Turkey part deaux :)

[Exit40]

Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to continue dialogue process

ISTANBUL, Nov. 2 (APP): Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan have expressed their determination to continue the dialogue process and consultations, particularly with regard to urgent issues of common concern. According to a joint statement issued at the conclusion of the trilateral summit of the three countries, hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Istanbul, the three countries reaffirmed their resolve to cooperate in the fight against terrorism, which constitutes a crime against humanity. The leaders condemned heinous terrorist attack on Prof. Burhanuddin Rabbani and said it was also targeted against the peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan....

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David

[Exit40]

Cyprus talks end with some progress, UN calls new meeting in January
01 November 2011, Tuesday / TODAYSZAMAN.COM WITH REUTERS, NEW YORK

The United Nations on Tuesday called a summit for January between leaders of ethnically split Cyprus to settle a decades-old conflict harming Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon expressed optimism that Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot President Derviş Eroğlu were on their way to resolving long-standing differences.

"Discussions have been positive, productive and vigorous," Ban told journalists, flanked by the two leaders at UN headquarters in New York.

"This has given me confidence that a comprehensive settlement can be achieved. Both leaders have assured me that they believe that they can finalize a deal," he said.....

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David

[Exit40]

Brenda, the following is what I thought would be the real purpose, plus Turkeys ability to modify other F-16's they are authorized to repair and maintain as part of this new role for them. No one had brought this up, except a Turkish news source, the one reporting the following....

**** Turkey: F-16s can now hit Israel targets
By
Haluk Demirbag
– September 14, 2011Posted in: Featured Stories, Israel, Sci/Tech, Turkey

Turkish fighter jets
Turkey has developed a new system for its US-made F-16 fighter jets that will allow them for the first time to fire at Israeli targets, a report says.

The new Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) — an identification system designed for command and control — developed by Turkey’s Military Electronics Industry (ASELSAN) will replace the US version of the system that was being run on the fighter jets so far, Turkey’s Star Gazete newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The US system identified all Israeli targets as a ‘friend,’ thus preventing the Turkish fighter jets from firing at them automatically, even if the Turkish pilots were ordered to fire at them, the report said.

The new system, however, will allow Turkey to define its enemies itself, the report said.....

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David

[burien1]

Brenda, the following is what I thought would be the real purpose, plus Turkeys ability to modify other F-16's they are authorized to repair and maintain as part of this new role for them. No one had brought this up, except a Turkish news source, the one reporting the following....

**** Turkey: F-16s can now hit Israel targets
By
Haluk Demirbag
– September 14, 2011Posted in: Featured Stories, Israel, Sci/Tech, Turkey

Turkish fighter jets
Turkey has developed a new system for its US-made F-16 fighter jets that will allow them for the first time to fire at Israeli targets, a report says.

The new Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) — an identification system designed for command and control — developed by Turkey’s Military Electronics Industry (ASELSAN) will replace the US version of the system that was being run on the fighter jets so far, Turkey’s Star Gazete newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The US system identified all Israeli targets as a ‘friend,’ thus preventing the Turkish fighter jets from firing at them automatically, even if the Turkish pilots were ordered to fire at them, the report said.

The new system, however, will allow Turkey to define its enemies itself, the report said.....

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David

Thanks David. I knew in my heart that it wasn't for good.
God bless you !

[Exit40]

Thu Nov 3, 2011 8:06am EDT

* Strong Gulf demand for second Turkish sukuk

* Sukuk outperforming conventional bonds in secondary market

* Turkish laws allow attractive structures

* But Turkish non-financial issuers not coming to market

* Sovereign sukuk would be big boost; unclear when it will come

By Shaheen Pasha and Rachna Uppal

DUBAI, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Strong demand for a sukuk issued by Turkish bank Kuveyt Turk last month underlines how Turkey may become a major source of Islamic bonds for Gulf investors who are keen to diversify geographically.

The $350 million sukuk, issued at par and carrying a profit rate of 5.875 percent, was only the second sukuk issued from Turkey. But it attracted orders totalling over $550 million -- and Gulf investors accounted for nearly 70 percent of final subscribers, according to data released by the lead arrangers.

That may presage an important shift in investor interest. Traditionally, Gulf investors have not focused on bonds from Turkey, instead preferring debt from names in the immediate region with which they are most familiar and comfortable.

Now, however, the relatively comfortable way in which Turkey's economy is coping with global weakness -- combined with strong appetite for sukuk in general, since they have proved less volatile during this year's market instability than conventional bonds -- may be changing Gulf investors' priorities.....

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Sukuk (Islamic bonds)
Main article: Sukuk

Sukuk, plural of صك Sakk, is the Arabic name for financial certificates that are the Islamic equivalent of bonds. However, fixed-income, interest-bearing bonds are not permissible in Islam. Hence, Sukuk are securities that comply with the Islamic law (Shariah) and its investment principles, which prohibit the charging or paying of interest. Financial assets that comply with the Islamic law can be classified in accordance with their tradability and non-tradability in the secondary markets....

Scroll down to 7.13 found in contents section/Wikipedia

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

How the Rise of Islamic Banking is Changing Turkey
By Justin Vela

Nov 3 2011, 9:08 AM ET

Islamic banks do not charge interest, and share the profit and loss risks of their customers. What that means for their success and for Turkey.

People withdraw Turkish Liras from automatic teller machines in Istanbul / Reuters

Amid Turkey's turn away from strict secularism, Islamic banking practices in the country are gaining currency. But they still face significant obstacles as they strive to enter the financial mainstream.

Turkey at present has four Islamic banks -- three that are partially owned by companies based in the Persian Gulf -- which accounted for 5 percent of Turkey's 1-trillion-lira ($559 billion) banking sector in late 2010, according to data from the Participation Banks' Association of Turkey, a lobbyist group for Islamic banks.

The banks are known as "participation banks," since, in keeping with Islamic tenets, depositors and borrowers share the risk of financial transactions with the banks themselves. Interest is not charged. Clients are mostly pious entrepreneurs from the central region of Anatolia, especially in cities such as Gaziantep, Konya, and Kayseri. The area is home to several companies that have become known as "Anatolian Tigers" for their rapid growth.....

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David

[Exit40]

Can the Arab League and Turkey stop the slaughter in Syria?

By Editorial, Published: November 2

THE UNITED STATES has pretty much exhausted direct economic sanctions, and NATO has preemptively ruled out a Libya-type military intervention. So for now, at least, the besieged people of Syria must look for relief from their neighbors. It is a shaky bet: Iraq has inclined toward the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad, while the rest of the Arab League and Turkey have been slow to condemn its slaughter of civilians and even slower to take action. Now, however, there is a prospect that both Ankara and the Arabs will turn up the pressure on Mr. Assad. That creates a good opportunity for the back-seat leadership the Obama administration is fond of.

The Arab League announced Wednesday that Syria had accepted its proposal for ending the violence, which it said was aimed at preventing foreign intervention. Led by Qatar, the league put forward what appeared to be a robust set of demands — that the regime withdraw tanks and troops from the streets, free political prisoners, accept Arab observers and foreign journalists, and open negotiations with the opposition within two weeks. Were Damascus to fulfill these terms, it would spell the end of the Assad dictatorship — which is why they won’t be met.....

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David

[Seeker]

Erdogan: Turkey not invited to EU summits over Sarkozy-Merkel
Premier Erdogan said Turkey would not do anything that could jeopardize its economic stability when asked if Turkey would think of helping Euro zone countries that were facing economic problems.

Turkish premier says Turkey has awaited change in German chancellor's stance on Turkey's EU membership
Turkey's prime minister said on Thursday that Turkey had waited for a change in German chancellor's stance on Turkey's European Union (EU) membership for a long time.
Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey had expected Angela Merkel to change her stance on its EU membership bid for a long time.
"However, nothing has changed so far," Erdogan told German Bild newspaper in an exclusive interview.
Erdogan said Turkey's negotiations had been frozen by some strong EU members, and the union was not fair to Turkey.
"The EU has admitted memberships of 12 countries, and even the Greek Cypriot administration since I became the prime minister of Turkey. We are no more invited to EU summits, which we used to be invited before Chancellor Merkel and French President (Nicolas) Sarkozy came to power," Erdogan said.".......

http://www.worldbulletin.net/?aType=hab ... leID=81188

[burien1]

An interesting bit from White House reporter Tangi Quéméner's latest pool report from the G-20 in Cannes, France:

Obama Gives Erdogan the 'Hug Treatment'
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/obama-hugs-erdogan_607704.html

Eventually the Europeans got a handshake but Erdogan got the hug treatment.

[Exit40]

Obama talks to Erdogan more than any other leader, except British PM Cameron.

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turkish Central Bank Appoints Islamic Economist, Credit Expert to Board

By Selcuk Gokoluk - Nov 4, 2011 2:16 AM PT

Turkey’s central bank elected credit expert Ahmet Faruk Aysan and Sabri Orman, a specialist in Islamic economics, as members to the bank’s board, in a meeting held yesterday.

Aysan and Orman filled two empty seats on the board, the central bank in Ankara said in an e-mailed statement today. The board is composed of the governor and six members and makes decisions on monetary policy and sets forth regulations, according to the bank’s website.....

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David

[Exit40]

Islam’s real enemy: the Muslim-meter

Thursday, November 3, 2011
BURAK BEKDİL

One cannot help but admire the often ignored quote by prominent Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, which one of his intellectual followers recently reminded me of during a private conversation: “Just like there are endless ways human beings breathe, there are endless ways human beings practice their belief; and all of them must be respected.” I recalled, with sorrow, that line when I recently read a brief review of a book written by a former top Muslim cleric (and one of the founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP).

Tayyar Altıkulaç, former head of the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), former deputy and former member of the AKP’s politburo, has published his memoirs “While Overcoming Hardships” in which he details his religious and political careers since 1971. Mr. Altıkulaç recalls that the late Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey’s first Islamist prime minister, believed “Muslims who did not support his party were not good Muslims, or perhaps not Muslims at all.” Mr. Altıkulaç also recalls that the Diyanet was upset about the Süleymancilar, a Muslim community, because of the way they practiced Islam. “Likewise, they thought our Muslimness was incomplete and faulty,” he wrote.....

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David

[Exit40]

Opposition: Army being mustered in Turkey
Published: Nov. 4, 2011 at 9:36 AM

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The leader of a Syrian insurgent army says forces are organizing in Turkey to confront President Bashar Assad.

The leader of the Syrian Free Army, encamped in eastern Turkey, said the force wants to be the "military wing of the Syrian people's opposition to the regime," The British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

"We are the future army of the new Syria. We are not in league with any particular sect, religion or political party. We believe in protecting all elements of Syrian society," said Col. Riad al-Assad, the army's leader.

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David

[Exit40]

No plan without Turkey in Med, says minister

Friday, November 4, 2011
GÖKHAN KURTARAN - gokhan.kurtaran@hdn.com.tr
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
Tension between Turkey and Israel continues on as Israel and Greek Cyprus develop bonds on gas drilling. A Turkish minister challenged Israel’s Peres, saying Turkey could not be left out of the plans in the region

An offshore oil platform off the coast of Guiana is seen in this file photo. Yıldırım says Turkey is the security insurance for the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caucasus and adds that ‘the approval of Turkey has to be obtained’ for gas drilling. AFP photo

Israel would step over the line by threatening Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a Turkish minister said Nov. 4 while evaluating the Israeli president’s visit to Greek Cyprus on Nov. 3 to discuss natural gas exploration in the maritime region.

“Israel would not dare threaten Turkey,” said Binali Yıldırım, Turkey’s minister of transport, maritime and communications told the Daily News at the Ericsson Academy opening ceremony in Istanbul. “Turkey’s road map on this matter is already certain, “said Yıldırım, adding that there would be no project formed and run in the Eastern Mediterranean “without Turkey’s consent.”.....

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David

[Exit40]

7 November 2011 Last updated at 10:29 ET



The main Syrian opposition group says Homs is a disaster area and is urging international protection for civilians.
The Syrian National Council said government forces had been shelling residential areas for days.
It says civilians are very short of food and medical supplies, and electricity and water have been cut.
Last week the Syrian government agreed to an Arab League deal to pull troops out of residential areas.
However, the BBC's Jonathan Head, in neighbouring Turkey, says this has not happened.
Opposition activists describe conditions in some parts of Homs, Syria's third largest city, as catastrophic.
They say goverment forces have cut electricity and water supplies.
Districts like Baba Amr, not far from the city centre, have been under almost constant bombardment by government forces for nearly a week, killing a total of more than 100 people, activists say.
They accuse government snipers of preventing medics from treating injured protesters.....

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**** Edited to fix link.

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David

[Tevye]

The main Syrian opposition group says Homs is a disaster area and is urging international protection for civilians.
The Syrian National Council said government forces had been shelling residential areas for days.
It says civilians are very short of food and medical supplies, and electricity and water have been cut.
Last week the Syrian government agreed to an Arab League deal to pull troops out of residential areas.
However, the BBC's Jonathan Head, in neighbouring Turkey, says this has not happened.
Opposition activists describe conditions in some parts of Homs, Syria's third largest city, as catastrophic.

Arab League Warns 'Catastrophe' Imminent in Syria
Arab League secretary-general Nabil el-Arabi warns that a "catastrophic" situation is imminent in Syria.
israelnationalnews.com

[Seeker]

Turkey and the New Middle East
05/11/2011 11:35:00
By Hany Besada, Jenny Becker and Evren Tok

"Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Erdoğan, has been fostering his country’s ambitions to become a leading political power in the Arab Muslim world. A visible and vocal tour of successful Arab spring revolutionary countries and crisis-stricken African neighbours has led Arab and Western scholars, as well as policy-makers, to champion the idea of Turkey as a model for aspiring young Arab democracies.

With its booming economy, secular democracy, strong institutions of governance, its professional military, as well as its growing regional influence and power base, Ankara has become an inspiration to those in the region who seek to build modern, secular and pluralistic states."....

http://tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=5&i=7245

[Exit40]

Turkey admires Tunisia's secular facelift
By Jacques N Couvas

ANKARA - Assurances to women by the winners of the Tunisian elections that they will be free not to wear the Muslim veil have come as music to the ears of Turkish secularists. It was another signpost confirming Turkey's growing position and influence among Arab countries.

The adoption on October 29 of the policy by Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is won the first-ever free elections in Tunisia securing 41.47% of the vote, has also cheered up the leadership of the Turkish ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party.

Paradoxical as it may sound, AKP leader and Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan is credited for Ennhada's secularist facelift. AKP has Islamic roots and its opponents have for the past 12 years predicted that its rise to power would transform the country into an Islamist Republic on the model of Iran.

Nothing of the sort has happened so far, although religious conservatism has progressively been pervading the state and parts of society. But the Arab Spring has given an opportunity to Ankara to change its image in the international arena. ....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey Gains Foothold in Gaza through Massive Aid
Turkey is gaining influence in Gaza by increasing aid to Hamas 24-fold in two years. Turkish flags are seen throughout Gaza.
By Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
First Publish: 11/8/2011, 1:03 PM

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is gaining influence in Gaza by increasing aid to Hamas 24-fold in the past two years, following the flotilla clash between Turkish-based IHH terror activists and the Israeli navy.

Relations between Israel and Turkey turned an about-face for the worse after the Operation Cast Lead counterterrorist operation in late December 2008 and early December 2009.

Afterwards, Erdogan increasingly supported Hamas and gave de facto Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh $2 milion a year in assistance, according to Al Jazeera. That sum now has reached $48 million annually, most of it from the Turkish government but some also from the terror-linked IHH group and other organizations that classify themselves as “humanitarian.”...

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David

[Seeker]

The Turkish model may be Egypt’s best hope, but it’s unlikely to replicate there
By TRUDY RUBIN
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 10:59 AM CST

CAIRO — In mid-September, on a high-profile visit here, Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a hero’s welcome at the airport from a Muslim Brotherhood delegation.

No wonder. Erdogan is a pious Muslim whose AKP political party has Islamic roots; his party has scored great success in a country with secular traditions and a secular constitution. The Turkish experience is often cited as a model for Egypt, where Islamist parties are expected to win a big plurality in coming elections.

Yet, when Erdogan told an Egyptian TV channel that religion could coexist with a secular state, the Muslim Brotherhood’s reception turned hostile. When he said, “I hope there will be a secular state in Egypt,” a Brotherhood spokesman accused Erdogan of interfering in Egypt’s internal business.

That raises the question that is causing acute tensions in Cairo: If the Muslim Brothers - and their offshoot, the Freedom and Justice Party - don’t want the Turkish model, what do they want? An Islamic state (even though they deny this)?

Why did Erdogan’s advocacy of the Turkish model make them so mad?"........

http://bgdailynews.com/articles/2011/11 ... mment1.txt

[Exit40]

One-Third of Turkish Academy Resigns in Protest of Government Takeover
by Sara Reardon on 8 November 2011, 2:23 PM

Members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) are making good on their threat to resign in protest of what they see as government intrusion on the autonomy of the organization. Despite a small change in the government's plans, announced on Friday, at least 54 members—more than one-third of the total—have now said they will cancel their membership.

The government's initial plan, announced 27 August, would have expanded TÜBA's membership from its current 140 members to 300: 100 appointed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdoğan, 100 appointed by the government-run Council of Higher Education, and the rest elected by sitting members. That announcement garnered letters of opposition from various European academies, the Third World Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (which publishesScienceInsider), and the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies. The government's exact motives are unclear, but most scientists see it as one more power grab, following replacement of many judicial and military officials with political appointees in the past year.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey: Quake kills at least 8, hotel toppled 7:16 a.m. Thursday, November 10, 2011

By MEHMET GUZEL

The Associated Press

VAN, Turkey — Rescue workers with pickaxes and earth-movers searched on Thursday for survivors of an earthquake that leveled a downtown hotel in the same Turkish province that was hit by a deadly temblor last month. At least eight people, including a Japanese aid worker, were killed in the new quake.

Some 26 people were rescued in overnight digging in the provincial capital of Van in eastern Turkey. Some of those trapped in the rubble were foreign aid workers and Turkish journalists working in the aftermath of the powerful quake on Oct. 23 that killed about 600 people.

The Bayram Hotel survived that magnitude-7.2 quake with some cracks and a damaged elevator. But it toppled in Wednesday's magnitude-5.7 quake, trapping an undetermined number of people under tons of concrete and twisted metal in a grim replay of the earlier destruction.....

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David

[Exit40]

Sarkozy, Obama G-20 hotel cost 10 times more than Erdoğan’s
10 November 2011, Thursday / TODAY’S ZAMAN , İSTANBUL

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Photo: AA)
The accommodation expenses per night of French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama at the G-20 summit held Nov. 3-4 were approximately 30,000 pounds sterling, which is more than 10 times the expense for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, which was around 2,500 pounds.

The leaders who paid the lowest hotel charges were British Prime Minister David Cameron and Erdoğan. Cameron paid 1,680 pounds for a standard suite at the Marriott Hotel. Turkish PM Erdoğan chose to stay at the Hotel Martinez, which was outside the security zone recommended for the leaders.

As the expense of hosting the G-20 summit held in the French Riviera resort of Cannes was revealed to be around 1 billion pounds for France, many taxpayers criticized Sarkozy for staying at a luxury hotel costing 32,000 pounds per night in the face of the European financial crises, according to The Sun.....

**** Snip...

Thus, the question arises as to how these leaders can enjoy luxurious hospitality while their citizens are facing financial difficulties caused by the effects of the eurozone turmoil....

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David

[Exit40]

US deployed Predator drones at Turkey’s İncirlik base, says report
11 November 2011, Friday / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

The US has deployed four Predator drones to an air base in southern Turkey, a news report said on Friday.

The report, published in the Taraf daily, said a total of four drones arrived at İncirlik Air Base on Oct. 16 and Oct. 23, several days before PM Tayyip Erdoğan discussed a Turkish request to purchase drones to be used in the fight against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a G-20 summit in Paris.

But the deployment of the US drones on Turkish territory is separate from the Turkish request to purchase drones from the US. In September, the Washington Post reported that Turkey sought the deployment of a fleet of US drones on its territory as a measure to be used against the PKK following US withdrawal from Iraq. Later in September, Erdoğan said the US has agreed in principle to the Turkish request to deploy its drones on Turkish soil. In addition to hosting US drones in its soil, Turkey also seeks to buy its own armed drones from the United States, seeking to purchase MQ-9 Reapers, a larger and more modern version of the Predator....

[urlhttp://www.todayszaman.com/news-262345-us-deployed-predator-drones-at-turkeys-incirlik-base-says-report.html]Continues[/url]

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey and China: strategic partners
With the eurozone growth and sovereign debt crises taking their toll on the member states of the EU -- Turkey’s largest trading partner -- the rise of Asia with booming economies, a growing consumer market and a vibrant labor force offers a good prospect for Turkish companies eager to expand their market share.

China stands out as the most important partner for Turkey in Asia as it has the largest economy on the continent with huge cash reserves for investment and cutting-edge manufacturing technology to share. Even before the crises in Europe, both countries’ leadership made a calculated decision to boost their ties, and they already upgraded their relations to a “strategic partnership,” a term that was coined during unprecedented high-level government exchanges in recent years.

There are many reasons to justify increasingly closer cooperation between Turkey and China. For one, China sees Turkey as the most important regional player in the Mediterranean rim as well as in the Middle East and wants to capitalize on the rising clout of Turkey in countries located in Turkey’s immediate neighborhood. Even in African and Central Asian markets where Turkish companies usually compete with Chinese for example in the textile and construction industries, we see a change of wind in the direction of cooperation rather than rivalry.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish FM warns against military attack on Iran
By JPOST.COM STAFF AND REUTERS
11/12/2011 17:22

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday warned against a military strike on Iran and said that speculation over a possible attack risked destabilizing the region, AFP reported.

Davutoglu was referring to reports published in the media in relation to a possible Israeli strike on Iran. His comments also came after an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report concluded the Islamic Republic was working to develop a nuclear-weapon design.

Referring to Israel, the Turkish foreign minister said: “It is unacceptable that countries suspected of having nuclear weapons cause new tensions in our region," the report stated.

“We do not think it is right even to talk of possible military intervention in the region,” Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying in Ankara, according to AFP.

On Friday, the UN nuclear watchdog showed letters and satellite images on Friday as part of evidence pointing to military dimensions to Iran's atomic activities, diplomats said, but Tehran's envoy dismissed it as "lousy" intelligence work....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey to evacuate diplomatic families in Syria: TV

ISTANBUL | Sun Nov 13, 2011 8:08am EST

(Reuters) - Turkey will evacuate the families of its diplomats in Syria after protesters attacked its missions there in the wake of the Arab League's decision to suspend Damascus, broadcaster CNN Turk reported on Sunday.

A crowd of about 1,000 attacked the Turkish embassy in Damascus on Saturday evening, as news spread that the Arab League had taken action against Syria for failing to halt its armed crackdown on eight months of pro-democracy demonstrations.

The attackers threw stones and bottles before Syrian police intervened to break up the protest, Turkey's state-run Anatolian news agency said.

Attacks were also staged against Turkey's consulate in Aleppo and its honorary consulate in Latakia, it reported Turkish embassy officials in Damascus as saying.....

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David

[Exit40]

Is Turkey a lost case for EU?
by Birol Akgün*
13 November 2011, Sunday / ,

Turkey’s self - confident foreign policy, with a new style and content in recent years, has generated a new debate in Europe as to whether Turkey’s foreign policy orientation is shifting in focus from the West to the East and South.

Although it has been on the agenda of Western media outlets since the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) coming to power in 2002, nowadays Turkey’s international role seems to be taken more seriously than ever before in European capitals as Europe struggles to recover from its own crises. Western media, scholars, academia and policy makers now give more thought to Turkey for sorting out its new foreign policy priorities. There are many reasons for Europe’s growing concern about and interest in Turkey.....

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David

[Exit40]

Published 00:28 13.11.11
Latest update 00:28 13.11.11

Arab League may pave way for military action in Syria
A military move against Syria could also imply intent to attack Iran, just when the Western states want to dispel the fears that the Iranians, Russians and Chinese have of such an attack.
By Zvi Bar'el

The Arab League's decision to suspend Syria's membership, impose economic sanctions and discuss transition-period arrangements with the opposition, could pave the way to a military offensive on Syria, similar to the one on Libya.

However, it's doubtful whether Western states - who have so far used the lack of Arab support for intervention to justify their inaction - will take advantage of this. That's because, unlike the attack on Libya, an offensive against Syria could have dramatic regional repercussions.

Iran could decide to open its own front and Hezbollah - as leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah threatened last week - could launch an attack on Israel. A military move against Syria could also imply intent to attack Iran, just when the Western states want to dispel the fears that the Iranians, Russians and Chinese have of such an attack.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey calls for united response to stop Syria bloodshed

By Safak Timur (AFP) – 4 hours ago

ISTANBUL — Turkey on Sunday called on the international community for a united response to stop the bloodshed in Syria and summoned the Syrian envoy to condemn attacks on its diplomatic missions by pro-regime protesters.

"The attitude of the Syrian government ... demonstrates the need for the international community to respond with a united voice to the serious developments in Syria," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Turkey summoned the Syrian charge d'affaires, the country's envoy to Ankara, and submitted a diplomatic note, as it condemned the attacks on its diplomatic mission.....

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David

[Exit40]

Is Turkey building a new Ottoman Empire?
Published On Sun Nov 13 2011

By Mitch Potter Washington Bureau

ISTANBUL—It’s a broken world out there and today, more than ever, Turkey is offering itself as the glue to make everything right again.

Need a new boss in the buckling Middle East? Been-there, done-that, for 500 years. See Ottoman Empire.

Need a modernist model to whip the revolutions of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya toward just the right blend of democracy, Islam and prosperity? Hey, that’s us.

Need someone to deliver tough love to Syria, Iran and Israel, all at the same time? We can do that, too. We’ve got the second-largest army in NATO, after the U.S. We play nice. We can even talk to Pakistan. And when we talk, they listen. Need a bridge between east and west that brings both halves together in harmony? Apply here. Good terms available.....

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david

[Exit40]

Turkey to take "resolute stance" against Syria

By Tulay Karadeniz

ANKARA | Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:06pm IST

(Reuters) - Rising Middle East power Turkey said on Monday it would galvanise a global campaign to halt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's repression of his people, adding that Damascus could no longer be trusted after attacks on diplomatic missions in Syria.

"Turkey's policy on this issue is open and clear. We will stand by the people's just demands and we will mobilise the necessary regional and international platforms to counter this Syrian pressure," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the Turkish parliament.

Davutoglu is due to meet Arab foreign ministers in Rabat on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a Arab-Turkish forum.....

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David

[Exit40]

The Mideast - WORLD
Turkey Slams Assad Over Crackdown on Opposition

Published November 15, 2011

ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkey no longer has confidence in the Syrian regime, its prime minister said Tuesday, warning Syrian President Bashar Assad that his brutal crackdown on opponents threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood." Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan also urged Assad to punish those responsible for attacks on Turkish diplomatic missions in Syria.

Addressing Assad disrespectfully by his first name, Erdogan said: "Bashar, you who have thousands of people in jail, must find the culprits and punish them." Assad's supporters tried to break into Turkish missions on Saturday to denounce an Arab League decision to suspend Syria's membership over its crackdown on the eight-month uprising.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish PM vows "response" to Syria after flag-burning
Erdogan's comments came at a group meeting of his political party at the Turkish Parliament in response to groups of Syrians who burned the Turkish flag in Latakia last Saturday.

Chairman of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that all hostile hands towards the Turkish flag in history had received the "appropriate response".

Erdogan's comments came at a group meeting of his political party at the Turkish Parliament in response to groups of Syrians who burned the Turkish flag in Latakia last Saturday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Waled al-Moallem, speaking at a news conference on Monday, apologized for the attacks on foreign diplomatic missions.....

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I want to make it clear to the Assad administration that all hostile hands towards the Turkish flag in history have received the appropriate response. I am confident that the star and the crescent of the Turkish flag is as holy as it is to Turks as it is to the brotherly people of Syria. Syrian opposition members have been seen carrying the Turkish flag in their hands as brothers and sisters of Turkey.....

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[Exit40]

Hands off Syria, Arabs tell Turks

By: Samuel Segev Posted: 11/15/2011 1:00 AM

TEL AVIV -- The Arab League decision to suspend Syria's membership is one of the most important decisions since the beginning of the Arab Spring over a year ago.

On the face of it, the Arab League decision affects Syria's domestic policies only. In reality, if the suspension grows into an expulsion, it could have regional ramifications as well. Arab foreign ministers are due to meet in Rabat Wednesday to discuss whether Syria's suspension becomes permanent.

Nabil el-Arabi, a former Egyptian foreign minister and the Arab League's secretary general, made it clear that Syria's suspension will remain in force until President Bashar Assad abides by all the provisions of the Arab plan. That plan, which Assad accepted on Nov. 2, called on Syria to withdraw its army units from all the cities, to release all prisoners and to allow foreign correspondents free coverage of all Syrian events and free access to opposition groups. Assad did not honour any of these conditions.

However, beyond these inter-Arab moves, it is also time to discuss the regional ramifications of the Syrian Spring.....

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[Tevye]

In a move that received little public attention,
Qatar's foreign minister flew two weeks ago to Ankara, to convey the Arab message.

The Arab world wants an Arab solution to the Syrian crisis.

Turkey doesn't like to be dictated to.

Immediately after the Qatari foreign minister's departure,
Davotuglu convened the Turkey-based Syrian opposition
and promised assistance for toppling Bashar Assad.

Turkey is determined to try to be part of the Syrian solution.
After all, Syria was the cornerstone of Turkey's new Arab policy.
A failure in Syria means a collapse of the entire policy,
for which Turkey was even ready to sacrifice its long and fruitful relationship with Israel.

Very intriguing, indeed.

[Exit40]

Turkey cancels oil search plans in Syria, threatens to cut electricity
15 November 2011, Tuesday

Turkey may consider terminating the sale of electricity to neighboring Syria if tensions continue to escalate over a Syrian crackdown on anti-regime protests, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız said on Tuesday.

Yıldız also announced that Turkey had shelved plans for Turkey's petroleum company, TPAO, to jointly explore oil with Syria's state oil company in six wells within Syria.

“We are currently supplying electricity to Syria. If this trend continues, however, we may have to revise all these decisions,” Yıldız said....

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[Exit40]

Turkey has a key role in Syria – now and in the future

Simon Tisdall guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 November 2011 11.00 EST

The Arab League's suspension of Syria has outraged Assad, but it is Ankara's hardline stance that may yet prove decisive

The Arab League's unexpectedly tough action in suspending Syria, ostracising President Bashar al-Assad, and inviting opposition leaders to talks in Cairo has outraged the regime in Damascus, which suspects a US-led conspiracy to impose forcible regime change. But the increased hostility exhibited by Turkey, Syria's most powerful and best-connected neighbour, may yet prove decisive as Ankara assumes a crisis leadership role.

Until the uprising tore apart old certainties, the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, had invested considerable capital in improved ties with Syria, with which Turkey almost went to war in the 1990s. A turning point came with the 2004 free trade agreement. This interdependence now gives Turkey significant economic leverage. Ankara has already imposed unilateral sanctions and is considering additional measures including a cut in electricity supplies.....

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[Exit40]

Gülen’s views, concern for Kurdish problem nothing new, report shows
16 November 2011, Wednesday / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL

Fethullah Gülen
Contrary to claims that renowned Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has only just begun to put forward some proposals for the solution of Turkey’s long-standing Kurdish question, a collection of works published in this week’s Aksiyon magazine demonstrates that Gülen has been voicing his views and proposals on the subject since the early 1990s.

In a speech broadcast on the herkul.org website in late October, Gülen expressed his grief over the deaths of dozens of security members in terrorist attacks in the country’s Southeast while expressing his views about what measures should be taken for the peaceful resolution of the Kurdish and terrorism problem.....

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[Exit40]

Turkey's FM: Syria leaders to face isolation for bloodshed
Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Syria was obliged to face alienation in the region as it had not accepted Arab League's proposals.

Syria's leadership has failed to honour commitments it made to end violence against anti-government protesters and will face isolation in the Arab world as a consequence, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended the 4th meeting of foreign ministers' of Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum which has begun in Rabat, Morocco.

"The cost for the Syrian administration of not fulfilling the promises it made to the Arab League is its isolation in the Arab World," Davutoglu said at a meeting with Arab foreign ministers in the Moroccan capital.....

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[Exit40]

November 16, 2011 5:35 pm
Turkey hopes for Shell exploration deal

By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul and Michael Kavanagh in London

Turkey said it hopes to conclude an exploration deal with Royal Dutch Shell in the coming days, a move that would intensify the scramble for energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean.

“Next week we will sign [deals] for exploring oil and natural gas both on the ground and under the sea with Shell,” said Taner Yildiz, Ankara’s energy minister, in response to reports that an agreement had been reached to drill in the Mediterranean off the coastal city of Antalya. Shell declined to confirm that agreement had been reached. “We review our growth portfolio on a regular basis,” said the company. “We are continuously looking at opportunities worldwide.”

But a Turkish energy official told the FT the deal had been reached with TPAO, the country’s state-owned oil and gas company. “We plan to have the signing ceremony next week in Ankara,” the official said. “First they will do the seismic search and, according to the results, will start exploration”.....

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[Exit40]

The Syria Game of Thrones: Turkey vs. Iran vs. the Saudis in Battle to Shape a Rebellion's Outcome
Posted by Tony Karon Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 11:49 pm

The Arab League called Wednesday for "urgent measures" to protect Syrian civilians in the face of violent repression by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. But lest anyone take that as an echo of the call that legitimized the NATO-led military operation in Libya, the League's statement also rejected "all foreign intervention" in Syria. Still, signs are growing that Syria's escalating power struggle is more likely to be be settled by outside forces than by the Syrians themselves.

Through more than nine months of escalating repression that has killed as many as 3,500 people, the regime has not been able to suppress the uprising. Weekly protests continue; the scale of regime assaults on the city of Homs suggests it remains an opposition stronghold; and a dramatic series of overnight attacks Wednesday by soldiers who've crossed over to the insurgent Free Syrian Army -- including a brazen guerrilla assault on a Syrian intelligence base on the edge of Damascus -- suggested that civil war is already a reality....

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[Exit40]

Turkish PM urges world to 'hear screams' of Syria
Associated Press
2011-11-17 07:46 PM

The world must urgently "hear screams" from Syria and do something to stop the bloodshed, Turkey's prime minister said Thursday.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said measures must be taken for the safety of energy supplies as well as global peace. Erdogan, speaking at an international energy conference in Istanbul, did not specify any possible actions.

However, he called on the international community to be sensitive to the plight of Syrian people as much as they were to the uprising in oil-rich Libya, saying "the lack of reaction to massacres in Syria was causing irreparable wounds in the conscience of humanity."

"No doubt, the problems both in Syria and in the Middle East in general are global problems," Erdogan said. "Therefore, we have to see the tragedy in the area, hear the screams and urgently take measures to stop the bloodshed for the safety of energy supplies as much as global peace and calm."....

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[Exit40]

Official: Syria agrees 'in principle' to observers
ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY, Associated Press
Updated 04:45 a.m., Friday, November 18, 2011

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria has agreed "in principle" to allow an observer mission into the country, a senior official in Damascus said Friday, as fresh anti-government protests erupted and France called for the U.N. Security Council to act against President Bashar Assad.

The Arab League formally suspended Damascus this week over its crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising, which the U.N. estimates has killed more than 3,500 people. The group wants to send hundreds of observers to the country to try to help end the bloodshed.

"Syria has agreed in principle to the Arab League proposal (for observers) and we are still studying the details," the senior Syrian official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is so sensitive......

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[Exit40]

French FM calls for U.N. action on Syria
Updated 2h 39m ago

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe on Friday called on the U.N. Security Council to act against Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, saying the time has come to strengthen sanctions against Syria over its brutal crackdown on civilians.

French Foreign Affairs Minister says France wants to work with the Arab League and Turkey as well as the Syrian opposition.

"We must continue to exert pressure, the U.N. must act, it is not normal for the U.N. Security Council not to act," Juppe told a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara. "We have called on Assad to change but the regime did not want to know, which is not acceptable. We are ready to strengthen the sanctions."

Juppe said France wants to work with the Arab League and Turkey as well as the Syrian opposition....

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[Exit40]

Turkey: Gas Transit Deal with Azerbaijan Shakes Up Regional Energy Politics
November 17, 2011 - 5:13pm, by Yigal Schleifer

That high drama production known as Turkey-Azerbaijan relations has delivered a new plot twist, with the recent signing of a deal that allows for the transit of Azeri gas across Turkish soil and into Europe, making it the first tangible step towards creating a southern corridor for the delivery to Europe of non-Russian gas.

Ankara and Baku like to boast of their "brotherly relations" but their ties have frequently been strained over the last few years. As we learned from Wikileaks, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev has less then brotherly feelings towards Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. And when Turkey signed a 2009 deal with Armenia to restore relations, Azerbaijan quickly reacted by taking down Turkish flags in Baku and hinting that other actions could be in store if the deal goes through (which it didn't).

The tension between the two countries was only exacerbated by the tough negotiations that they were conducting over the terms of the transit of Azeri gas over Turkish soil. So it came as something of a surprise that Ankara and Baku, with little fanfare, inked a deal on October 25 that provides for Azeri gas to transit into Europe through Turkey. From RFE/RL's report on the deal: ....

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[Exit40]

17 US energy firms, Russia's Gazprom mull investing in Turkey
16 November 2011, Wednesday / ERCAN BAYSAL / ERDUAN JAMES REID, ANKARA / İSTANBUL

The rapidly growing Turkish economy has started to garner more attention from international investors, indicated by the fact that 17 American firms and Russia's largest company, Gazprom, are now considering investing in Turkey's energy market.

Companies from the US are mostly interested in renewable energy business in Turkey, while Gazprom, the world’s largest national gas extractor, is seriously looking for an opportunity in the country’s electricity market. Turkey is heavily dependent on foreign energy and its energy bill is expected to top $50 billion this year

The companies from the US are mostly interested in the renewable energy business in Turkey, while Gazprom, the world's largest national gas extractor, is seriously looking for an opportunity in the country's electricity market.

Speaking to a group of reporters in Ankara on Wednesday, Michael Lally, commercial counselor at the US Embassy, said American companies such as Abound Solar, AES Corporation, Clipper Windpower, General Electric, Megtec Systems and SolarReserve are among those that will make a business trip to Turkey starting Dec. 5. It will be the first time for 11 of those companies to seek business opportunities in Turkey, Lally said, adding that cooperation with Turkish companies in third countries, particularly in Russia, the Caucasus and Africa, will also be on the table during discussions to be held during their stay in Turkey.

Representatives from the Export-Import Bank of the United States and a number of other financial organizations will also be taking part in the meetings to be held in İstanbul, Ankara and İzmir as part of the planned visit, Lally also said....

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[Exit40]

November 18, 2011 Turkey Follows Russia, Warns of Syrian Civil War

There are new warnings that the situation in Syria could descend into civil war.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the French news agency Friday that fighting between Syrian army defectors and the government runs "a risk of transforming into civil war." He also said the elevated tensions make now the "right time" to stop the massacre.

Davutoglu's warning comes just one day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters an attack by the Free Syrian Army on a Syrian military base this week was "very much like a civil war."

Lavrov urged all sides to resolve their differences peacefully, a call echoed by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe.

Juppe, in Ankara Friday for meetings with Turkish officials, also warned the Syrian government it can no longer stay in power. Juppe told the French news agency "it is now too late" for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.....

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[Exit40]

November 19, 2011
Turkey, France Find Common Ground on Syria

Dorian Jones | Istanbul

Despite strained diplomacy between France and Turkey, the two nations have found mostly common ground in supporting Syrian opposition.

A French objection to Ankara's bid to join the European Union has severely strained ties between the powers, which have been exacerbated by recent policy differences over Libya.

After meeting with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Ankara on Friday, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said both countries agree Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government crackdown is unsustainable and that the time has come for France and Turkey to align Syrian policies.....

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[Exit40]

Turkey's FM widens term "diaspora"
Turkey's FM Davutoglu said Saturday that their goal was democracy at EU standards and production at Chinese standards.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Saturday that their goal was democracy at EU standards and production at Chinese standards.

Speaking at the Session of Ministers as part of the "World Turkish Entrepreneurs Congress" in Istanbul, Davutoglu said that, while producing at Chinese standards, Turkey will reach EU standards in human rights, democracy and rights of unions.

Davutoglu said that they were changing the meaning of 'diaspora'.

"Diaspora is no longer just our citizens. We consider all societies with which we lived for centuries as part of our diaspora," Davutoglu also said....

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