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Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

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  • #21
    Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

    Hacker Decries U.S., Israel On Vietnam Memorial Site

    By Josh White
    Washington Post Staff Writer
    Thursday, September 20, 2007; Page A03

    A computer hacker promoting Turkish nationalism posted a video and message on a U.S. Vietnam memorial Web site in recent days, blocking one of the site's search functions while defacing the site with a statement against the United States and Israel.

    Users of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site -- at http://www.thewall-usa.com-- who searched for U.S. casualties by date were sent to an all-red Web page adorned with a symbol from the Turkish flag, a short video, and messages in Turkish and English. The English messages attacked Kurds, the United States, Israel and Armenia.

    Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

    According to translations, the Turkish message read: "Is there any equal or likeness to our martyrs at Gallipoli?" It is an apparent reference to the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915 during World War I, during which soldiers from the Ottoman Empire repelled an Allied operation to capture Istanbul, suffering heavy casualties of more than 250,000. The video called it a "story written in blood."

    A "Turk Defacer" took credit for the hack, which users reported yesterday to the FBI, the National Park Service and the 4/9 Infantry Manchu (Vietnam) Association, which maintains the site. The message was removed and the search function restored by last night.

    Jim Olberding of Ames, Iowa, said he found the message yesterday while researching Vietnam casualties. Olberding -- a Vietnam War veteran whose son is an Army captain with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan -- said the message offended him. "They're attacking American veterans," he said.

    The site -- a memorial to veterans and a historical repository that gets heavy traffic around Memorial Day and Veterans Day -- was attacked days after the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington was defaced with an oily substance. Officials with the 4/9 Infantry Association said they received 200 e-mails from users alerting them to the hack. The group's leaders were in Memphis over the weekend to celebrate the association's 10th anniversary and did not know when the hack took place. The nonprofit bought the Web site about eight years ago to ensure that it would endure.

    "These kinds of groups are opportunistic and are going to do whatever they think they have to do to get their message out," said Cheryl Criteser, the association's secretary-treasurer. "I've gotten death threats, I've gotten all kinds of negative stuff from other countries. I just figure they're wackos."

    A spokesman for the Turkish Embassy in Washington said yesterday that the hack did not seem to be part of an organized group.

    Staff writer Jill F. Bartscht and staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report.


    What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

    Comment


    • #22
      Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

      US Department of State, DC

      Interview With Murat Akgun of NTV
      R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs


      Ankara, Turkey
      September 20, 2007

      QUESTION: Mr. Burns, good morning and welcome to the NTV studio.

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Thank you very much.

      QUESTION: It's not a secret that the Turkish public is expecting a
      step or steps from the United States of America against the PKK as
      soon as possible, especially in northern Iraq. Do you think that we
      can see such steps in northern Iraq in the short term?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: We are Turkey's greatest supporter on the
      PKK. We are against the PKK; we classify it as a terrorist
      organization; we do not give it any support; and we entirely
      sympathize with the Turkish people, the Turkish government. There was
      just an attack two days ago. A soldier was killed here in Turkey and I
      believe over 150 people have been killed this year by the PKK
      alone. And so we've got to work with Turkey and we want to work with
      Turkey to try to end this threat. Part of the answer will be working
      with the Iraqi leadership, specifically the Kurdish leadership in
      northern Iraq, to try to get them to give political support to the
      effort to stop the PKK. But we support Turkey entirely on this issue.

      QUESTION: Last week there was a question to you from a journalist in
      Washington, if I'm not wrong. The question was can we see a step or
      steps from the US against the PKK in the next six months and then you
      said I believe so. If this is the correct answer as I remember it,
      what are you waiting for for some steps, especially in the military
      field in northern Iraq?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, I think that the imperative here is two
      steps. First is to isolate the PKK diplomatically, convince the
      European countries not to allow the PKK to establish political front
      organizations in European capitals and is to brand the PKK and
      castigate it internationally as a terrorist organization. We the
      United States have contributed to that goal with Turkey, working with
      the Turkish government, and will continue that. The second is -- are
      there concrete measures that can be taken to protect the Turkish
      people and to protect the Turkish military from cross-border attacks?
      We are working with the Turkish government and the Iraqi government to
      try to create that environment where the PKK will no longer be able to
      attack. So we want to be helpful and we're working with the Turkish
      government towards that end.

      QUESTION: Are we still in the first step, Mr. Burns?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: No, I think we've...we've been in the first
      step for ten years. We are in both the first and second phases. And
      both of them are important.

      QUESTION: You were talking about cooperation between Iraqi authorities
      and Turkey and especially Kurdish leadership and Turkey, but now there
      are two important questions. First, Iraqi authorities have no power
      everywhere in the country and second, the Kurdish leadership do not
      even qualify PKK as a terrorist organization. In this case, what kind
      of cooperation do you expect between Turks and Kurds?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, I think there has to be political
      dialogue, frankly, with the Iraqi leadership and the Turkish
      government and the two have to talk. Hopefully the Turkish government
      and the United States government can convince the Iraqi leadership
      that this particular organization is a violent organization, it
      doesn't deserve to have any political support whatsoever, and it has
      to be kept away from the border areas with Turkey so that it cannot
      launch its strikes across the border. That is primarily a political
      question. So discussions are important. The United States can help to
      facilitate these discussions. We have our own discussions with the
      Iraqi government. I know that Prime Minister Maliki was here in Ankara
      just a couple of months ago. I know that he said some very critical
      things about the PKK when he was here and it was good to see that.

      QUESTION: But on the other hand, during the visit of Mr. Maliki we
      couldn't even succeed to sign an agreement concerning the fight
      against terrorism.

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, there's no question that Turkey deserves
      help from the United States. We are your ally. We are your friend. As
      a victim of terrorism, and we are a victim of terrorism, we sympathize
      entirely with the Turkish people and Turkish government so you should
      consider us your closest collaborator in this fight against the PKK.

      QUESTION: When you say that the United States of America is also the
      victim of terrorism, I just remembered the statement of the Prime
      Minister of Turkey the day before yesterday. He said that even the
      Pentagon could not handle the terrorism. How do you evaluate this
      remark?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, I think that first of all I had a very
      good meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan yesterday and I think that
      we, all of us, realize that the fight against terrorism is not going
      to be easy, that there are times when we'll have successes and there
      will be times when we'll have setbacks, but we've got to have a
      consistent effort. And it had to be universal. It has to be all
      democratic countries working together so in that respect I think
      there's a great connection between Turkey and the United States
      because we both need to struggle against terrorism, which is affecting
      both of our peoples.

      QUESTION: Well, there's a discussion among the public in Turkey
      whether Turkish armed forces should make an operation into northern
      Iraq or not, if there is not enough cooperation between the Iraqi
      Kurdish leadership and Iraqi central authorities and Turkey. Do you
      think that it's going to be a legitimate right of Turkey to make an
      operation against PKK targets?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: We hope there will be adequate consultations
      and cooperation with the Iraqi government that will make it
      unnecessary for Turkey to take such an action. Obviously Iraq is a
      country that has experienced incredible trauma over the last four and
      a half years. We don't want to see anything develop that would further
      destabilize Iraq and so our vast preference would be to see the kind
      of trilateral cooperation among Iraq, Turkey and the United States
      that will make such an operation not necessary. And that's the goal of
      our policy.

      QUESTION: I will have one more question concerning Iraq. There are
      press reports that the United States of America will withdraw forces
      from Iraq next year more and more and according to the same reports
      the Washington administration would like to use some harbors and bases
      in Turkey. During your visit to Ankara did you have any specific
      request concerning this issue to the Turkish authorities?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: I didn't have...I did not have any specific
      request to the Turkish authorities and I can just tell you that
      President Bush spoke last week, a week ago, about our policy in
      Iraq. He was very clear that the United States will maintain our
      military forces in Iraq and that we intend to be successful there.

      QUESTION: Iraq is not the only issue in the Middle East or among our
      neighbors. I would like to ask a question about Iran. How would you
      evaluate the cooperation between Iran and Turkey due to the fact that
      they are two neighboring countries?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, first of all, we believe that Iran is a
      serious threat to peace. Iran is funding most of the Middle East
      terrorist groups and arming many of them. Iran is also trying to
      achieve a nuclear weapons capability. So Iran is a dangerous
      country. We want to work diplomatically, hopefully peacefully, with
      surrounding countries to try to isolate the Iranians. And, frankly,
      the United Nations has decided on sanctioning Iran so we are very
      pleased that Turkey is implementing the sanctions passed by the United
      Nations. We don't believe there should be a business-as-usual attitude
      between any country and Iran because we need to pressure Iran
      economically so it will be more inclined to negotiate on this nuclear
      question.

      QUESTION: There was very strong, hard statements from the French
      President and the French Foreign Minister concerning the nuclear
      capacity of Iran. Mr. Kouchner even mentioned the possibility of a war
      against Iran. Is it an option - a war between Iran and western
      countries or an operation of the United States of America if they do
      have nuclear weapons?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, there's no question in our minds that the
      achievement by the Iranian government in the future of a nuclear
      weapons capability would change the balance of power in the Middle
      East in a very negative way - for Turkey, for the United States, for
      all of the European countries - so all of us want to stop the Iranians
      from doing so. We have said, we Americans, that we wish to pursue
      diplomacy, that we wish to work with other countries to try to
      convince the Iranians that they need to stop. Now, one way to do that
      is through negotiations. We've offered negotiations with Iran. Iran
      had turned us down twice in the last year. We've said that we'll sit
      with Russia and China and the European countries, we the United
      States, together, talk to the Iranians and try to figure out a
      diplomatic way forward, but the Iranians have said no to the
      negotiations and they continue their nuclear research programs. That's
      why we've turned to sanctions, economic sanctions, at the Security
      Council. And we would like all countries to support those sanctions.

      QUESTION: Do you still believe that there is risk of war in the area
      because of the nuclear capacity of Iran in the short term or mid-term?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, we hope very much to prevent a war. We
      hope very much that through a tough-minded policy of leverage of
      sanctions against Iran the Iranians will understand they are isolated
      in the world. Name the countries that support Iran in this quest for
      nuclear weapons - maybe Syria, maybe North Korea, maybe Belarus, maybe
      Cuba. There are very few countries supporting Iran in its quest for
      nuclear weapons in terms of its political aspirations. But most of the
      countries of the world are arrayed against Iran and advocating that
      Iran stop its nuclear weapons development and so it's important that
      Iran listen to the voice of the international community and understand
      how isolated it is.

      QUESTION: A question about Syria - there was serious tension between
      Israel and Syria in recent days. There was a protest from the Turkish
      government to Israel. What kind of role may Turkey have concerning
      the tension between Israel and Syria and in general concerning the
      Middle East process, including the peace conference at the end of next
      month in Istanbul?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well I think in general Turkey is a unique
      country in the Middle East and has influence in the Middle East
      because Turkey can talk to nearly everyone and we appreciate the fact
      that Turkey has a good relationship with Israel. We appreciate the
      fact that Turkey is so close to some of the moderate Arab states. In
      the case of Syria and Iran, both of those countries are supporting
      terrorism and both of them are supporting Hezbollah which is a
      negative influence in the region and so we appreciate the fact that
      Turkey is a country that can send strong messages and communicate with
      countries to try to convince them to turn away in the case of Iran
      from a nuclear weapons program, in the case of Syria, from its support
      for terrorism.

      QUESTION: About Cyrus, there were elections in Turkey and Greece and
      now we're going to have elections in the Greek part of Cyprus by the
      beginning of next year. What's going to happen? Do you see the chance
      of the development of a permanent solution at the end of 2008 in
      Cyprus?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: We hope there can be progress in Cyprus. It's
      been far too long. It's been so many decades where there has been no
      peace in Cyprus...

      QUESTION: I'm asking about a solution...

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: Well, we believe that the United Nations should
      restart its effort to find a peaceful solution and a just solution to
      the problem of Cyprus. The United States of course will be involved in
      this, as will Turkey, as will Greece and many other countries. We
      think it's very, very important that there be progress this year if
      that's possible. Now we know that Mr. Papadopoulos and Mr. Talat met
      recently. I don't know if that meeting produced many positive
      results. I had very good discussions here in Ankara with the Turkish
      authorities. We are working with Turkey; we are working with Greece;
      and I look forward to meeting the Cypriot leader, President
      Papadopoulos, as well as Mr. Talat to see if we can push this process
      forward.

      QUESTION: Last question concerning Turkish-Armenia relations. We know
      that the Washington administration wants Turkey to take some steps to
      normalization relations between the two countries but how about the
      Armenian responsibility? Don't you think that Armenia should also do
      something? For example withdraw its forces from Azerbaijan's occupied
      territory?

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: We have been concerned to see that since 1991
      there has been no normalization of relations between Turkey and
      Armenia. Turkey is an ally; Armenia is a friend. So we wish to see
      progress there. Obviously this is up to the two countries to work out
      and it's going to be a two-way street as any relationship is in
      international diplomacy but our hope would be that there could be a
      normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, that the border
      could be opened, there could be normal commerce and trade and a
      peaceful relationship. That may take some time, it may be difficult,
      but it's a necessary step in our view. And we hope to see the same
      kind of changes here within Turkey that will make this a place where
      minorities such as the Armenian population can live here in a peaceful
      way and contribute to Turkish society.

      QUESTION: Mr. Burns, thank you very much for answering my questions.

      UNDER SECRETARY BURNS: It's a pleasure. Thank you very much.



      What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

      Comment


      • #23
        Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

        Tricky transition in Kurdish Turkey

        Diyarbakir, Turkey (Charles RoffeyFlickr)


        The predominantly Kurdish southeast is going through a crucial transition. Kurdish secular nationalism, while remaining a powerful force, is now being challenged by a resurgence in Islam.

        By Dorian Jones in Diyarbakir, Turkey for ISN Security Watch (24/09/07)

        In an unprecedented move, newly elected Turkish President Abdullah Gul made his first trip as head of state to the predominantly Kurdish southeast section of the country. The reaction of the people was equally unprecedented, with thousands cheering and throwing roses - Gul means "rose" in Turkish - wherever he went.

        The visit came only weeks after Gul's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured a surprise election victory in the region, winning 53 percent of the vote in the July general election. The Kurdish nationalist Democratic Society Party (DTP) was pushed into second place.

        For more than two decades, southeast Turkey has been devastated by a vicious and bloody war between the separatist Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and the Turkish government. The conflict has claimed over 30,000 lives and displaced over a million people. Until now, the region was widely considered a bastion of secular Kurdish nationalism.

        The pro-Marxist PKK and the DTP - both of which have dominated the region's politics - are overtly secular. But the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999, along with the withdrawal of most of its forces to neighboring Iraq, have weakened the party. Now, a resurgence in Islam is filling the gap.
        Rising anger brings more adherents

        Last year, around 100,000 demonstrators protested in the regional capital Diyarbakir against the cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad published in the Danish daily Jllyands-Posten in September 2005. While there were similar protests across Turkey, they were dwarfed by those in Diyarbakir. Even the organizers of the demonstrations seemed taken aback by the level of anger among the protesters.

        "During the cartoon crisis, we wanted to show our anger so we organized a meeting. We thought only a few people would turn up. But to our shock thousands came, so we decided to organize a protest and over 100,000 people attended," Serdar Bulent Yilmaz, one of the organizers, told ISN Security Watch.

        Yilmaz, who also heads the Islamic human rights group Ozgur Der, said the protest was part of a wider trend in the region influenced by national and international factors.

        "There is a growing anger towards the West, especially with Israel [and] the US and what's happening in the Middle East. It's fueling the rise in religion, which is becoming stronger in response to a societal need to fill a gap here.

        "This gap has been created by the backwardness of our society, the mass migration into the cities caused by the fighting between the state and Kurdish separatists that has resulted in a moral degeneration," Yilmaz said. "People are looking for answers which religion can only give. [...]"
        Islamic sects re-establishing influence among Kurds

        While DTP candidates were pro-secular during last July's general election as in previous polls, they courted the religious vote during the campaign. In a traditional meeting with Diyarbakir's religious leaders, it was expected to be a forgone conclusion that they would offer their support to the DTP. Traditionally, Kurdish nationalism trumps religion. But to the party's surprise, for the first time in recent elections, the religious leaders said they would not support any party.

        That decision was seen by DTP officials as a sign that the leaders were switching allegiance to the Islamic-rooted AKP. Many of Diyarbakir's religious leaders, as in the rest of the region, belong to ancient Islamic sects or tariqats.

        A centuries-old and intrinsic part of Kurdish cultural life, tariqats have re-asserted their influence over the region by offering free education and housing to the poor - moves that are welcomed in a highly underdeveloped region.

        The groups have been banned in Turkey since the 1920s, and their members do not admit to their involvement in the sects. Mohammed Akar, who says he is closely linked with the sects, tells ISN Security Watch that the tariqats are seeking to build bridges.

        "The main religious sects have entered a positive phase. They have learned more about democracy and how to voice their concerns using democratic tools," Akar said.

        "Especially with the democratic reforms introduced under pressure from the European Union [they have] created a space of freedom. [...] [T]hese religious societies are reaching an understanding of living together with the West and in particular being very supportive of the EU membership process."
        Radical Islam also taking root

        But while these moderate Islamic groups may well be seeking dialogue with the West, the region is also witnessing a resurgence of radical Islamic groups.

        On the main street of the Ofis district of Diyarbakir, Islamic music blasts from a former clothing shop. On the windows are pictures of dead Palestinian children. Now the venue, run by a radical Islamic association, offers cheap food and anti-Western religious propaganda to the city's poor.

        In the last few years, numerous such organizations have sprung up, running publishing houses, charities and foundations. Many are suspected to be linked to the illegal Hizbollah group.

        This Hizbollah is not believed to be connected with the similarly named group in Lebanon, but according to the Turkish police, it does have ties with Iran.

        In the 1990s, the group was responsible for hundreds of deaths in the region. Most victims are believed to have ties with the PKK, referred to by Hizbollah as the "party of the infidel." Liberal intellectuals and moderate Islamists were also targeted. Many of the victims were filmed and recorded being tortured before execution.

        There were numerous allegations of the Turkish state's tacit, if not direct, support of Hizbollah because of its anti-PKK stance. But when it spread its operations to the rest of Turkey, and was blamed for the assassination of the head of Diyarbakir's police Gaffar Okkan, within in a year the Turkish state had arrested or killed most of the group's leadership in 2001.

        But in the last few years, it is believed that Hizbollah followers have re-invented themselves, adopting a non-violent approach. Akar, who has closely followed their activities, says the group's true nature remains unclear.

        "They have buried their guns, shaved off their Muslim beards and dress in a western way. But the guns still remain, I just hope their guns stay buried."

        Even if their guns remain buried their vehement anti-Western message remains. They are engaged in a war for the hearts and minds of the Kurdish people.

        The outcome of that battle remains undecided among local Islamic intellectuals, who spoke to ISN Security Watch on the condition of anonymity.

        "Kurdish people are religious people, but they don't like radical Islam. [...]Kurdish people like and respect other religions, like Armenians, Assyrians or other Christians and xxxish cultures. That's because for a thousand years we have lived with them here."

        But others are not so sure.

        "Kurdish people are religious people. They don't want their religion to be alienated or destroyed by the complete secular values of the west. If the radical movements increase, that will be because of [the policies of the West]."
        The Iraq factor

        The future of Iraq is widely seen as a key factor to dictating the politics of the region. But the presence of US forces in Iraq is still popular among many Turkish Kurds because of the protection they offer to the neighboring Iraqi Kurdish population. Since the end of the first Gulf War, US forces have protected the Iraqi Kurdish enclave on the Turkish border.

        At Diyarbakir's main mosque, the Olu Cami, widespread support for the US can still be found.

        "The US is protecting the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan. They are friends of the Kurdish people. Without the Americans and the West, Kurds can never be free. Leave the Americans alone, they protect our rights," Erkan Dogan, a 45-year-old shopkeeper, told ISN Security Watch

        But dissenting voices can also be heard.

        "The US gives charity with one had but attacks with the other. They are oppressing the Islamic world, the poor, women, children," Mehmet Guney said.

        "Israel and the US are faithless, and enemies of Islam. Islam will rule the world; it is the only true faith."

        Such dissent could to grow as radical Islamic groups continue to take advantage of the on-going carnage in Iraq and the deepening conflict in the Palestinian Territories. But Akar fears for a premature US withdrawal from Iraq.

        "If the European Union process ends, and US abandons Kurds living in Iraq, then everything can change, there can be chaos and you could see a radicalization of Muslims; people could even look to Iran like Hamas in Palestine."

        The predominantly Kurdish southeast is going through a crucial transition. Kurdish secular nationalism, while remaining a powerful force, is now being challenged by a resurgence in Islam. But what direction that resurgence will take is a battle that is being waged between moderates and radicals. With the region bordering Iran, Iraq and Syria, the outcome of that struggle could be far-reaching.


        Dorian L Jones is an Istanbul-based correspondent reporting for ISN Security Watch. He has covered events in Northern Iraq, Turkey and Cyprus. He is also a radio documentary producer.


        The purpose of the Resources section of the CSS website is outreach - i.e., it features the analyses of CSS experts, external partners and like-minded institutions in order to promote dialogue on international relations and security-related issues. CSS Resources is the successor to the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).
        What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

        Comment


        • #24
          Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

          Ankara: What We Expect From Americans!


          TURKISH PRIME MINISTER CALLS FOR URGENT US ACTION AGAINST SEPARATIST KURDISH REBELS
          By Lily Hindy, Associated Press Writer

          Associated Press Worldstream
          September 28, 2007 Friday 4:44 AM GMT

          Turkey's prime minister urged the United States to act against Kurdish
          rebels who have escalated attacks on his country from bases in Iraq,
          warning that continued inaction was harming U.S. relations with its
          key Muslim ally.

          Turkey has become increasingly frustrated with the U.S. for failing to
          live up to promises to tackle separatist guerrillas from the Kurdistan
          Workers' Party or PKK, who have been fleeing across the border into
          Iraq's predominantly Kurdish northern provinces. Turkey massed troops
          on its border with Iraq earlier this year, and officials are debating
          whether to stage a military incursion.

          "Our expectations are very clear on this point. The Iraqi authorities
          and the U.S. must urgently take concrete measures beyond simply
          paying lip service ... unfortunately so far we have not seen any
          concrete steps," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday
          at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

          Under a proposed counterterrorism pact with Iraq, Turkey wants its
          troops to have the right to pursue the rebels across the border,
          according to Turkish media. But the agreement, which was expected to
          be signed on Thursday, has yet to be approved.

          The U.S. considers the PKK a terrorist organization, but officials
          have been reluctant to act for fear of widening the Iraq conflict
          and increasing violence in what has been Iraq's most stable region.

          Iraqi officials, already weary of what they see as domestic challenges
          to their sovereignty, including the U.S. detention of Iranians in the
          north and the recent killing of at least 11 Iraqis by U.S. security
          contractors, are not eager to see yet another foreign force crossing
          over their border.

          Relations have been strained between Washington and Ankara for years,
          mostly over the Iraq war. Turkey, a strategically important NATO ally,
          refused to allow U.S. troops to use its territory to invade Iraq in
          2003 and a recent opinion poll found only 9 percent of Turks had a
          favorable view of America.

          Erdogan voiced support for a timeline on the withdrawal of foreign
          troops from Iraq.

          "If coalition forces announce a timeline, then Iraqi forces will take
          responsibility ... if there's a timeline and training they'll take
          control," he said.

          The issue of a troop withdrawal has been a big factor internationally
          and in the U.S. where support for the war has largely dissipated,
          leaving President George W. Bush struggling to make a case for a
          continued U.S. troop presence in the country.

          Erdogan said he would consider letting the United States withdraw from
          Iraq through Turkey. He said he would have to "assess the situation"
          at the time.

          Bush administration and U.S. military officials have said while Iraqi
          forces are making some gains, they are not yet ready to assume full
          security responsibilities.

          Erdogan also reiterated strong opposition to a U.S. congressional
          resolution introduced in January that would recognize the killings
          of Armenians in the early 1900s as genocide.

          Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
          Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
          by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

          Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that
          the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil
          war and unrest. The United Nations has not recognized the killings
          as a genocide.

          Similar resolutions have been introduced in the U.S. before, but
          were always kept from a full vote by congressional leaders. The Bush
          administration has tried to quash the current resolution because of
          pressure from Turkey.

          "Should this draft reach the floor, and the Congress of our ally pass a
          unilateral, political judgment of no legal bearing on such a sensitive
          and controversial issue which is directly related to my country's
          national conscience, it will seriously impair Turkish-American
          relations with wide-ranging implications in our overall cooperation,"
          said Erdogan.











          Erdogan enlists U.S. xxxs’ support for opposing the Armenian Genocide Resolution
          28.09.2007 15:07 GMT+04:00

          /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s Prime Minister has used a meeting with representatives of the U.S. xxxish community to discuss ways of denial of Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman in 1915. Meeting with representatives of groups including the Conference of Presidents, the Appeal of Conscience, the Foundation, the Anti-Defamation League, the American xxxish Congress, and Bnai Brith International in New York late Wednesday Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the genocide recognition claims as “baseless and not supported by any scientific or historical grounding.”

          "The Prime Minister also recalled Turkey’s call to Armenia to establish a joint commission to study historical facts, and stated that Turkey expected the xxxish community to confirm its support," a statement issued after the meeting said. Following the meeting, Abraham Foxman, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), said that “at times there could be disagreement between friends, referring to the League’s had accepted the events of 1915 as being tantamount to genocide.”

          However, Foxman said that the issue should not be the subject of a resolution of the U.S. Congress.

          "We believe that a matter between Turkey and Armenia related to history should be tackled between the two parties, not in the U.S. Congress or the parliament of any other country," he said. "This is not a political matter and those in the Congress are not historians," he said.

          "I believe that we should focus on the future, not the past. If the xxxish community, the United States and the Congress are willing to assist they should bring together Turkey and Armenia for the grandchildren of the two parties,” he said, NTV MSNBC reports.









          Babacan: PKK, Armenian resolution pose danger to US ties

          Today's Zaman
          22.09.2007

          Turkey's strategic relations with the United States are facing risks
          from the terrorist threat posed by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers'
          Party (PKK) in Iraq and resolutions pending in the US Congress on
          Armenian genocide claims, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan has said.

          Babacan, on a visit to the United States, said it was not possible to
          explain to the Turkish people why the PKK still launches attacks on
          Turkey from its Iraqi bases. "We expect the United States and the
          Iraqi government to take urgent and concrete steps in handing over the
          PKK terrorists to justice," he said in a speech to the Chicago Council
          on Global Affairs on Thursday, according to excerpts published by the
          Anatolia news agency.

          Ankara has long been pressing the United States to take action to
          eliminate the PKK presence in Iraq and the lack of steps so far
          despite Turkish appeals is straining the two countries' decades-old
          alliance. The situation is further complicated by two resolutions
          pending in the US Congress that urge the US administration to
          recognize Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of the Ottoman
          Turks in the beginning of the last century, claims strictly rejected
          by Turkey.

          Babacan said a third party should not play the judge in a dispute like
          this and reminded that Armenian allegations have never been confirmed
          legally or historically. "Slanders targeting Turkey have always showed
          up in the political arena," he said in his speech. "We want the US
          Congress to not take any side in historical matters like this and we
          want common sense to win in the end. This is a matter between Turks
          and Armenians and can be resolved by frank and sincere dialogue
          between the two sides."

          Turkey's hopes that the resolutions will be blocked in the Congress
          received a major blow last month when an influential US xxxish group,
          the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), revised its long-standing stance and
          said the World War I events amounted to genocide. Other xxxish groups
          still stick to their position of not supporting the genocide charges.

          In Chicago, Babacan met with representatives of US xxxish groups
          including the ADL and the American xxxish Federation. In the meeting,
          Babacan reiterated that passage of the resolutions would harm both
          Turkish-US relations and Turkish-Israeli relations. Representatives of
          the xxxish groups, including those of the ADL, insisted at the meeting
          that they were against the resolutions in the Congress. They also
          raised concerns over Iran's nuclear program, while Turkey said its
          recent energy deal with Iran should be considered as part of its
          policy of diversification of energy sources. In his speech at the
          Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Babacan said Turkey has been urging
          Iran to be transparent about its nuclear program and said Ankara could
          play a role in passing the international community's messages to Iran
          as well as Syria, emphasizing that isolating these two countries would
          be wrong.

          The foreign minister also gave assurances that Turkey would continue
          its efforts to become a member of the European Union, saying Turkish
          membership will prove the clash of civilizations thesis to be wrong.
          He also said Turkey was in a process of fast transition, emphasizing
          that it is seeking to become the tenth biggest economy of the world by
          2023 and that people are already speaking of Turkey as "Europe's
          China."

          22.09.2007
          Today's Zaman İstanbul

          Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/de...ay&link=122847

          Last edited by Siamanto; 09-30-2007, 11:25 AM.
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          Comment


          • #25
            Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

            The Jerusalem Report
            October 15, 2007

            TREASURING TURKEY?


            by Alon Liel


            Diplomacy sometimes resembles physics. Even the hardest materials can
            only stand a given amount of pressure and the same is true of
            bilateral relations. The Israeli-Turkish bond, so meaningful and
            stable during the 1990s, is now under severe pressure, and if things
            are not quickly reversed, we could soon see some serious cracks.

            Although the two countries had cooperated secretly on intelligence
            issues since the late 1950s, the 1990s were unprecedented in
            Israeli-Turkish relations, due mainly to the progress in Israel's
            acceptance in the Middle East. The 1991 Madrid peace conference led
            to the upgrading of ties to ambassadorial level.

            The 1993 Israeli-Palestinian declaration of principles completely
            broke the ice between Ankara and Jerusalem, generating high-level
            visits and a series of military and economic agreements. In early
            1996, the two countries signed a free trade agreement that was
            followed by a decision to grant Israel a contract to upgrade 170
            Turkish army tanks. The 1990s also witnessed a constant growth in the
            volume of Israeli tourism to Turkey, and a meaningful increase in
            bilateral trade. After the horrific earthquake in the Istanbul region
            in August 1999, Israel was quick to provide massive and effective
            help. By the end of the 1990s, Turkish public sympathy towards Israel
            was at an all-time high. That this should be the case in a powerful
            Muslim state was a major regional coup.

            The first decade of the 21st century, however, has been very
            different. The deterioration of ties with Israel started with
            then-education minister Yossi Sarid promising in April 2000 to teach
            Israeli children about the genocide allegedly committed by the Turks
            against the Armenians during the First World War, a highly
            inflammatory and sensitive issue in Turkey. Soon afterwards, the
            second Palestinian intifada broke out, and the high Palestinian death
            toll roused anti-Israeli feelings throughout the Muslim world.

            At the height of the intifada, in November 2002 an Islamist leader,
            Recep Tayip Erdogan, won an overwhelming victory in Turkish
            elections. Eighteen months later, outraged at the Israeli
            assassination of two senior Hamas leaders, Ahmad Yassin and Abdel
            Aziz Rantisi in March and April 2004, Prime Minister Erdogan started
            describing Israeli policy towards the Palestinians as "state
            terrorism." Things continued to go wrong. During 2004, Prime Minister
            Ariel Sharon rejected an offer from Erdogan to mediate between Israel
            and Syria. A Turkish proposal to sell water to Israel was scuttled by
            the Treasury, and large water projects granted to Israeli companies
            in southeast Turkey collapsed. The years 2005-6 saw repeated media
            stories about Israeli companies granting military assistance to the
            Kurds in northern Iraq, much to the annoyance of the authorities in
            Ankara, troubled by the demands of their own Kurdish minority.

            During July and August this year, things went from bad to worse. This
            period was dominated by tension between Ankara and major xxxish
            organizations in the United States, which decided to change their
            attitude towards the Armenian tragedy, defining it, for the first
            time, as "genocide," and thereby triggering Turkish protests to
            Jerusalem, misguidedly seen as somehow responsible for the xxxish
            organizations' conduct.

            All these new tensions came to a head on the night between September
            5th and 6th, when Israeli warplanes allegedly attacked Syria,
            Turkey's friendly neighbor, in unexplained circumstances. On their
            way back, according to the Turks, the Israeli aircraft violated
            Turkish airspace without notification or explanation. The new Turkish
            Foreign Minister, Ali Babacan, described the Israeli attack as
            "unacceptable" and one of his senior diplomats euphemistically
            labeled Israel's subsequent conduct as "unprofessional." It seemed as
            if Israel had forgotten that its ties with Turkey are based on a
            close military bond, and that compromising that special link could be
            extremely counterproductive.

            If the attack on Syria had a convincing explanation - media reports
            have said it was against a plant making nuclear devices with North
            Korean input - why did Israel's best friend in the Middle East not
            receive a good, real-time briefing on it? Israel needs to change its
            mindset on Turkey. It must come to terms with the fact that since
            July 2007, with the election of Abdullah Gul as president, the
            Islamist "Justice and Development" party is in total control of the
            Turkish political scene. Turkey's ties with the Islamic world are
            constantly improving and all Israel needs to do to lose its special
            status in Ankara is to supply the pretext.

            Will the reported attack on Syria provide the excuse? In order to
            prevent this from happening, Israel must make a special effort to
            regain Ankara's confidence. Losing Turkey's friendship could have
            devastating regional implications for Israel and possibly even for
            the U.S., which seems likely to further insult the Turks by not
            inviting them to the planned Middle East peace conference in the
            fall. American and Israeli statesmen need to focus not only on how to
            punish Iran and Syria for their misdeeds, but also on how to avoid
            losing Turkey, which has been one of the West's staunchest allies
            since World War II.


            Dr. Alon Liel, a former Foreign Ministry director general, served as
            Israel's charge d'affaires in Turkey during the 1980s.



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            Comment


            • #26
              Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

              ISLAMIST TURKEY WILL HAVE TO FORGET THE EU

              PanARMENIAN.Net
              02.10.2007 18:13 GMT+04:00

              /PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I am a devout Catholic. However, I do not let
              religion interfere with politics. I understand the fear in some Turks'
              hearts. If Turkey wants to be a part of Europe, state and religion
              should be separate," PACE President Rene van der Linden said

              "If Turkey inclines towards becoming an Islamic state, EU membership
              will be a dream," he said.

              He made four significant warnings in a period when the debates on
              both the headscarf and secularism are already hot.

              "First, if Turkey is inclined to be an Islamic state, forget the
              EU. Second, if the change in the constitution is not compatible with
              the European Agreement, we will take it under investigation at the
              Venice Commission. Third, those that feel subject to pressure to wear a
              headscarf should apply to the European Court of Human Rights. Fourth,
              Universities objecting to the ban on wearing headscarves can also
              apply to the European Court of Human Rights," he said in an interview
              with Sabah newspaper.

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              • #27
                Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

                France, Turkey agree to mend fences despite EU spat

                Agence France Presse
                Oct 5 2007

                ANKARA (AFP) — France and Turkey said Friday they would work to mend fences and seek closer cooperation, despite lingering disputes over Ankara's EU membership bid and the Armenian massacres of the Ottoman era.

                "We share a desire to improve our ties in every field... I see our talks today as the beginning of a new impetus in bilateral relations," Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said after talks with visiting French counterpart Bernard Kouchner.

                Kouchner was the highest-level French official to visit Ankara since Nicolas Sarkozy, a staunch opponent of Turkey's bid to join the European Union, was elected president in May.

                Sarkozy argues that most of Turkey's territory is in Asia and that the idea of a united Europe would be diluted if its borders stretch that far. He has instead proposed a close partnership agreement with Turkey.

                Ankara has slammed Sarkozy's stance, insisting that full membership is the the only objective of its accession talks.

                Pledging that Turkey would pursue its democratic reforms to catch up with European norms, Babacan stressed that "we expect the EU to stay loyal to the promises that it has made to Turkey."

                Kouchner said the talks had laid the ground for an extensive dialogue on Turkey's EU aspirations.

                "Our relations had cooled a bit. I hope they will warm up in the coming days," he said.

                Kouchner said he hoped a French bill passed in October 2006 calling for jail sentences for those who deny that Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians during World War I would not stand in the way of improving ties.

                Turkey has threatened unspecified measures against the bill, which followed a 2001 French parliament resolution, which had already poisoned bilateral ties, recognising the killings as genocide.

                In a newspaper interview published Friday, Kouchner insisted that Turkey's EU accession talks were an "open-ended" process that did not guarantee membership.

                Sarkozy told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York last month that the negotiations would lead to closer ties between Turkey and the EU, "even though we disagree on the ultimate goal of these talks," Kouchner told Milliyet.

                "Therefore, everything is open-ended today," he said, adding that a debate on the future of Europe was also needed.

                Turkey conducted far-reaching reforms to win the green light for accession talks in October 2005 despite strong opposition in European public opinion, notably in France.

                Last year, its bid took a serious blow when the EU, in response to Ankara's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus, suspended talks in eight of 35 policy areas candidates must negotiate.

                Kouchner said France wants to cooperate with Turkey in the field of energy in particular and would try to overcome Turkish opposition to the participation of Gaz de France (GDF) in the Nabucco pipeline project to carry natural gas from the Middle East and Central Asia to the EU via Turkey and the Balkans.

                "This is a very important issue for France and I hope for speedy progress," he told Milliyet.

                The Turkish gas company BOTAS is reportedly blocking GDF's inclusion in the project in retaliation for the Armenian genocide bill.

                Kouchner said France also backs a strong Turkish role in resolving regional issues such as the turmoil in Iraq, the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, the instability in Lebanon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

                Kouchner was to meet Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul before wrapping up his visit late Friday.


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                Comment


                • #28
                  Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

                  WILSON CONFESSES US NOT DOING ENOUGH ABOUT PKK

                  Turkish Daily News, Turkey
                  Oct 5 2007

                  U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson late Wednesday condemned the
                  latest terrorist attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party
                  (PKK), admitting the attacks showed that the United States was not
                  doing enough to fight the terrorist group.

                  "I condemn those attacks and other terrorist attacks that are occurring
                  on a daily basis throughout the world. They are reminders that none of
                  us is doing enough or working as effectively as we should to combat
                  terrorism," said Wilson, who attended a fast-breaking (iftar) dinner
                  hosted by the Confederation of Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists
                  (TUSKON) in Istanbul.

                  The ambassador said he mourned for all the victims of the terrorist
                  attacks in Turkey including those brutally murdered last weekend in
                  Şırnak and this week in İzmir.

                  "I am saddened that Turkey's allies, including the United States,
                  are not doing, or are not seen as doing, all they should now on the
                  PKK," he added.

                  "I am determined, and (U.S.) President (George W.) Bush is determined,
                  that we will be more effective in the future with our Turkish allies
                  in preventing terrorism here and elsewhere," he said.

                  Wilson emphasized that the struggle against terrorism was a defining
                  issue of the 21st century all over the world and said: "We must
                  not let terrorists and our other enemies divide us; that is their
                  objective. We must stand together, and we must prevail."

                  On the genocide resolution before the U.S. House of Representatives,
                  the ambassador repeated that the Bush administration strongly opposed
                  it and was working against it with speed and energy.

                  "Political determinations on these events will not honor the past as
                  much as dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation among Turks
                  and Armenians will," he said and expressed belief that the resolution
                  will not pass.

                  "Whatever happens, and I hope and believe this resolution will not pass
                  in the House, it will have no effect on the policy of the United States
                  government, and the imperative for the United States and Turkey to work
                  together on our many vital common interests will not change," he added.

                  Wilson met with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday. The
                  meeting was closed to the press.

                  -----------
                  Copyright 2007, Turkish Daily News. This article is redistributed with
                  permission for personal use of Groong readers. No part of this article
                  may be reproduced, further distributed or archived without the prior
                  permission of the publisher. Contact Turkish Daily News Online at
                  http://www.TurkishDailyNews.com for details.


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                  Comment


                  • #29
                    Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

                    THE PROBLEM: COMMON HISTORY AND PARTICULAR IDENTITY
                    By Dogu Ergil

                    Today's Zaman, Turkey
                    Oct 7 2007

                    "Identity" has become the center of focus of both politics and
                    social science lately. Until recently, we were talking about national
                    identity in particular and "Western" and "non-Western" identities in
                    general. However, today we are talking about multiple identities both
                    as individuals and as groups. For some, this is a great danger to the
                    unity of the nation; for others, it is an awakening for coming to terms
                    with the plural realities of our own lives as well as our society's.

                    Nonetheless, how we learn history and how our collective lives
                    are shaped by it is very important in our personal and collective
                    development. For example, we Turks were educated believing that:

                    1- We migrated from Central Asia and settled in Anatolia as if it
                    was a vacant piece of land. Such a belief is based on the premise
                    that there was no fusion of cultures and mixture of races.

                    2- We are a uniform nation with no diversity or hierarchy; state and
                    society are one entity.

                    3- We are an oppressed nation (totally disregarding our imperial
                    past that dominated continents and a sundry of conquered peoples)
                    that has been delivered from the yoke of Western imperialism through
                    the War of Independence (1919-1922). So being on constant watch for
                    foreign intervention and sinister plans to divide our country has
                    been a national preoccupation that has reached the dimensions of
                    collective paranoia.

                    Our educational system has been influenced by these assumptions and
                    fears. The Turkish history curriculum revolves around developing a
                    unified national identity and provides few opportunities for students
                    to examine diversity within or outside the country. The creation of
                    a sense of national identity is at the core of the social studies
                    curriculum from the earliest years of schooling all the way through
                    high school. This takes place not only through overt nationalism
                    or patriotic indoctrination, but through repeated and systematic
                    attention to national origins that is built on semi-mythical stories
                    of victories and larger-than-life heroes. Defeats, failures and the
                    failing leaders are deliberately omitted, creating a void in the face
                    of reality that does not correspond with this glorified narrative.

                    Schools avoid issues of cultural, religious and ethnic diversity and
                    thus do little to help students move beyond the bonds of their own
                    political/religious communities and build transcendental visions of
                    living together in harmony. A more productive way of incorporating
                    diversity into the history curriculum would involve attention to
                    the reality of interlocked communities with ethnic and religious
                    differences in the nation's past. This could help promote pluralism
                    and democracy.

                    Teachers and their pupils repeatedly use first person pronouns like we,
                    us and our when discussing the nation's past. The events they select
                    as historically significant are those that established the country's
                    political origins, marked it off as unique from other nations and led
                    to its current demographic makeup, which is ethnically and religiously
                    rather homogeneous. However, the story they tell of the nation's
                    past is one that denies progress. While history is turned into a
                    fabricated fiction, problems that have been lingering from the past
                    cannot be solved because they are not understood at all. Take the
                    Armenian and Kurdish problems: There is no place for them in Turkish
                    historiography -- that is why both issues have become dilemmas for
                    us that are hard to comprehend and hard to deal with.

                    The end result is the syndrome of "split social consciousness and
                    multiple histories." It is no wonder that Kurds and Armenians or even
                    those of Turkish origin who identify themselves as Muslims first have
                    a different historical narrative than the one taught in school.

                    It is not history education that dwells on diversity as a historical
                    reality, but this artificial uniformity that threatens national
                    solidarity that could have been born out of citizens' consensus,
                    living together and respecting differences. On the contrary, minority
                    students encounter alternative and politicized accounts of the
                    national past in their homes and communities. This bifurcation born
                    out of a common history lived through the prism of particular group
                    experiences divides the lives and minds of many students/citizens
                    creating identities that are mutually exclusive. This is not only
                    painful on the individual level, it is harmful for national unity in
                    that it bolsters sectarian perspectives.

                    Indeed, students who are confused with this bifurcation, particularly
                    those from minority backgrounds, eventually come to reject national
                    identification because the official story of the past excludes or
                    minimizes their own backgrounds. Nor does this kind of narrow history
                    help students develop an understanding of the perspectives of people
                    from backgrounds other than their own.

                    If Turkey is going to be a pluralist democracy, it must promote a
                    national identity that encourages inclusiveness and diversity that
                    do not dismiss other identities important to its citizens. It would
                    also mean a greater emphasis on events that have led to broader
                    participation in the nation's life by groups omitted from history
                    and narratives of national development.


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                    Comment


                    • #30
                      Re: Temporarily So Called Turkey and the World: Perceptions, Relations...

                      KURDISH REBELS KILL 13 TURKISH SOLDIERS
                      By Dan Murphy

                      Christian Science Monitor
                      Attacks near Iraq border raise tensions with potentially crucial Middle East peacemaker.

                      Oct 8 2007

                      Attacks near Iraq border raise tensions with potentially crucial
                      Middle East peacemaker.

                      Cairo - The Associated Press reports that members of a separatist
                      Kurdish group killed 13 Turkish soldiers near the country's southern
                      border with Iraqi Kurdistan on Sunday, raising tensions at a border
                      that separates America's staunchest allies in Iraq, the Kurds, with
                      Turkey, another key US ally.

                      Turkey has been pressing Iraq and the United States to hit the bases
                      of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, and has
                      considered a unilateral military operation across the border to root
                      out the rebels.

                      An operation to track down the rebels was under way, and troops
                      shelled areas near the border to try to prevent rebels from reaching
                      their bases in northern Iraq, the statement said.

                      Turkey signed a counterterrorism pact with Iraq in September and had
                      demanded it be allowed to send its troops to Iraq's north to pursue
                      the Kurdish rebels. But Iraq did not agree to the demand under pressure
                      from the leaders of its semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

                      "We are not concerned with this issue because these clashes and
                      shelling happened inside Turkish territories. This is a Turkish
                      internal problem," Jamal Abdullah, a spokesman for the government of
                      Iraq's Kurdish region, said after Sunday's attack.

                      The Guardian newspaper of Britain says pressure is growing on Prime
                      Minister Tayyip Erdogan to take unilateral action in northern Iraq,
                      since many Turkish leaders believe the semiautonomous Iraqi Kurds
                      are protecting the Kurdish separatists.

                      The Turkish cabinet met today amid heightened pressure to hit back
                      at Kurdish separatists in Iraq after 13 soldiers were killed in an
                      ambush yesterday, and two more today.

                      Three others were also wounded today in the separate attacks in
                      south-eastern Turkey, which followed yesterday's death toll, the
                      worst the Turkish military has suffered at the hands of Kurdish forces
                      in years.

                      Mr. Erdogan has come under intense pressure from the military to be
                      allowed to hit PKK bases in northern Iraq. But the US and Iraq have
                      urged him to hold his military in check for fear that a big incursion
                      would destabilize northern Iraq, an area of relative calm compared
                      with the rest of the country.

                      In an editorial, Lebanon's Daily Star argues that Turkey could become
                      a crucial player in Middle East peacemaking efforts, as long as steps
                      are avoided that might alienate them.

                      Given the webs of countries that do and do not talk to one another in
                      or about the Middle East, no one is better-placed than the Turks to
                      defuse tensions by opening up new channels of communication. Turkey
                      is on good terms with both the United States and Israel, and although
                      its bid to join the European Union is an uncertain prospect, its
                      relations with several key European countries are solid. In addition,
                      Ankara has strengthened ties in recent years with both Damascus and
                      another of Washington's favorite whipping boys, Tehran.

                      Since it is both an increasingly crucial source of foreign investment
                      for Iran and controls the taps for much of Syria's water resources,
                      Turkey is obviously capable of helping to coerce its neighbors.

                      They must, however, have an incentive to do so if anyone expects them
                      be helpful. Further isolation is likely only to make them feel more
                      threatened - and therefore more determined to undermine US and/or
                      Israeli policies across the Middle East.

                      The US relationship with Iraq's Kurds has also been strained of late,
                      with Kurdish officials in northern Iraq protesting against the US
                      detention of five Iranian diplomats that had been visiting Iraq at
                      the request of the Kurdish regional government.

                      On Monday, Iran opened border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan that had
                      been closed for weeks in protest of the detentions, the Associated
                      Press reports.

                      The Iraqis have found themselves caught between two allies as they
                      struggle to balance the interests of their main sponsor the U.S.

                      military and Iran, a major regional ally. Iran holds considerable
                      sway in Iraq as both countries have majority Shiite populations and
                      many members of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's ruling Shiite
                      bloc have close ties with Tehran.

                      The border points, which had been shut down on Sept. 24, were reopened
                      after a Kurdish delegation traveled to Iran to complain the region
                      should not be punished for something the Americans did. Iraqi and
                      Iranian authorities have claimed that the detained Iranian, Mahmoud
                      Farhadi, was in Iraq on official business and demanded his release.

                      Meanwhile, US-Turkish ties are also being strained over a bill now
                      in the US Congress that would label the massacres of ethnic Armenians
                      in what was then Ottoman Turkey a "genocide," Reuters reports.

                      The Bush administration opposes a genocide resolution, but Congress
                      is dominated by the Democratic Party, and, according to Turkish media,
                      the Foreign Relations Committee will take up the issue on October 10.

                      "(The bill) would harm our strategic relationship ... and also
                      damage efforts to develop relations between Turkey and Armenia,"
                      the state-run Anatolian news agency quoted [Prime Minister] Tayyip
                      Erdogan as telling Bush in a telephone call.

                      Some political analysts say Ankara might consider restricting the
                      U.S. military's use of Incirlik Air Base, a logistics hub for the
                      Middle East, if Congress passes the bill.

                      Some Turkish politicians say the country has options to make life
                      difficult for the United States if the resolution passes, according
                      to a report in Today's Zaman, a Turkish English-language newspaper.

                      "We are not helpless if this resolution is passed," said Onur Oymen,
                      senior lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party
                      (CHP) and former diplomat, in a phone interview with Today's Zaman
                      yesterday. He noted that Turkey had responded to a US decision to
                      impose a military embargo on Turkey following the Turkish intervention
                      in Cyprus in 1974 by blocking US access to all bases in its territory.

                      According to Oymen the US may lose a major route for logistics
                      supplies for US troops in Iraq if Turkey decides to stop cooperating
                      with Washington on Iraq, another possible measure to retaliate a
                      congressional approval of the "genocide resolution."



                      ........




                      WILSON CONFESSES US NOT DOING ENOUGH ABOUT PKK

                      Turkish Daily News, Turkey
                      Oct 5 2007

                      U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson late Wednesday condemned the
                      latest terrorist attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party
                      (PKK), admitting the attacks showed that the United States was not
                      doing enough to fight the terrorist group.

                      "I condemn those attacks and other terrorist attacks that are occurring
                      on a daily basis throughout the world. They are reminders that none of
                      us is doing enough or working as effectively as we should to combat
                      terrorism," said Wilson, who attended a fast-breaking (iftar) dinner
                      hosted by the Confederation of Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists
                      (TUSKON) in Istanbul.

                      The ambassador said he mourned for all the victims of the terrorist
                      attacks in Turkey including those brutally murdered last weekend in
                      Şırnak and this week in İzmir.

                      "I am saddened that Turkey's allies, including the United States,
                      are not doing, or are not seen as doing, all they should now on the
                      PKK," he added.

                      "I am determined, and (U.S.) President (George W.) Bush is determined,
                      that we will be more effective in the future with our Turkish allies
                      in preventing terrorism here and elsewhere," he said.

                      Wilson emphasized that the struggle against terrorism was a defining
                      issue of the 21st century all over the world and said: "We must
                      not let terrorists and our other enemies divide us; that is their
                      objective. We must stand together, and we must prevail."

                      On the genocide resolution before the U.S. House of Representatives,
                      the ambassador repeated that the Bush administration strongly opposed
                      it and was working against it with speed and energy.

                      "Political determinations on these events will not honor the past as
                      much as dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation among Turks
                      and Armenians will," he said and expressed belief that the resolution
                      will not pass.

                      "Whatever happens, and I hope and believe this resolution will not pass
                      in the House, it will have no effect on the policy of the United States
                      government, and the imperative for the United States and Turkey to work
                      together on our many vital common interests will not change," he added.

                      Wilson met with Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan yesterday. The
                      meeting was closed to the press.

                      -----------
                      Copyright 2007, Turkish Daily News. This article is redistributed with
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                      may be reproduced, further distributed or archived without the prior
                      permission of the publisher. Contact Turkish Daily News Online at
                      http://www.TurkishDailyNews.com for details.


                      What if I find someone else when looking for you? My soul shivers as the idea invades my mind.

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