Cyprus-Forum.com

[Lit]

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php? ... 2009-11-07

Al-Bashir should be arrested, not invited
Font Size: Larger|Smaller
Saturday, November 7, 2009
JOOST LAGENDİJK

He is back in town. Omar Hassan al-Bashir, president of Sudan, against whom the International Criminal Court, or ICC, has issued an arrest warrant, has been invited to a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, in Istanbul. Last year, al-Bashir visited Turkey twice and despite national and international protests the Turkish government seems to have no intention at all of changing its policy on allowing a person into the country that is under strong suspicion of being responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

First the facts. Between 2003 and 2008, according to United Nations estimates, 300,000 people were killed in Darfur, a region in Sudan where armed groups oppose the central government. A campaign against these rebels was organized that included unlawful attacks on that part of the civilian population of Darfur perceived to be close to the organized armed groups. In March 2009, the ICC found that al-Bashir, as the de jure and de facto president of Sudan and commander-in-chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, is suspected of having coordinated the design and implementation of that campaign.

Until today, 110 countries have ratified the Rome Statute establishing the ICC. The Court will only intervene if national legal systems are unable or unwilling to do so. The Court can automatically exercise jurisdiction over crimes committed on the territory of a state that is a member of the ICC or by a national of that state. ICC members must cooperate with the court, including surrendering suspects when requested to do so by the court. Turkey has not yet ratified the Rome Statute despite promises made by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan dating back to 2004.

Second the ethics. All around the word people wonder how it is possible that Turkey, a country aspiring to join the European Union, acts against basic EU values by allowing al-Bashir to travel back and forth. How can Erdoğan accuse the rest of the world of being too soft on Israel after that country’s crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and at the same time host a person who is avoiding facing international justice for the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur? How can Turkey, as a member of the UN Security Council, or UNSC, dismiss explicit calls on all Security Council members to arrest al-Bashir and simply disobey UNSC Resolution 1593, which expressly urges all states, whether party or not to the Rome Statute, to “cooperate fully” with the ICC?

These double standards are often explained by referring to some sort of perverted Muslim solidarity between the ruling AKP and the Sudanese regime. On top of that, analysts say Ankara’s latest welcome for al-Bashir is as much about economic interests as ideology. A few days ago, The Wall Street Journal quoted Turkish ministers on the rapidly growing trade volume between the two countries and gave examples of Turkish companies providing uniforms to the Sudanese army and lobbying hard for billon-dollar contracts in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. According to the newspaper, many of the Turkish businessmen involved are close to the AKP.

Let there be no misunderstanding. The ongoing fuss about al-Bashir’s visits to Turkey harms the country’s international standing and reputation. To get out of this weird and damaging situation Turkey should proceed to do the following as soon as possible: 1. Make it clear that from now on the Sudanese president is absolutely unwelcome, 2. Hand him over to the ICC when and if he should enter Turkey in the future, 3. Ratify the Rome Statute and recognize the judicial power of the ICC.

Turkey should show solidarity with decent democrats, not with crooks.

[Lit]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134297

Erdogan: Israel Worse than Sudan, 'Muslims Don't Cause Genocide'

(IsraelNN.com) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Israel on Sunday as he came to the defense of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who faces worldwide condemnation for the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of his country.

Addressing members of his party, Erdogan said he preferred meeting with Bashir over meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “I wouldn't be able to speak with Netanyahu so comfortably as I would with Bashir,” he was quoted by Turkish media as saying. “I would say to [Bashir's] face, 'What you've done is wrong.'”

Erdogan's remark joined several other recent anti-Israel statements that have led to a cooling of ties between Israel and Turkey in recent months.

Erdogan claimed to know that Bashir is innocent, and that there is no genocide taking place in Sudan. “A Muslim can never commit genocide,” he said in explanation. “It's not possible.”

The Turkish PM added that he had visited Darfur and did not see evidence of genocide during his trip.

Bashir announced Sunday that he would postpone a planned visit in Turkey, where he was to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). While Turkish media reported that Bashir may come on Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday, the Reuters news service reported that Bashir's visit had been canceled due to an international arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity.

The United Nations and international activist groups believe that up to 300,000 people have been killed in fighting in Sudan's Darfur regions, where they say government-backed Arab Muslim militias are slaughtering local black African Muslims. The Sudanese government denies committing genocide.

[Cypriot Nick]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134297

Erdogan: Israel Worse than Sudan, 'Muslims Don't Cause Genocide'

(IsraelNN.com) Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at Israel on Sunday as he came to the defense of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who faces worldwide condemnation for the genocide taking place in the Darfur region of his country.

Addressing members of his party, Erdogan said he preferred meeting with Bashir over meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “I wouldn't be able to speak with Netanyahu so comfortably as I would with Bashir,” he was quoted by Turkish media as saying. “I would say to [Bashir's] face, 'What you've done is wrong.'”

Erdogan's remark joined several other recent anti-Israel statements that have led to a cooling of ties between Israel and Turkey in recent months.

Erdogan claimed to know that Bashir is innocent, and that there is no genocide taking place in Sudan. “A Muslim can never commit genocide,” he said in explanation. “It's not possible.”

The Turkish PM added that he had visited Darfur and did not see evidence of genocide during his trip.

Bashir announced Sunday that he would postpone a planned visit in Turkey, where he was to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). While Turkish media reported that Bashir may come on Monday or Tuesday instead of Sunday, the Reuters news service reported that Bashir's visit had been canceled due to an international arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity.

The United Nations and international activist groups believe that up to 300,000 people have been killed in fighting in Sudan's Darfur regions, where they say government-backed Arab Muslim militias are slaughtering local black African Muslims. The Sudanese government denies committing genocide.

From the BBC:

'Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned the charges against Mr Bashir and said that "no Muslim could perpetrate a genocide", according to Turkey's Anatolia news agency.

"If there was such a thing (a genocide), we could talk about it face to face with President Bashir," he was quoted as saying.

The ICC arrest warrant accuses Mr Bashir of running a campaign of genocide that killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through a "slow death" and of forcing 2.5 million to flee their homes in Darfur. '

I question Erdogan's mental state after such utterances.
However, Bashir's trip is off so perhaps what Erdogan says in public and does in private are two seperate things....

[Lit]

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll ... 99821/1002

Turkey’s political ties questioned as al Bashir cancels summit visit

Thomas Seibert, Foreign Correspondent

* Last Updated: November 09. 2009 10:37PM UAE / November 9. 2009 6:37PM GMT

ISTANBUL // The decision of Sudan’s president Hassan Omar al Bashir not to attend a summit of Islamic states in Istanbul may have helped host country Turkey to overcome a potentially embarrassing situation. But the episode itself, as well as reactions of the Turkish leadership to EU criticism, are likely to rekindle a debate about whether Ankara’s ties to the West are loosening.

Mr al Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), in connection with war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Darfur region, was expected to arrive in Istanbul late on Sunday for an economic summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, or OIC. But he told Abdullah Gul, the Turkish president that he would not come in order to address domestic issues, the Sudanese news agency SUNA said on its website.

“The Turkish President accepted the apology of President al Bashir and expressed his hope that President al Bashir will visit Turkey shortly,” the agency reported. Mr al Bashir was not in danger of being arrested in Istanbul. Turkey is not part of the ICC and does not regard itself bound by arrest warrants issued by the court.

Turkey last week came under international pressure not to host Mr al Bashir. Human rights groups in Turkey said they would stage protests against the visit, while the European Union, which Turkey wants to join, also asked Ankara not to welcome the Sudanese president.

The US government called on Turkey to send messages to Sudan that should be “consistent with ours and with our European friends”.

With pressure mounting, Mr Gul let the Sudanese government know that a visit by Mr al Bashir would “cause problems”, Milliyet, a Turkish newspaper, reported yesterday.

Even if Mr Bashir had stuck to his planned visit to Istanbul, Mr Gul would not have met him for a bilateral meeting, the daily said. “The Sudanese see and understand well the difficulties,” a high-ranking Turkish diplomat told Agence France-Presse.

But the Sudanese delegation at the Istanbul meeting told Turkish media yesterday that there had been no “advice” coming from Turkey concerning Mr al Bashir’s visit and that the president had stayed at home to look for a solution in a dispute between his ruling National Congress Party and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement.

Whatever the real reason behind Mr al Bashir’s decision not to fly to Istanbul, Turkey’s leaders did not hide their anger about what they saw as interference by the EU.

“What do they meddle in this for?” Mr Gul asked in reference to the Europeans. “This is not a bilateral visit,” he told Turkish journalists two days before Mr al Bashir dropped his travel plans.

Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, defended Mr al Bashir against the accusation of genocide in Darfur, in statements that observers said are likely to raise new questions about Turkey’s foreign policy course.

Answering questions on TRT, Turkey’s state-run television channel, Mr Erdogan said he himself visited Darfur three years ago. “We could not find evidence of genocide there,” he said. “It is not possible that a man who has committed himself to our religion, Islam, commits genocide.” Mr Erdogan also renewed his criticism of Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip.

By giving strong support to Mr al Bashir, Mr Erdogan had “poured gasoline” on the ongoing debate about Turkey’s place in the world, wrote Semih Idiz, a foreign policy columnist with Milliyet.

After Turkey strengthened ties with Syria and Iran, while at the same time cancelling a military exercise with Israel recently, some western observers had wondered whether Mr Erdogan’s government would steer the only Muslim Nato country away from the West.

Mr Gul and other top politicians in Ankara denied this, saying Turkey was looking towards the West as well as the East. “In this event, Turkey has been stuck between the two worlds,” Idiz wrote about the debate surrounding Mr al Bashir’s visit.

Taha Akyol, another Milliyet columnist, said Turkey had to decide which values to apply to its foreign policy. “Yes, al Bashir visited seven countries, like Egypt, Saudi-Arabia and Zimbabwe, after the arrest warrant against him had been issued,” Akyol wrote. “But does Turkey want to be a country that has the same ‘standards’ like those countries, does it want to become the eighth country that al Bashir visits?”

Several Turkish newspapers also criticised Mr Erdogan for saying that it was unthinkable for a Muslim to commit genocide. If the prime minister wanted to express the idea that genocide was incompatible with Islam, he was right, wrote Ahmet Hakan in Hurriyet. But if Mr Erdogan wanted to say that a Muslims simply would never commit a crime like genocide, then he was wrong. “Yes, Muslims do commit genocides and murders,” Hakan wrote.