Turkey : Part Tres :)

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11:43 | 2012-04-11
Envoy Denies Reports on Obama's Message to Iran via Turkish PM

TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkey's Ambassador to Iran Umit Yardim strongly rejected the recent media reports alleging that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had conveyed a message from US President Barack Obama to Iran.

Elaborating on the recent visit of Erdogan to Iran, Yardim said the visit resulted in bringing the views of the two countries in various fields even closer together.

Asked to comment on claims that Erdogan carried a nuclear message from Obama to Iran, the Turkish diplomat denied the news released by the Washington Post.

As regards the two neighboring countries ties, Yardim told the Islamic republic news agency that Tehran-Ankara relations are crucial for both the world and the region, noting that the two countries play major roles in the region.

He further underscored that Turkey expects positive results of the upcoming negotiations between Tehran and the 5+1 in Istanbul.....

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Iraq's fugitive VP to meet Turkish PM Erdoğan
11 April 2012, 08:48 (GMT+05:00)
Iraq's fugitive vice president was in Turkey on Tuesday, his third stop in what he says is an official visit to regional countries that risks complicating Baghdad's relations with its neighbors and he is expected to have talks with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Today`s Zaman reported.

A statement issued late Monday by the office of Tariq al-Hashemi, the top Sunni official in Iraq's Shiite-dominated government, said he arrived in İstanbul and plans to meet Erdoğan to discuss developments in the region.

It isn't clear how long al-Hashemi intends to stay in İstanbul. Erdogan is currently on an official visit to China.

Al-Hashemi is wanted in Iraq on terror charges for allegedly running death squads against Shiite pilgrims, government officials and security forces. Iraq's Shiite-dominated government issued a warrant for his arrest in December, touching off a political crisis in Baghdad and deepening the country's sectarian divide just days after the US military withdrawal....

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With Syria peace plan in disarray, what next?
The failure of President Bashar Assad to abide by the U.N.-backed plan will force the international community to reconsider more aggressive options.
By Carol J. Williams, Los Angeles Times April 11, 2012, 5:01 a.m.

To the surprise of hardly anyone, the peace plan for Syria brokered by U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan is collapsing in a hail of bullets and artillery. The question is whether anyone has the stomach for tougher action. Despite low expectations that Annan's plan for averting all-out civil war would have much influence with Syrian President Bashar Assad, it was the only one on offer — a necessary first step, according to veteran diplomats and security experts.

Its failure will force the international community to reconsider more aggressive options, such as imposing a no-fly zone or authorizing pinpoint airstrikes on Syrian artillery to end the year-old conflict, which has left an estimated 9,000 people dead. Washington and the United Nations have previously rejected such actions.....

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Turkey’s foreign policy Growing less mild
Turkey’s aggressive posture towards Syria signals a shift in foreign policy with imperial overtones
Apr 14th 2012 | ANKARA | from the print edition

IN THE early hours of April 9th a group of Syrian civilians fled to the Turkish border as clashes between insurgents from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Syrian government forces raged. Two Syrians died and several others, including two Turks, were wounded when Syrian troops fired on the civilians’ destination, a refugee camp located in the Turkish province of Kilis.

The incident has unleashed much speculation that Turkey will at last act on its many veiled threats to move against Syria. For several months the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan (pictured above), has been muttering about taking unspecified measures against Bashar Assad, Syria’s president, once a friend and ally. Since last summer Turkey has hosted FSA leaders on its soil amid claims that it is (modestly) arming the rebels. Officials deny this but acknowledge that regime change in Syria is a priority. Only America’s reluctance to become entangled in a fresh conflict stands in the way of some form of direct Turkish intervention. For how long?

Until recently the question would have been unthinkable. Turkey’s foreign policy has long been guided by Ataturk’s dictum “peace at home, peace in the world.” Only last year Mr Erdogan was railing against “imperialist designs” in Libya. NATO (of which Turkey has been a member since 1952) had “no business there” he said, before belatedly joining its operations. Even then Turkish forces stayed out of combat.....

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All Eyes on Ankara: Can Turkey Lead in Syria? Posted: 04/12/2012 12:34 pm

The Turkey of today has far more tools at its disposal than ever before to advance its agenda as a leading regional power. Having sought the role of regional mediator over the last decade, Turkey's litmus test of leadership comes in Syria, beginning with how Ankara deals with a Bashar al Assad regime that still enjoys support from Beijing, Moscow, and, most critically, Tehran. Having just hosted and wrapped up the "Friends of Syria" group's second conference in Istanbul with a list of recommendations and declarations, but with few concrete decisions, all eyes are now on Turkey.

Today, Turkey is the first among equals of Syria's neighbors and is in the best position to coalesce international support for or against Damascus. Having called for regional solutions for regional problems, Ankara has been rhetorically leading the way against Damascus since Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly called for Assad's removal in November. And there can be little doubt that the United States, Europe, and the Arab Gulf states are eager to see Turkey leading efforts against Syria. For its part, Turkey has acted with extreme caution -- some would say uncertainly -- perhaps because the complexity of the crisis has caused Turkey's normally confident leaders to doubt their own vision and capacity. Syria is likely to be their foreign policy crucible.

Given the implications for Turkey's own security interests along its 900-kilometer border, and the fear of the civil war spiraling into a broader regional conflict, Ankara has been cautiously monitoring the situation and been out in front of the humanitarian relief efforts without committing itself to any future course of action. Only last month did Turkey close its embassy in Syria and order the withdrawal of all diplomatic staff. The same week as the second meeting of "Friends of Syria" group, Turkish Airlines announced the cancellation of flights to Damascus and Aleppo starting from April 1....

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Sberbank taking another look at Turkey's Denizbank
MOSCOW, April 12 | Thu Apr 12, 2012 4:02am EDT

(Reuters) - Russia's top lender Sberbank is taking another look at Denizbank, put up for sale by Dexia, as part of its plans to enter the fast-growing Turkish market, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.

Last year, Sberbank dropped out of the race for Denizbank, now worth $6 billion, as it focused on integrating its acquisitions of Russian brokerage Troika Dialog and the eastern European arm of Oesterreichische Volksbanken.

"We are interested in entering the (Turkish) market and are also looking at Denizbank. But we are not in talks at the moment," the spokeswoman said.....

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RedHack takes down Fethullah Gülen website

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
RedHack posted its emblem on the website.

The website fethullahgulen.info, a page dedicated to Turkish religious leader Fethullah Gülen, has been taken down by the RedHack organization.

Members of the socialist RedHack group replaced the original contents of the website with their own emblem – a red hammer and sickle with a hand holding a computer keyboard – and a message that read "Down with the imam and his minions. Long live the revolution.”...

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13 April 2012, Friday ABDULLAH BOZKUR a.bozkurt@todayszaman.com
Turkey monitors Syria's chemical weapons

More than anything else that keeps security analysts working on the Syrian desks in the Turkish capital around the clock with little sleep and many cups of black Turkish coffee is the “unknown” prospect of a chemical weapons stockpile by the Syrian army and whether or not these weapons can be used by Assad's forces or its militia proxies against Turkish interests when the regime is pushed to the limit.

Syria is the only one of Turkey's neighbors that has not signed the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention, a treaty banning chemical weapons production, possession, distribution and use. Hence, we do not know how comprehensive a chemical arms program Damascus has been running so far, nor do we know the specific nature or capacity of its stockpile and the exact whereabouts of these weapons.

There are only estimates from the Turkish, Arab and Western intelligence agencies that have been tracking Syrian efforts since the early 1980s. It is their assessment that Syria has a stockpile of approximately 1,000 tons of chemical weapons including mustard gas and nerve agents such as sarin and VX. Assad has stored these weapons in some 50 different cites, mostly located in the northern part of the country that is closer to the Turkish border. For example, there are weapons depots in Hama, Homs, Latakia, al-Safirah, Dumayr and Khan Abu Shamatwere, which are all believed to contain chemical weapons.....

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RPT-FEATURE-In "dream city" for Syria refugees, hope of return dims
Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:08am EDT

* Turkish officials build refugee "city" for 12,000. * Syrian refugees say no plans to leave despite truce. * Camp cost $50 mln to build, will cost $2 mln a month.
By Erika Solomon

KILIS, Turkey, April 13 (Reuters) - Life is starting to look more permanent for the Syrian refugees in Kilis. There are no tents in the Turkish camp. Instead, thousands of white cubicles sit in endless rows. With every grey brick laid along the paths that criss-cross the sea of container houses, Terkia Zarzoureh f eels she is further from returning to her home across the border.

"We left our home in Jisr al-Shughur almost 11 months ago, and I think it will still be a long time before we ever go back again," says the 27-year-old mother-of-six, whose family fled some of the first scenes of bloodshed from President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on the year-long revolt against his rule....

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UN Approves Syria Cease-Fire Monitors
By AP / EDITH M. LEDERER Saturday, Apr. 14, 2012

(UNITED NATIONS) — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Saturday to deploy the first wave of U.N. military observers to monitor a fragile cease-fire between the Syrian government and opposition fighters. The vote marked the first time U.N. diplomats on the council all agreed on a resolution since the conflict began more than a year ago.

It calls on both sides to immediately "cease all armed violence in all its forms." It also calls on the Syrian government to implement the six-point peace plan put forward by international envoy Kofi Annan, including the pull-back of troops and heavy weapons from cities and town.

PHOTOS: The Victims of Assad: Photographs by Peter Hapak

The resolution calls for the deployment of an advance team of up to 30 unarmed military observers to initiate contacts with both sides and begin to report on whether there has been "a full cessation of armed violence in all its forms by all parties."....

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New round of Iran meetings set for May
Steven Erlanger, Istanbu April 16, 2012

IRAN and six world powers have agreed to hold a new round of talks in Baghdad on May 23, Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said after the first meeting in nearly 15 months on Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Speaking for the six nations, Baroness Ashton called the daylong meeting ''constructive and useful'' and said ''we want now to move to a sustained process of dialogue''. She gave no specifics on any proposals made during the sessions, but said the six nations were satisfied that Iran was serious about negotiations that ''will lead to concrete steps towards a comprehensive negotiated solution, which restores international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program''.

Testing Iran's willingness to negotiate seriously on its nuclear program was the purpose of this meeting, European and US officials said. That was a low bar to hurdle and represented no real breakthrough, and there were no negotiations here on specific steps or proposals.....

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“Ritual washings” and Muslim prayers paid for by taxpayers
Posted by Craig Masters • April 14, 2012

On the last Sunday in January, Catholic priests around the country told their congregations the "news" about the latest assault on Christianity in America. In Pittsburgh, Bishop David Zubik wrote that President Obama had told Catholics, "To Hell with your religious beliefs." Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria asked his flock to join him in the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel, which concludes: By the Divine Power of God / cast into Hell, Satan and all the evil spirits / who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

What these missives were telling the laity was that President Obama and his administration had launched an assault on the church. They were referring to the provision in Obamacare that requires religious institutions such as Catholic schools and hospitals to pay for health insurance that covers abortions selected for use as birth.

Days after the directive that Christian institutions would be forced to violate their beliefs and support the Obama abortion plans, details surfaced in several news sources of millions and millions of federal tax dollars subsidizing radical Islamic religious teachings of a Turkish Islamist, Fethullah Gülen, in more than a hundred public charter schools in 26 states......

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Turkey Cries Wolf James Joyner
April 16, 2012

After an incident last week in which two Syrians were killed by Assad-regime forces while attempting to flee to safety in Turkey, Turkish prime minister Erdogan declared that "NATO has a responsibility to protect Turkish borders."

It is true that Article 5 of the Washington Treaty that formed NATO states: "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them." But it's absurd to argue that Syrian forces shooting at Syrian nationals incidentally crossing the Turkish border constitutes an "armed attack" against Turkey. Quite obviously, neither the Syrian government nor its armed forces intended to initiate hostilities with Turkey, and it would be a gross overreaction if Turkey were to use force against Syria in retaliation—much less ask the other twenty-seven allies to treat this as a matter of collective security.

Indeed, the goals of Article 5 have already been met in this case with no response whatsoever. The article goes on to state that:

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UN cease-fire monitors arrive in Syria, as heavy clashes erupt on border with Turkey
By The Associated Press, DPA and Avi Issacharoff Published 09:40 16.04.12 Latest update 09:40 16.04.12

An advance team of six UN observers arrived in Damascus on Monday to monitor Syria's 4-day-old cease-fire, according to a spokesman for international envoy Kofi Annan, as heavy clashes reportedly broke out on the Syria-Turkey border between the Syrian army and opposition forces. Twelve people were reportedly killed in the fighting in the country on Monday.

Spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said the remaining 25 observers are expected to arrive days from now. He said in a statement on Monday that the mission "will start with setting up operating headquarters, and reaching out to the Syrian government and the opposition forces so that both sides fully understand the role of the UN observers."

Syria's state news agency SANA said the country hoped that the team would witness the "crimes" being carried out by "armed terrorist groups." The six-person team had a meeting scheduled at the Syrian Foreign Ministry early Monday, and "want to begin their mission in Homs, as it is still an area witnessing daily breaches of the ceasefire," a Syrian official told DPA. .....

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Malaysia seminar on educational development underscores need for Gülen movement

17 April 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
A seminar in Malaysia on religion-inspired private foundations and educational development held earlier this week discussed the influence and positive impact of the teachings of Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen.

The Center for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilization (CASIS), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the Malaysian Turkish Dialogue Society (MTDS) organized a seminar in Kuala Lumpur that centered around the ideas on education of well-respected Islamic Turkish scholar Gülen and the worldwide movement he has inspired....

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Turkey Weighs Military Presence in Syria
Written by Arieh O’Sullivan
Published Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Buffer zone would protect civilians, but could lead to confrontation with Syria

With international peacekeepers overseeing a shaky ceasefire in Syria, Turkey appears to be moving closer to creating a buffer zone across the Syrian border as the refugee situation worsens in the regional tinderbox. The Turkish media are awash with reports that Ankara is finalizing plans to seize territory on the Syrian side. Analysts say the move is not only based on a growing enthusiasm for humanitarian intervention, but for internal Turkish motives.

Turkey, which has the largest army in NATO after the U.S., could readily set up the “safe zone.” The local daily Zaman reported on Monday that Turkey is even considering invoking a 1998 agreement with Syria that would sanction armed intervention on the pretense the revolt in Syria was undermining Turkey’s security. The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has doubled in less than a month and just last week troops loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad opened fire on them, killing at least four and injuring others, including two Turks.

Furthermore, Arab News in Saudi Arabia has reported that Syrian troops have “strongly infiltrated a number of Turkish areas, some of which have been announced publically and others not.” They also reportedly abducted Syrian defector Lt.-Col. Hussein Harmoush from Turkish soil.....

Tangled web

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David

[Exit40]

Catherine Ashton Vice President Of The European Commission Speech On Syria
Source: European Commission
Published Wednesday, April 18, 2012 - 07:20

Mr. President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament, we are all absolutely appalled by the horrendous levels of violence we have witnessed in Syria. Regime forces have bombarded cities with no regard for civilians. Violence has not spared children. We all want, above everything, the violence and killings to stop and we are all extremely concerned by the potential for further militarization and escalation of the conflict. The increased violence that we saw leading to the ceasefire deadline of 12 April was unacceptable and the reports about shelling in the city of Homs and civilians killed in Hama & Deraa are extremely disturbing. Violence has abated but it is not enough.

Once again, I urge, in the strongest possible terms that the cessation of violence is real and that Kofi Annan's plan is implemented immediately and in its entirety.

The situation remains fragile and unstable - the violence in Homs, Hana, Aleppo are tragic reminders.....

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Turkish FM Davutoğlu Denies Dropping Peace Drive
By Serkan Demirtaş, Hürriyet Daily News

Rejecting claims that his country has adopted a bellicose tone on the Syrian crisis, Davutoğlu says Syria and Afghanistan will top a crucial NATO ministers’ meeting. Turkey is not abandoning the language of peace in favor of the language of war on the Syrian crisis, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said yesterday, highlighting Ankara’s recent efforts on international platforms as evidence of its non-belligerence.

Ankara’s moves to host a crucial meeting between the P5+1 group and Iran in Istanbul over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program is a clear indication that Turkey is not bent on war, he said yesterday at a NATO foreign and defense ministers’ meeting on Syria. Davutoğlu also said Turkey’s work in hosting the “Friends of the Syrian People” earlier this month had been instrumental in putting pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

NATO foreign and defense ministers examined the fragile cease-fire in Syria yesterday, a day before the Friends of the Syrian People was set to discuss new sanctions against Damascus in Paris. Davutoğlu briefed his counterparts and urged them not to drop the Syria case from their attention.....

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Look What’s Happening in Charter Schools
By Shirley Spellerberg
Excerpts from Phyllis Schlafly Report April 11, 2012

Charter schools were presented as a way to have more parental control of public school education. Charter schools are financed by local taxpayers plus federal grants. Charter schools are able to hire and fire teachers, administrators and staff to avoid control by bureaucrats and the teachers’ unions. There are some good charter schools, but loose controls have allowed a very different kind of school to emerge.

A path has been opened for foreigners to run schools at taxpayers’ expense, without much news coverage. The New York Times did publish an article, about the many charter schools run by a secretive and powerful sect from Turkey called the Gulen Movement. Headed by a Turkish preacher named Fethullah Gulen who had already founded a network of schools in 100 other countries and with the first U.S. Charter School in 1999. The Gulen Movement now operates the largest charter school network in the United States with at least 135 schools teaching more than 45,000 students in at least 26 states financed by millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars a year. Hundreds of Turkish teachers and administrators have been admitted to the U.S., often using H-1B visas after claiming that qualified Americans cannot be found.

According to a guest post in the Washington Post, Gulen’s U.S. schools are openly discussed in the Turkish press. The goal of Gulen’s schools is to “teach tens of thousands of people the Turkish language, introduce them to our culture and win them over,” and so the schools regularly take students to Turkey for “cultural immersion.”....

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Friday, April 20, 2012, Jama di ul Awal 27, 1433
ECO trade corridor quicken to Pak exports Turkey: Alamgir

islamabad—Federal Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamgir said on Thursday that the members of Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) had agreed to create Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul trade corridor which would enable Pakistan to export its goods to Turkey without any hindrance.

Addressing a press conference here, he said that Fifth Meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Transit Transport Coordination Council (TTCC), being held in Islamabad, would be big stride in bringing the ECO countries closer in trade and economic activities.

He said in the second phase, the trade corridor would be expanded to the European countries while the second trade corridor would be built to link Pakistan with the Central Asian states through under-construction Lowari Tunnel.

Arbab Alamgir Khan said that the ECO provided a unique opportunity of trade development as its member states’ borders stretched from Europe to South Asia and from the shores of Arabian Sea to the Russian borders. Having a population of around 400 million and a combined GDP of around US$ 6,000 billion, the region gives the member states an unparalleled socio-economic potential, he added.....

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ECONOMIC COOPERATION ORGANIZATION ECO

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Book Review: Turkey: What Everyone Needs to Know by Andrew Finkel
By Lou Novacheck, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
Published 07:28 a.m., Sunday, April 22, 2012

Turkey is one of the most studied countries in the world. It's also one of the least understood.

All countries and cities are unique, of course, although many fit into the same general mold. A few cities around the world are even in a class of their own. But there's one country, and one city, that own their own genre. Only one city has been called the Crossroads of the World with no exaggeration and no hyperbole. You can find the footprints of Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Tamerlane, and the Apostle Paul in these environs.

Turkey also has the distinction of a city that straddles two continents. At various times Istanbul has been called Stamboul, Constantinople, The Pearl of the Orient, the Queen of Cities, Byzantium, Augusta Antonina, Byzantion, Lygos, New Rome, Kostantiniyye, or simply the City. These names reflect the national origins, which also reflect the ethnic makeup, of the people who call themselves Turks. While most Turks are brunettes, you'll also see redheads and natural blondes. Turkey was old before the Native Americans came to what's now North America. Wrap your head around that one!

Turkey is more a region (or a small continent, as the author states) than a country. It's a region comprised of a number of different peoples: Armenians, Assyrians, Georgians, Greeks, Hittites, Kurds, Lydians, Mamluks, Ottomans, Persians, Phrygians, Romans, and Seljuk Turks, to name a few.....

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[Exit40]

Iraq calls Turkey ‘hostile state’
Published April 22nd, 2012 - 15:02 GMT via SyndiGate.info

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki on Friday branded Turkey a "hostile state" with a sectarian agenda, the latest in a series of bitter exchanges between the neighbours.

Maliki was responding to comments made by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday in which Erdogan accused the Iraqi leader of fanning tensions between the country's Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds with his "self-centred" ways.
"The recent announcements by Mr Erdogan represent another return to flagrant interference in Iraqi internal affairs," Maliki said in a statement on his website.

"His announcements have a sectarian dimension. To insist on continuing these internal and regional policies will harm Turkish interests and make it a hostile state for all." Maliki accused Turkey of trying to establish "hegemony" in the region. Sectarian tensions flared in Iraq in December when the Shiite-led government tried to remove Sunni Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Al Mutlaq and sought an arrest warrant for Sunni Vice President Tareq Al Hashemi on charges he ran death squads.

Erdogan made his comments on Thursday after a meeting in Istanbul with Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, who has cultivated close relations with Ankara....

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12:07, 23 April 2012 Monday
Turkey vetoes Israel’s latest NATO partnership bid

Because of Ankara’s veto, Israel will not attend the NATO summit due to take place from May 20 to 21 in Chicago, an important diplomatic summit to be hosted by US President Barack Obama. Turkey has blocked Israel’s participation in NATO’s upcoming Chicago summit in a sign of Turkey’s determination to maintain demands that stemmed from a deadly ship raid. Turkish and Israeli relations worsened in May 2010 and have remained strained since then after Israeli naval commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, a ship carrying humanitarian aid to break Israel’s Gaza blockade, killing nine Turkish civilians.

Turkey said it will not allow Israel, a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue, a NATO outreach program with seven non-NATO nations, to take part in the alliance’s new “Partnership Cooperation Menu (PCM),” during a NATO meeting in Brussels last week attended by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. Because of Ankara’s veto, Israel will not attend the NATO summit due to take place from May 20 to 21 in Chicago, an important diplomatic summit to be hosted by US President Barack Obama.

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Iraq summons Turkish envoy over Erdogan broadside
By Barry Malone

BAGHDAD, April 23 (Reuters) - Iraq, locked in a public row with neighbouring Turkey, has summoned Ankara's ambassador in Baghdad to protest at critical remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

The envoy, Younis Demerer, heard the Iraqi complaint on Sunday after several days of charge and counter-charge.

Erdogan accused his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday of stoking conflict between Shi'ite Muslims, Sunni Muslims and Kurds through "self-centred" behaviour.

Maliki fired back that Turkey was becoming a "hostile state" with a sectarian agenda, saying it was meddling in Iraqi affairs and trying to establish regional "hegemony".

Erdogan returned to the fray on Saturday, saying: "If we respond to Mr. Maliki, we give him the opportunity to show off."

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[Exit40]

Turkish PM Erdogan : Turkey is Arabs’ home
24 April, 2012 | 11:37

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Turkey as Arabs’ home, except most Turks beg to differ.

Istanbul / NationalTurk – ‘ We are going to lift the artificial barriers between Middle East and Turkey ‘ claimed Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey.

‘ We feel Arab nations as our brothers, companions, friends in good and bad days, neighbors. Turkey will never forget east, North and South even it has been marching towards western civilisation. The barriers and the distances between Arab countries and Turkey I strongly believe, are artificial. We do not accept the current picture as we seem to be far away though we have been sharing a common history for thousands of years.’ A history of supression by the Ottoman Empire and backstabbing by Arabs in the early years of 20th century with the invitement of the British, claim many Turks, who are aware that Turks and Arabs are neighbours by geography.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan continued : ‘ Inspired from this understanding, we tried to perform a different communication and co-operation with our deepest brothers and friends. The membership negotiations with the EU is in process. Turkey builts close ties with neighbors as well. We aim to create a peaceful area with welfare and brotherhood all around.’ Wearing the cloak of a regional leader, Erdogan uses his power and adressing skills for influencing the Arab nations in their most weak era, where there are absolutely no Arab leader able to lead his own nation. And Saudis are totaly indifferent as long as they sell their oil.....

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[Exit40]

23 April 2012, Monday ABDULLAH BOZKURT a.bozkurt@todayszaman.com

Turkish diplomat turned OIC into force to be reckoned with
After trailing the chief of the world’s largest Islamic body last week in the West African country of Gabon, in which three-quarters of the population is Christian yet ruled by a Muslim leader with no major hiccups, I’ve come to the realization that the 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has really become a major world player to be reckoned with.

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the general secretary of the OIC, the world’s largest intergovernmental political organization after the UN, shared the future vision of the OIC with me in a private interview in Libreville.

The selection of Gabon as a venue for the first ever-ministerial level meeting of the OIC information ministers, in the central part of Africa, says a lot to the world. Gabon is a Francophone country with a stable economy and secure environment in the tough neighborhood of Central and West Africa. It boasts harmonious living between the majority Christians and minority Muslims in a country where a Muslim president was elected with the support of both groups in 2009....

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Turkey Feels Sway of Reclusive Cleric in the U.S.
By DAN BILEFSKY and SEBNEM ARSU
Published: April 24, 2012

ISTANBUL — When Ahmet Sik was jailed last year on charges of plotting to overthrow the government, he had little doubt that a secretive movement linked to a reclusive imam living in the United States was behind his arrest. “If you touch them you get burned,” a gaunt and defiant Mr. Sik said in an interview in March at his apartment here, just days after being released from more than a year in jail. “Whether you are a journalist, an intellectual or a human rights activist, if you dare to criticize them you are accused of being a drug dealer or a terrorist.”

Mr. Sik’s transgression, he said, was to write a book, “The Army of the Imam.” It chronicles how the followers of the imam, Fethullah Gulen, have proliferated within the police and the judiciary, working behind the scenes to become one of Turkey’s most powerful political forces — and, he contends, one of its most ruthless, smearing opponents and silencing dissenters.

The case quickly became among the most prominent of dozens of prosecutions that critics say are being driven by the followers of Mr. Gulen, 70, a charismatic preacher who leads one of the most influential Islamic movements in the world, with millions of followers and schools in 140 countries. He has long advocated tolerance, peace and interfaith dialogue, drawing on the traditions of Sufism, a mystical strain of Islam generally viewed as being moderate....

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[Exit40]

Setting the facts straight on the Gülen movement
by James C. Harrington *
25 April 2012 / JAMES C. HARRINGTON,

Much of what Dan Bilefsky and Şebnem Arsu’s recent article in the International Herald Tribune (“Shadow Force Grows in Turkey,” published on April 18) describes about Fethullah Gülen and Turkey’s recent history is accurate, but the authors cast a shadow of innuendo and loose conclusions, apparently more driven by personal predispositions than reality.

The attack on the Gülen movement is disingenuous, especially the oft-repeated but never proven claim that Gülen supporters have infiltrated the national police for some perfidious purpose. Surely, there are Gülen followers in the police, just as there are Catholics in American police forces. But attributing an unfounded agenda is unworthy without evidence. It is equally unworthy to create a fact by innuendo by reporting an American embassy cable that whether the national police is controlled by Gülen followers ‘‘is impossible to confirm, but we have found no one who disputes it.’’ How can the lack of confirmation become a fact? I recently published a book on the eight-year political trial of Gülen, 2000-2008. One of the charges against him involved the police infiltration allegation, and many others, some of which your article re-plays (such as the Islamist “hidden agenda”). The three-judge trial court painstakingly discredited each charge in a 48-page opinion, and acquitted him. An appellate panel upheld the verdict, as did the plenary appeals court. This was a courageous decision by the trial judges, who are appointed by an arm of the state because the message to convict Gülen was clear....

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David

[Exit40]

Saturday,April 28 2012, Your time is 9:59:48 AM
The Hype about the Gülen Movement

One of the hot topics in present-day Turkey is the so-called “Gülen Movement,” a widespread religious network named after its spiritual leader, a Sufi-minded cleric named Fethullah Gülen.

The movement is known for opening modern schools and media outlets, as well as pursuing interfaith dialogue, but lately it has been accused of “taking over the state.” Recently, there was even a long New York Times story about the matter, which quoted a Turkish journalist who believed that Gülen followers “have proliferated within the police and the judiciary, working behind the scenes to become one of Turkey’s most powerful political forces.”

So, as another Turkish journalist, let me also tell you what I think.

First, a reminder: Turkey is a paranoia-rich county. Most people here believe that some hidden power – the CIA, Mossad, “Jews,” freemasons, foreign states, the deep state, or just something – is under every stone. Therefore, if you hear any Turk saying, “Oh my God, there is this scary cabal that is pulling all the strings,” I would suggest taking that with a grain of salt.....

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David

[Exit40]

In A Change, Turkey Tightens Its Border With Syria
by Peter Kenyon
April 27, 2012

The spring sun is warming the fields and orchards along the Turkey-Syria border, and new refugee camps are sprouting as well.

Smugglers who have long worked these mountain border trails are now busy moving civilians out of Syria to the safety of Turkish camps. They're also moving medical and communications equipment and people into opposition-held neighborhoods in Syria. But recently, some say that's getting harder.

A smuggler known as Abu Ayham says Turkish guards, who used to permit nonlethal aid to pass freely, have suddenly grown much tougher on the smugglers.

"The situation is very hard now," Ayham says. "On the Turkish side, if the guards catch you and you have nothing but a mobile phone, they will take it and they might jail you. The other day a group was stopped carrying only small tents for people hiding in the mountains. The guards said, 'This is military equipment,' and seized it."......

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David

[Exit40]

Bulgaria PM Ties Gas Supplies from Azerbaijan to Interconnection with Turkey
April 27, 2012, Friday
Bulgaria: Bulgaria PM Ties Gas Supplies from Azerbaijan to Interconnection with Turkey

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who is on a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan, has said that the main route for exporting Azeri gas to Bulgaria must cross Turkey. Speaking after a Friday meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Artur Rasizade, Borisov insisted that there was no other option but the Bulgaria-Turkey gas grid interconnection to achieve a diversification of gas supplies.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister stressed the importance of the cooperation with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and EC President Jose Barroso for the process.

"From the talks we held today and yesterday two things became clear to me. One is that it must be clarified whether Europe wants a real diversification of gas supplies. There is no other option than Azerbaijan to achieve this. This is why we shall put all our effort into clearing up the stance on the matter. If they do not allow us to build the gas grid interconnection with Turkey, which will carry Azerbaijani gas to Europe, then, in my opinion, the word "diversification" does not exist as a term for the EU," Borisov said....

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David

[Exit40]

ISTANBUL, April 28, 2012 Atul Aneja
Anatolian Tigers drive Turkey's silent revolution

The Anatolian Tigers — a new breed of pious businessmen who have risen from the grassroots to fire Turkey's economic and political transformation — are targeting an entry into the high-technology big league. “We have tasted considerable international success in the areas of manufacturing and trade. Our next challenge is to develop an expertise in select areas such as computer software, pharmaceuticals and new energy,” says Sadan Yavuz, a finance specialist, with a Canadian higher education background.

Mr. Yavuz is one among several professionals with business exposure abroad in the ranks of the Anatolian Tigers who have achieved spectacular business success without sacrificing their core religious values.

Emerging out of Anatolia — Turkey's Asiatic part, long stereotyped as “backward” — these businessmen, mostly engaged in small and medium enterprises — have turned to their unique and inclusive version of Sufi Islam to achieve meteoric business success. A report by the European Stability Initiative has called the new Anatolian business class “Islamic Calvinists” because of the similarity of their work ethic and values with the mentality of the Calvinist Burghers, the pioneers of early capitalism in Europe.

The Anatolian Tigers have been deeply influenced by the writings of Said Nursi, who shepherded the Nur (light) movement in the region....

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David

[Exit40]

Biden pushes leadership role for Turkey’s Islamist leaders
Published: 3:54 PM 04/27/2012 By Neil Munro

On Friday Vice President Joe Biden offered Turkey’s Islamist government a leading role in the Middle East, despite its recent crackdown on dissidents, expansion of Islamic culture and education, and regional conflicts with Greece and Israel.
“We’re looking for Turkish leadership in the rest of that entire region,” Biden declared at a fundraiser attended by roughly 200 people from the Turkish and Azerbaijani communities, according to a White House pool report. “It’s a model as to how you can have an Islamic population, an Islamic state and a democracy, something the rest of the region is groping to figure out how to do,” he told the audience, who paid up to $2,500 each to attend the fundraiser.

Since last June Turkey’s Islamist government, led by Recep Erdogan, “has restricted freedom of expression, association, and assembly with laws that allow authorities to jail its critics for many months or years while they stand trial for alleged terrorism offenses on the basis of flimsy evidence,” according to a January report by the left-wing group Human Rights Watch....

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**** Well here it is folks, it's official now. The best of the west holding hands with the best of the east, and planning the future of the whole Middle East. This may constitute two of the ten kings. D. ****

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Turks Protest Erdogan's Re-Islamification Program
by Ali Uyanik May 2, 2012 at 3:00 am

Erdogan's AKP officials, however, alleging that a 15-year statute of limitations had expired, announced in mid-March, that they would not prosecute the accused perpetrators of the Sivas atrocity. Erdogan appears prepared to employ any form of demagoguery to stigmatize the minority community of the secularist Alevis.

Much of the world appears seduced by the claims to Islamic moderation of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (known as AKP), led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But Turkish citizens and immigrants in Western Europe seem to be expressing increasing dissatisfaction with the government's policies on religion, the future of the country's secular institutions, and an apparent disregard for the rights of minorities.

As Erdogan approaches the 10th anniversary of his first assumption of the prime minister's post, in 2003, the heterodox Muslim Alevi community, accounting for as many as a quarter of Turkey's 85 million citizens at home and in its large diaspora, is commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Sivas massacre, in 1993. Alevis are a religious movement combining elements of Shia Islam, spiritual Sufism, and pre-Islamic Turkish and Kurdish traditions, including shamanism. They do not pray in the manner of Sunni Muslims or worship in mosques. Rather, their observances are centered on music, dance, and praise of God. Alevi rituals are led by women and the Alevis are known as supporters of gender equality.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkish PM lashes out at S&P for lowering his country’s credit outlook while upgrading Greece

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 3, 4:37 AM

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s prime minister on Thursday accused ratings agency Standard & Poor’s of bias for lowering the country’s long-term credit outlook on the same day it upgraded Greece’s credit grade.

S&P on Tuesday had dropped Turkey’s outlook from positive to stable, which mean it is no longer considering an upgrade of its credit rating, and cited concerns over government debt. The same day it had upgraded the ratings of neighboring Greece after Athens completed a major debt writedown with private creditors.

The government of Turkey, a traditional rival to Greece, was less than pleased.

“’From now on, we do not recognize you as a ratings agency,’” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said S&P’s ratings decisions this week were “ridiculous.”...

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David

[Exit40]

Hamas PM calls on Erdoğan to help release Palestinian prisoners
2 May 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Hamas-led Gazan administration of Palestine, has appealed to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to assist in negotiating the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Receiving a delegation from the United Cities and Local Governments of the Middle East and West Asia (UCLG-MEWA), an İstanbul-based regional cooperation body, in Gaza on Wednesday, Haniyeh pointed to the suffering of Palestinian prisoners. He noted that the prisoners have been on a hunger strike for two weeks in protest of their plight in Israeli prisons.

Turkey helped secure a Hamas-Israel deal on the release by Israel of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, signed in October, in return for the release of Gilad Shalit, a captive Israeli soldier held by Hamas....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey not master of Mideast: Turkish FM
Friday,May 4 2012

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said that when he described Turkey as playing a pioneering role in the Middle East, he did not mean it in a “hegemonic sense.”

“We are the owners of this region with all the other nations, we own the problems of the region, this does not mean it is our property, it means solving the problems of the region shoulder to shoulder with the other nations,” Davutoğlu said at a conference held in Istanbul.

Davutoğlu was attending a conference titled “The Palestinian issue on the basis of the U.N.” on May 3. “We didn’t intend to patronize anyone, but we will not let anyone detach us from the region,” he said. Davutoğlu said Turkey would continue to be the pioneer of a new peace order while the Middle East is being reshaped. “The focus of this piece is the Palestinian issue. A global order of peace can not be established without a solution to the Palestinian issue,” he said....

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David

[Exit40]

Politics and Policies: Dealing With Ankara No Turkey Trot for Damascus
Posted: 05/03/12 02:53 PM ET

As Bob Dylan used to sing back in the 1960s: "The times, they are a-changin'." Indeed the times they are changing, even in Syria, the last bastion of staunch Arab nationalism. And if the Assad dynasty began its reign in a bloodless coup, here too, things have changed.

When it comes to intra-Arab issues, Syria's tactics of resorting to strong-arm policies when dealing in the complex, complicated and, often, backstabbing politics of the Middle East stems from the fact that Damascus has dealt with parties that have been politically and/or militarily far weaker than itself. By and large this has been the secret to the Assad clan's success over the past 40 years.

This has allowed Damascus to successfully impose its policies both at home and, at times, in neighboring countries. Call this strong-arm politics, if you will. The bottom line is that the tactic worked and kept the regime in power -- until now, that is...

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[Exit40]

11:36 a.m. Sunday, May 6, 2012
Syrian refugees give Turkey premier hero's welcome
By SELCAN HACAOGLU The Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey — Treated to a hero's welcome, Turkey's prime minister met Syrian refugees Sunday for the first time since his country opened its doors to tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing their government's crackdown on a popular uprising.
Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a fashion conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, May 3, 2012. Erdogan on Thursday accused ratings agency Standard & Poor's of bias for lowering the country's long-term credit outlook on the same day it upgraded Greece's credit grade. (AP Photo)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to defend the rights of the Syrian people, saying they were close to achieving success. He was greeted by joyous Syrians at the largest refugee camp near the border.

Erdogan has urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to quit and has encouraged the Syrian opposition to unify and present a credible political alternative. His visit to the border region comes before a parliamentary election in neighboring Syria, where the government's heavy-handed reaction to civilian protests more than a year ago is threatening to spawn a full-scale militarized conflict.

"Bashar is losing blood day by day," Erdogan said in an address to thousands of joyous Syrians at the camp near the town of Kilis. "Sooner or later, those who have oppressed our Syrian brothers will be accounted for before their nation. Your victory is close."...

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David

[Exit40]

Sunday,May 6 2012, Your time is 10:52:10 AM
ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News
Erdem Güneş Erdem Güneş erdem.gunes@hdn.com.tr

US, Turkey to build 600 Blackhawks

Turkey and the U.S. are seeking to sell some 500 “made in Turkey” Blackhawk helicopters to third countries, according to Francis J. Ricciardone, the U.S. ambassador to Ankara. “We will see over 600 Blackhawk helicopters, very high technology helicopters, produced here in Turkey. The great majority of these helicopters will go to third markets, third countries,” said Ricciardone during a Turkish-American business council lunch in Istanbul on May 4....

**** Snip ****
Riccardione also said that the U.S. supported Turkey’s ambitious 2023 target to become one of the world’s largest 10 economies....

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David

[Exit40]

Religious scholars: Path of Prophet offers solutions to social ills
6 May 2012 / İLKAY GÖÇMEN / NURULLAH KAYA, GAZİANTEP

Amid the increasing social and political problems faced by Muslim societies in a modern world, religious scholars from 60 countries called on Muslims to revisit the Prophet Muhammad's handling of social issues, at a symposium titled “Solutions to social problems from the Path of the Prophet [Muhammad],” held by Yeni Ümit and Hira magazine over the weekend in the southern province of Gaziantep.

Prominent religious scholars and opinion leaders from 60 countries discussed possible ways, by a close examination of Prophet Muhammad's methods and mentality, to grapple with the current political and social crises that have shattered Muslim states and severely tested the stability and social peace among different Muslim groups.....

.... Gülen movement resembles way of Prophet and his companions.....

Speaking during the symposium, Mevlana Wahiduddin Khan argued that Gülen has become a source of inspiration for millions of people. Khan said Fethullah Gülen has realized what the requirements of the modern age are and raised a new generation of Muslims who have common characteristics of the sahabe (companions of Prophet Muhammad).

“Turks have been doing what sahabe did in the seventh century. I saw what they did across the world and became happy,” he said as he expressed his optimism and hopes for the future. “The most important mission [for Muslims] is to rediscover the significance of the Holy Quran. Mr. Gülen began his movement with the guidance of the Quran,” he said...

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[Exit40]

Monday,May 7 2012, Your time is 12:00:56 PM
What is behind these schools associated with Gülen?

TAHA AKYOL
What is behind the schools associated with the Fethullah Gülen movement? Since the first school abroad was opened in Azerbaijan in 1991, what is the power that has caused them to be so widespread across the world in 30 (including domestic schools) years?

Can the “green belt” theory of imperialism or “moderate Islam project” be behind these schools? Maybe not, these schools and this movement did not exist during the Cold War era, when the “green belt” theory was most spoken of. When the Bush administration introduced the “moderate Islam” theory in 2001 against radical Islamists, these schools were already 20 years old, (and domestic schools started opening in 1982). Also, what political power can create such a movement and this many volunteering teachers without social grassroots?

Protestant cults

Sociologist Max Weber’s book “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” is an important reference book in sociology. It explains how Protestants were more successful than Catholics in Europe during the 19th century process of urbanization, industrialization, mass education and professionalization....

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David

[Exit40]

Necessity of Reflection and Self–Criticism
By Fethullah Gülen, Muslim thinker
Monday, 07 May 2012 00:00
Reflection leads to inner knowledge

Reflection literally means to think on a subject deeply, systematically, and in great detail. In a spiritual context, it signifies reflection, which is the heart's lamp, the spirit's food, and the knowledge's spirit. Reflection allows believers to discern what is good and evil, beneficial and harmful, beautiful and ugly; and makes the universe a book to study and reveals the Qur'an's deeper meanings more clearly.

Reflection is a vital step in becoming aware of what is going on around us and of drawing conclusions from it. It opens the door of experience, nourishes the truth, and opens the eye of the pupil of the heart. As Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) stated: "Reflect on God's creation, but do not reflect on Allah'' (authenticated by Al-Albani), for people will never be able to comprehend Allah.

The Qur'anic verse that talks about those who: {contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought)..} (Aal `Imran 3:191) presents the Book of the Universe (creation itself) with its way of creation, the peculiarities of its letters and words, the harmony and coherence of its sentences, and its firmness as a whole. By calling us to reflect upon the universe, the Qur'an shows us one of the most beneficial methods of reflection: to reflect on and study the Qur'an, and to follow it in all our thoughts and actions; to discover the Divine mysteries in the Book of the Universe and, through every new discovery that deepens and unfolds the true believer, to live a life full of spiritual pleasure along a way of light extending from belief to knowledge of God and therefrom to the love of God; and then to progress to the Hereafter and God's pleasure and approval. This is the way to become a perfect, universal human being.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey's PM, generals unite in anger at writer's Aesop fable
By Daren Butler Thu May 10, 2012 11:11am EDT

ISTANBUL, May 10 (Reuters) - A journalist's fable portraying the Turkish military as a spoilt, overfed dog has provoked a rare show of unity by top generals and the Prime Minister seen by many as their nemesis.

"This is an individual whose pen always drips with filth," Erdogan said of columnist Bekir Coskun, whose account of a privileged military that puts comfort and security before freedom drew on a fable from ancient Greek writer Aesop.

Erdogan has radically cut back the power of a military that toppled four governments in the last five decades. Hundreds of serving and retired officers face accusations of coup plots in trials unthinkable only a few years ago for a long-privileged army that kept politicians on a short leash.

Writing in the secularist Cumhuriyet newspaper at the end of April, Coskun retold the ancient Greek story with a twist by naming the tame dog "Pasha", the honorary Ottoman title given to generals and to secular state founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. "I think the Pashas should now seek legal redress over this matter," said Erdogan, who himself once sued a cartoonist who had depicted him as a cat.

Some 100 journalists are currently in jail in Turkey, attracting international criticism of the European Union candidate's record on freedom of expression. The government says few of them are in jail due to what they have written....

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**** The infamous Turkish pride. D.

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David

[Exit40]

Europe Day -Turkish FM: ''Turkey's EU Membership is An Eventual Outcome of Natural Flow of History''
Wednesday, 9 May 2012

The Turkish minister of foreign affairs has defined Turkey's EU membership process as an eventual outcome and requirement of the natural flow of history.

Releasing a statement on the occasion of ''Europe Day'', Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, ''Europe Day of May 9th is the re-birth day of peace, prosperity and stability in Europe, as well as an occasion for a forward-looking assessment of the current situation''.

''Turkey, with its historical background and vision for the future, is an integral part of the European integration process,'' said Davutoglu, adding that the deadlock in the country's EU accession process resulting from the politically motivated blockages by some EU members was a source of disappointment....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey: A Peek Inside a Gulen School
May 10, 2012 - 11:54am, by Justin Vela

A teacher watches students playing chess at the Gulen Movement-affiliated Fatih Koleji school in Istanbul. The movement, which maintains schools throughout the world, is out to establish a "golden generation" of educated Muslims, but some, especially in Central Asia, wonder if it has a hidden agenda. (Photo: Justin Vela)

With conservative Muslim believers becoming more visible in Turkey these days, a movement founded by a charismatic Islamic theologian, Fetullah Gülen, is attracting increasing outside interest. The Gülen movement’s public profile is defined mainly by a worldwide network of schools that it operates, yet little is known about the inner workings of the organization’s educational component.

EurasiaNet.org was recently invited to visit one of the movement’s showcase, high-achieving schools, Fatih Koleji, located on the European side of Istanbul. The visit provided greater clarity on a particularly controversial aspect of the schools’ operations – religious instruction.

The Gülen movement’s stated aim is to create a “golden generation” of educated Muslims, an aim shared by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan....

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David

[Exit40]

May 11, 2012, 8:13 am
Erdogan’s Next Move
By ANDREW FINKEL

ISTANBUL — Is Turkey’s prime minister past his expiration date? At first glance, the question sounds absurd. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led his Justice and Development Party, known as the A.K.P., to three consecutive electoral victories, most recently in June 2011, and few doubt that if there were an election tomorrow he would chalk up victory number four.

A decade of A.K.P. rule has transformed Turkey from a debt-ridden, inflationary economy to one of the fastest-growing in Europe. The increase in confidence and prosperity has allowed Erdogan to tame the country’s military and reel in its die-hard judiciary. But there are ominous signs that the prime minister intends to overplay his hand.

This week, Erdogan said that Turks should begin debating a move from the current parliamentary system, in which most of the governing power rests with the prime minister, toward a presidential system with a more powerful executive, along the lines of the United States or France. Everyone knows what his push for a stronger president means: Erdogan would jump ship before his term as prime minister ends in 2015 and stand as president himself when the job becomes vacant in 2014. He would continue leading the country, with more power than ever....

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David

[Exit40]

Friday, 11 May 2012
International Community and UN Security Council must Be A Single Voice on Syria, Says Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Friday said that the international community and the United Nations (UN) Security Council had to be a single voice on Syria and send a strong message to the Syrian administration to end all forms of violence.

Davutoglu and his Estonian counterpart Urmas Paet held a joint press conference following their meeting on Friday in Estonian capital of Tallinn. Turkey and Estonia share historic ties. Following Estonia's independence, Turkey began considering Estonia as its neighbor, Davutoglu stressed.

During our talks, we discussed cooperation for membership in the UN Security Council. Our economic relations with Estonia are on the rise but there is still a great potential, Davutoglu noted.....

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David

[Exit40]

Turkey's FM Davutoglu has repeatedly spoken about UNSC reform, sometimes speaking of expansion. Right now there are ten additional countries represented there, besides the five major permanent members, that share power but their involvement is somewhat limited. I am wondering if these ten might not be the ten kings who have no kingdom, that being the world in this case through the toothless whole of the UN. The FM travels extensively and has spoken of this message for a number of years, and is highly regarded amongst the NAM nations as well as other major powers. I wonder at what point an expansion, to include Turkey at their behest, would become feasible, or if the ten temporary members might form a coalition within the UNSC at a future time say for about an hour or so in support of the beast.

Just thinking out loud.

God Bless

David

[Exit40]

Social and Educational Services for Muslims in Germany''We Want Participation, Not Integration''

While German politicians continue to argue whether Islam is part of Germany or not, German Muslims have for quite some time been making a contribution in many social spheres. But many institutions in Germany are still at the beginning of a process of intercultural opening. Claudia Mende reports

The political debate in Germany has masked the fact that Muslims have long been participating in many social spheres. They have been insisting on more participation in communities, schools, and social welfare institutions. A new generation of young and well-educated Muslims is confidently raising the issues that affect their community, just like their Christian and secular co-citizens.

A conference hosted by the Catholic Academy in Stuttgart together with two associations of the Gülen movement in Baden-Württemberg, “Süddialog” and “Begegnungen”, focused on Christian and Islamic initiatives in cooperative public welfare efforts.

In recent years, the Catholic Academy in Stuttgart has gained a reputation for promoting constructive and open dialogue with Muslims. The participation of the “Süddialog“ and “Begegnungen” associations marked the first time an event was held with representatives of the Gülen movement. The movement, founded by the US-based Turkish intellectual Fethullah Gülen, remains controversial, yet it has primarily concentrated on the issues of education and dialogue....

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David