Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

[hipeter924]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

"Critics say the cases are built on flimsy evidence and illegal wiretaps, and are designed to silence Erdogan's pro-secular opponents. The government denies the cases are politically motivated and says it is just trying to work to improve democracy."

Erdogan is just clearing the house, to give himself more power within Turkey, I expect this to humiliate Obama and the UK governments delusion and PR campaign that Turkey is a 'democracy'.

[KanadaHye]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

About 200 retired and active Turkish officers go on trial over coup charges


ANKARA, Turkey - About 200 active and retired Turkish military officers, including former chiefs of the air force as well as dozens of generals and admirals, went on trial Thursday on charges of plotting to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government in 2003.

The trial is held at a special court house in the town of Silivri, near Istanbul, and marks the government's increasing confidence in confronting a military that once held sway over Turkish political life. All 196 suspects, who are free pending trial, face between 15 and 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of "attempting to topple the government by force," according to the indictment, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.

Prosecutors have not made public any evidence or details of the accusations, but the Taraf newspaper has published what it calls leaked copies of documents pertaining to an alleged conspiracy dubbed "Sledgehammer."

The allegations include plans to blow up at least two major mosques during Friday prayers; assassinate some Christian and xxxish leaders; and shoot down a Turkish warplane and blame it on Greece, the country's historic rival.

Taraf said the conspirators hoped the chaos would lead to calls for a military takeover, and planned to turn stadiums into open-air prisons capable of holding tens of thousands of detainees. The paper says it has provided the documents to prosecutors, who are using them in their case.

The military, which has overthrown three governments since 1960 and pressured an Islamic-led government to step down in 1997, has denied such a plot, saying documents used as evidence were from a military training seminar during which officers simulated a scenario of internal strife.

One of the key suspects, retired Gen. Cetin Dogan, former commander of Turkey's first army who chaired the seminar, said there was nothing illegal in the seized documents and his remarks at the seminar have been manipulated.

"I am not a man of coups, I am a man of legal platforms," the state-run Anatolia news agency quoted Dogan as saying outside the court house on Thursday.

HaberTurk television said the suspects arrived at the court in buses from a military guest house. They quickly entered the giant court house, which was specially designed to hold the large number of suspects.

Dozens of television crews stood far away from the entrance of the compound and only a small group of reporters were allowed to cover the trial. A small group of protesters shouted slogans outside the court house, demanding the punishment of the suspects.

Irem Cicek, the daughter and lawyer of one of the suspects, Navy Col. Dursun Cicek, said the accusations against her father were based on a printed document that had no signature on it.

"He is accused of preparing a list of navy officers who would assist the alleged plan. The accusation is based on a Word document with no signature. It can be prepared by anyone," she told HaberTurk television. "It is so sad to see so many valuable people who have worked for this country as defendants in there."

Unable to independently assess the evidence, Turks remain divided on the authenticity of the plot and the threat it may have posed. What is clear, however, is that the balance of power in Turkey has tipped significantly in favour of civilian authorities, whose arrests of high-ranking military officers would have once been unimaginable.

In late November, the government suspended three high-ranking officers — two major generals and a rear admiral — from duty pending the outcome of the trial, which could take at least a few years.

Also among the suspects is the former head of the country's National Security Council, once a powerful group of top military officials that exerted strong pressure on the government to follow a strictly secular line, including conducting close surveillance of radical Islamic movements. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has dramatically curbed its powers since coming to power in 2002 and turned it into a merely advisory body on security affairs.

A panel of three judges headed by newly appointed Omer Diken began asking every suspect to identify himself during the opening hearing, HaberTurk said. Diken was appointed on Tuesday when the previous presiding judge was removed in an unanimous vote by a state judiciary board because of an ongoing disciplinary probe related to other cases.

More than 400 people — including academics, journalists, politicians and soldiers — are already on trial on separate charges of plotting to bring down the government. That case focuses on a conspiracy by an alleged gang of extremist secular nationalists called "Ergenekon," the name of a legendary valley in Central Asia believed to be the ancestral homeland of the Turkish people.

Critics say the cases are built on flimsy evidence and illegal wiretaps, and are designed to silence Erdogan's pro-secular opponents. The government denies the cases are politically motivated and says it is just trying to work to improve democracy.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that "no one is above the law, no one is untouchable, no one is privileged."

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/i78472.html

[Federate]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

Wikileaks vs. corrupt Turkish politicians

November 29, 2010 | 16:15

The s Wikileaks-published secret documents accuse Turkish Premier Recep Erdogan, as well as a number of Turkish ministers, of bribery.

According to the document of December 30, 2004, the Turkish Premier has accounts at eight Swiss banks, Aksam reports.

The document contains charges against the former Interior Minister Abdülkadir Aksu, Kürşad Tüzmen, Minister of State of Turkey responsible for foreign trade, Mehmet Muezzinoglu, Head of the Istanbul chapter of Justice and Development Party.

http://news.am/eng/news/39745.html

[Federate]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

This is as complex as politics gets. Wikileaks has made things more transparent.
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WikiLeaks: Turkey provided al-Qaida with supplies to build bombs
November 26, 2010 - 17:46 AMT 13:46 GMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Wikileaks is planning to release files that show Turkey has helped al-Qaida in Iraq, according to London-based daily Al-Hayat. The newspaper also reported that the US helped the PKK, a Kurdish rebel organization.

One of the documents, a US military report, reportedly charges Turkey with failing to control its borders, because Iraqi citizens residing in Turkey provided al-Qaida with supplies to build bombs, guns and ammunition.

Other documents show that the US has supported the PKK, which has been waging a separatist war against Turkey since 1984 and has been classified by the State Department as a terrorist organization since 1979. The US military documents call the PKK "warriors for freedom and Turkish citizens", and say that the US set free arrested PKK members in Iraq. The documents also point out that US forces in Iraq have given weapons to the PKK and ignored the organization's operations inside Turkey, Jerusalem Post reported.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/world/news/57446/

[retro]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

Iran-Armenia relations and the ‘genocide’

Iranian Vice President Hamid Baghaei’s remarks last week that the deportation of Armenians in 1915 amounted to genocide have understandably drawn ire in Turkey.

The Iranian Embassy in Ankara soon after released a statement claiming that Baghaei’s position on the matter had not been accurately reflected by media outlets. Turkey, nevertheless, was obviously not satisfied with this explanation. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu was reported to have told his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki that Turkey was awaiting a correction from Baghaei himself.

I humbly think that the timing of this statement, which has the appearances of someone shooting themselves in the foot, is indeed quite interesting. But in order to understand the factors that might have motivated Baghaei, one should embrace the issue in question from a broader perspective and rather focus on Iran’s respective relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

An Islamic republic favoring an avowedly Christian state in a conflict with its predominantly Muslim neighbor would normally seem unlikely, but this is exactly what Tehran did during the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. Since then, Iran has indeed been predisposed toward supporting Yerevan over Baku on regional issues, but first and foremost the Karabakh dispute.

There are a great variety of reasons behind this support, but I will list here only the three most crucial: At present, the number of ethnic Armenians living in Iran is estimated to be about only 100,000, constituting the country’s largest Christian minority. On the other hand, the number of ethnic Azeris living in Iran is at least 20 million, though there is some dispute about this figure, which is affected by the differing perspectives and motivations that the issue is approached with. These people have been integrated into Iranian society and hold important positions in the higher echelons of the state like Seyyed Ali Khamanei, the supreme leader who succeeded Ayatollah Khomeni. Nonetheless, the Iranian establishment sees these people as a potential secessionist threat, actually one to be provoked by Azerbaijan should it regain its territories still under Armenian occupation. It is precisely for this reason that Tehran attempts to strategically balance Azerbaijan with its arch-enemy Armenia.

What also disturbs Tehran is Azerbaijan’s close relations with Western countries, first and foremost the U.S. and Israel. Given its deeply antagonistic relationship with these two countries, Iran has in the past strongly opposed Western proposals for the deployment of international peacekeeping forces in Karabakh, fearing it might eventually result in its further encirclement by the U.S. (and thus Israel).

This Iranian concern has also been underlined by circles close to the Turkish government and seems evident in what a figure in the entourage of Prime Minister Recep T. Erdoğan relates about nearly every occasion that the Iranians have been requested to use their leverage over Armenia to resolve the deadlock. “Yet each time we raise this issue,” says this official, “the Iranians respond by pointing out Baku’s strengthening relations with Israel.”

The third reason is related to Iran’s economic considerations. Indeed, Iran is one of Armenia’s major trade partners. Not only do Iranian goods flood the Armenian market. More importantly, Tehran supplies Yerevan with significant volumes of natural gas. Recently, it has also helped to construct hydroelectric dams on the Araz River. Actually, the bilateral economic relations are so intense that Iranian businessmen, as well as local authorities of those regions bordering Armenia, are rumored to nowadays be occupying the streets of Yerevan as part of Iran’s preparations against the sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

In comparison to the state of Tehran’s economic relations with Yerevan, however, those with Baku are highly problematic. This is well illustrated in the serious competition between Tehran and Baku over disputed Caspian oil and gas reserves.

In such a milieu, the Turks hope that the addressee of the unambiguous message sent by Mr. Baghaei was not Turkey. Mr. Baghaei might be intent on making a gesture to Armenia, but he would do well to heed a Turkish proverb that I believe has relevance: While trying to pluck one's eyebrows, one should not pluck out one’s eyes.

The Turkish people indeed expect Mr. Bahgaei to provide a sincere correction!

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=iran-armenia-relations-and-the-8216genocide8217-2010-08-29

[Eddo211]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

Well that was quick...

White House denies giving Turkey ultimatum over Israel, Iran
2 hours ago

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AFP) – The White House on Monday denied press reports that President Barack Obama warned Turkey it could lose its chance to obtain US-made weapons over its position on Israel and Iran.

Britain's Financial Times newspaper quoted a senior official as saying that Obama told Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan that "some of the actions that Turkey has taken have caused questions to be raised on the Hill" referring to the US Congress.

These questions centered on "whether we can have confidence in Turkey as an ally," said the official.

But while he confirmed the two leaders spoke several days ago, White House spokesman Bill Burton denied that any "ultimatum" had been issued to Ankara.

Full article at

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100816/pl_afp/usturkeydiplomacyweapons

[Eddo211]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

US issues arms deal ultimatum to Turkey
Posted on August 16, 2010, 9:22 am

President Barack Obama has personally warned Turkey's prime minister that unless Ankara shifts its position on Israel and Iran it stands little chance of obtaining the US weapons it wants to buy.

According to The Financial Times Mr Obama's warning to Recep Tayyip Erdogan is particularly significant as Ankara wants to buy American drone aircraft - such as the missile-bearing Reaper - to attack the Kurdish separatist PKK after the US military pulls out of Iraq at the end of 2011.

Article continues at

http://www.armenians.net/news/view/article/13496/US-issues-arms-deal-ultimatum-to-Turkey

Originally posted in www.ft.com

[londontsi]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

http://www.bioprepwatch.com/news/214627-german-experts-say-turkey-using-chemical-weapons

German experts say Turkey using chemical weapons
by Tina Redlup on August 13, 2010

German experts have confirmed the authenticity of photographs that show Kurdistan Workers' Party fighters killed in Turkey by chemical weapons.

The photographs, IsraelNationalNews.com reports, were published in the German magazine Der Spiegel earlier this week. They were given to a German human rights delegation by activists in March, according to the report. The photographs depicted scorched and maimed body parts that were barely recognizable as human.

Hans Bauman, a German photo forgery expert, confirmed the authenticity of the photos, IsraelNationalNews.com reports. The eight dead PKK fighters are believed to have been killed in September of 2009. A forensics report released by the Hamburg University Hospital concluded that the eight Kurds were likely killed due to the use of chemical weapons.

Turkey has been suspected of using chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels for some time. The existence of these photos has now placed increasing pressure on Turkey to offer explanations, according to the report.

Claudia Roth, co-chair of Germany's Green Party, is among those who wants to place pressure on Turkey to answer for the photographs.

“The latest findings are so spectacular that the Turkish side urgently needs to explain things,” Roth told IsraelNationalNews.com. “It is impossible to understand why an autopsy of the PKK fighters was ordered but the results kept under seal.”

Roth also demanded Turkey issue an official statement on the possible use of chemical weapons.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry, however, has denied its activity in the attack, telling media it is a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention and that its armed forces do not possess any biological or chemical weapons.

The United States recently announced that it has sided with Turkey and that it regards the PKK as a terrorist group.

“We stand ready to review urgently any new requests from the Turkish military or government regarding the PKK,” Ambassador James Jeffrey said in a statement at the end of June. “The PKK is a common enemy of both Turkey and the U.S. and we actively support the efforts of our Turkish allies to defeat this terrorist threat.”

[Eddo211]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

Kurds have been picking up their attacks as they had promised to Turkey. This wouldn’t be the first time they have targeted pipelines.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering.

Ocalan controls PKK......Deep State controls Ocalan.

[Federate]

Re: Turkey - Internal Political Affairs

Blast targets Turkey oil pipeline

An explosion along an oil pipeline passing through southeastern Turkey has killed at least two people and injured another.

The blast on Tuesday night started a "major fire" and caused the pipeline to be shut down, a government official told the Reuters news agency.

The explosion struck the pipeline in Turkey's Mardin region near the village of Midyat.

Two people travelling in a car were killed by the blast, the AFP news agency reported, though it was unclear whether they were civilians.

The damaged pipeline runs for 970km from Kirkuk, a northern Iraqi city claimed by the Kurds, to Ceyhan, an oil transportation hub on the Mediterranean Sea.

Government officials told the AFP that they suspect the Kurdish Workers Party or PKK carried out the attack.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community, took up arms for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/08/201081019571376231.html