Turkey Pushing for the Reinstatement of Mohammed Morsi Desperately

Turkey is extremely dissatisfied with the actions of its Western allies; the European Union and the United States over the ousting of Morsi. The nation is making frantic efforts at making sure Morsi gets the seat back amidst rising cases of violence and deaths in Egypt.

Led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Ankara’s diplomatic campaign includes the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and prominent Arab countries, such as Qatar.

“Our message is clear: Call this a coup,” a senior Foreign Ministry official told the Hürriyet Daily News. “Military coups are unacceptable, in Egypt or elsewhere. Undoing the coup and re-instating the toppled government should be the priorities of countries with a democratic understanding.”

For Turkey, establishing an interim government is meaningless and what should be done is to announce immediate elections with no restrictions on any political group, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

A senior Foreign Ministry official said “Not underlining these points would be a very bad message to not only Egyptians but to those who are in search of democracy in other parts of the world”.

Turkey was a lone voice in completely condemning the action of the Egyptian military among countries who many naturally expected to condemn it. The deepest and strongest disappointment  for Turkey came from its prominent Arab allies, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which were the front-runners in congratulating the new transitional leadership and the army that conducted the coup.

“There is a serious disappointment with regard to their approach. We have made clear to them that this process in Egypt will be an important test for the Arab Spring. We hope they will revise their position and will adopt a similar line with ours,” the Foreign Ministry official said.

Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been in close cooperation in efforts to topple the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria since mid-2011, in the latest chain of the Arab Spring movement. Egypt joined in their efforts to oust Assad fully weeks before Morsi was ousted; broke diplomatic relations with Assad and called  for the imposition of a no-fly zone. The development in Egypt will definitely affect their actions on Syria but the consequential result remains unclear.

Turkey is really finding solace in the United Nations as UN Secretary-General seemed the only prominent international figure who condemned the Egyptian army's action loudly. Ban had echoed prominent international powers in defining the ousting of Morsi as “a military intervention” and in not making a strongly worded statement against the army.

The meeting point of the camps with interest in Egypt; Turkey, the US and other prominent countries is that they agree on the need to hand power back to civilian rule immediately, questions on how it will take place is also crucial for the Turkish government.

“We know perfectly that the position we are taking is carefully watched in Egypt and elsewhere. This position is also very important in terms of Turkey’s image in Egypt as well as of Turkey-Egypt bilateral ties,” the official said.

Given that Turkey had established strong cooperation with the Morsi government, there are questions as to whether Ankara will continue its ties with Cairo under any new government established by the military junta. Officials, however, say their biggest priority is avoiding any bloodbath in the country.

“In the heat of the moment, our priority is to take steps with regard to these undemocratically unfolding developments. The coup is at a crossroads. Both parties have millions of people on the streets. And it’s been only three days since the coup,” the official said.

Turkey will still keep its ambassador in Egypt acceding to the wise saying that 'cutting the head off is not the panacea to a notorious headache'. Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsali will remain in his post for some time although his mandate ended and June 30, with Ahmet Yildiz set to replace him. “We notified him just before the coup that his mandate was being extended. He is a very experienced diplomat and has close ties with all political camps,” the official said.

The CIA has been training Syrian Rebels since 2012 in Turkey and Jordan

The announcement by President Barack Hussein Obama that the United States will arm Syrian rebels is somewhat making an already existing act official with the latest reports on the Syrian crisis.

According to US media reports, the CIA and US special operational troops and have been training Syrian rebels secretly at bases in Jordan and Turkey since November 2012. Up to 100 from all over Syria have gone through courses in the last month alone.

At the two-week courses trainees were taught to use Russian-designed 14.5-millimeter anti-tank rifles, anti-tank missiles, as well as 23-millimeter anti-aircraft weapons, Los Angeles Times reported citing anonymous US officials and rebel commanders. 

One of such US covert training session, conducted by American, Jordanian and French forces, has allegedly been taking place in Jordan for the last month or so, the newspaper cited Brig. Gen. Yahya Bittar, the head of intelligence for the Free Syrian Army. 

The exact number of rebels given instruction in both countries since the training began at a new American base in southwest Jordan could not be determined. But according to a different rebel commander the training in Jordan involves 20 to 45 insurgents at a time.

The training reportedly started months before President Obama approved sending arms to anti-Assad rebels for the first time in mid-June. The secret courses have involved fighters from the Free Syrian Army, according to US official, who spoke to the newspaper anonymously. They have been selected when US military set up supply lines to provide non-lethal assistance to rebels, according to the official.   

So far, about 100 rebels from Dara have attended four courses, while rebels from Damascus have attended three courses, according to a rebel commander in the Syrian province of Dara. 

“Those from the CIA, we would sit and talk with them during breaks from training and afterward, they would try to get information on the situation inside” Syria, said the commander, who helps oversee weapons acquisitions. 

Graduates are sent back across the border to re-join the fight, Brig. Gen. Bittar said.  The rebels have been promised supplies of armour-piercing anti-tank weapons and other arms to resist President Assad’s army, the Dara commander said. 

Since last year, the weapons sent through the Dara military council, apparently from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, have included four or five Russian-made heavy Concourse anti-tank missiles, 18 14.5-millimeter guns mounted on the backs of pickup trucks and 30 82-millimeter recoilless rifles, the commander told the newspaper.

“I’m telling you, this amount of weapons, once they are spread across the province [of Dara] is considered nothing,” the rebel commander was quoted as saying. “We need more than this to tip the balance or for there to even be a balance of power.” 

The White House and CIA officials have declined to comment on the alleged training programs while other US officials have confirmed the training, though disputed details provided by rebels. 
Jordan and Turkey also appeared in another recent report by the Washington Post citing US officials said that CIA is preparing to deliver arms to rebel groups in Syria through its bases in these two countries. 

“The bases are expected to begin conveying limited shipments of weapons and ammunition within weeks,”the report read. “We have relationships today in Syria that we didn’t have six months ago,” the WP quoted Benjamin J. Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, as saying.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels have confirmed the shipment of new weapons from “friendly countries” to battle the government forces, according to spokesman for the opposition fighters, Loay Al Mikdad. The shipment, the representative assured, did not come from the US. Earlier this month the Associated Press also learned that the Gulf States delivered new anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles to the opposition. 

The surge in weapons shipments follows US claims earlier in June that it had strong evidence that the government has used chemical weapons against opposition forces contrary to an earlier finding the UN in May, with lead investigator Carla Del Ponte concluding that the rebels were behind at least one chemical weapons attack. 

Following the announcement, US officials claimed that President Obama authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels, without providing much detail. The Syrian insurgent are awaiting the US shipment. “We believe that the United States will implement its commitments to us very soon," Al Mikdad said on Friday. 

Speaking at the Russian economic forum on Friday, President Vladimir Putin has once again said that the West should not arm the rebels because they include “terrorist” groups. “If the United States ... recognizes one of the key Syrian opposition organizations, al-Nusra, as terrorist ... how can one deliver arms to those opposition members?” Putin said, adding “where will (those weapons) end up? What role will they play?” 

“It's clear that without deliveries from abroad, what is happening in Syria now would simply be impossible. Money is going in, weapons are going in, and well trained armed groups are going in,” Putin said. 

The escalation of tension around the Syrian conflict coincides with an international effort, agreed by US and Russia in May to bring all parties and major regional player to the negotiating table. The date for the Geneva 2 conference has not been set. But in light of recent developments Russia is beginning to doubt US intentions. 

“The [West’s] message the opposition is getting: ‘Guys, don’t go to Geneva. Don’t say that you are going to negotiate with the regime. Soon things will change in your favour,’” Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov told Bloomberg on Friday. “So, that’s what we want to clarify. It’s either the conference or the instigation of the opposition not to be flexible. I don’t think it’s possible to do both at the same time.” 

Courtesy: Russia Today

Nightmare over Hezbollah's rising power is the basis of US involvement in Syria

Indications are pointing to the US decisions to arm rebels in Syria as a resultant effect of Hezbollah’s involvement in the conflict, with Washington and Jerusalem seeing it as a chance to counter anti-Israeli actions, author and historian Gerald Horne has told RT.

US President Barack Obama has given the green light to military support for the Syrian opposition after his administration concluded that Assad’s regime had used chemical weapons against rebels numerous times over the last year. Allegations which are still unsubstantiated.

However, Horne, from the University of Houston, does not believe that the US will be able to produce evidence of the use of chemical agent sarin by regime troops, saying that he doubts such evidence exists.

Gerald Horne said they are under enormous pressure. Former US President Bill Clinton has released a statement criticizing the Obama administration for not intervening more deeply into the Syrian morass. Obama’s former election rival, Senator John McCain of Arizona, just took to the floor of the US Senate saying that arming the rebels is not enough.

Presumably, he has called for airstrikes to create a so-called no-fly zone. It seems this is a very dangerous and ominous moment, Horne said. Particularly since the Sunni clerics have just met in Cairo, Egypt and called for a Holy War against the Assad regime and Damascus. Instead of trying to calm things down, it seems that the Obama administration is about to throw fuel on the fire according to Horne.

The UN has suggested that everyone is on board for this Geneva conference, except the Syrians. The opposition, the rebels have made clear that they have no interest in negotiating with Assad. As they see it, they will win this conflict on the battlefield, and the Europeans; particularly the British and French will be sending them more weapons sooner rather than later. And, as they see it, they can win.

It is in contradiction with Washington's allegations, bearing in mind also that, just a few weeks ago, Turkish authorities found that some rebels residing in Turkey had sarin weapons. It is difficult to say whether these weapons were used, and if so, who used them?  For example, what was the chain of custody that allowed the Obama administration to conclude that it was Damascus and not the rebels?

How did those samples get from the battlefield to Washington? How do we know that a renegade soldier in the Syrian military used these weapons precisely to invite an intervention to Washington? There are so many questions. Horne revealed he is looking forward to seeing the evidence, though he doubts the administration will be able to provide any.

Horne said one reason the Obama administration is edging towards more direct intervention in Syria is that Assad’s forces are triumphing on the battlefield, not least because of the assistance they are receiving from Hezbollah forces in neighbouring Lebanon. This assistance has outraged the Israelis and the Israeli lobby in Washington. As they see it, they would like to see Hezbollah degraded on the battlefield of Syria and, therefore, the new call from Washington for military intervention in Syria in the views of Horne.

The American people are totally against this intervention in Syria. They see no advantage in arming Al-Qaeda forces, who are the tip of the spear of the rebels. It thus seems that US politicians do not have the best of this argument. Arming Syrian rebels is also a de facto message to Iran, coming officially the day she was having her presidential election. Fight Hezbollah through Syrian rebels and wait for Iran's reactions.

Hassan Nasrallah has vowed that Hezbollah will not leave Syria to prevent the regime from falling into the hands of Washington, Tel Aviv and most importantly al Qaeda, which will definitely target Lebanon after such a victory.

Anonymous, Syrian Electronic Army hack Turkish govt networks, leak emails including PM's

AFP Photo: Thomas Samson

Turkish government networks were hacked on Wednesday, compromising the private information of staffers in PM Tayyip Erdogan's office, a source in PM's office confirmed to Reuters. The attack was in support of the ongoing anti-government protests.

Staff email accounts were reportedly accessed after a phishing attack, and those affected were cut off from the network, a source said.

Anonymous hacked the Prime Minister’s official website (basbakanlik.gov.tr) and gained access to staff email addresses, passwords and phone numbers, the group said in a press release.

The group also stressed it will not share most of the hacked data because it “respects people's privacy” and “does not believe in the full use of power against the weak.”

At the same time, the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) hacked the website of the Turkish Ministry of Interior (http://icisleri.gov.tr) and released more than 60 email addresses and passwords.

The SEA declared it also hacked other government websites, including dosya.icisleri.gov.tr.

On Sunday the hacktivist group Anonymous has taken down the Turkish President’s website, along with that of the country’s ruling party, as operation #OpTurkey kicked off in support of the anti-government protests.

As of 22:40 GMT, the website of President Abdullah Gul has been offline, together with the website of the country’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the websites for the Istanbul Directorate of Security and the Istanbul Governor’s Office.

The hacktivists earlier targeted municipal governments in Mersin and Izmir.

The operation was kicked off in response to the police crackdown of protests which have taken the country by storm. The Gebze Institute of Technology has also come under digital fire.

More than 1,700 people detained in Turkey over Protest

Turkish police have fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse a massive demonstration against the demolition of a park in central Istanbul. The rally grew into a wider anti-government protest and is spreading across the country. Prime Minister Erdogan seems to be acting the Mubarak he once  cricitised in Egypt.

More than 1,700 people have been detained since a harsh police crackdown against activists staging a sit-in protest at Gezi Park near Taksim Square spiraled out of control on Friday. Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said "a large majority of the detainees were released after being questioned and identified," the state-run Anatolia news agency cites him as saying.Officials claimed that 53 civilians and 26 police officers had been hurt in the clashes, though Amnesty International alleges that hundreds have been wounded and two have been killed.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that a mosque, and not a shopping mall will be built in the Artillery Barracks project intended to replace Taksim Gezi Park, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports.  Erdogan added that he did not need permission from the political opposition or a “few marauders” for such projects, as the authority had already been granted by the people who voted his ruling Justice and Development Party into power.

Police have fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse around 1,000 protesters who were attempting to march to the Prime Minister’s office in the Turkish capital of Ankara, AFP reports.

The Changing Arab World: Ahmadinejad to visit Egypt

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is set to visit Cairo, making him the first Iranian president to visit Egypt since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Ahmadinejad will head Iran's delegation to a summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Cairo, Reuters reports.

Tehran broke off relations with Cairo in 1980 following Egypt's peace agreement with Israel during the time of Anwar Saddat. Ahmadinejad hopes the two states can reestablish full diplomatic ties. Last year the two countries mutually agreed to reopen official embassies following a visit to Iran by Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The Arab Spring has rekindled a kind of Arab solidarity long lost after the demise of Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt. Arab nations including Turkey are finding a common ground among each other to counter Israel's strength. Israel with the assistance of the US is wielding the divide-and-rule baton well.

Growing Arab Unity against Israel: Iran and Turkey on Syria

A senior Iranian security official pledged full support of Tehran for its close ally, the Syrian regime in Damascus on Saturday.

 “We will give all our support so that Syria remains firm and able to face all the arrogant (Western power) conspiracies,” said the head of the Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, in the wake of Israeli airstrike on Syria.

Iran has been supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime since the Syrian crisis began nearly two years ago, which has so far claimed more than 60,000 lives.

The Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu on his part says Assad has a pact with Israel that is why the Syrian military which has been killing its own people cannot respond to Israeli airstrikes.

Turkey says it will not sit back and watch Israel attack any Muslim nation. The airstrikes could in the long run bring Iran and Turkey together. Both countries have been on opposite sides since Assad employed heavy firepower on his own people.

Patriot Missiles Arrive in Turkey

Turkey's defence against the Assad regime has been bolstered with the arrival of the Patriot Missiles. In a bid to avoid direct confrontations with the the Syrian military as much as possible, Turkey called for the deployment of the missiles to guard her border with Syria.

The Turkish port of Iskenderun welcomed a German ship carrying patriot missile equipment as part of an effort to stop violence in Syria from spilling over its borders.

240 German troops had earlier touched down in Turkey to be deployed to the border with Syria, as part of a NATO mission. The Suecia Seaways vessel later arrived on Monday after the Netherlands-registered Louise Russ ship also carrying missile kits pulled into the area on Sunday night. 

The German batteries are part of a NATO contingent of Patriot missiles that intercept incoming ballistic missiles, which will remain in Turkey for a year. Two Dutch and two US batteries are also being deployed to other parts of southern Turkey.

In December, NATO announced its decision to position Patriot anti-missile systems near Turkey's southern border to defend against the threat of cross-border attacks and bringing the United States and its allies closer to the Civil War raging between Syrian opposition rebels and President Bashar Assad's regime.

Turkey, a NATO member, requested the missiles to boost its air defences. Violence has flared along the border in recent months, with Turkey firing artillery across the frontier to retaliate for Syrian shells hitting Turkish soil.

Iran and Russia have objected to the move saying Syria could just be a smokescreen to upturn the military balance and calculations in favour of NATO and the United States. They believe the missiles might be available more to spy on their weapons' systems than counter Assad's forces.

Turkey, Iran and Russia: Silent Conflict

Turkey pitted herself against Iran and Russia with her heavy criticism of Assad. Turkey last year halted the advance of two  Syria-bound Russian aircrafts causing a major diplomatic row. She continues to give unflagging supports to the rebels in Syria. With all these imbroglio, she has decided to be energy independent.

Worried about dependence on pricier gas from Iran and Russia, Turkey is turning to its own coal. The country signed a deal with a United Arab Emirates company that will boost its coal-fired power capacity 67 percent. Turkey's largest supplier is Gazprom but long term supply is coming from Iran. The international sanctions is now playing a crucial role in Turkey's decision on Iran.