Arab League sends urgent letter to Syria over violence
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-10/29/c_122211453.htm
English.news.cn 2011-10-29 06:15:14
CAIRO, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- A ministerial committee set up by the Arab League (AL) sent an urgent letter to the Syrian government on Friday to express its anger over the continued bloodshed in the country, said a statement issued by the pan-Arab body late Friday.
The committee hoped the Syrian government could protect its civilians as the committee had urged it, said the statement.
It also hoped the meeting to be held on Sunday between the committee and the Syrian government could achieve practical results, the statement added.
On Wednesday, the AL ministerial committee, which included foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Oman, Algeria, Sudan and the AL chief Nabil al-Arabi, met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. The two sides discussed ways of ending the seven-month- long crisis through a dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani, who headed the ministerial committee, said the meeting with al-Assad was clear and friendly and they felt the Syrian government's keenness to work with the committee.
At an emergency meeting held in Egypt's capital Cairo on Oct. 16, the AL decided to give Syria a 15-day deadline to enact a cease-fire and called for a national dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the opposition.
More than 3,000 people, including army and security members, have been killed in the turmoil in Syria, according to figures released by the United Nations.
Foreign Ministry Astonished at the Arab Ministerial Committee's Reliance on Media Lies
http://www.sana.sy/eng/337/2011/10/29/378551.htm
Oct 29, 2011
DAMASCUS, (SANA)-An official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry on Saturday stated that Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem received a letter from Head of the Arab League Ministerial Committee late Friday including stances based on media lies broadcast by misleading instigation channels about what took place in Syria on Friday.
"It was supposed for the Head of the Ministerial Committee to contact Minister al-Moallem to verify the reality before announcing a stance by the Committee to be circulated by channels of instigation," the Source said.
The source expressed the Syrian Foreign Ministry's astonishment at adopting this way before one day of convening an agreed-upon meeting in Doha between the Syrian Government and the Ministerial Committee.
The source called on the Arab Ministerial Committee to benefit from the positive atmosphere that prevailed its meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, and to help ease the situation and reach a solution that contributes to realizing security and stability in Syria instead of string sedition.
The source underlined that Minister al-Moallem and the accompanying delegation will brief the Committee on the reality of the situation in Syria on Sunday.
المعلم والمقداد يتوجهان إلى الدوحة الأحد
al-Mu'allim and Miqdad head to Doha Sunday
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=f4250013459be6832b1f8fa829947672&ar=730495782
Saturday - October 29 - 2011 - 13:43:37
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and his deputy, Faisal Miqdad went to Doha Sunday to participate in the meeting the Arab Ministerial Committee on the resolution of the Syrian crisis.
مستشار الرئيس التركي: لا تفكير بإنشاء منطقة عازلة على حدودنا مع سوريا و لاعقوبات تركية تجاه سوريا
Advisor to the Turkish President: I do not think the establishment of a buffer zone on the borders with Syria, and no Turkish sanctions against Syria
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=8faf9cfe7bae1f21bf773de01cf78a6b&ar=133305401
Saturday - October 29 - 2011 - 14:02:16
Senior adviser to the Turkish President Ershad Hermzlo said in an interview to the Kuwaiti newspaper "al-Ra'y" that the talking about a military strike against Syria from the Security Council "premature," denying the intention of the Turkish leadership create a buffer zone on the Syrian border.
Hermzlo In stressing the need to preserve the peaceful nature of the protest movement in Syria, he saw that the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to refugee camp, the Syrians will not be the announcement of the sanctions, but action, "including allowing for the Syrian people to demonstrate."
He explained that the meeting between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and members of the National Council Syrian opposition included a basket of tips, including a program of political "reassure the Syrian people," stressing that the Turkish position is not reversed and that "the Syrian decision cook in the Syrian kitchen."
And whether there was a fear of arming the protest movement in Syria and the movement of the protests of the peaceful nature of a military character, Hermzlo drew that "all possibilities are open, and we have warned in the past from the use of violence against protesters and warned also of the international intervention."
اعتقال 41 شخصا كرديا بتهمة التخطيط لاغتيال أردوغان في تركيا
Kurds arrested 41 people accused of planning to assassinate Erdogan in Turkey
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=78597ab60440a314192634c9c040fee7&ar=786842163
Saturday - October 29 - 2011 - 13:55:20
Anti-terrorism unit of the Directorate of Istanbul, Turkey arrested 41 people on charges of planning to assassinate Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
According to the channel "NTV" Turkish TV on Saturday, October 29 that all detainees are members of the "academic politics" of the Union of Kurdish society, including academic preparation of a competent new Turkish Constitution.
And stated that "T" that the anti-terrorism unit carried out the arrests after the follow-up security continued for a month.
Turkish television said that the Turkish counter-terrorism units arrested during the October 111 members of the Federation of Kurdish society linked to the PKK.
قتيلان في تفجير انتحاري قرب مقر حزب العدالة والتنمية في تركيا
Two killed in a suicide bombing near the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey
http://www.aksalser.com/index.php?page=view_news&id=f4947baa9a2070d2f9a2aee50238d76e&ar=152811983
Saturday - October 29 - 2011 - 14:32:58
Woman blew herself up killing two people, in a quarrel with her on Saturday, near a building belonging to the ruling party in the town of Bingol in eastern Turkey, said governor of the region told AFP.
Mustafa said Hakan Govnger the attack, the first of its kind in a year, near the regional headquarters of the Justice and Development Party with Islamic roots.
And several people were injured in the attack, which occurred while preparing the eastern regions of Turkey to end the bailouts by the devastating earthquake and after two days of the end of a military campaign against the Kurds.
The PKK, which is struggling for decades against the central government has escalated its attacks in recent weeks, has already carried out such attacks, but no immediate claim of responsibility for the suicide bombing Saturday.
Quoted by the Anatolia news agency by the Minister of the Interior Idris Naim Sahin as saying earlier that ten people were wounded, stressing that the local headquarters of the Justice and Development Party was not the target. Shaheen said, "(the explosion) occurred near the regional headquarters but it was not targeted directly."
The last such attack occurred in November 2010 in Istanbul, where a suicide bomber blew himself up in Taksim Square in the city center, injuring 32 people.
Bingol's attack comes two days after the end of the Turkish army from the air and ground a week-long against the PKK in southeastern Turkey, on the other side of the border in Iraq.
The operation was extensive after a series of attacks carried out by the Labour government forces against the Turkish army had inflicted the biggest loss in nearly two decades.
PKK's presence in Kandil is limited to days, months, says former MİT official
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-261350-pkks-presence-in-kandil-is-limited-to-days-months-says-former-mit-official.html
30 October 2011, Sunday / MUHSİN ÖZTÜRK , İSTANBUL
Cevat Öneş, Former deputy undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization
Although the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has stepped up its violence over the past months, its existence in Kandil, a major PKK camp in northern Iraq, is limited to days or months, said Cevat Öneş, former deputy undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT).
"Talks [with an Iraqi delegation] in Ankara show that the PKK's presence in Kandil is limited to days, let's say months. … I think the PKK has reached its weakest point despite increasing its terrorist attacks, leading to disturbance across Turkey. The circumstances that have allowed the PKK to carry out its armed violence have disappeared. The PKK has no chance of keeping its presence in northern Iraq, Kandil," said Öneş.
The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the EU and the United States, has stepped up its violence in the country over the past several months, killing dozens of soldiers, policemen and civilians.
In its latest attacks in mid-October, the terrorist organization claimed the lives of five policemen and four civilians in the southeastern province of Bitlis and 24 soldiers in southeastern Hakkari, which sent waves of shock and grief across the country. Following these attacks, the Turkish military launched an air and land incursion into PKK camps on Turkey's Iraqi border and in northern Iraq. Öneş said it is impossible for any country in the Middle East to allow the PKK to be based on its soil in consideration of Turkey's growing political, economic and military power in the region.
"The PKK knows the circumstances that allowed it to carry out its armed violence have disappeared and that it will not be able to carry on with armed violence. No matter what kind of an environment is produced by the gaps in the Middle East and current clashes, the PKK will not find any opportunity to be deployed in an area like its deployment in Kandil. It no longer has any chance of deploying in Syria and Iran because no country in the Middle East, no matter what conflicts they have with Turkey, has any chance of harboring the PKK in consideration of Turkey's current structure as a strong country from political, economic and military aspects," he explained.
Öneş also noted that the PKK's presence in Kandil will be ended through support from the United States, the central Iraqi administration and the autonomous Kurdish administration in Iraq's north, adding that Iran could also give support to this process.
At such a point, what Öneş finds most critical is the PKK's incompetence with regard to the criteria necessary to become integrated in democratic politics.
"The PKK is seeking to lead Kurdish politics, and it wants to keep this politics under its control, which is unacceptable in democracies. The PKK can claim rights in politics -- as much as a pluralistic democracy and authority granted by the people allow," Öneş said.
The PKK draws harsh criticism for keeping the pro-Kurdish parties under its control. The pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), which is the political extension of the PKK, never opposes any policies of the PKK, and the party even falls short of condemning the PKK's deadliest attacks, which many link to the PKK's guardianship over the party. "The mentality of Turkish society is becoming democratic, and this changes the state mentality as well. As Turkey rids itself of [military tutelage], [the PKK's] establishment of tutelage over Kurdish politics, which has very strong democratic dynamics, is impossible. The PKK's imposes its own rules, but this will not hamper this process, it will only delay a solution," said Öneş.
PKK' demand for democratic autonomy
The former MİT official also dwelled on the PKK's demand for democratic autonomy in the country's Southeast. Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the outlawed PKK, is known to be the mastermind behind the idea of democratic autonomy, a term no one can clearly define. The pro-Kurdish BDP argues that the term refers to strong local government, but the government and other parties claim that it will lead to the use of a separate language and flag, which they argue is out of the question.
In July, the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), a platform that brings together Kurdish nongovernmental organizations, met and declared "democratic autonomy" within Turkey's territorial integrity in Diyarbakır. Pro-Kurdish independent deputy Aysel Tuğluk told reporters in a declaration after a six-hour meeting of the DTK that the Kurdish people had declared democratic autonomy while remaining loyal to the national unity of Turkey, respecting the country's territorial integrity and basing their move on democratic national principles. She also referenced international human rights documents that allowed them to do so.
Öneş said the PKK's demand for democratic autonomy is like the idea of nations' determining their fate within the structure of the nation-state in the 19th century, adding Turkey is far from allowing such a structure.
"Turkey is a country that's becoming democratic. Just as it tries to save itself from pro-miltiary tutelage within its democratization efforts, it wants to get rid of narrow patterns of the nation-state concept and Kemalist ideology. When Turkey wants to get rid of these problems as a society, it will not allow a new nation-state of Kurds and the tutelage of the PKK; Turkey won't debate this," he explained. Öneş, who thinks that Turkey has so far failed to solve the PKK issue due to the wrong policies, is of the belief that the country needs to prepare circumstances that will ensure the dissolution of the PKK as soon as possible.
He said Turkey should make a series of moves to ensure the PKK's dissolution, adding that this may include talks with the PKK during its disarmament process, a general amnesty for PKK members and improvement of prison conditions for Öcalan.
"These steps have to be planned and managed well. We should be speaking about the demands of Kurds as the demands of the citizens of the Turkish republic," he said.
In September, it turned out that Turkey was having talks with senior PKK members in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the terrorism problem.
An almost 50-minute-long voice recording revealed secret talks between representatives of the Turkish government and the PKK in Oslo, Norway. The meeting was believed to be the fifth in a series of secret talks between Turkish intelligence officials and PKK representatives. Identified by his voice, Hakan Fidan, undersecretary of MİT, attended the fifth session for the first time as a representative of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was serving as a deputy-undersecretary at the Prime Ministry at the time the meeting was believed to have taken place. Afet Güneş, deputy-undersecretary of MİT, represented the Turkish intelligence organization.
Assassinations of secular intellectuals
Another issue Öneş touched on was the assassination of secular intellectuals in Turkey such as Muammer Aksoy, Bahriye Üçok and Uğur Mumcu in the 1990s, whose murders still remain in the dark.
He said these assassinations were the result of a reflex of the state, which was governed by military tutelage, to protect itself.
"We cannot completely attribute them [the unsolved murders] to the state, but today we can see that these murders were linked with dirty structures within the state," he said. Öneş said although those murders were attributed to Islamic circles or Kurdish organizations in those years, today it has been understood that shady structures within the state are behind them.
With regard to the goals of these assassinations, he said some structures that were disturbed by the democratic transformation in the world in the 1990s, which put their interests at risk, sought to create chaos in the country to retain their power and positions.
"The 1990s were a period when global developments and change took place rapidly, democratic change and transformations gained speed and were shaped at the national and global level. This disturbed some groups who thought the developments put their interests at risk. In order to block the process, retain their power presence, these groups sought to create chaos and a different environment in society," he explained.
PKK card may exacerbate already strained ties between Syria and Turkey
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-261323-pkk-card-may-exacerbate-already-strained-ties-between-syria-and-turkey.html
30 October 2011, Sunday / AYDIN ALBAYRAK, ANKARA
Turkey launched an offensive against the PKK after they staged simultaneous attacks on military and police targets, killing 24 soldiers. The offensive has ended after killing some 270 terrorists.
The relations between Turkey and Syria might get even worse because of the latter's alleged involvement in supporting the recent surge in terrorist attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The news stories and comments appearing in the press on Syria's probable link with the terrorist organization caused Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to warn Damascus sternly. In a statement he made while he was on an official visit in Qatar on Tuesday, Davutoğlu said: "Recalling the past, [Syria] should not even think of playing the PKK card. Everybody will see where such an act would lead."
Analysts as well as the Turkish public share the misgivings of Davutoğlu on Syria, a country with which Turkey had developed very close political and economic relations in recent years and was, just less than a year ago, taking steps towards economic integration.
Syria, which let Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the PKK, now in prison at İmralı, take shelter and direct the terrorist organization from within its borders for several until 1998, the year when Syria had to expulse Öcalan because of pressure from Turkey, seems inclined to play the PKK card against Turkey again since its neighbor in the north, taking a stern attitude, has criticized Damascus when it chose to crush the demonstrations calling for reforms by firing at the protestors.
Sedat Laçiner, former president of the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK) and now the president of Çanakkale 18 March University, believes that Syria now perceives Turkey as an enemy. The reason is simple, in Laçiner's words: "President Bashar al-Assad and the Nusayris in Syria take the recent developments in the country as a life or death issue and label all those who do not lend them support as an enemy." And Turkey, not only pressuring Syria to change, but also hosting the dissidents within its own borders and engaging in a dialogue with them, gets labeled as a country which is out to harm Syria. "For Syria, lacking the political, economic or military means to counter Turkey's attitude, the only card available to them is the PKK," Laçiner says.
Professor Doğu Ergil from Fatih University, a well-seasoned scholar in the Kurdish issue who has drawn up several reports and a book, "Kürtleri Anlamak" (Understanding the Kurds), since the 1990s, has something quite new to say on the issue of origin: "A Swedish researcher who lives in Arbil for the purpose of writing his thesis [on Tuesday] arrived at the university where I lecture. He has even been to Kandil [a mountain in northern Iraq where the PKK headquarters are situated], has met Osman Öcalan [Abdullah Öcalan's brother who is known to have severed his ties with the PKK] and has contacts with the Barzani family. And he says that 40 percent of the PKK's militants at Kandil are either of Syrian or Iranian origin."
What's most interesting in this account is that PKK terrorists from Iran and Syria, instead of fighting for the rights of Kurds in their own country, choose to fight Turkey, which is actually the country, as opposed to Iran and Turkey, which has taken giant steps in the past several years so that the Kurds may enjoy better rights. A transmission from Bahoz Erdal, real name Fehman Hüseyin, one of the leading personalities in the PKK and of Syrian origin, was recently intercepted by Turkish intelligence units while communicating with PKK militants, according to reports in the Turkish press, saying "do not get into any action that might put us on bad terms with Iran." The PKK, in the mean time, is said to have also cautioned the Kurds in Syria not to rebel against the Assad regime. It's exactly this state of affairs that analysts find strange. "On the one side, there is Iran, which denies rights to the Kurds, and Syria, where the Kurds are not even recognized as citizens, and on the other side Turkey stands in total contrast to its neighbors. The PKK, which has either stopped fighting recently (in the case of Iran) or has never fought a war against these countries, is attacking Turkey for all it is worth. The picture being as it is, I wonder whether these militants are also there to represent the official circles of the countries in question. Not being involved in a fight against the state in their country of origin, it's a sign that, having reached an agreement with the countries concerned, the PKK is, in a way, acting because of the disagreements those countries have with Turkey," says Ergil.
According to Ergil, the reason behind the PKK's efforts in trying to establish an autonomous area in Turkey is to secure the cooperation between Syria and Iran in opposition Turkey by controlling the area. Reminding us of the Kurdish demands for an autonomous area, Ergil goes on to explain his theory: "They are trying to create a Kurdish area which at one end reaches Iran, and on the other stretches out to the Syrian border. This is also in accordance with the united 'Kurdistan' ideal. The aim would be the establishment of an autonomous 'Kurdistan', a dictatorship with close ties with Iran and Syria. And this, in turn, would secure the permanency of the regimes in Iran and Syria through the Kurds affiliated with the PKK."
A statement made recently by Osman Öcalan, which appeared earlier this week in the Sabah daily, is also revealing with regard to the role Syria and Israel might have had in the PKK attacks. In the news report Osman Öcalan draws attention to the fact that after Turkey's relations with Syria and Israel deteriorated the number of PKK attacks increased significantly. He also adds that Turkey is on its way to becoming a regional super power, and that is disturbing to some world powers, first and foremost the US and Israel. "Some are trying to put Turkey behind the eight ball through the PKK, in an effort to force a civil war in Turkey. Especially the PKK's connections with Syria and the Israel must be examined," says Öcalan. Laçiner believes that fighting a terrorist organization which finds shelter in three bordering countries will be a difficult task for Turkey, particularly when the acts of terrorism have no particular aim other than satisfying a neighboring country, given that terrorism activity has increased at a time the Turkish government was making efforts to take some steps.
But Mete Yarar, advisor to the think tank Ekopolitik, and also a former member of the Special Forces in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), thinks a little differently regarding the future of the struggle against the terrorist organization. In his view, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's announcement that the operation against the PKK would continue until their terrorism comes to an end is important. "Turkey's security forces are strong enough to settle this matter without the cooperation of any other country. It's no longer of relevance what Syria would do, but what Turkey will do. After having shown patience for such a long time, it's our turn to act now," he notes.
Regarding Syria's alleged PKK card and the future of the Assad regime, Laçiner's comment is not any more promising than that of other analysts: "If solid proof is obtained of Syria's involvement, Turkey will not quietly continue merely watching what Syria is doing. So, support given to the PKK would not slow down a probable end of the regime in Syria, but in fact would accelerate it."
Turkey receives mixed reactions for harboring opposition groups from restive countries
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-261324-turkey-receives-mixed-reactions-for-harboring-opposition-groups-from-restive-countries.html
30 October 2011, Sunday / MEHMET SOLMAZ , İSTANBUL
Syrian opposition groups from all backgrounds founded a council in İstanbul to overthrow the President Bashar Assad's regime.
Turkey's politicians, journalists and intellectuals have mixed reactions concerning Turkey's sensational diplomatic moves, including supporting and hosting opposition groups and people from troubled nations in neighboring countries.
Turkey, even if it officially withdrew to the territorial confines of Anatolia after World War II, was constantly interacting with the surrounding region and its hinterlands. Turkey is a country where more Albanians live than in Albania, more Bosnians than in Bosnia and more Circassians than there are in the Caucuses. In this sense, Turkey has been a place of refuge during every crisis in the region.
Due to these longstanding historical and geographical factors, Turkey has moved towards a more proactive, multi-directional foreign policy that incorporates Turkey's rise as a regional actor and its improving relations with its neighbors. Turkey, which has for a long time preferred to stay outside of developments in the Middle East, has become a country that takes the initiative on many issues and is now a country that adopts particular attitudes to critical regional issues such as Iran, Palestine and Libya.
Turkey has hosted Chechens, Bosnians, Kosovans and Iraqi Kurds, who tried escaping from Saddam Hussein's regime and immigrated to Turkey in the 1990s. In recent developments in the region, Turkey hosted opposition groups from countries affected by the Arab spring.
Hatay, the seat of one of Turkey's ancient civilizations and a province that borders Syria, has a few of what Turkish politicians call "guests" from Syria, as five tent cities set up in the area are hosting around 11,000 Syrian refugees as of this week. Yet Hatay is no stranger to such a situation as it was faced with hosting thousands of "guests" of Afghan-Uzbek origin almost 30 years ago when a civil war in Afghanistan was at its peak.
In an interview with Sunday's Zaman, Bugün columnist Ahmet Taşgetiren stated that the reason for Turkey providing shelter and support to people of neighboring troubled countries can be explained from two perspectives – the historic role of Turkey in the region and the humanitarian side of this support.
Taşgetiren stated that Turkey is like a mother's bosom for people who live in the lands where the Ottoman Empire ruled for many years, including Balkan, Caucasian and Middle Eastern regions. Conversely, Turkish people have always felt close to people who lived in these regions.
The Bugün columnist added that Turkey's diplomatic moves in the region in recent years can be described from a humanitarian aid perspective and as an awakening of neo-Ottomanism, which is perceived as a long term plan by Turkey to be a strong and ruling country in the region in the near future. "However, these claims have always been denied by the [Justice and Development Party (AK Party)] government. Middle Eastern intellectuals also look negatively towards an Ottoman hegemony in the region. On the other hand, supporting and hosting people who have trouble in their own country can have a financial burden, but this is not seen as a problem by Turkey as it has a humanitarian support side," said Taşgetiren.
In recent years, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu had repeatedly stated that Turkey's strategic perspective is widening. According to Taşgetiren, the foreign policy that Davutoğlu mentions is not only about diplomacy but also humanitarian interests too, and for this reason Turkey accepts refugees from countries in the region and opposition members from these countries to settle in Turkey.
Speaking to Sunday's Zaman, Star daily columnist Mehmet Altan said with regard to the humanitarian aspect, Turkey is a guest house for foreigners. However, intervening in other countries' internal politics costs Turkey a lot.
Altan expresses his views by mentioning recent incidents that have occurred in Turkey and in neighboring countries. "Turkey overplays its hand. It acts like it has more power than it does. Recently three Chechen fighters, who had immigrated to Turkey, got killed by Russian agents, and these agents escaped from the country before police find out who murdered the Chechens."
According to Altan, the recent terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attack in Hakkari's Çukurca district that killed 24 Turkish soldiers is the result of the wrong foreign policy of the government.
Allegations regarding Iran's capture of Murat Karayılan, the PKK's acting leader, recently emerged as a further bit of controversy between Turkey and Iran, when it was speculated that Karayılan was captured but released due to a deal with [Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan] PJAK.
In a way reminiscent of the role historically played by Turkey, and especially İstanbul, Turkey has become one of the most important places for discussing the region's key issues. Such a status is of course positive, though there will be negatives and responsibilities Turkey is burdened with.
The fundamental question of today and tomorrow is how Turkey will develop its relations globally and play its difficult role for its own benefit and the benefit of the region.
Kidnappers release 3 Syrians abducted during robbery attempt
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Oct-29/152530-kidnappers-release-3-syrians-abducted-during-robbery-attempt.ashx
October 29, 2011 12:56 AM
The Daily Star
BEIRUT: A day-long kidnapping of three Syrians from Beirut's southern suburbs ended safely Friday night, when the victims said they had been taken in a robbery attempt, a security source told The Daily Star.
The three were kidnapped overnight by armed men in unlicensed four-wheel drive cars, the brother of two of the men told The Daily Star.
بقرادوني: سورية اجتازت المرحلة الخطرة من المؤامرة
Paqradouni: Syria passed the dangerous stage of the conspiracy
http://www.sana.sy/ara/3/2011/10/29/378553.htm
October 29, .2011
Beirut, (SANA) -
Former Lebanese minister Karim Paqradouni affirmed that Syria passed the dangerous stage of the conspiracy that targeted awareness and over the plight of its people and is now doing fine.
He also affirmed in an interview with Al-Manar TV today that the goal of foreign plot is evident from the positions of the Nile, a Syrian national and support for the resistance and rejection of all projects liquidate the Palestinian cause.
He also affirmed that Syria under President Bashar al-Assad a strong, unified, and objection to the resistance, no matter how heated the pressure pointing to the failure of foreign plots that aimed to disrupt the internal situation in Syria by supporting armed groups that have been taken from some Syrian cities shelter and hiding places for her and disarm the unit and the strength and position of the army Syria foiled these plans were thwarted and.
In the context condemned the Federation of Trade Unions and users of paper industries in Lebanon egregious foreign interference in the internal affairs of Syria and considered for each violation of international laws and regulations.
They condemned in a statement the European-American economic sanctions on Syria and unjust pressures aimed at imposing external agendas conflict with the interests and wishes of the people in Syria.
The Union pointed out that the U.S. and Western attempts rejected and condemned aims to lay hands on Arab wealth and the imposition of political control over the Arab countries under different titles in its interior, the service of the Israeli enemy and its objectives in the region.
Lebanon's Christians concerned by Islamic revival
http://www.lebanese-forces.org/local/Lebanon-s-Christians-concerned-by-Islamic-revival1005527.shtml
By Weedah Hamzah (DPA)
Oct 29, 2011 - 7:18:57 AM
Lebanon's Christian community is beginning to fear for its wellbeing amid signs that pro-democracy revolts could end up giving more power to less tolerant strands of Islam.
'We saw what happened to the Christians in Iraq after Saddam (Hussein) was ousted: many of them fled the country and are now living as refugees in Lebanon and Syria,' Bilal Haddad, a Christian banker who used to live in Syria, told dpa.
In Tunisia, where the so-called Arab Spring was born, an Islamic party banned under the rule of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has won the country's first free election.
In Egypt, Coptic Christians and Muslims have continued to engage in violent clashes well after the ouster of Hosny Mubarak.
And in Libya, victorious anti-Moamer Gaddafi rebels have announced their support for Muslim Sharia Law.
'All this seems to confirm that early critics of the Arab Spring revolutions may have been correct - that the hated dictators that were deposed may not have been as bad as they seemed to be and that some minorities who lived under their rule were protected then more than now,' Christian analyst George Deeb told dpa.
'From these outcomes, Christians in the Middle East are becoming increasingly fearful of the tremendous political and social change sweeping the region,' Deeb said.
Christians in Lebanon, where they represent about 39 per cent of the population, and in neighbouring Syria, have so far enjoyed a protected status.
But given the growing influence of Islamic movements in post-revolutionary North Africa, they are now beginning to question where their loyalties should lay.
The head of the Christian Maronite community, Patriarch Bishara Boutros al-Rai, recently described Syria's despotic president, Bashar al-Assad, as an 'open-minded' leader who should be given more time to implement reforms rather than be ousted because of his brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists.
He also expressed concern about 'a transitional phase in Syria that might threaten the Christians of the Middle East.'
'Of course we are going to be afraid that extremists will come, because the entire region is boiling and we cannot bear any more fundamentalists,' said Sana Maroun, a Christian living in Beirut.
Former Lebanese president Amin Gemayel, himself a Christian, wants his country to introduce a new bill to ensure that Christians 'no longer remain victims.'
The revolts should abide by certain principles to assure the people that they are keen on reaching democracy and freedom without threatening any other sect living in the same country, he said.
Arab wave sweeps Iran model out, Turkey 'in'
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=8216arab-spring-forces-looking-to-turkey-rather-than-iran-model8217-2011-10-28
Friday, October 28, 2011
BARÇIN YİNANÇ
BEIRUT - Hürriyet Daily News
Turkish premier's call for secularism in Arab Spring countries has raised Turkey's stature as a model for democracy, Paul Salem tells the Daily News
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for secularism has calmed the fears of those concerned Turkey was about to create a network of Muslim Brotherhood-led governments to control the Arab world, said a regional expert. His statement also relieved the secularists who feared the Islamists, said Paul Salem, the director of Carnegie Middle East Center. Turkey stands as the most attractive model, since other models like Iran have failed, Salem told the Daily News in a recent interview in Beirut.
Q: Where are we with the Arab Spring?
A: It is a changed Arab world. Peoples' mentalities have changed. Even if conditions in certain countries have not changed, people have changed. This change has gone in the direction of people prioritizing democracy and pluralism. This was clearly a pro-democracy revolution.
Now we are entering a new era. We had the era where political Islam in a non-democratic, often violent, format was the proposed solution. This is the era where democratization is the key. Political Islam is coming under the context and conditions of democracy. And obviously the Turkish example of a party with Islamic roots successful in a democratic state is the most attractive model for the states that have been through a revolution.
Today the majority of Arab citizens by number are either living in countries transitioning to democracy like Egypt, Tunisia, Libya or semi-democracies like Iraq or Lebanon or in countries in revolutions asking for democracy like Syria or Yemen. This is significant. But the process is filled with uncertainties, risks and challenges.
Q: How about the impact on international and regional balances?
A: It did not so far have a major impact on regional or international balance of power. This could change if the uprising in Syria reaches its end point with a regime change. If Syria changes its leadership this will mean the new regime will probably not have the same deep relations with Iran or Hezbollah. And it might lose access to Hamas and the Palestinian issue. This will be a major loss for Iran. It will retreat and focus more on Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. has lost in the Arab Spring, but it has lost much less than it thought. The relationship with Egypt like the one with Turkey will be more challenging.
Turkey is one of the slight winners. The revolutionaries did not say we want to be like Iran or Saudi Arabia or America. Most of them were saying we want to be something like Turkey.
And these revolutions are pro-globalization and pro-business. That is good for Turkey. Egypt wants trade and economic progress. The Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist forces, which are likely to be important players, are looking to the Justice and Development Party (AKP) to see if they can learn anything. Now they realize being in the opposition is easier than being in the government. Arab Spring was about poverty and lack of economic progress.
The Muslim Brotherhood is realizing that if they cannot get jobs and the economy going, people will not like them either. And they are aware of that. They look to Turkey for advice. It is not a model. But they know that they have more to learn from Turkey than from Saudi Arabia or Iran.
Q: For "political Islam" to function under democracy, isn't there a need to reconcile with secularism? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for secularism was not welcomed by all.
A: Secularism has failed as a word and as a strong philosophy to build legitimacy in the Arab world. But what is meant by secularism has legitimacy in the wider Arab world.
Many parties and citizens participating in the Arab uprising actually believe in the details of secularism. Islamists won the argument that if you say you are secularist it means you are atheist. But Islamic slogans were hardly visible during uprisings even though Islamists were there. They agreed on the words "civil state"; they are the new buzz words.
This is where they disagree with Erdoğan: While accepting the civil state, the Islamist say "since we are mostly Muslim, we should include in the constitution a reference to Islam and sharia," but they don't say "we want to be an Islamic state."
Q: So will the Islamist parties be the dominant players in the region?
A: They will do quite well in the elections. They will be the biggest single blocs, but not majority blocs. This partly reflects the strategy of Islamists. They are aware that they are feared.
Their strategy is to move gradually and to enter coalitions.
Q: There are fears that like in the Iranian example, the Islamists will soon get rid of their coalition partners and impose a less tolerant rule.
A: The risk is there, definitely. But, had the revolutions been an Islamist revolution, with millions on the street with Islamist slogans, that would have been a different situation. Second, the biggest Islamist movement, for example the Muslim Brotherhood, has certain Islamist ambitions, in which secularists and Christians disagree. But they are also aware of the Iranian experience and they are aware that it has failed. They don't like it because it is not popular with its people. It is repressive and people see that it ended up very corrupt and unsuccessful at building jobs and economic progress.
They don't look at Saudi Arabia as an attractive model; they don't look to Taliban or al-Qaeda. This movement is coming to power after people have seen the extremists and made a judgment about it. Ten years ago Iran could have been a much more popular model. Ten years ago Turkey was not an attractive model, but it just so happens that it is now.
So 2011 is significant.
Also, in Egypt and Tunisia these parties are not entering into a vacuum. There are military, bureaucracy and business circles. The Islamists will be one among several players.
Any government in Egypt will be pleading for investment and money, so they cannot be extremists. The economics are not there. But in Libya or Syria that could be different.
Q: What makes Turkey so attractive?
A: It is the only real democracy in the entire Middle East. People are impressed that the AKP found a balance between cultural issues like faith, religion, nationalism and globalism. The extremists are anti-globalists. And obviously the economy. It the only rapidly growing non-oil economy in the region.
Q: Is this image not shaken by Erdoğan's staments on secularism?
A: Muslim Brothers did not like it, but they had always said: "We have a lot of respect for Turkey and the AKP and have a lot to learn from them. But don't assume everything is the same. We will not follow Turkey's model as if it is a magical recipe."
On the other hand it actually calmed a lot of fears. There was a rapidly growing concern that Turkey was building a network of Muslim Brotherhood-led governments to control Arab world. It was drawing hostility. Some started saying "Turkey is becoming too ambitious. It cannot rule the Arab world through Muslim Brothers."
And also, Islamists were pointing at Turkey, saying "Look at them. Turkey is going Islamic too." But Erdoğan said, "Wait a minute, we are a secular state." So that was also welcomed by those who feared the Muslim Brotherhood.
Q: How was Turkey's assertive role perceived in the region prior to the Arab Spring? There was criticism of neo-Ottomanism.
A: It was assertive toward Israel. But with the Arab world it was engaged with trade relations, visa abolitions. This was nice and welcomed. The neo-Ottoman argument is a bit silly. They are not establishing an empire; they are just engaging in a region that was part of the Ottoman region and are entering for good things like trade. Nobody can blame them.
Q: Is this image changing with the Arab Spring?
A: There is a new image. Before Turkey was about the "Zero Problems Policy." It was about dealing with the status quo. Stabilize it and establish business deals. But now this has changed. It is not about trade any longer; it is about democratic change. Turkey has a role to play; it has responsibilities. Its position relates to different questions. Will Turkey help democratic change to succeed? Will it play a positive role?
Who is Paul Salem?
Paul Salem, the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, works and publishes on the regional and international relations of the Middle East, as well as issues of political development and democratization in the Arab world. Prior to joining Carnegie in 2006, Salem was the general director of the Fares Foundation. In 1989, he founded the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon's leading public policy think tank, directing the center until 1999.
In 2002, Salem was a member of the Senior Review Committee for the United Nations Development Program's Arab Human Development Report. In 2006, he served as a member of the National Commission for Electoral Law Reform in Lebanon.
A graduate of Harvard University, he has also held various positions at the American University of Beirut. Salem is the author of a number of books and articles on the Middle East, including "The Carnegie Papers, Building Cooperation in the Eastern Middle East" and "The Arab State: Assisting or Obstructing Development?"
No comments:
Post a Comment