Turkey : Part Tres :)

[Exit40]

UPDATE 1-Gazprom warns Turkey over Azeri gas pipeline deal

Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:52am EDT

* Azerbaijan and Turkey agreed on TANAP gas pipeline project

* Gazprom says Turkey will have to ask Azerbaijan for help

* Gazprom increases gas flows to Turkey after cuts from Iran

MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - Gazprom on Friday sent a warning signal to its second-largest gas consumer Turkey over Ankara's agreement with neighbouring Azerbaijan to built a gas pipeline to Europe, a rival to Moscow-backed planned South Stream trunk.

Gazprom is anxiously watching the latest developments in Azerbaijan, whose gas fields are the most developed new non-Russian sources of natural gas that can be pumped to the European Union through pipelines....

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David

[Exit40]

Updated June 29, 2012, 11:00 p.m. ET
Doubts Cast on Turkey's Story of Jet
U.S. Intelligence, Contradicting Ankara, Indicates Aircraft Was Shot Down by Syria in Its Own Airspace, Officials Say
By JULIAN E. BARNES, ADAM ENTOUS and JOE PARKINSON

U.S. intelligence indicates that a Turkish warplane shot down by Syrian forces was most likely hit by shore-based antiaircraft guns while it was inside Syrian airspace, American officials said, a finding in tune with Syria's account and at odds with Turkey.

The Turkish government, which moved tanks to the Syrian border after the June 22 incident, says the debris fell in Syrian waters, but maintains its fighter was shot down without warning in international airspace. Ankara also has said the jet was hit too far from Syrian territory to have been engaged by an antiaircraft gun.

Damascus has said it shot down the plane with an antiaircraft battery with an effective range of about 1.5 miles.

"We see no indication that it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile" as Turkey says, said a senior defense official. Officials declined to specify the sources of their information. The senior U.S. defense official cautioned that much remains unknown about the incident.....

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David

[Exit40]

1 July 2012 Last updated at 11:59 ET
Turkey scrambles F-16 jets on Syria border

Turkey has scrambled six F-16 fighters jets near its border with Syria after Syrian helicopters came close to the border, the country's army says.

Six jets were sent to the area in response to three such incidents on Saturday, the statement said, adding that there was no violation of Turkish airspace.

Last month, Syrian forces shot down a Turkish jet in the border area.

The incident further strained already tense relations between former allies.

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David

[Exit40]

With army cowed, Turkey scraps "conspiracy courts"
By Pinar Aydinli
ANKARA | Mon Jul 2, 2012 12:13pm EDT

(Reuters) - The Turkish parliament has approved a reform abolishing the special courts used in coup conspiracy cases, without touching on existing prosecutions of hundreds of military officers that have drawn wide criticism.

The special courts have helped to sharply reduce the power and influence of the military, in the process helping to insure Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamist AK Party against any threat of a secularist putsch by an army that has staged four coups in the past 52 years.

With swathes of the current and former military leadership including General Ilker Basbug, Erdogan's own former chief of staff, already on trial under the existing system on suspicion of plotting to topple his government, he has now acknowledged some of the concerns of secularists and human rights groups.

The reform, pushed through by the ruling AK Party late on Sunday night, means any future cases concerning coups and terrorism-related crimes will be heard by regional high criminal courts, not special courts, according to a text obtained by Reuters....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish PM Erdogan calls Wall Street Journal ‘ despicable ‘ over downed jet report
02 July, 2012 | 18:16
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan slams Wall Street Journal, calls the US newspaper despicable and claims downed Turkish jet reports are biased.

Istanbul / NationalTurk – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed his party’s supporters in the Anatolian province of Kayseri onSunday and this time he engaged a battle of words with US daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ)

On Turkish leader’s agenda was Wall Street Journal’s engagement in biased journalism over Turkey Syria crisis erupted after Syria shot down a Turkish military jet over Turkish-Syrian border previous week. Erdogan claimed Wall Street Journal is taking sides and pumping biased reports ahead of the coming U.S. presidential elections. The Wall Street Journal a daily from USA contradicted Ankara’s version of the incident regarding the June 22 downing of Turkish military jet by Syrian air defense.

From Erdogan to US newspaper Wall Street Journal : That despicable paper....

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David

[Exit40]

Something Shall Be Done: Why Turkey Is Set On Regime Change In Syria
By Sedat Ergin Monday 02 July 2012
HURRIYET/Worldcrunch

ISTANBUL - In last week’s Parliamentary address, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan set out the framework for how to respond to the most recent Syrian crisis of the downed Turkish fighter jet.

Despite using strong language, Erdogan did not signal any immediate military retaliation. Instead, the short-term priority rests on the diplomatic front. Indeed, the most striking part of the address were his middle and long term view on Syria, which we can call Erdogan’s “nip it in the bud ” approach.

Erdogan has openly defined the Bashar al-Assad administration as a “clear and present threat,” and he did not hide the fact that he is ultimately focused on toppling and destroying this regime.

The words: “All kinds of support the Syrian people need will be provided until they are saved from the dictator and his gang,” are the most extreme words the Turkish Prime Minister has uttered against Assad to date.

The “support” mentioned could refer to arming the opposition, providing financial aid, and logistical support for foreign intelligence elements to infiltrate Syria....

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David

[Exit40]

Assad says he regrets downing Turkish jet: report
SELCAN HACAOGLU and ZEINA KARAM The Associated Press
Published Tuesday, Jul. 03 2012, 6:18 AM EDT

Syrian President Bashar Assad said he regrets the shooting down of a Turkish jet by his forces, and he will not allow tensions between the two neighbors to deteriorate into an “armed conflict,” a Turkish newspaper reported Tuesday.

Syria downed the RF-4E warplane on June 22, after according to Syria it flew very low inside its airspace. Turkey says the jet was hit in international airspace after it briefly strayed into Syria.

Mr. Assad offered no apology for the downing of the plane during an interview with Cumhuriyet on Sunday, insisting that it was shot down over Syria, and his forces acted in self-defense.

He said that the plane was flying in a corridor inside Syrian airspace that had been used by Israeli planes in 2007, when they bombed a building under construction in northern Syria. The UN nuclear agency has said that the building was a nearly finished reactor meant to produce plutonium, which can be used to arm nuclear warheads...

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David

[Exit40]

Greek Cyprus presidency puts Turkey at an impass
With the Greek Cypriot-led EU presidency, many fear new tensions with Ankara may further damage Turkey's already troubled EU process.
By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times -- 03/07/12

In a much anticipated development, Greek Cyprus took over the helm of the rotating EU presidency on Sunday (June 1st), risking a deeper crisis between Turkey and the EU during the second half of this year.

For months, Turkey has been unable to make any visible progress in its EU membership talks. Of 35 negotiation chapters, 14 remain blocked due to the Cyprus problem. Turkey warned late last year that it would freeze all relations with the EU if the Greek Cypriots were given the EU presidency prior to a settlement on the divided island.

But Ankara has since softened its response, signaling that it will limit its boycott only to the presidency, meetings chaired by the Greek Cypriots and EU gatherings held on the Greek Cypriot side of the island.....

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David

[Exit40]

Learning from Turkey?
By Reihan Salam
July 3, 2012 12:00 A.M.

Robert Wright beat me a point I’ve been meaning to make for some time: Turkey’s AK Party parallels the U.S. GOP in a number of interesting ways:

My friend is no cheerleader for AKP, and he has his complaints, but while listening to his surprising tolerant view of Erdogan it hit me: Turkey’s current government, like the Republican party, rests on two seemingly paradoxical pillars: the affluent commercial class and lower-income, religiously conservative voters.

There are even parallels between the specific social issues that AKP champions and the issues Republicans champion. Erdogan wants to ban abortion, and he thinks the educational system should be more amenable to expressions of religiosity in the classroom. In his case, the big issue is head scarves, which had long been banned in Turkish universities but in the AKP years have started showing up there.

Many of Wright’s other observations in the post are off-base, e.g.:

There are differences, to be sure, between AKP and the Republicans. Republicans align with many lower income religious voters on social issues, but they haven’t delivered much in the way of economic goods to that part of their base. (Hence the famous question, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”) The AKP, in contrast, has brought material benefits to lower income voters, including energy subsidies and, as a local lawyer explained to me over lunch on Thursday, improved access to health care.

As Larry Bartels has patiently explained, the GOP is not in fact the party of lower income religious voters, a group that consists of many people who are marginally attached to the labor force.....

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God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkey oil imports from Iran plummet
Fri Jul 6, 2012 9:51am EDT

* Loading data shows Turkish imports of Iran oil slump in June

* Iran's support for Assad in Syria strains ties with Turkey

* Iran losing billions as new Western sanctions curb exports

By Dmitry Zhdannikov

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Turkey has steeply slashed Iranian oil imports in June, dealing another blow to Tehran's stretched finances as its crude exports towards even the most loyal customers plummet due to Western sanctions.

Iran, which relies on oil for more than half its budget revenues, is already seeing crude exports fall sharply from regular levels of last year as the West raises pressure to force Tehran to abandon its nuclear programme.

Loading data showed this week that Turkey, which is among Iran's top five customers, imported only three 150,000-tonne cargoes with Iranian crude in June through its two key ports of Aliaga and Tutunciftlik, averaging 110,000 barrels per day.

That represents a big decline from an average of 180,000 bpd imported last year and a huge slump from 250,000-280,000 bpd Turkey imported during some months in early 2012.....

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David

[Exit40]

UPDATE 1-Turkey to mandate banks for sukuk sale -sources
Thu Jul 5, 2012 8:07pm IST
* Treasury looking to raise $1 billion
* Turkey looking to tap new pool of investors (Adds quote, details, background)
By Nevzat Devranoglu

ISTANBUL, July 5 (Reuters) - Turkey is set to mandate HSBC, Citi and Deutsche Bank to manage the sale of its first sukuk, or Islamic bond, banking sources told Reuters on Thursday.

The move by the Treasury, overcoming sensitivities about Islamic finance in the secular republic, should give Turkey access to a wider pool of investors via a global sukuk market estimated at more than $100 billion.

One banker said a size of $1 billion was being targeted, but that the sale amount was still unclear.

"The Treasury is about to finalise meetings about its first sukuk issue, and their choice (for the mandate) will be HSBC, Citi and Deutsche," said one senior banking source in London.

A sovereign sukuk from an economy regarded as one of the Muslim world's most progressive and successful would signal intent on Turkey's part to play a bigger role in Islamic finance....

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David

[Exit40]

RUSSIA TO SHOOT DOWN TURKEY’S BILLION-DOLLAR FRUIT AND VEGETABLE TRADE IN RETALIATION FOR INTERFERENCE WITH RUSSIAN SHIPPING BOUND FOR SYRIA
John Helmer, Dances With Bears | Jul. 6, 2012, 4:06 PM

By John Helmer, Moscow

A century ago, the Ottomans understood not to press the Russians in close encounters; the Turks are slow learners. After several recent episodes in which the Turkish armed forces have attempted to interfere with Russian vessels delivering cargo to Syria, the Russians have now delivered the message that Turkish cargoes headed for Russia may be stopped altogether.

The subtlety of this message has yet to be detected by the Anglo-American war media. They are still blustering over the message the Syrians delivered when they used Russian-made cannons to shoot down an American-made Turkish spy plane over Syrian territory on June 22.

Read more: http://johnhelmer.net/?p=7696#ixzz1zwCiDO32

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Azeri Gas Pipeline Deal Highlights Turkey's European Energy Role
Saturday, 7 July 2012

A gas pipeline deal brings the dream of carrying natural gas from Azerbaijan to Europe via Turkey one step closer to reality.
By Alakbar Raufoglu for SES Türkiye -- 06/07/12

Giving new life to the idea of bringing Caspian natural gas to European markets, Turkey and Azerbaijan will go ahead with plans to build the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline project (TANAP), in a move that is welcomed in Europe as a major step towards reducing dependence on Russian natural gas.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev called the $7 billion (5.6 billion euros) inter-governmental agreement signed on June 27th "historic." The 2,000km pipeline will have an initial annual capacity of 16 billion cubic metres, and could be expanded to transport other sources of gas....

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David

[Exit40]

Analysis: Turkey on verge of becoming major power, gas market
By Henning Gloystein
LONDON | Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:28pm IST

(Reuters) - Turkey is likely to overtake Britain as Europe's third-biggest electricity consumer within a decade and become an energy trading hub, capitalizing on its booming population and economy as well as its proximity to cheap natural gas resources.

Its rise to prominence in energy markets will add to its growing influence as a major economic and political player between Central Asia, the Middle East and the European Union, to which Ankara aspires membership.

At 75 million and growing, Turkey's population is set to overtake Germany's, currently the EU's biggest at 82 million, by 2025. Its economy has been booming for years, although the crisis in Europe has slowed its rate of growth.

The government is keen to develop Turkey into the benchmark electricity market for trading in spot and derivatives contracts for southeast Europe and much of central Asia.

"As a bridge between Asia and Europe, Turkey has the potential to develop a reference price for this region," said Turkish Energy Ministry Undersecretary Metin Kilci....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey's Unending Syria Problem
Morton Abramowitz
July 11, 2012

Once the centerpiece of Turkey’s Mideast diplomacy, Syria now has turned into Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s biggest and worsening headache, a test of his leadership that can affect his ambition to lead Turkey from a new, more powerful presidency. Worse, it is not clear how and when the Syrian civil war will end, and even if it ends with Assad’s departure, the uncertain and likely unstable new Syrian state could affect Turkey’s own stability and draw it into unwelcome involvement.

The Syrian civil war has made Turkey a unique frontline state: a fierce critic of the Assad government, an impressive haven for refugees, a mobilizer of opposition to Assad, a conduit for arms to insurgents and a major voice in the coalition arrayed against Assad. Syria’s downing of a Turkish aircraft has raised not only the decibel level but also the possibility of direct Turkish military involvement. That remains unlikely—most of Turkey is against it, as is its cautious military—but the law of unintended consequences could kick in. The tipping point could be a vast outflow of Syrians to Turkey, adding to the thirty-three thousand already there and possibly leading to the creation of a protected area within Syria. In any event, the war will continue to affect Turkey’s domestic situation and its relations with the West, Russia and its neighbors, particularly Iran and Iraq. Further, it complicates Erdogan’s ability to concentrate and deal effectively with Turkey’s most pressing problem—its own Kurds.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey strives for Open Dialogue with Russia Despite Rift over Syria

Disagreements over Turkish and Russian policies on the Syrian crisis are so deep that they are unlikely to be reconciled soon. But as the crisis begins to show signs of sparking a global confrontation reminiscent of Cold War-era hostilities, Ankara is keen to prevent further poisoning of its ties with Russia by keeping channels of senior-level dialogue with Moscow open. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is planning a one-day visit to Moscow on July 18 to find ways to end the 16-month violence in Syria that has now left more than 15,000 Syrians dead.

A Turkish diplomatic official, who spoke to Today's Zaman on the condition of anonymity, said that bilateral, regional and international affairs would be discussed during Erdoğan's visit. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is expected to accompany Erdoğan, who is scheduled to hold talks and exchange views with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Syrian crisis. Experts agree that the crisis in Syria would dominate Erdoğan's agenda and the downed Turkish jet by Syrian forces would be the main topic.

Syrian forces shot down a RF-4E Phantom, an unarmed reconnaissance version of the F4 fighter jet last month, which, according to Ankara, was on a solo mission to test domestic radar systems and was hit in international airspace after it briefly strayed into Syrian airspace.

Experts also expect that Erdoğan will ask Moscow to share with Turkey any possible data which it has about the jet incident....

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David

[Exit40]

Syria to Turkey: Show me the missile
Ankara's version of how a Turkish F4 Phantom jet was downed by Syria could be sliding into deep water.
Anita McNaught Last Modified: 12 Jul 2012 09:56

Here's a simple rendering of the disputed accounts of what the Turks call Syria's "violation of international law" when a Turkish fighter jet was shot down in late June.

Syria: We hit the Turkish plane at close range using a simple anti-aircraft battery that has a range of less than 2km. It all happened so fast, we only found out afterwards that the plane was Turkish. We gave Turkey a piece of the tail fin with bullet holes in it, to prove that’s what happened.

Turkey: The plane was 13 miles (21km) offshore in international airspace when it was hit. So the Syrians must have used a missile, and therefore radar and command channels were involved. The Syrians knew it was a Turkish plane, and we have the evidence to prove it.

Except that, as more information seeps out of the Turkish camp, it appears they still don't have the proof.

In a statement on Monday, Turkish Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz said, "Among the pieces [of the F4] retrieved so far there have been no traces of a missile."..

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish Judicial Reforms Reflect New Power Struggle
11/07/2012

A judicial reform package passed on 2 July was a product of the power struggle between the prime minister and the Gulen movement at least as much as an attempt to improve the Turkish judicial system.

Turkish deputy prime minister Be ir Atalay yesterday (10 July) said that as many as 10,000 prisoners could be released under judicial reforms passed earlier in the month. These would not include Kurdish members of parliament jailed over alleged relationships with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and critics argue that the package has less to do with addressing weaknesses in the Turkish judicial system and more to do with a power struggle between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the powerful Gulen movement.....

**** Snip.... Outlook and Implications

Whatever the outcome of the CHP's application to the Constitutional Court, the Turkish judicial system is likely to remain highly politicised. Despite Erdogan's (sic) attempts to placate the Gulen movement by retaining the OYMs for ongoing cases, the power struggle between the two is likely to continue and intensify in the months ahead, particularly if Erdogan (sic) persists with his plans to install himself at the head of a presidential system....

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David

[Exit40]

UPDATE 1-Turkey importing crude from N.Iraq in road tankers
Fri Jul 13, 2012 3:01pm IST
* Volumes could rise to 100-200 road tankers per day
* Kurdistan locked in energy dispute with Baghdad government
* Turkey eyes energy projects with both Kurdistan, Baghdad

BOLU, Turkey, July 13 (Reuters) - Turkey has begun importing 5 to 10 road tankers of crude from northern Iraq daily and the volume could rise to 100-200 tankers per day, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Friday.

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which borders Turkey, is locked in a dispute with the central Iraqi government over oil exports and energy policy has become a sensitive topic.

A Kurdistan regional government source said earlier this week that it had sent a small amount of oil to Turkey by trucks in exchange for diesel, adding it needed the refined product to run power stations.

"Crude purchases from northern Iraq have begun with a volume of 5-10 road tankers. This may rise to 100-200 tankers a day," Yildiz told reporters at a ground-breaking ceremony for a power plant in western Turkey....

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**** The Kirkuk resolution of 2007, mostly about Kurdish control of Kurdish oil, was never voted on and this now in the open development on a larger scale may be a catalyst for further turmoil in the region, like they didn't have enough to squabble over. The Kurds would not be doing this if there were not some guarantees for them, mostly protection I would think. This could develop into a Syria type situation between the Kurds and the Shiite govt of Baghdad. I've actually been waiting for this since '07, not that it will go that way, but I believe greater Kurdistan encompasses the land of the Chaldeans, upper Mesopotamia, the land of Shinar, including ancient Ninevah. Not sure of the Prophetic significance, even as Israel is involved with this people. But...

Zec 5:5-11 ¶ Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what [is] this that goeth forth.
And I said, What [is] it? And he said, This [is] an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This [is] their resemblance through all the earth.
And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this [is] a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
And he said, This [is] wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind [was] in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?
And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Iraqi Kurdish Autonomy: Turkey’s Old Neighbor and New Partner
Friday, 13 July 2012
by Aygul Taghiyeva, Trend AZ Arabic News Service

The ties between Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdish autonomy has been recently become a new topic for media discussions. A lot of articles about the beginning of cooperation between the Kurdish administration and Ankara, and as a result, deteriorating the relations between
Turkey and Baghdad have been published.

The relations between Turkey and Iraq have become more strained after a rather violent dispute between the prime ministers of these countries. Turkey accused al-Maliki's government of dictates. The latter regarded the statements as interference in the country's internal affairs.

Turkey has started cooperating with the Kurdish autonomy in the oil industry that causes the most dispute between the Kurdish administration and Iraq's central government.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey denies fighter jet shot down by Syria
Friday, July 13th 2012, 09:47 PM

Ankara, July 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Turkish military has backed down from its previous claim that its fighter jet was downed last month by Syrian forces.

"The actual cause of the incident will be established after the plane wreckage is raised from the seabed," the General Staff of the armed forces said in a statement.

"No traces of explosives or flammable products were found on the debris recovered from the sea," it said.

Read more: http://india.nydailynews.com/business/6 ... z20cICbJb1

God bless

David

[Exit40]

July 14, 2012, 7:14 a.m. ET
Turkey, Poland to Get IMF Board Seats
By IAN TALLEY And COSTAS PARIS

WASHINGTON – Turkey and Poland will for the first time hold seats on the International Monetary Fund's executive board under a political agreement reached in recent weeks, according to people involved in the matter.

Although the two countries will share their seats on a rotating basis with other countries, the deal represents an ongoing shift in power that gives emerging economies greater power at the world's emergency lender. The stronger say comes at Europe's expense and after many emerging markets vowed to help boost the IMF's lending ability amid the ongoing euro-zone debt crisis.

"It's a substantial step to give emerging economies a bigger role on the board and the decision making" an official at the IMF said. Another official at the IMF called the new board-seats agreement "a big reform in the IMF."

"This is indeed the first moves from Europe to give up some power, giving it to emerging markets," he said....

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David

[burien1]

Turkey denies fighter jet shot down by Syria
Friday, July 13th 2012, 09:47 PM

Ankara, July 14 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The Turkish military has backed down from its previous claim that its fighter jet was downed last month by Syrian forces.

"The actual cause of the incident will be established after the plane wreckage is raised from the seabed," the General Staff of the armed forces said in a statement.

"No traces of explosives or flammable products were found on the debris recovered from the sea," it said.

Read more: http://india.nydailynews.com/business/6 ... z20cICbJb1

God bless

David

I will never understand their reasoning. They are still mad, and blaming Israel for the boat incident. Supposedly.

[Exit40]

I will never understand their reasoning. They are still mad, and blaming Israel for the boat incident. Supposedly.

It's simple really Brenda. Turkey wanted to improve their relations with Arab nations. Any kind of bashing of Israel over the plight of the Palestinians, and the ' open air prison ' residents of Gaza would serve their purpose. As no progress has been made by Arab nations toward resolution, they appeared weak and ineffective, so for Turkey's Erdogan it was any easy step to confront Israel and western powers over it, making himself out to be the hero of the Palestinians, whether they wanted him or not, and winning over the Arab ' street '. It was well planned all along, especially the Mavi Marmara event with Erdogan even saying in wikileaks documents he planned to do it all along, hoping Israel would over react, which they did. Now this Arab Spring has taken his foreign policy by surprise, along with the west, even though our own faithful Turkey/islam reporter here stated quite some time ago islam must reform in order to be able to fulfill Biblical Prophecy , but it would prove to be a false reformation. We are still under this influence with the events in Syria being crucial to this, especially if it spreads to Iraq and Lebanon, which I think is possible but doubtful to any meaningful extent. But it does seem Syria will fall, into the clutches of Turkey, their brotherly nation to the north who just wants to help them out of their sufferings. Iran will be sidelined economically as long as thy refuse to go along with Turkey, and their Twelver regime is likely to cause them so much they could be swept aside, internally, religious differences will become less important to the greater goal, that being a universal Caliphate. If this happens the base for it would likely be Istanbul, but the Sauds will no doubt have plenty to say about it.

Getting ahead of myself, as it seems we have a ways to go, if my understanding is correct.

God Bless You

David

[burien1]

Thank you for that analysis, David. I appreciate it. I missed that wiki leaks intel.

[Exit40]

Thank you for that analysis, David. I appreciate it. I missed that wiki leaks intel.

Hi Brenda. I'm not sure I posted that info, but as I recall the doc was from a top US Embassy official to the State Department. It was an analysis of Erdogan and his vision for Turkey from a conversation they had. The PM also stated openly he believed he was chosen by god, allah, to lead Turkey. He is an imam of the Hanafi school of islamic thought, believed to be the most moderate of the four schools, it was revealed. He is a workaholic, driven even, and a pious muslim, treating his staff with respect and rewards, and disciplining like a loving father when he feels it is needed. He is known in Turkey as Beyefendi, SP ? which means respected gentleman in general, but when spoken in conversation everyone knows it is referring to the PM. In just ten years he has transformed Turkey into a remarkable economic machine, second in growth to only China, with plans to be a top ten economy by 2023, the hundred year anniversary of the birth of modern Turkey. I go write a book but you get the idea.

God Bless You

David

[Exit40]

Iraq warns Turkey over separate oil deal with Kurds, says it could damage relations
By Associated Press, Updated: Sunday, July 15, 9:24 AM

BAGHDAD — Baghdad warned Turkey on Sunday that its separate oil deal with Iraq’s northern self-ruled Kurdish region could damage trade relations, the latest sign of tension between the two neighbors.

This month, Iraq’s Kurds announced that they have started exporting crude oil and gas to Turkey. The goal is to barter it for refined petroleum products to meet domestic demand.

The deal is part of a bigger agreement the Kurdish government negotiated and signed with Turkey in May without going through Baghdad. The agreement envisions the Kurdish region exporting not only oil but natural gas through a web of pipelines through Turkish territory to the international market.

“Exporting oil from the Kurdistan region to Turkey is illegal and illegitimate,” government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement. “The oil and gas are the property of all Iraqis and those exports and revenues must be managed by the federal government which represents all Iraqis,” al-Dabbagh added....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey Warms to Armenia, Slowly
By: Aslı Aydıntaşbaş posted on Friday, Jul 13, 2012

While we were visiting Paris for the Friends of Syria conference with [Turkish] Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, he spoke of Turkey's quiet, three-pillar approach to opening up the Armenian issue.

The discussion regarding what happened in 1915 and the controversies surrounding the definition and terminology of it still paralyzes Turkey 100 years later. Remember what happened to Hrant Dink or the crises with France. Every year we spend millions of dollars to prevent the US congress from uttering the word “genocide.” And indeed, there is the burning pain and the longing for a part that was abruptly amputated.

Drawing upon Davutoglu’s statements, I can say that Turkey is initiating a new “opening” as we head toward the 100th anniversary of the 1915 incidents. This opening up of the Armenian issue is composed of three dimensions.

The first is the emotional dimension. For years, Turkey had either denied that this incident ever happened or attempted to undermine the pain of the Armenians with claims of alleged counter-massacres. The Khojaly massacre was used to belittle Armenian claims. Therefore, I think these statements from Davutoglu are noteworthy:....

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God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Diplomacy on Syria Tilts toward Moscow
Monday, 16 July 2012

All roads to end the Syrian turmoil will lead to Moscow this week as the Kremlin is set to host high-level diplomatic meetings with Kofi Annan and PM Erdoğan.

The epicenter of world diplomacy related to solving the Syrian crisis has begun to shift toward Moscow, as multiple diplomatic visitors converge on the Kremlin, beginning with U.N.-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan, followed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.......

.... A day after Putin meets Annan, the Russian president will welcome Erdoğan to discuss the future of Syria, energy issues and the latest developments in the Middle East. Although not on the agenda, the Turkish jet downed on June 22 is also expected to be discussed between the two statesmen, according to diplomatic sources speaking to Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.

According to Turkish officials, Erdoğan is expected to ask for any records about the plane that Moscow has. The U.S. and the U.K. have recently handed over the information they had on the Turkish jet. Russia’s foreign minister said June 30 that Russia possesses “objective observation data” concerning the downing of the Turkish jet, and is prepared to present it....

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David

[Exit40]

Iraq warns Turkey against violating airspace
BAGHDAD | Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:29am EDT

(Reuters) - Iraq warned Turkey against violating its airspace and territory and said on Tuesday it planned to protest to the U.N. Security Council after its radars had repeatedly detected Turkish warplanes, in a deepening a rift with its neighbor.

Over the past four weeks, Turkish warplanes and attack helicopters have carried out repeated strikes on suspected Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq, according to Turkish military command, after clashes on the Iraqi side of the border.

The Turkish military says it is targeting hideouts of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants after some of the most intense battles this year of the separatist conflict.

"The Iraqi government condemns these violations to Iraq's airspace and sovereignty and warns Turkey against any violations of Iraq's airspace and territory," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in statement after a cabinet meeting.

Dabbagh said the cabinet asked the Foreign Ministry to protest to the Security Council over the violations.

"Iraq will retain its right in taking all the measures to prevent these oversteps against its sovereignty," Dabbagh said....

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David

[Exit40]

Cautious partners Turkey, Russia to talk ties, rivalries
By Thomas Grove

MOSCOW, July 17 (Reuters) - A gleaming skyscraper rises from the ultra-modern financial centre in the heart of Moscow, dwarfing cathedral cuppolas and bombastic Stalinist highrises, a symbol of how far Turkish business has come in the former Cold War rival.

The distinctive Turkish-built steel and glass towers of Naberezhnaya, the second tallest skyscraper in Russia, will serve as a powerful backdrop when President Vladimir Putin hosts visiting Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in the Kremlin on Wednesday to talk business, energy and regional power politics.

Projects by construction company Enka underscore Erdogan's signature mix of business and politics that has expanded NATO-member Turkey's presence in the Middle East, Africa and former Soviet Union, where Russia still jealously guards its interests....

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David

[Exit40]

A delayed 4th of July comment

There might have been fireworks, flags, parades and celebrations, but it was a hot and dark 4th of July for many living in the heart of the mighty United States of America.

Meanwhile, more bad news emerged not only for those in Washington, D.C., but for all Americans and maybe for everybody in the world. The International Monetary Fund has warned that tax hikes and spending cuts are putting the U.S. economy at risk and that the country could be pushed back into recession; the annual review of the U.S. economy adds that this could also be a devastating blow to the world economy.

While slashing its forecast on global growth, the IMF also lowered its estimate of U.S. growth for this year from 2.1 percent to 2.0 percent. This might seem like a marginal cut, but when the size of the U.S. economy is considered, it is an important discount. For the time being, the forecast for the next year is even a negative figure. It is quite interesting to observe that after many months, the IMF pointed to the European problem as a global risk and a threat to the U.S. economy but is now suggesting that a potential U.S. recession poses a threat to Europe.

Last month in the Financial Times, Martin Wolf asked a very interesting question: “Is the future role of the United States in its own hands?” The answer is also quite interesting: “Yes, but only up to a point; the United States can control what it does, but it can not control what others do.” Is this conjecture true?

After the Soviet empire collapsed, a new wave of sympathy for the United States was awakened. However, after people soon grasped that the United States had become the only superpower, the old-fashioned allergy against America’s supremacy began to spread again among Europeans.....

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David

[Exit40]

Pakistan to strengthen multifaceted ties with Turkey: President
Wednesday, 18 July 2012 21:05


ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday said Pakistan highly values its fraternal relations with Turkey and is keen to strengthen the multifaceted relations which have transcended to governmental and public levels.

During his meeting with the Speaker of Turkish Grand National Assembly Cemil Cicek here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President, terming Pakistan and Turkey as vibrant democracies, said that the parliaments of the two countries and their members could play a critical role in deepening the special relationship....

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David

[Exit40]

Erdogan’s Russia Visit and Its Significance
Habibe Ozdal
Thursday, 19 July 2012

Turkish-Russian relations have passed through vital thresholds since the beginning of 2000s. The two countries, which were remembered throughout history as two prominent rivals, have entered into a phase of redefining each other thanks to the initiatives of both governments which appeared as a result of the structural transformation within the international system. Ankara became in the eyes of its counterpart an “independent actor” which can stand against Western countries, after the March 1st Memorandum was declined in the Turkish Great National Assembly (TBMM). As a result of the dialogue process which took over ten years, bilateral trade volume has reached 30 billion dollars in 2011 and 3.5 million Russian tourists have decided on Turkey to spend their holidays last year with the realization of visa exemption between the two countries. In addition, there are currently around 2000 companies of Turkish origin which have invested 7 billion dollars in Russia until now.

Political developments need to be added to the above mentioned numbers. The leaders and authorized ministers of the two countries make regular efforts by evaluating the existing situation of bilateral relations, for overcoming existing problems rapidly and intensifying relations in both economic and cultural fields through the High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) which have been functioning since 2000. Even though it is not possible to say the bilateral relations are flawless, the current state of affairs between Ankara and Moscow should not be overlooked and is marked by high-level visits which became nearly common thanks to HLCC meetings.....

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David

[Exit40]

07:37 PM ET
Should Turkey be afraid of the Syrian Kurds?
By Soner Cagaptay, Special to CNN
Editor's note: Soner Cagaptay is a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a GPS contributor. You can find his other posts here. The views expressed are solely those of the author.

Many in Turkey are said to be alarmed by reports over the past couple of days that Syrian Kurds have taken over a string of towns along that country’s border with Turkey, including Ayn-al ‘Arab and Afrin.

Turkish fears stem from the fact that the Syrian Kurdish group, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), which is reportedly taking over some of the border cities, has a reputation for opposing Turkey and supporting its sworn-enemy, the PKK. Until recently, the PYD advertised itself as being close to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group notorious for leading a decades-long fight against Turkey – one that has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties.

As the Turks see it, with identical PKK/PYD flags reportedly being raised over Ayn al-‘Arab and Afrin, developments suggest that the PKK may be creating a safe haven for itself on Turkey’s border with Syria. This has prompted some bad memories: in the past, the PKK has used safe havens such as the territory it occupied inside northern Iraq to launch devastating attacks in Turkey.

What’s more, today’s alleged developments leave Turkey between a rock and a hard place: will Ankara watch on as the PKK carves out a base in Syria, or will it do something about this development, taking military action inside Syria to deny the PYD/PKK that opportunity?

Hard as it would for the Turks to bear, Ankara may be forced to accept inaction, given the risks of acting alone militarily....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish PM declares war on media critics
Published July 21st, 2012 - 07:11 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Throughout his political career, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has all too frequently been stung by the media. The same applied to his spiritual and political mentor, the late leader of the Felicity Party Necmettin Erbakan – and indeed all Islamists. But the current prime minister, ever since the era when he was responsible for the activities of the National Salvation Party in Istanbul – he would go on to become the city’s mayor in 1994 – has been the particular subject of media campaigns, targeting him personally as well as his party.

Media outlets owned by big business tycoons known for their multifaceted links to Washington and the military used to spare no occasion to wage attacks on Erdogan and his mentor Erbakan, who served three times as deputy prime minister and once as prime minister in a coalition government with Tansu Ciller’s Correct Path Party, in late 1997. The media, in coordination with the secular-leaning military establishment, had played a large role in toppling this government back in June 1998, when the younger generation of party leaders, including Erdogan, current President Abdullah Gul and others, mutinied against their leader Erbakan, accusing him of cowardice and of having caved in to the demands of the military.

Since day one in power, Erdogan showed no intentions of delaying his bid to tighten his grip over all state institutions....

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David

[Exit40]

Attack on Turkey-Iraq pipeline knocks out oil flows
Reuters, 21/07 14:16 CET

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Firefighters in southeast Turkey on Saturday put out a fire on a pipeline carrying about a quarter of Iraq’s oil exports, but it was unclear when oil would resume flowing, security sources said.

They blamed sabotage by Kurdish separatists for the explosion on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline.

The fire broke out at 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Friday near the town of Midyat in Mardin province, near the Syrian border....

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David

[Exit40]

Syrians revolt, fly own flag at refugee camp in Turkey

GAZİANTEP - Doğan News Agency

Syrian refugees started a riot in a Gaziantep refugee camp today, taking down the Turkish flag and replacing it with their own, Doğan news agency reported.

Syrian refugees at the site began protesting about the 1,500 Turkmen refugees that had been added to the camp, precipitating a verbal argument with security officials. The row soon escalated into a riot as hundreds of Syrians took Turkish police officers hostage and seized their guns. The Turkish flag at the entrance was taken down and refugees replaced it with their own. ...

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David

[Exit40]

MURAT YETKİN

murat.yetkin@hurriyet.com.tr
Break up in Damascus

According to Turkish sources in a position to see reports filed to Ankara from the field, up until a few days ago the majority of Syrian people living in big cities like Damascus or Aleppo have remained silent, because they believed that Bashar al-Assad and his regime were invincible. But since the attack that targeted a high-level security meeting in Damascus and claimed the lives of Syria2s defense minister and his deputy (who was also married to Bashar al-Assad’s sister Bushra), as well as head of intelligence and his deputy, and wounded a number of people, including the interior minister, the scene has begun to change.

“Our people in the field are observing that the urban majority, which has preferred to remain neutral so far, have begun to support the opposition groups,” one Turkish official who had served in Syria in years past said. “We think the Syrian people have begun to perceive that the administration is breaking up.”...

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[Exit40]

Netanyahu urges better Turkey ties, cites regional turmoil
July 24, 2012|Reuters

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Jewish state and its former ally Turkey must repair their relationship because of the instability in their region.

Turkey cut its once extensive ties with Israel after Israeli marines killed nine Turkish pro-Palestinian activists in May 2010 on a vessel trying to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian enclave run by Hamas Islamists.

"Turkey and Israel are two important, strong and stable states in this region ... We must find ways to restore the relations we once had ... it is important, particularly now, for stability in the region in these times," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said he gave the message to Turkish journalists in a meeting late on Monday.....

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[Exit40]

We can't remain spectators over Aleppo: Turkish PM

By Nick Morrison (AFP) – 18 hours ago

LONDON — Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday urged international action in Syria, saying it was not possible "to remain a spectator" to the regime's offensive on its second city Aleppo.

The Syrian regime has ramped up its pressure on the key northern hub over the last two days as world powers expressed fears of an all-out onslaught against rebel forces and civilians there.

Erdogan, speaking after meeting British Prime Minister David Cameron at his Downing Street residence, urged joint action from the UN Security Council, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League....

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[Exit40]

Saturday,July 28 2012, Your time is 11:24:24 AM
Davutoğlu on offensive for ‘idealist, assertive policies’

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has defended his track record against accusations that Ankara’s foreign policy has not been realistic enough in the face of the complex state of the Middle East, advancing a vision of an idealistic but assertive foreign policy.

“Whoever finds these policies very idealistic and very assertive and says: ‘These [policies] may be right, but is our power enough to [implement them]?’ We will say with a sonorous voice: ‘Yes, our power is enough for this,” Davutoğlu said on July 25 in Ankara, addressing attendees of the dinner hosted by civil society groups from Konya. Turkey will continue to be the spokesperson of peace in the region, he said....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish PM Meets Mashaal in Surprise Visit

Thursday, 26 July 2012

Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal made a surprise visit to Ankara on July 24, meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a fast-breaking dinner during which the pair discussed the deadlocked reconciliation process between Palestine’s Hamas and Fatah factions.

The visit, which was not on Erdoğan’s official schedule, followed Mashaal’s talks in Cairo with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on July 19. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief Hakan Fidan and Erdoğan’s top foreign policy adviser, İbrahim Kalın, all attended the lengthy dinner, which took from three to five hours....

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>>>> Would like to have been a fly on that wall . D. <<<<

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David

[Exit40]

Exclusive: Secret Turkish nerve center leads aid to Syria rebels
By Regan Doherty and Amena Bakr
DOHA/DUBAI | Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:12am EDT

(Reuters) - Turkey has set up a secret base with allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar to direct vital military and communications aid to Syria's rebels from a city near the border, Gulf sources have told Reuters. News of the clandestine Middle East-run "nerve centre" working to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad underlines the extent to which Western powers - who played a key role in unseating Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - have avoided military involvement so far in Syria.

"It's the Turks who are militarily controlling it. Turkey is the main co-ordinator/facilitator. Think of a triangle, with Turkey at the top and Saudi Arabia and Qatar at the bottom," said a Doha-based source. "The Americans are very hands-off on this. U.S. intel(ligence) are working through middlemen. Middlemen are controlling access to weapons and routes."

The centre in Adana, a city in southern Turkey about 100 km (60 miles) from the Syrian border, was set up after Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Saud visited Turkey and requested it, a source in the Gulf said. The Turks liked the idea of having the base in Adana so that they could supervise its operations, he added. A Saudi foreign ministry official was not immediately available to comment on the operation.

Adana is home to Incirlik, a large Turkish/U.S. air force base which Washington has used in the past for reconnaissance and military logistics operations. It was not clear from the sources whether the anti-Syrian "nerve centre" was located inside Incirlik base or in the city of Adana....

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David

[Exit40]

PM Links Religion to Bid to Host Olympic Games

Monday, 30 July 2012

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has questioned why the Olympic Games have never been hosted by a Muslim majority country, speaking to reporters in London.

“No country with a majority of Muslim population has ever hosted the Olympics,” Erdoğan said in London after watching the Turkish women’s basketball team beating Angola 72-50 in its first Olympic match.

“People will ask ‘Why? What is missing [in these countries]?’” he said, accompanied by his wife Emine Erdoğan and his daughter Sümeyye Erdoğan in London, where he lobbies to promote Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Olympics. Erdoğan met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Jacques Rogge July 27 before attending the opening ceremony....

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[Exit40]

When Turkey's Weirdest Televangelist Met Sean Ali Stone Or: Why I don't bother writing fiction anymore
by Claire Berlinski
July 30, 2012 at 3:02 am

The Turkish televangelist Harun Yahya, also known as Adnan Oktar, is a controversial figure in Turkey, controversial among other things for his litigiousness—scores of websites in Turkey, including Wordpress, have been banned at his behest—so forgive me for couching my language in the utmost of circumspection. He is best known for sending his anti-Darwinian magnum opus, the Atlas of Creation—weighing in at more than 13 pounds—to tens of thousands of journalists worldwide. No one knows where he received the money for this project. I received a copy and quite liked and appreciated the book, which is beautiful.

My father, David Berlinski, is known among other things for skepticism about the neo-Darwinian synthesis. Many years ago, when I first arrived in Turkey, Mr. Oktar invited my father to an all-expenses paid conference to discuss his views. My father was initially excited until I informed him that alas, Oktar was also known as a Holocaust denier and a rapist, that he had been charged with blackmail, extortion, possession of unlicensed weapons, sexual intercourse with minors, cocaine possession, fomenting a theological revolution, and keeping a stable of uncannily beautiful, wealthy women in concubinage. He was said to beat them regularly. The indictments against him suggested that his followers were encouraged to plunder their parents' bank accounts, sell their assets, and hand them over to his organization. He was arrested, confined to a mental hospital and diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and schizophrenia. Some of his former followers hold that Oktar not only believes the return of the Mahdi is imminent, but that he is the Mahdi.....

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David

Edit: This is a long and difficult interview article, but if you can find your way through it , it contains some interesting view points about the Mahdi and some of the circumstance of his return and reign.

[Exit40]

July 31, 2012, 7:27 a.m. ET
Turkey Shrugs Off Syria War Talk as Investors Spark Rally

-- Investor appetite for Turkish assets surging as political risk dismissed
-- Global liquidity, yield hunt triggering rally in Turkish bonds, stocks
-- Analysts say Turkey's hawkish stance on Syria won't translate into conflict

By Emre Peker

ISTANBUL--Investors are flooding Turkey with cash even amid mounting risks that the country may get mired in the Syrian conflict, signaling that the demand for high returns from emerging markets is trumping fear in the current environment.

In the past weeks, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have bombed opposition-held districts in Aleppo, a mere 30 miles from Turkey's border, while Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to take steps against a Kurdish group in Syrian territory if it tries to set up camps across the border. That speaks to a dramatic escalation of tension between the one-time allies over the past two months: Syria in June downed a Turkish reconnaissance jet, to which Turkey has responded by deploying troops and heavy armor along the neighbors' 565-mile border.

Yet since June, investors poured about $12 billion into Turkey, doubling the assets purchased by foreigners this year and triggering a rally in government debt that pushed yields on the benchmark two-year bonds down as much as 1.72 percentage points to 7.75%, the lowest since September. The Istanbul Stock Exchange in the same period has risen 17% to more than 65,000, the highest since May 2011....

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[Exit40]

US and Turkey to 'Accelerate' Syria Transition: White House
Tuesday, 31 July 2012

President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone yesterday "to coordinate efforts to accelerate a political transition in Syria," the White House said.

This "would include the departure of (Syrian leader) Bashar al-Assad and be responsive to the legitimate demands of the Syrian people," the statement said.

Obama and Erdogan shared their concerns over the Syrian regime's crackdown on opposition "and the deteriorating humanitarian conditions throughout Syria as a result of the regime's atrocities." Both promised to coordinate efforts to help the growing numbers of Syrians displaced by the violence within Syria or forced to flee over the border to take refuse in Turkey or other nations in the region.....

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[Exit40]

Ancient warrior king statue discovered in Turkey
By Stephanie Pappas
Published July 31, 2012

A newly discovered statue of a curly-haired man gripping a spear and a sheath of wheat once guarded the upper citadel of an ancient kingdom's capital.

The enormous sculpture, which is intact from about the waist up, stands almost 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall, suggesting that its full height with legs would have been between 11 and 13 feet (3.5 to 4 m). Alongside the statue, archaeologists found another carving, a semicircular column base bearing the images of a sphinx and a winged bull.

The pieces date back to about 1000 B.C. to 738 B.C. and belong to the Neo-Hittite Kingdom of Patina in what is now southeastern Turkey. They were found at what would have been a gate to the upper citadel of the capital, Kunulua. An international team of archaeologists on the Tayinat Archaeological Project are excavating the ruins.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/07/ ... z22E8P1JQU

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[Exit40]

Turkey launches military drill on Syrian border in apparent show of muscle aimed at Kurds
By Associated Press, Published: July 31 | Updated: Wednesday, August 1, 4:39 AM

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey launched a military drill Wednesday just across the border from a Syrian town it claims is controlled by Kurdish rebels — a show of muscle aimed at Kurdish separatists pushing for autonomy within Turkey’s borders.

The Turkish government last week said Turkish Kurdish rebels have seized control of five towns along the border in collaboration with Syria’s Democratic Union Party, or PYD— an ethnic Kurdish grouping. Turkey alleges that many of the rebels migrated to civil-war engulfed Syria from bases in northern Iraq.

The idea that Syria, like northern Iraq, could become a safe haven for Turkish Kurdish rebels is an anathema to Turkey’s leaders. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was to travel to northern Iraq on Wednesday to urge the president of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region not to support the Syrian political party.

The Turkish military has targeted rebel bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq several times in the past, and the government hinted that it would not hesitate to do the same against any rebel position in Syria.....

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David