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[boomerang]

US backing international terrorists: Turkish PM Erdogan
Friday October 15, 2010 (1054 PST)

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the US was supporting some common enemies of Pakistan and Turkey and the time has come to unmask them and act together.
In an exclusive chat with this correspondent in the presence of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Turkish prime minister very candidly answered critical questions not only about Turkey-Pakistan relations but also on some other important issues before leaving Pakistan on Tuesday night.

The Turkish premier said that the people of Pakistan should not fight with each other and they must concentrate on rehabilitation of 20 million flood victims. “Instability and infighting will only help your enemies who are looking for an opportunity to use Pakistanis against Pakistanis.

“If you will not understand the evil designs of your enemies then what will be the future of 20 million flood victims of Pakistan, who will help them if you start fighting with each other,” Erdogan warned.

He said that Pakistan,Turkey, Afghanistan and Iran have a common future, security of one country lies in the security of others but our enemies are creating problems for us. He said: “Pakistan is my second home and I am concerned about the internal situation of my second home”.

He insisted that Pakistan and Turkey must play a decisive role to stabilise Afghanistan. He said that both Pakistan and Turkey suffered from military dictators who were always supported by the USA; politicians were hanged by military regimes in both countries, and both the countries are fighting against terrorism these days. Erdogan said: “We have common problems and common solutions, military dictatorships have always created problems and democracy is a common solution”.

When asked why no military dictator has ever not been tried in courts of Turkey and Pakistan, he said: “I don’t support hanging any military dictator but law must take its action against all those who abrogated constitution”. He said that some foreign hands are supporting terrorists in Pakistan and Turkey directly and also through some NGO’s.

Erdogan was very hard on the “double standards” of the USA and said that a recent Israeli attack on a Turkish ship Freedom Flotilla have unmasked the so-called civilised face of Washington who openly and shamelessly supported the state terrorism of Israel. “Nine Turkish martyrs on the ship received 21 bullets from Israeli soldiers in their bodies, we provided post mortem reports and even the pictures to the EU and USA but Washington is not ready to condemn the state terrorism of Israel against Turkey which means that the USA is supporting an international terrorist who killed our citizens in international waters”.

When asked that Turkey have diplomatic relations with Israel and what would be his advice to Pakistan for making diplomatic relations with Israel, Erdogan responded very carefully and said that “despite diplomatic relations Israel never behaved like a civilised country with Turkey and I cannot give any advice to my Pakistani brothers; it is their right to decide about making relations with Israel”. Erdogan said that Pakistan and India must resolve Kashmir dispute by peaceful talks. “You need strong political will for resolving Kashmir dispute,” he added.

During the conversation of the Turkish prime minister with this scribe, Yusuf Raza Gilani also suggested a question that “what is the procedure for the appointment of judges in Turkey?” Erdogan explained the whole process in detail and said that Parliament has an important role for the appointment of judges in Turkey. “I am facing problems from the courts but I am sure these problems will be resolved.” After listening this answer a very meaningful smile appeared on the face of PM Gilani and he said that “everything will be resolved nothing bad will happen in Pakistan”.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?232490

i believe erdogans days are numbered...watch this space...

when the US attacks and destroys Iran, and they will, turkey should pay attention and start signing the the star-spangled banner...and he will otherwise next on the scope of the us?... is you guest it...

another sore point for turkey is the EU has signed a trade deal with sth korea...this alone should be ringing alarm bells in turkey...

[boomerang]

Ideological divide between Turkey and the US

Thursday, October 14, 2010

SEMİH İDİZ

The growing anger in Washington at Turkey over issues like Iran and Israel appears to be matched by an equally growing anger in Ankara at the United States, mainly (though not exclusively) over its blind support for Israel.

What’s more, this anger – when combined with an increasingly tangible feeling that the European Union has been allowed to toy around with Turkey for too long – is also pushing Ankara away from its traditional and allies and partners in the West.

Look at, for example, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks in Pakistan on Wednesday, which were aimed at Israel but obviously targeted the U.S. in particular and also had a corollary dig at Europe.

Addressing a crowd in the flood-stricken Multan region – where Turkey is providing relief – Erdoğan said, “The powers that are trying to divide and destroy the Islamic world are known to all.” After this loaded remark Erdoğan went on to say the following:

“If there are those that can attack an aid convoy from the sea and the air in international waters, where are they getting the strength to do so? We have to ask this. Those who have martyred nine of our brothers are apparent. So is the decision of the U.N.’s Human Rights Commission, which declared this to be barbaric,” he said.

Clearly referring to Israel’s deadly attack on the Mavi Marmara as it was taking aid to Gaza, Erdoğan went on to point out that EU countries had abstained on the vote of the Human Rights Council (he used the term “Commission”) and that Washington had voted against the council’s report on the incident, despite the fact that it was adopted by a majority of its 30 countries.

Erdoğan concluded his remarks by repeating that Israel must apologize to Turkey and pay compensation for the attack, arguing that until it does, “it is destined to remain an isolated country in the Middle East.” This clearly means that no one should expect any rapprochement between Turkey and Israel anytime soon.

One also need not exercise too much imagination to understand who Erdoğan meant when he referred to “those trying to divide and destroy the Islamic world.” Likewise it is also clear who he was referring to when he asked, rhetorically, where Israel was getting the “strength” to carry on such acts of impunity.

It is no secret that ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, members are fuming at Washington for voting against the U.N. report on the Mavi Marmara incident. What increases their anger is that the vote in the Human Rights Council was more or less a dress rehearsal for any vote on the findings of the “Palmer Panel,” set up by the secretary-general to investigate the same incident.

Should that report not be to Israel’s liking in any way it is certain to be vetoed by the U.S., while the EU members of the Security Council, France and Great Britain, will, with equal certainty, abstain once again. On the other hand, any report by the Palmer Panel that is satisfactory for Israel is bound to be rejected by Ankara in what has become a zero-sum game for the two countries.

When looking at the big picture in the light of these developments it does appear increasingly that Turkey, contrary to what is said by government officials in Ankara, is gradually drifting away from the West.

The less than welcoming treatment from Europe vis-à-vis Turkey’s EU membership bid is no doubt one reason here. The fact that there is a pro-Islamic government in power in Turkey, however, is also making itself increasingly felt in its foreign policy choices and preferences.

Consider the recent traffic in the Middle East, with Prime Minister Erdoğan paying a high-profile visit to Syria, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting Lebanon in a similar manner. Add to this the increasingly warm ties between Ankara and Tehran as well as the fact that all three countries are also Hamas- and Hezbollah-friendly, and a picture of some kind of a “new axis” emerges for the region.

Put briefly, there is an increasingly apparent ideological divide that is growing between Turkey and the U.S. in particular, and Turkey and Europe to a lesser extent, and this is most apparent when Iran or Hamas is the subject of discussion.

On one side of the divide we have a U.S. that is prepared to use its influence come what may on behalf of Israel. The same applies to Europe also, up to a point. On the other hand we have a Turkey that is increasingly prepared to use its influence on behalf of Iran and Syria at the expense of angering and alienating its traditional partners and allies in the West and the Middle East.

The problem is that Turkey is still technically part of the “Western fold.” Its membership in NATO is the most apparent evidence of this fact. But how Turkey’s new foreign policy preferences will play out, for example, in the missiles defense system that the U.S. is now trying NATO to adopt against Iran remains to be seen.

The question becomes more crucial when it is recalled that Washington sees Turkey playing a very key role in this context as a host country for such a system. If this NATO project gets widespread support in NATO, Turkey could easily end up having to choose between the alliance and Iran.

Five years ago Ankara’s choice would have been predictable. It no longer is so and this carries the seeds of yet another crisis with the U.S. and the EU along the ideological divide mentioned above.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=ideological-divide-between-turkey-and-the-us-grows-2010-10-14

just in case the pakistani newspaper was lying, the same article from a turkish newspaper...

just so our resident douche bag doesn't accuse me of prejudice...

[Lit]

Interesting how GR and the Prime Minister of Turkey have the same mentality. LOL

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=228611

Erdogan: Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan have common future
By staff and agencies

ISLAMABAD/TEHRAN - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iran have a common future, and the security of each country is dependent on the security of the others, but the enemies are creating problems for the four countries.

The Turkish prime minister made the remarks in Islamabad in interview with Hamid Mir, The News reported on Friday.

Erdogan said the United States was supporting some common enemies of Pakistan and Turkey and the time has come to unmask them and act together.

[repulsewarrior]

...actually, Erdogan will be re-elected on this promise. with Pakistan it is possible to devise a regional bloc which can support a cause that is Arab and/or Muslim, she will lead, and she will be an International player. and it will provide for these people surrounded by Christian, Jewish, and Hindu bombs, one of their own. the anti-US sentiment is easily expanded and very popular (anywhere in the world), but no where more than in these countries (and perhaps North Korea). dark days indeed if Europe stagnates, unwilling to create their own Muslim face; if they cannot join for a common cause, then they may become hostile adversaries.