Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

The front cover of the latest edition of Germany's influential Der Spiegel:



"The terrible friend
President Erdogan's campaign against freedom and democracy"

More evidence that there has been an abrupt shift in the West's policy towards Erdoğan. Some of us could have told them years ago! (And I, for one, have posts on this forum to prove it.)

[Tim Drayton]

Erdoğan is slated to make an four-day official visit to the USA next week starting on Tuesday. That makes the timing of this article even more interesting.

I'm very optimistic that this lunatic's time is up. The arrest of Reza Zarrab must have him worried. Come on USA, bring this man down, you owe it not only to Turkey but to the whole civilised world.

I don't have much time to follow this affair at the moment, but there has been a big development in the Reza Zarrab case with Deputy CEO of the Turkish state-owned Halkbank, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, being arrested on his arrival at the airport in New York in connection with the Zarrab case. The real question is why he would have gone to the US in the first place knowing that he was liable to be arrested. I get the idea that this case is a slow fuse burning away that may one day blow up in the face of the gang of crooks that call themselves a government in Turkey. Anybody able to shed any light on this development? Here is a report from the Turkish press:

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/duny ... landi.html

[Tim Drayton]

Here's a report in English:

Feds Arrest Turkish Banker For Conspiring With Trader Reza Zarrab To Violate Sanctions Against Iran

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvard ... 83227d1da0

[Jerry]

Is it really in Cyprus's interest that Erdo loses power. If he remains in charge the West may ultimately turn its back on Turkey and seek more reliable allies in the region but a regime change would probably result in Turkey maintaining its links to the West and the status quo in Cyprus would remain.

[repulsewarrior]

...what is in Turkey's interest is to find some element somewhere, like Cyprus, where an example of unity can be presented to its public for consideration.

What has taken so long, the Cyprus Problem, is not a problem in and of Cyprus exclusively, it is Turkey's Problem; witness how, Turkey is tearing apart.

...what is in Cyprus' interest, is that Erdogan does not win his referendum, and with that event he may change his intentions. While his "brothers" may be disappointed, he may abandon his plans as they are seemingly written today for "Turkishness", and for an Islam that competes for the attention of the world, in spite of Capitalism, an equal to it. He may rely on a Legacy where the other half so to speak, the Turks, those not "Turkish", will revere his memory, and lovingly. He may, for them, provide the recognition and respect they have been seeking in Turkey for so long. I believe he has this capacity. Either way, Erdogan, can have the world's attention, but there is only one way to possess its highest esteem.

...i see the date at the top of the page Tim, in the Link you provided, but this is old news, i remember the photo, even the article, except for the second paragraph nothing is new.

...Attila is turning himself in?

[Tim Drayton]

Is it really in Cyprus's interest that Erdo loses power. If he remains in charge the West may ultimately turn its back on Turkey and seek more reliable allies in the region but a regime change would probably result in Turkey maintaining its links to the West and the status quo in Cyprus would remain.

The idea that seems to be stirring now - I have provided pointers to it in various places - is to get the fascist Meral Akşener, currently one of the leaders of the revolt in the MHP against the party leader's support for 'Yes' in the referendum, to head a new centre-right party. I do not think that his will be good for Cyprus. She as a Turkish ultranationalist is less likely to be accommodating towards a Cyprus settlement. On the other hand, a madman like Erdoğan staying at the helm in Turkey and perhaps eventually being replaced as sultan by his mentally subnormal son Bilal seems to spell potential disaster for the whole region.

[Tim Drayton]

...i see the date at the top of the page Tim, in the Link you provided, but this is old news, i remember the photo, even the article, except for the second paragraph nothing is new.

...Attila is turning himself in?

Which article are you looking at? This is fresh news, dated 28 March.

[Tim Drayton]

Atilla was brought before a judge and remanded yesterday - and, no, this is not old news, it happened yesterday - and the FBI submitted a 40-page report including tapped phone calls between Zerrab and Atilla dating back to 2013 in which they are discussing illegal transactions totalling hundreds of billions of dollars. We are talking about the deputy CEO of a Turkish state bank. I wish I had more time to follow up this story. Does anybody have any theories about what is behind this? For example, why did Trump sack District Attorney Preet Bharara who was working on the Zerrab case?
There is a news report here in Turkish about what went on in court yesterday here:

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/duny ... sinda.html

[Tim Drayton]

Another curious tid bit. The US Consulate General in Istanbul has made the seemingly innocent announcement that it phoned Adil Öksüz to tell him that his visa had been cancelled on 21 July last year. The only thing is that this man is alleged to have taken command of the Akıncı Air Base during the 15 July attempted coup, one of the key centres of the putsch, and he was supposedly wanted and being sought at the time. If his mobile phone was switched on, they should easily have been able to have track him down. Innocent comment or announcement deliberately designed to embarrass the Erdoğan regime at this critical time?
This is the sort of evidence - i.e. certain people who played a key role in the coup attempt being permitted to get away - that may point to the coup attempt having been an inside job, too.

[supporttheunderdog]

Atilla was brought before a judge and remanded yesterday - and, no, this is not old news, it happened yesterday - and the FBI submitted a 40-page report including tapped phone calls between Zerrab and Atilla dating back to 2013 in which they are discussing illegal transactions totalling hundreds of billions of dollars. We are talking about the deputy CEO of a Turkish state bank. I wish I had more time to follow up this story. Does anybody have any theories about what is behind this? For example, why did Trump sack District Attorney Preet Bharara who was working on the Zerrab case?
There is a news report here in Turkish about what went on in court yesterday here:

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/duny ... sinda.html

Trump asked for all the remaining 46 DA's appointed under Obama to resign. Preet Bhaharara refused and was sacked.