Author: Kanayan Tamar

HAKOB CHAKRYAN: THE SYRIAN CRISIS MAY HAVE UNPREDICTABLE CONSEQUENCES
Artak Barseghyan

“Radiolur”
18:41 17.10.2012

The Syrian crisis that started from March 2011 may have unpredictable
consequences, taking into consideration the diversity of opposition
forces and anti-government groups and the different political views,
expert of Turkish studies Hakob Chakryan told a press conference today.

According to him, this means that the war aimed at overthrowing
of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime will still bring a number of
senseless losses, since its perspective are rather vague.

The Syrian war has become a matter of geopolitical struggle between
the West on one hand and Russia and China on the other hand, and
it’s only Syria suffering as a result. Besides, the Syrian opposition
is represented by 16 separate forces, while the Free Syrian Army is
divided into four groups.

According to the expert, the lack of unity among inside the opposition
can result in a vacuum of power in case of the possible overthrowing
of Assad’s regime, as there is no force on the political field of
Syria that can assume the power.

Hakob Chakryan wonders what served as a reason for the aggravation of
once warm relations between Syria and Turkey. He considers that it’s
a priority for Turkey to increase its influence in the region against
the background of the “Arab spring.” Most probably, the West does
not okay these aspirations. Furthermore, Turkey lacks the potential
of becoming a regional superpower and is moving in the wrong direction.

According to Chakryan, Turkey is not ready to restart dialogue with
Armenia today under the burden of internal and external problems. As
for Armenia, no steps in this direction should be expected on the
part of Yerevan. “As it is known, it’s Turkey’s turn to make a step
in the Yerevan-Ankara game,” he concluded.

TRIPARTITE COALITION MEMORANDUM CANNOT BE VALID – PROSPEROUS ARMENIA PARTY SPOKESPERSON

news.am
October 17, 2012 | 13:26

YEREVAN. – The trilateral coalition memorandum, which was signed
in February 2011, cannot be in force because that coalition does
not exist, Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) Press Secretary Tigran
Urikhanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. “The configuration, which had
created that document, doesn’t exist,” he stated.

Urikhanyan also noted that their dissatisfaction concerning the
PM-in-office means they are dissatisfied, and they wish to usher
Armenia into a new phase of development and progress and to ensure
the well-being. “Any measure that PAP takes, or wishes to take,
stems from fundamental desires: A change in the quality of life,
[and] the welfare of Armenia’s residents,” Tigran Urikhanyan said.

Zurabyan: Confession on Electoral Fraud

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 16:31:44 – 16/10/2012

Sharmazanov makes such statements because he knows they have half a
million or 700,000 votes in their pocket. He knows what falsifications
they are capable of, Zurabyan stated today, responding to the deputy
president of National Assembly who had stated that Serzh Sargsyan will
be the favorite in the presidential race while the other candidates
will be competing for the second place.

Zurabyan says such a statement by the representative of the ruling
party is evidence that the government will falsify the elections. This
is a confession, he says. Zurabyan says in a democratic country a
party member would not speak about victory before the elections.

By the way, the ANC parliamentary group has proposed a package of
amendments to the Electoral Code. According to Zurabyan, the ANC’s
main opponent is electoral fraud committed by the government.

Some representatives of the ARF support their amendments. The ANC may
also cooperate with the PAP and the Heritage parliamentary groups.
Zurabyan is hopeful that the RPA will make a compromise. Otherwise, it
will reiterate its commitment to electoral fraud.

Turquie : la France décore le journaliste Ali BayramoÄ?lu

Publié le : 16-10-2012

Info Collectif VAN – – L’Ambassadeur de France en
Turquie, Son Excellence Monsieur Laurent Bili, a remis, le lundi 17
septembre 2012, les insignes de Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des
Lettres, Ã Monsieur Ali BayramoÄ?lu. La cérémonie a eu lieu au Palais
de France à Istanbul “Vous avez fait le choix courageux d’être non
seulement un témoin lucide, mais aussi un acteur engagé. Je fais
référence ici bien sûr à l’initiative que vous avez prise, avec
d’autres grands intellectuels turcs, dont certains nous font l’amitié
de leur présence ce soir, de la pétition « nous présentons des excuses
». Ce texte visionnaire a provoqué un très vif débat dans la société
turque sur l’attitude à adopter vis-Ã-vis du génocide arménien.
Connaître et comprendre le passé est une étape indispensable pour
l’apaisement des passions et la réconciliation des mémoires blessées.
Tôt ou tard, il faudra bien refermer les plaies ouvertes en 1915” a
déclaré Laurent Bili à l’intellectuel turc. Sans citer le génocide
arménien, Ali BayramoÄ?lu répondra néanmoins en évoquant l’engagement
et la mémoire de son ami Hrant Dink : “Ce combat pour promouvoir une
conception universaliste de la citoyenneté, dans la liberté, l’égalité
et la fraternité, n’oppose pas la Turquie à la France ou à l’Europe,
ni l’Orient à l’Occident. Il oppose la Turquie à elle-même, comme la
France à elle-même et l’Europe à elle-même. Ce combat passe par un
travail critique, lucide, parfois douloureux de reconnaissance de
l’histoire, avec ce que cela suppose d’affrontement et ce que cela
exige de morale intellectuelle. Mais c’est le prix à payer pour que
survienne une vraie démocratisation non seulement du système politique
turc, mais surtout de l’identité turque elle-même.” La prudence d’Ali
BayramoÄ?lu à parler clairement du génocide arménien, s’explique
aisément : tapez le prénom et le nom de cet homme dans Google. Juste
ça, et regardez. La première chose qui apparaît, c’est la mention
“ermeni” (“arménien”, en turc). Cliquez. Il y en a des pages et des
pages. Tous les journaux s’y sont mis. De quoi lui donner des
cauchemars pour les décennies à venir.

Légende photo : Ali BayramoÄ?l et l’Ambassadeur de France en Turquie,
Son Excellence Monsieur Laurent Bili

Ambassade de France en Turquie

Ali BayramoÄ?lu, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

Remise des insignes de Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
à M. Ali BayramoÄ?l

L’Ambassadeur de France en Turquie, Son Excellence Monsieur Laurent
Bili, a remis, le lundi 17 septembre, les insignes de Chevalier dans
l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Ã Monsieur Ali BayramoÄ?lu. La
cérémonie a eu lieu au Palais de France à Istanbul.

L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres est l’une des principales distinctions
honorifiques françaises. Institué en 1957, il rend hommage aux
personnes qui se sont distinguées par leur création dans le domaine
artistique ou littéraire ou par la contribution qu’elles ont apportée
au rayonnement des arts et des lettres en France et dans le monde.

L’Ambassade de France est particulièrement heureuse de ce bel hommage
rendu à un très grand francophone, à un célèbre journaliste, une des
plumes les plus influentes et avisées de Turquie, mais aussi à un
combattant de la paix, de la réconciliation et de l’amitié entre les
peuples.

Ali BayramoÄ?lu, Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

*****************

Discours à l’occasion de la décoration de M. BayramoÄ?lu, le 17 septembre 2012

Cher Ali BAYRAMOGLU,

Mesdames et Messieurs, chers Amis,

C’est un honneur et un immense plaisir pour moi de vous accueillir au
Palais de France pour cette cérémonie qui rend hommage au parcours
personnel et professionnel d’Ali BAYRAMOGLU.

Comme vous le savez, l’ordre des arts et des lettres est un ordre très
spécial. Il récompense ceux « qui se sont distingués par leur création
dans le domaine artistique ou littéraire ou par la contribution ¦ au
rayonnement des arts et des lettres en France et dans le monde ».

Cher Ali BAYRAMOGLU,

La République française rend aujourd’hui hommage, Ã un très grand
francophone, Ã un célèbre journaliste, une des plumes les plus
influentes et avisées de Turquie, mais aussi à un combattant de la
paix, de la réconciliation et de l’amitié entre les peuples.

Conformément à la tradition, et au risque de faire souffrir votre
modestie, permettez-moi tout d’abord de retracer vos remarquables
parcours personnel et professionnel.

C’est dans la presqu’île de Gallipoli que vous voyez le jour en 1956.

Après vos études secondaires en 1973, vous partez étudier à l’Institut
d’Etudes politiques de Grenoble dont vous serez brillamment diplômé en
1979. Viendrons ensuite un master et en 1985 un Doctorat de l’Institut
des sciences sociales de la prestigieuse Faculté des sciences
économiques d’Istanbul.

Non content de recevoir le savoir, vous avez souhaité le transmettre
aux plus jeunes. C’est ainsi que pendant près de 20 ans vous avez été
Maître de conférence à la Faculté des Sciences politiques et
administratives de l’Université de Marmara.

Vous avez écrit plusieurs ouvrages sur vos sujets de conférence : « le
mouvement islamique en Turquie » publié en 2001, « l’Armée en Turquie
» en 2004, et « Pas de place pour la superstition dans la modernité »
en 2006.

En 1990 votre carrière prend un nouveau tour, vous embrassez la
carrière de journaliste et devenez un chroniqueur reconnu dont le
grand public apprécie le magnifique style, comme la justesse et la
force des analyses. Aujourd’hui, dans le quotidien « Yeni Safak »,
dans la revue « Aksyon », sur la chaîne de télévision 24TV, comme hier
dans « Yeni Yizyi », « Star » ou « Sabah », vous évoquez avec lucidité
les débats, les mutations ou les défis auxquels la société turque est
confrontée.

Le chroniqueur est le plus souvent un simple témoin fidèle de son
époque. Vous avez fait le choix courageux d’être non seulement un
témoin lucide, mais aussi un acteur engagé. Je fais référence ici bien
sûr à l’initiative que vous avez prise, avec d’autres grands
intellectuels turcs, dont certains nous font l’amitié de leur présence
ce soir, de la pétition « nous présentons des excuses ». Ce texte
visionnaire a provoqué un très vif débat dans la société turque sur
l’attitude à adopter vis-Ã-vis du génocide arménien.

En février dernier, j’ai eu la chance d’assister à un séminaire sur
les « enjeux de l’histoire en Turquie et en France ». La similitude
des défis entre nos pays était frappante. Pour les grands pays, les
anciens empires, l’histoire c’est beaucoup de pages glorieuses, mais
aussi comment pourrait-il en être autrement, des pages sombres.
Connaître et comprendre le passé est une étape indispensable pour
l’apaisement des passions et la réconciliation des mémoires blessées.

Avec vos amis, vous avez contribué Ã engager une dynamique, celle-ci
va se poursuivre. Trop de temps, trop d’occasions ont déjà été perdus.
Tôt ou tard, il faudra bien refermer les plaies ouvertes en 1915. Le
ministre des Affaires étrangères de Turquie, Ahmet Davutoglu, a eu, Ã
cet égard, en juillet dernier, des propos encourageants, dont vous
vous êtes fait l’écho, qu’il convient de saluer.

En attendant, vous payez au prix fort votre engagement. Vous avez été
menacé, et ces derniers jours encore, calomnié, insulté, vos propos et
vos intentions ont été déformés par des esprits étroits. Ces basses
attaques ne font pas honneur à leurs auteurs et nuisent
malheureusement à l’image de la Turquie.

Cher Ali BAYRAMOGLU, Parmi vos mérites, je dois aussi mentionner «
last but not least », puisque c’est la cause directe de la cérémonie
qui nous réunit aujourd’hui, votre engagement envers la francophonie,
envers la culture française et pour votre contribution à la réussite
de la Saison de la Turquie en France il y a trois ans déjÃ.

Ali BAYRAMOGLU, Pour votre engagement intellectuel et pour votre
contribution à l’amitié entre la Turquie et la France, nous vous
faisons, au nom du Ministre de la Culture de la République française,
Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

publié le 19.09.2012

*******************

Discours de M. Ali BayramoÄ?lu, le 17 septembre 2012

Monsieur l’Ambassadeur de France,

Monsieur le Consul Général,

La distinction que vous me remettez aujourd’hui me va droit au cÅ`ur
d’abord pour des raisons personnelles et même intimes.

J’ai fait l’essentiel de mes études supérieures en France, c’est dans
l’université française que j’ai appris mon métier de sociologue, le
français est demeuré ma principale langue étrangère de travail, je
n’ai cessé de collaborer avec l’Ecole des hautes études en sciences
sociales et avec le CERI.

J’ai gardé dans votre pays nombre d’amis avec lesquels je partage les
joies et les plaisirs que m’apportent votre culture et votre art de
vivre. Mais vous comprendrez que j’accorderai plus d’importance à la
dimension politique et je dirai même philosophique de la décoration
que vous me décernez.

Car, c’est surtout un combat de cet ordre que vous honorez, un combat
que bien sûr je mène avec d’autres. Ici vous me permettrez d’évoquer
l’engagement et la mémoire de mon ami Hrant Dink.

Ce combat pour promouvoir une conception universaliste de la
citoyenneté, dans la liberté, l’égalité et la fraternité, n’oppose pas
la Turquie a la France ou a l’Europe, ni l’Orient à l’Occident. Il
oppose la Turquie à elle-même, comme la France à elle-même et l’Europe
à elle-même.

Ce combat passe par un travail critique, lucide, parfois douloureux de
reconnaissance de l’histoire, avec ce que cela suppose d’affrontement
et ce que cela exige de morale intellectuelle. Mais c’est le prix Ã
payer pour que survienne une vraie démocratisation non seulement du
système politique turc, mais surtout de l’identité turque elle-même.
Tel est le sens de ma participation au débat public.

Enfin vous me décorez de l’Ordre du mérite à un moment ou la France et
la Turquie sortent d’une période difficile de leur relation
diplomatique et entendent entamer une nouvelle phase de leur longue
histoire commune.

C’est la modeste contribution des universitaires, des intellectuels et
la lourde responsabilité des éditorialistes, des journalistes que de
maintenir le dialogue et l’amitié entre les nations quand la politique
les éloigne.

Votre geste à mon égard est un puissant encouragement qui nous est
donné, à moi- même et à mes amis turcs et français, pour continuer Ã
Å`uvrer au service de ce vieux compagnonnage entre nos deux pays. Merci
encore¦ Et mes chers amis, mille mercis d’être venus.

publié le 25.09.2012

Discours de M. Ali BayramoÄ?lu, le 17 septembre 2012

Retour à la rubrique

Source/Lien : Ambassade de France en Turquie

Le Collectif VAN dénonce les propos antisémites sur Twitter

Publié le : 16-10-2012

Info Collectif VAN –

Communiqué de Presse – 16 octobre 2012

Le Collectif VAN [Vigilance Arménienne contre le Négationnisme]
s’associe à l’UEJF et SOS Racisme, ses associations partenaires, ainsi
qu’à l’ensemble de la communauté juive, pour dénoncer avec force
l’absence de modération sur Twitter qui a permis la diffusion de
propos antisémites générés par le hashtag « #unbonjuif ». Arrivé parmi
les trois hashtag les plus diffusés, et donc mis en une par Twitter le
10 Octobre 2012, « #unbonjuif » a donné lieu à un nombre record de
tweets à caractère antisémite, symboles d’une atmosphère délétère au
sein de notre société.

Depuis l’affaire Merah, on assiste sur internet et dans l’espace
public, à une résurgence de la haine du Juif, désigné comme coupable
de tous les maux. L’anonymat que permet Internet laisse le champ libre
à tous les débordements sur les réseaux sociaux.

Twitter ou Facebook ne sont pas les seules plateformes où se déverse
le racisme : tous les sites et forums de la presse française
autorisent la publication de posts anonymes pour commenter les
articles mis en ligne. Faut-il songer à une réglementation
internationale pour juguler la propagation de propos xénophobes sur
internet ? L’action des modérateurs a des lacunes évidentes que
l’affaire du hashtag « #unbonjuif » met en évidence. Remplir un
formulaire avec ses coordonnées complètes pour être autorisé à
intervenir dans le débat citoyen des médias on-line peut-il être
considéré comme une atteinte à la liberté d’expression ? Il importe,
dans tous les cas, de réfléchir aux solutions à envisager pour stopper
ce déferlement d’antisémitisme, mais également de négationnisme,
particulièrement actif sur la thématique du génocide arménien que le
Collectif VAN suit au quotidien.

Éduquer la jeunesse à la démocratie, c’est également l’inciter à
assumer ses responsabilités.
Il faut savoir répondre de ses actes : c’est ce message que les
pouvoirs publics doivent porter.

Car si chacun est libre de ses opinions, nul ne devrait pouvoir se
cacher pour les exprimer.

Séta Papazian
Présidente
Collectif VAN [Vigilance Arménienne contre le Négationnisme]
BP 20083 – 92133 Issy-les-Moulineaux – France
Boîte vocale : +33 (0)1 77 62 70 77
Email: [email protected]

Retour à la rubrique

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Oct 16 2012

Armenia establishes school for Syria kids

ISTANBUL – Hürriyet Daily News
Vercihan Ziflioðlu

In order to prevent problems stemming from the differences between
the two dialects of Armenian, books for the school books were
purchased from Syria.

The Cilician School, which provides education in the western Armenian
dialect, has been established in Yerevan to serve school-age children
whose families have migrated to Armenia from Syria due to the
increasing tension and conflict there.

Syrian Armenian children had been facing problems with education in
Armenian schools due to differences between the eastern and western
dialects of the Armenian language. Eastern Armenian is spoken in
Armenia and Iran, while western Armenian developed in Istanbul during
the 19th century and is currently spoken by the Armenian Diaspora.

The school was established with contributions from and thanks to
collaboration between the Cilicia Benevolent Foundation, Armenia’s
Diaspora Ministry, the Armenian National Education Ministry and
Yerevan Municipality, the school’s principal, Nora Pilibosyan, told
Hürriyet Daily News in a telephone interview, adding that the school
currently plans to provide education only for one year. “We hope the
problems in Syria will end soon and the Syrian families will be able
to return to their homeland,” Pilibosyan said.

“Our goal is to prevent these children from being deprived of
education. It is too early to talk about the future, we will wait and
see,” Pilibosyan said, when asked if the school could remain open
longer in the event the situation in Syria does not improve within one
year.

In order to prevent problems stemming from the differences between the
western and eastern dialects of Armenian, books for the school books
were purchased from Armenian schools in Syria, Pilibosyan said, adding
that 250 children are currently attending the school.

4,000 Syrian Armenians currently in Armenia

After meeting with a group of 30 immigrants from Syria in late
September, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hagopyan officially announced to
the Armenian press that 4,000 Syrian Armenians had migrated to
Armenia.

Armenia was caught off guard by the migration of Syrian Armenians, and
Armenian citizens have opened their houses to the immigrants and
helped them with private means. Some of the Syrian Armenians who have
fled to Armenia have later headed to other countries where they have
family, while some have settled in Armenia. A considerable number of
them plan to return to Syria soon after the clashes there end.

October/16/2012

Vatan, Turke
Oct 15 2012

Action Plan Ready!

Armed forces prepared for worst case scenario in Syria

by Levent Icgen

The TSK [Turkish Armed Forces] has prepared its action plan in the
event of war, the “worst case scenario.” According to this plan, which
aims to use land, sea and air forces combined, 2nd Army will play an
active role.

Amid the tensions with Syria it has been learnt that the TSK command
echelons have prepared an action plan for war, the “worst case
scenario.”

According to this plan, which factors in Syria’s means and
capabilities, Russia’s presence in the region and the PKK, 2nd Army is
going to play an active role. The plan includes risk analyses and aims
to use land, air and naval forces together in any operation. The
limits of the plan, which also envisages the use of Special Forces,
will be determined by a government directive in the event of war. This
directive will determine the desired political and military goals in
the event of war as well as how far to advance and which regions will
be kept under control.

The TSK is conducting many operations in the fight against terrorism
and has all kinds of threat planning regarding its local neighbours.
The TSK has plans concerning every kind of threat including Syria,
Iran and Greece. It has been learnt that threat planning for Syria
intensified after the increase in tensions and that risk analyses were
revised given the shifting balances of power in parallel with the
chaos within the country. The plan has reportedly been updated
according to the latest intelligence on the Syrian army’s numbers and
strength of arms.

Experienced Commanders

In the event of any operation against Syria the 2nd Army will play an
active role, and it is commanded by four-star General Galip Mendi.
General Galip Mendi, who has Special Forces experience, was appointed
Commander 2nd Army by the YAS (Supreme Military Council) last August
to replace General Servet Yoruk. In addition to Mendi, who received
his fourth star this year, another name with plenty of experience was
appointed to the Hatay border region, which is one of the most
critical provinces facing any possible threat from Syria. Brigadier
General hakan Atinc had been serving in Agri [Ararat] along the border
with Armenia and has now been appointed Commander of the Mechanized
Infantry Brigade in Hatay. In any operation both Gen Mendi and Brig
Atinc will play critical roles. Another point of critical importance
for the border with Syria is the Iskenderun Naval Base, which is now
commanded by Rear Admiral Nejat Atilla, an experienced officer from
the Aegean Command. Brigadier General [Air Commodore] Semih Kosucuoglu
was made Commander 7th Main Jet Base Command in Malatya after
previously serving as Chief of Pilot Operations for Air Force Command.

Military Build-up on Syrian Border

Once the Syria authorization bill was passed the TSK went to a high
state of readiness on the border. At least 250 tanks are deployed
along the border with the addition of 60 tanks sent in from Sanliurfa,
Mardin and Gaziantep. The TSK has also reinforced its artillery units.
Close to 55 F-16s have been sent to the air bases in Diyarbakir and
Malatya-Erhac from five other bases. As part of this, reinforcements
have reportedly been sent from the Golcuk and Erdek naval bases, which
belong to Naval Command, and from other commands subordinate to
Northern Coastal Command to bases belonging to Southern Coastal
Command, which is responsible for the Aegean and the Mediterranean and
which provides logistic and coastal support for warships. Stinger
missiles have been deployed to the region, which Chief of the General
Staff General Necdet Ozel is inspecting along with his force
commanders. The Stinger is a man-portable, shoulder-fired weapon that
homes in on the target’s infrared or ultraviolet light.

[Translated from Turkish]

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Oct 16 2012

Gül offers ErdoÄ?an a second chance?

MURAT YETKÄ°N

The new source of tension in the Turkish Parliament is not about
Syria; that reached its climax last week with the parliamentary
grilling of Foreign Minister Ahmet DavutoÄ?lu, after Turkish jets
forced a Syrian plane en route to Damascus from Moscow to land and
seized part of its cargo, which was suspected to be military material.

This week, the Syria crisis has become routine. When an Armenian plane
landed in the eastern city of Erzurum for a cargo inspection on
Monday, for example, only a handful of reporters were excited about
the possibility of a new crisis. But in a short time it was understood
from statements from both Turkish and Armenian government sources that
it was not a crisis. It did however show that Turkey’s neighbors, even
Armenia, with which Turkey has no diplomatic relations, acknowledge
that it is no longer a good idea to try to transport military material
to Syria via Turkish airspace. With backing from the U.S. and EU on
the grounding of the Syrian airliner, the Turkish government has
brought its tone down as well. There were reports that Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov got a hard time over Syria and Turkey from his
colleagues at the EU, as their own stances on both Syria and Iran are
toughening.

But there is never a dull moment in the Turkish capital, and since the
weekend Parliament has been busy with its new source of tension.
Because the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) failed to
secure an amendment to move local elections planned for March 30, 2014
to Oct. 27, 2013 with the support of the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP), the possibility of a referendum on the issue emerged on the
political agenda. It is now up to President Abdullah Gül’s to decide
whether to approve the motion and let the country hold a referendum
amid the Syria crisis, the simmering Kurdish issue and economic
difficulties, or to give his long-time comrade Prime Minister Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an a second chance to try it again without a referendum.

If Gül uses the full 15 days the Constitution grants him to decide, it
will be too late for ErdoÄ?an, because according to the Constitution,
any change in election procedure cannot be implemented for a year
after it is passed, so the deadline for this amendment is Oct. 27. And
the MHP, with its inner opposition against a municipal law in favor of
the AK Parti, has already started to say that perhaps it is better to
hold the local elections as scheduled.

Ahmet Sever, the president’s spokesman, told daily Milliyet on Monday
that the president is likely to send the amendment back to Parliament
for a revision. That would probably make ErdoÄ?an happy, as it would
mean a second chance for him if it can come up again before the Muslim
religious holiday the Eid al-Adha begins on Oct. 25.

Everyone of course knows that this is actually about who will be the
next president in 2014, and it seems Parliament is just beginning to
struggle with it.
October/16/2012

Anadolu Agency (AA), Turkey
October 15, 2012 Monday

A plane enroute from Armenia to Syria grounded at Erzurum airport

A plane enroute from Armenia to Syria has been grounded at an airport
in Turkey’s eastern province. plane Armenia Syria Erzurum A enroute
from to has been grounded at an airport in Turkey’s eastern province
of to examine its cargo on Monday. plane Armenia plane plane plane
plane Syria plane Diplomatic sources said that the enroute to Aleppo
from was grounded while in the Turkish airspace.

Turkish authorities confiscated part of the cargo aboard a for examination.

The was defined as a civilian humanitarian aid .

Sources stated that the would continue its way to Aleppo if its cargo
is not contrary to civilian aviation rules.

In Turkey, a n passenger had been forced to land at Ankara’s Esenboga
Airport on October 10. Turkish F-16s forced down Airbus A320, which
was flying from Moscow to Damascus, over suspicions that it had
weapons on board.

Mideast Mirror
October 16, 2012 Tuesday

Ankara’s false pretensions

Ankara cannot claim to be concerned about democracy in Syria when it
is repressing its own Kurdish population, says Kamal Deeb in today’s
Lebanese al-Akhbar

Before promoting itself as a model of democratic Islam that can be
emulated in the region, Turkey would do better to deal fairly with its
own Kurdish populace, argues a Lebanese commentator. It should also
refrain from acting as if the country’s inhabitants all belong to the
same ethnicity and have the same faith.

BLACK HISTORY: “Despite its claims to be a democratic model for the
Islamic world, and that the U.S. administration has offered it as an
example of an Islamic state friendly to Israel that should be emulated
by all the countries of the Arab Winter, Turkey has a black history of
dealings with its minorities,” writes Kamal Deeb in the left-leaning
Beirut daily al-Akhbar.

In the twentieth century, Turkey committed massacres against the
Armenians, killing one million of them. It committed massacres against
the Syriacs/Assyrians, who had a two-thousand years old civilization
in Mardin, Kilis, Nissibin, and Gaziantep.

The Turks forcefully displaced the Syriacs/Assyrians and killed many
of them. They forced hundreds of thousands of them to escape to Syria
and Lebanon. One need not confine oneself to gleaning information of
this from the history books. There are many families in Canada whose
old folk can still recall true eyewitness stories of what befell their
areas in Southern Turkey and along the borders with Syria.

Today, the Kurdish issue continues to give the Turks sleepless nights.
The Kurds constitute between 20% and 25% of Turkey’s population. They
cannot be dealt with as an insignificant minority, along the lines of
the Armenians and Syriacs/Assyrians who were liquidated.

‘Democratic’ Turkey’s attitude towards the Kurds today, especially in
the East of the country, is not that different from ‘democratic’
Israel’s attitude towards the Palestinians in the 1948 territories, in
the West Bank, and in Gaza

In my opinion, the reason why PM Erdogan’s government has ignored the
Kurdish issue stems from two factors:

– First, the chronic supercilious, condescending and racist manner in
which the ruling authorities in Ankara have treated the Kurds since
the 1919 Paris peace conference. This is the same manner in which
secularist Kemalism has dealt with that issue – [Turkey’s modern
founder] Ataturk said: There is no Kurdish people; there are only
mountain Turks – as have yesterday’s army generals, and today’s
‘Islamic centrism’ which deals with Kurdish activism via military
repression as a manifestation of terrorist action that threatens
Turkey’s stability.

– Second, the Kurdish issue is viewed as a factor that weakens
Turkey’s standing which today wants to lead the region towards a
‘moderate Islam’ that falls in line behind U.S. international policy.
>From Erdogan’s perspective, this is not the time for Kurdish activism.
But like every other Turkish ruler who preceded him, there is no
appropriate time for Kurdish activism.

In this category as well is the attempt to silence any voice and
stifle any action that shifts the needle of the compass away from the
Syrian scene. This is because breaking Syria’s back is the key to
leadership of the region, in the eyes of the Turkish government.

Official Turkey has thus adopted a media and diplomatic approach that
rapidly silences and discards any incident or tragedy anywhere around
the world. It intervenes with tens of governments around the world to
postpone their crises where possible. (For example, official Turkey
seems temporarily unconcerned about alleviating Israel’s repression
and harsh treatment of the Palestinians; similarly, it seems
temporarily unconcerned about seeking accord between Northern and
Southern Sudan; and so on.)

Given that the Syrian issue has come to occupy the greater part of the
Ankara government’s daily activities, it has become necessary to link
any domestic events – especially those linked to the Kurds – to
developments in Syria. But that is a logic that is akin to that we see
in myths. The truth is that there is an essential link between how
Turkey treats its Kurds and its remaining a democratic model of an
Islamic state with a growing economy. The Kurdish fuse threatens
Turkey’s future; while the Syrian factor can be brought under control
by refraining from intervening in Syria’s affairs.

Turkish areas near Syria gained much as a result of Ankara’s [former]
openness to Damascus. But these areas are suffering from economic
stagnation today. They have become focal points and a cesspool for
fighters from around the world, including extremist groups such as
al-Qa’ida and others. Extremist Turkish Islamist activists are
exploiting them with over a hundred thousand armed elements crossing
into Syria so far. Moreover, these border areas have become sites for
Syrian refugees.

But the fact is that the Kurdish question has existed in Turkey for
over a hundred years, as in the other countries in the region where
the Kurds are present. Turkey’s government cannot ignore the ethnic
and sectarian factors within its own territories or behave as if the
Turkish Republic today is a country whose population has a single
confessional faith and belongs to one and the same ethnicity.

Up till today, and under the fake cover of democracy, repression
continues to rule the day in Turkey. The army continues to carry out
its incursions into Kurdish areas. It blows up homes and kills
hundreds of people, and border areas in Iraq and Syria are also
invaded. But these reports pass as if they were unimportant because
the international media is immoral; it only adopts the causes that
serve the neo-liberal hegemony.

In Istanbul, opposition journalists and writers are arrested whether
writing about the Kurds or the Armenians. Nor should we forget Nobel
Laureate Orhan Pamuk who escaped Turkey after writing an article about
the massacre of the Armenians. A publisher who published a translation
of a book was imprisoned for two years because it referred to massacre
against the Kurds in the 1990s backed by Bill Clinton’s
administration.

In fact, all Turks – Kurdish or not – know the reality of what is
happening in Kurdish areas. They advise you to watch the films of [the
late] Kurdish director Y?lmaz Güney who was exiled to Europe, that
portrays the misery of daily life in Eastern Turkey, where the people
live in similar conditions to those of the Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza .

Those who claim to back the Palestinian cause must make sure they are
not Israel’s primary ally in the region. And those who claim to back
the so-called Arab Spring should act fairly inside their territories
towards the just Kurdish cause.

“After all, the Kurdish nation has a right to determine its fate
freely. It has its own civilization, language, and culture rendering
one of the world’s noble nations,” concludes Deeb.