier, even amid its volatile post-Mubarak transition, it was Egypt that negotiated the prisoner exchange to release Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity. Egypt, and not Turkey.

    If we’re seeking a more stable alternative to Egyptian mediation, Turkey may not be the best candidate (see under: Jordan). Erdogan’s own verbal and physical actions, which include insulting and literally walking out on Israeli President Peres at Davos a few years ago, give the impression of an intemperate and inflexible ideologue. His government’s show trials of top generals and literally hundreds of senior officers have removed a key stabilizing force, a military that used to reassure Israel and the West regardless of mood swings in Turkish politics.

    In an effort to avoid the risks of directly criticizing Erdogan, Turkish commentators and politicians are increasingly channeling their distaste to the Mideast policies of his Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu. They’re upset that Turkey has lost credibility in the region, despite being so openly supportive of the ascendant radical Islamist movements — and possibly because it is alienating Western allies. If Turkey weren’t locking up so many of its journalists, along with the generals, we might hear more about that.

    When President Obama officiated last month at Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s long-distance apology to Erdogan for the 2010 “flotilla” deaths, the world had the impression that Turkish-Israeli goodwill was revived. But within minutes of hanging up the phone, Erdogan let it be known that he’d forced Israel to apologize, and that he would now be waiting for compensation and the lifting of Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza before any return of ambassadors.

    All this raises the question: Do we need Turkey more than Turkey needs us? And, if we do need Turkey, when exactly might Ankara start responding to our repeated entreaties?

    Since being cold-shouldered by the European Union a few years ago, Erdogan has notably upped his Islamic politics and he seems to lack his former equanimity. What we — the West, the Gulf, Israel — really need is less, not more, confrontation and brinkmanship. What Turkey needs, for its economy and security, is to be seen as part of the solution. Any solution.

    Mr. Erdogan has been worrying about payback on a largely forgotten matter — the “flotilla”, which a United Nations panel has blamed on both sides. He might serve his constituents best by focusing instead on the sort of reciprocity it will take to regain Turkey’s stature as a regional referee and sober counterpoint to Iran, and as an indispensable bridge between East and West. His 15 minutes are almost up.

    via Shai Franklin: What Part of “Yes” Doesn’t Turkey Understand?.

  • Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance

    Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance

    Turkey’s ambassador to Canada says the Harper government’s decision to brand the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide may be hindering a potentially lucrative trading relationship.

    hi-852-turkey-genocide-france

    Turks demonstrate outside the French Embassy in Ankara in January 2012. Relations between Turkey and France turned cold when a bill was passed making illegal to deny the Armenian genocide. The bill was later ruled unconstitutional. (Burhan Ozbilici/Canadian Press)

    Ambassador Tuncay Babali made clear in a wide ranging interview with The Canadian Press that Canada’s position on the First World War-era slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians still carries a sting for his country.

    ‘[Genocide is] a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.’

    —Turkish Ambassador Tuncay Babali

    But that doesn’t mean Turkey doesn’t want to press on with forging a deeper economic relationship with Canada, ideally a free trade agreement to complement the current Canada-EU free trade talks once they are completed, he said.

    “I’m a true believer in the potential of our two nations. Canada has a lot to offer Turkey and Turkey in return has a lot to offer Canada,” said Babali, noting that Canada’s internal Foreign Policy Plan has identified Turkey as a key country of focus.

    “It cannot be business as usual while accusing a nation of genocide. It’s a serious allegation. It needs to be substantiated, legally, historically.”

    Babali said he suspects Canada is not engaging as quickly as Turkey would like because the genocide issue is still hanging over relations.

    “There is a pacing issue here,” he said. “We want results. We want action. We want concrete steps forward. Talking about positive things is OK, but it takes two to tango.”

    The $2.5 billion in two-way trade between countries “is far from the potential” of what Turkey predicts would result from deeper economic ties: $10 billion to $15 billion within five years, he said.

    He said Turkey would like to open free trade talks with Canada.

    Mending fences

    But on the genocide question, Babali said Turkey would like to see a gesture from Canada that the government is “trying to leave this behind us.”

    Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird cancelled a planned trip to Turkey in November. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

    A significant gesture would be a “high level” visit by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to Turkey. Baird cancelled a planned trip in November, Babali said, because of an important cabinet meeting in Ottawa.

    Babali was also encourged by Baird’s plans to travel to the West Bank on the weekend to discuss future Canadian aid contributions to the Palestinian Authority.

    He suggested Canada can do more in the Middle East peace process, even though Turkey is well aware of Ottawa’s strong support of Israel.

    “I think aid is important. To keep the channels open. You have to hear both sides. Canada has leverage that can play in those issues as well. It should be used in a stronger way.”

    Babali praised the efforts of Baird for mending fences with Turkey, including the personal friendship he has forged with his counterpart, Ahmet Davutolu, who visited Canada this past September.

    “If there is a political will from the Canadian side to move forward and improve our relations further, to live up to the promise and potential, we need concrete steps,” he said

    Ankara angered

    Canada’s Parliament voted in 2004 to recognize the events of 1915 to 1923 as a genocide carried out by Ottoman Turks during the Armenian uprising.

    The Harper government formally adopted that position after winning power, a decision that angered Ankara and sparked the temporary withdrawal of its ambassador from Ottawa.

    Turkey has lobbied hard internationally to block the genocide designation, although many other countries have used the term.

    In 2010, when the U.S. Congress abandoned a plan to declare the killings a genocide, Davutolu said ties could have been harmed between the two countries had “common sense” not prevailed.

    Last year, when France passed a law that would make it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide, Turkey responded by suspending military, economic and political ties. The French bill was later ruled unconstitutional.

    Ottawa last year unveiled a monument in honour of fallen Turkish diplomat Col. Atilla Altikat, who was assassinated in 1982. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

    Last summer, Canada took steps to heal the rift with Turkey. It unveiled a cone-shaped metal-and-wood monument dedicated to Col. Atilla Altikat, the country’s military attache gunned down in Ottawa, allegedly by Armenian terrorists, 30 years earlier.

    That appeared to go a long way toward bridging the gap between the two countries, both NATO allies.

    Babali reiterated what Davutolu said during his visit — that Turkey would like to strike a joint commission with Armenians to discuss the historical facts surrounding the issue.

    During the visit, Baird did not back away from his government’s earlier position, but said he appreciated the sensitivities at play.

    Babali said Turkey wants deeper economic ties with Canada, and it appears the country is open for business despite any bitterness over the Armenia policy.

    In the next 10 years, Turkey will launch 150 infrastructure projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars, many in the transportation sector. Babali cited Bombardier Inc. and SNC-Lavalin as potential investors.

    He also said there are also opportunities for Canadian companies in his country’s developing nuclear energy program and in shale gas exploration.

    via Turkey wants end to Canada’s genocide stance – World – CBC News.

  • How did Turkish Nation Change to Turkey’s Citizens?

    How did Turkish Nation Change to Turkey’s Citizens?

     

     

     

    Amerika Türk Milletini Kaldırdı, Türkiye Vatandaşları demeye başladı!

    19791744

     

    Inscription by Secretary Kerry in the honor book at the Atatürk Mausoleum (Anıtkabir) (Photo: U.S. Embassy Staff)

    19791743

     

    Kerry’s speech in Istanbul