Category: Regions

Kerry’s Request of Turkey May Boost Role as Mediator – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu leave after a joint news conference at Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, April 7, 2013. (photo by REUTERS/Murad Sezer )

By: Mensur Akgun Translated from Haberturk (Turkey).

US Secretary of State John Kerry, during his weekend visit to Istanbul, asked his counterparts to persuade Hamas to opt for peace, according to an April 8 headline in the daily Milliyet.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Summary :

Turkey can play a critical role on Israeli-Palestinian issues through its good relations with Hamas, but Mensur Akgun wonders whether it should do so.

Publisher: Haberturk (Turkey)

Original Title:

To Be Made a Mediator is Not a Favor

Author: Mensur Akgun

First Published: April 9, 2013

Posted on: April 15 2013

Translated by: Timur Goksel

Categories : Turkey Israel Palestinian Authority

If this really was the focus of the visit (that is, if Milliyet’s editors did not run this item on the front page just because it would appear exciting), then the report written by Asli Aydintasbas is important. It could mean that the US will be placing a greater priority on the Palestinian issue than on Syria. This could mean that Washington will move to resolve the Palestine issue in the shadow of the Syrian crisis and put its weight on diplomacy involving Palestine instead of intervening in Syria.

It is not easy to predict what implications this would have for the region and Turkey. Obviously, the US wants Turkey’s support in solving the Palestine issue by using its influence in the region, especially with Hamas.

If Turkey wants to, it can really use its influence. Since the 2009 Davos affair there has been a tremendous sympathy for Turkey in Gaza. The Mavi Marmara flotilla incident and the way Turkey handled reconciliation with Israel has only added to this sympathy.

When necessary, Turkey can convert this sympathy shown in Gaza to political clout and use it toward unification of the two Palestines. The recent victory of Khaled Meshaal over Ismail Haniyeh for the Hamas leadership further strengthened hopes for reconciliation and unification. Also, the US decision to work toward resolving the Palestinian issue after 10 years of no meaningful action will empower Turkey and other regional actors who seek a solution. This also will provide them with further tools of persuasion.

It is now understood that long-dormant Arab peace efforts will be reactivated by the second Obama administration and by the winds of the change in the Arab world.

The US seems to be sincere in wanting to solve the problem and to prevent further destabilization of the region. But is Netanyahu prepared to put an end to the expansion of Jewish settlements and halt new ones? Or will he act as he did Nov. 14 by putting Hamas leaders amenable to a solution on Israel’s target list and shoot them to pieces with its unmanned aerial vehicles?

Will Israel do to Khaled Meshaal what it did to Ahmed Jabari by killing him with missiles in his car? If you ask me, there is no reason for Turkey to become a mediator without getting answers to these questions.

The US has to prove to the region and to the world that it can persuade Israel, that it will not surrender to Israel and that it will not stand idly by when [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu comes to Washington and makes statements embarrassing [President Barack] Obama.

Of course Turkey and Israel should reconcile and normalize their relations. Ambassadors should be appointed, trade ties should increase and there should be more community contacts. A two-state solution should be backed; Hamas and Fatah should be assisted in reconciling with help from Qatar and Egypt.

But, without getting meaningful US guarantees and making sure that such guarantees are robust, Turkey should not agree to be a mediator, to be a facilitator to bring the two sides together for peace, to be a front-runner, and use up its credibility in the Arab world when it is not convinced of Israel’s sincerity.

As much as we need that credibility, so does the region and Israel. That is why we have to be careful in using up that credit. Turkey should not disappoint Hamas and, more important, the Arab world.

Turkey doesn’t need the label of a mediator or a facilitator as some tend to think. What is important for Turkey is the stability of the region and its own political standing. It was not easy to achieve this standing. It should not be squandered.

Moreover, we can’t tolerate another period of tension like December 2008 when relations with Israel hit rock bottom. We cannot bear another crisis.

The cost of Israeli opportunism will be too high for everyone at a time when the Arab world is experiencing strong tremors. None of us would like to pay that cost, including the US.

via Kerry’s Request of Turkey May Boost Role as Mediator – Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East.

April 16, 2013
‘Turkey first state with ambassador to Palestine’

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

Turkey’s consul general to the Palestinian Authority has presented his credentials to PA President Mahmoud Abbas and will become the first ambassador recognized by Palestine, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported on Monday.

The move comes after the Palestinian upgrade to non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly in November.

Turkey was one of a large majority of states which recognized the PA’s status upgrade at the United Nations.

Şakir Torunlar, who has served as the consul general in Jerusalem, which provides consular services for Turkish citizens in the West Bank and Gaza, will be the new Turkish Ambassador to Palestine, according to the report.

The move came weeks after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s apology to Turkey for operational errors committed that may have led to a loss of life on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010. Nine Turks were killed when Israel Navy commandos, trying to keep the ship from breaking the blockade of the Gaza Strip, were attacked by those on board.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit the Gaza Strip for the first time at the end of May, Hurriyet reported on Monday.

Herb Keinon contributed to this report.

via ‘Turkey first state with ambassador to Palestine’ | JPost | Israel News.

April 16, 2013
German Court Delays High-Profile Neo-Nazi Trial

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press

BERLIN April 15, 2013 (AP)

The trial of the sole surviving member of a neo-Nazi group alleged to have carried out a deadly terror campaign against Turks in Germany has been postponed following complaints over courtroom access for foreign reporters.

Margarete Noetzel, a spokeswoman for the Munich regional court, said Monday that the start of the trial against Beate Zschaepe, 38, and four men alleged to have helped the group, would be delayed from Wednesday until May 6.

This was to allow for a new allocation of seats after Germany’s highest court ruled last week that there must be sufficient places for foreign reporters in the courtroom, she said.

Noetzel was unable to say by what criteria the seats would now be distributed and whether there would be places reserved specifically for Turkish reporters.

A lawyer for relatives of the group’s alleged first victim expressed frustration at the postponement.

Jens Rabe, who represents the son and daughter of Enver Simsek, a businessman killed in 2000, said the Munich court had ignored constructive proposals on the allocation of media seats until it was forced to change course.

For many of Germany’s 3 million residents of Turkish descent, the trial has become a test of their adopted home’s willingness to treat them as more than second-class citizens.

Eight of the group’s 10 alleged victims were of Turkish origin. The self-styled National Socialist Underground is also accused of killing a Greek man and a policewoman, as well as carrying out two bombings and 15 bank robberies.

Turkish media had missed out on any of the 50 press seats during the first allocation — which was conducted on a first-come, first-serve basis — prompting harsh criticism from officials in Turkey.

The public in Turkey has closely followed the neo-Nazi case and Turkish media have praised the German Federal Constitutional Court’s decision, which has now paved the way for some Turkish journalists’ access to the courtroom.

Several Turkish newspapers carried front-page stories on the issue in recent days, with some noting that even Turkey’s ambassador to Berlin wasn’t guaranteed a seat at the trial.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned last week that the trial risked shaping perceptions of Germany abroad and urged the court to consider giving foreign media better access.

The existence of the neo-Nazi group only came to light by chance in November 2011, when two of its three core members died in an apparent murder-suicide after a botched bank robbery.

For years, German authorities had dismissed a possible far-right motive in the killings and focused instead on the victims’ alleged links to foreign criminals.

Several high-ranking security officials have resigned over the past two years after acknowledging serious failures in their handling of the case.

———

Ezgi Akin in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

via German Court Delays High-Profile Neo-Nazi Trial – ABC News.

April 16, 2013
Nigeria: Selling Turkey As a Tourist Destination

Turkey and Nigeria have over the past few years consciously made efforts to forge stronger bilateral ties. This is evident in the numerous trade expos organized by the Turkish Ministry of Economy, the Nigerian Ministry of Trade and Investment and other bodies. One of such events was held late last month at the Convention Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites.

One of the outfits selling a service was VEFA Tourism and Travels. They were offering tours of Turkey. What is the selling point? A touch of holiness and history at the same time in the Turkish cities of Istanbul, Ephesus, Antakya, Capadocia and Tarsus.

Istanbul is the most famous of these cities and it’s increasingly becoming a favourite destination for tourists. Seven million tourists visited in 2010 when it was named the European Capital of Culture, making the city the 10th most popular destination in the world. Istanbul’s biggest merit remains its historic centre. The city itself is divided into European and Asian parts and is partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ephesus too has a claim to fame. It was the city where the Christian evangelist Saint Paul wrote his famous Epistles. The city is also home to the House of the Virgin Mary and the relics of Roman Library of Celsus.

Tarsus is sold as the focal point of many civilizations including the Roman Empire, when Tarsus was the capital of the province of Cilicia, the scene of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra, and the birthplace of Paul the Apostle.

The other cities too had unique reasons why they are tourist attractions and the way these cities were being sold by the Turks at the Lagos Expo made it seem like the only place to go for those who have a thing for “holiness and history”.

via allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Selling Turkey As a Tourist Destination.

April 15, 2013
Egyptian legislators approve Bourse tax, Turkey loan

Egypt’s Shura Council approve new taxes, tax hikes and a $1 billion loan

Ahram Online

Egypt’s Shura council, currently tasked with legislation, approved on Saturday tax increases and stamp duties, and a loan from Turkey.

The council passed a stamp duty levy on stock market transactions, amounting to 0.002 percent, to be imposed on buyers and sellers equally. Other initially proposed taxes on capital gains and dividends was not passed.

“The new tax will not affect market activity, but it will help curb speculative trading and encourage medium and long term investment,” Abdallah Shehata, adviser to the minister of finance told state owned Al-Ahram daily.

The council also approved an increase in stamp duties levied on advertisements from 15 to 20 percent.

Turkish support

The Shura Council has approved a loan deal between Egypt and the Export Credit Bank of Turkey whereby Turkey provides $1 billion for Egyptian investors importing Turkish capital goods and machinery.

Egypt is currently seeking international support to curb its balance of payments deficit. Last week, Egypt announced it will receive a $2 billion loan from the Libyan government and will also get $3 billion from Qatar in the form of US dollars denoted treasury bonds.

via Egyptian legislators approve Bourse tax, Turkey loan – Economy – Business – Ahram Online.

April 15, 2013
Iranian companies in Istanbul expo receive foreign offers

Several companies of foreign countries have called for signing contracts with Iranian companies participating in Istanbul exhibition, an Iranian official said, IRNA reported.

Managing Director of Iran Khodroˈs Special Cooperative Office in Turkey Kambiz Mir-Karimi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with IRNA on Sunday.

He described the participation of Iranˈs auto spare parts company in International Auto Spare Parts Exhibition in Istanbul as positive and constructive.

ˈAlthough one day is still remaining to the end of exhibition, several Egyptian, Tunisian, Turkish and Moroccan companies after visiting the pavilions of Iranian spare parts manufacturers have called for signing cooperation pacts with them,ˈ Mir-Karimi said.

Istanbulˈs International Automechanika Exhibition is held every year and it is one of Turkeyˈs important specialized exhibitions.

A total of 40 countries had participated in exhibition last year and more than 36,000 people from 100 countries visited the exhibition last year.

A total of 28 industrial companies from Iran have taken part in Istanbul exhibition this year.

via Iranian companies in Istanbul expo receive foreign offers – Trend.Az.

April 15, 2013