US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

[Joseph]

US supporting the PKK, Turkey supporting al qaeda. Something very interesting is brewing!

http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/newsDetail_getNewsById.action?newsId=228021

[ninetoyadome]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

Turkey Hits Back at Wikileaks Accusations
While the world awaits the big document dump from Wikileaks, some of those leaks have already been pre-leaking. One of the most explosive of those has been that the U.S. secretly aided Turkey's longtime foe the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and conversely, that Turkey had aided al Qaeda in Iraq. If true, this would obviously put some serious strain on an already strained relationship.

Hurriyet has been doing some good reporting from the Turkish side of this story and finds that, of course, all parties involved are denying that report:

“Turkey has never given support to any terrorist organization. Fighting against terror is our priority and we don’t make differentiations between terrorist organizations. Turkey has launched many operations against al-Qaeda,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told the Daily News.

Asked about the allegations that the U.S. helped the outlawed PKK, the same official said, “Turkey and the U.S. are carrying out an efficient cooperation in the fight against the PKK.”

And from the U.S. side:

Deborah Guido, spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Ankara, told the Daily News that the U.S. government’s policy “has never been nor will ever be in support of the PKK. Anything that implies otherwise is nonsense.”

Recalling that the United States considers the PKK a terrorist organization, Guido said: “Since 2007, our military cooperation with the Turkish government in fighting the PKK has shown results. The U.S. Treasury Department has also named top PKK figures as ‘drug kingpins’ in issuing further sanctions against the PKK.”

The story goes on to quote several analysts about what the revelation could mean. Most don't believe that the news is true, and point out that there could be other explanations. For example, the U.S. has worked closely with Iraqi Kurds, who have a difficult relationship, but a relationship nonetheless, with the PKK. And surely some U.S. intelligence agencies have some contact with the PKK, but that is not the same as support.

But until the documents themselves leak -- this weekend? -- for everyone to peruse, there's nothing to do but speculate.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/62449

[Joseph]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

I still haven't seen the documents related to US/PKK and Turkey/al Queda...are they coming?

[Joseph]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

http://www.thelondondailynews.com/ankara-relations-with-washington-downward-spiral-p-4859.html

Turkey "permitted" weapons related material to transit for Iran nuclear programme, Wikileaks cables from US Emabssy in Paris reveals

International News Desk

Secret diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks has revealed the scale of the chasm that exists between Washington and Ankara with suspicions that Ankara’s shift to the east has taken on a far more important shift, with possible collusion, and support for the Iran nuclear programme.

According to a cable from the US Embassy in Paris, Israel government officials expressed "profound disquiet" over Turkeys role with Iran, and "the Israelis claimed the Turks have allowed weapons-related material for Iran's nuclear program to transit Turkey, with Prime Minister Erdogan's full knowledge."

"Turkey's recent strategic shift away from western positions on the peace process, Iran, and Israel's nuclear program. Erdogan's public comments about Israel's nuclear weapons had particularly irked the Israelis, Bereyziat explained, describing them as unprecedented by a Turkish leader. Moreover, the Israelis blamed the Europeans, and especially France, for this shift in Turkey's policy. They said that if Europe had more warmly embraced Turkey, then the Turks would not be taking steps to earn approval in the Arab and Muslim world at the expense of Israel. The French, in response to this accusation, "begged to differ," Bereyziat said.

In what diplomatic circles have described as a "new nadir" in relations between the west and Ankara, the Israelis suspicions of assistance to Tehran’s nuclear programme, are qualified with a demand by the French government for Israel to provide "concrete proof" of such activity before levelling accusations. The Israelis replied that they are "collecting evidence which they will eventually publicize."

Prime Minister Erdrogan was also subject to heavy criticism by Israelis in exchanges with French government officials with accusations that "he's a fundamentalist. He hates us religiously” and his hatred is spreading." The Wikileaks cable said:

"Levy cited a perceived anti-Israeli shift in Turkish foreign policy, including the GoT's recent elevation of its relations with Syria and its quest for observer status in the Arab League."

The diplomat sending the despatch commented that "our discussions with contacts both inside and outside of the Turkish government on Turkey's deteriorating relations with Israel tend to confirm Levy's thesis that Erdogan simply hates Israel. xxxxx discusses contributing reasons for Erdogan's tilt on Iran/Middle East isues, but antipathy towards Israel is a factor."

[Mos]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

strained US-Turkey relations are great for us, keep it going...

[Joseph]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

I agree. Lets do whatever we can to facilitate this.

[Eddo211]

Re: US and Turkey at odds over PKK and Al Queda

already at it......wish I had more internet time.