http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-090713.html
Turkey's sultan deplores the pharaoh's fall
By M K Bhadrakumar
The army coup in Egypt has exposed the Sunni Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the European Union and the United States for unprincipled doublespeak.
The only country that took a clear-cut position right at the outset is Turkey, which in turn presages new fault lines in the politics of the Middle East.
The autocratic Persian Gulf oligarchies rushed to celebrate the overthrow of the elected government under Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dispatched his congratulatory cable to Cairo within hours of the announcement of Morsi's ouster.
The sense of jubilation is palpable that the Muslim Brotherhood, which spearheads popular stirrings against the Persian Gulfregimes, has lost power in Egypt. For once, real politics surges, breaking through the fa?ade that it is sectarian Sunni-Shi'ite strife that constitutes the Middle East's number one problem today.
As for the European and the American leaderships, they are afraid to call the coup by its real name because their own laws might otherwise prevent them from carrying on business as usual with Egypt's army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Dealing with Sissi's regime in Cairo is an absolute must for the US' regional strategy because Israel's security is involved. By threatening to "suspend" the military aid, the Obama administration hopes to keep Sissi on tight leash.
Erdogan's compass
Thus, it has been left to Turkey to call a spade a spade. Just when Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under Western criticism for his autocratic tendencies, he takes to the podium to champion the cause of liberal democracy in Egypt.
The statements from Ankara have been strongly condemnatory of the coup in Egypt. Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said,
Egyptian officials have askedAnkara "not to take sides" in the ongoing power vacuum after the military takeover in the country, the Turkish ambassador to Cairo has said after being summoned to the Foreign Ministry.
"[Foreign Ministry officials] expressed their wishes that the Turkish dignitaries make their statements without taking sides and in a way that embrace all Egyptians," Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsalı told Hürriyet today.
"In other words, they said that they expected Turkish dignitaries' benevolent, tolerant and sincere statements without taking sides in the problems between Egyptians," he added.
Turkey has been one of the most vocal countries in condemning the military takeover in Egypt since June 3. Both Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have asked for the release of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who is being held in custody in an undisclosed location, and have also harshly criticized the U.S. and Europe for not calling the takeover a "coup."
Davutoğlu, who has been conducting phone diplomacy since the army issued an ultimatum against Morsi, told his Egyptian counterpart that Turkey expected "the country to return to democracy without losing time," according to sources.
Botsalı also referred to the detention of four Turkish journalists in Egypt, saying that they were in contact with the Information Ministry in Egypt. "Our journalists started working before completing the accreditation procedures. It is problematic in such sensitive periods if journalists work without having permission. But, as the embassy, we have given assurances to the Information Ministry," he said.
All four journalists were freed by the Egyptian authorities after remaining in custody for a few hours.
Turkey's sultan deplores the pharaoh's fall
By M K Bhadrakumar
The army coup in Egypt has exposed the Sunni Arab states of the Persian Gulf, the European Union and the United States for unprincipled doublespeak.
The only country that took a clear-cut position right at the outset is Turkey, which in turn presages new fault lines in the politics of the Middle East.
The autocratic Persian Gulf oligarchies rushed to celebrate the overthrow of the elected government under Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military. Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah dispatched his congratulatory cable to Cairo within hours of the announcement of Morsi's ouster.
The sense of jubilation is palpable that the Muslim Brotherhood, which spearheads popular stirrings against the Persian Gulfregimes, has lost power in Egypt. For once, real politics surges, breaking through the fa?ade that it is sectarian Sunni-Shi'ite strife that constitutes the Middle East's number one problem today.
As for the European and the American leaderships, they are afraid to call the coup by its real name because their own laws might otherwise prevent them from carrying on business as usual with Egypt's army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Dealing with Sissi's regime in Cairo is an absolute must for the US' regional strategy because Israel's security is involved. By threatening to "suspend" the military aid, the Obama administration hopes to keep Sissi on tight leash.
Erdogan's compass
Thus, it has been left to Turkey to call a spade a spade. Just when Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come under Western criticism for his autocratic tendencies, he takes to the podium to champion the cause of liberal democracy in Egypt.
The statements from Ankara have been strongly condemnatory of the coup in Egypt. Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu said,
A leader who came [to power] with the support of the people can only be removed through elections. It is unacceptable for democratically elected leaders, for whatever reason, to be toppled through illegal means, even a coup… Turkey will take sides with the Egyptian people.
* * *
Egyptian Foreign Ministry asks Turkey 'not to take sides': Ambassador
The Turkish ambassador to Cairo, Hüseyin Avni Botsalı, was summoned today to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. AA photo
"[Foreign Ministry officials] expressed their wishes that the Turkish dignitaries make their statements without taking sides and in a way that embrace all Egyptians," Ambassador Hüseyin Avni Botsalı told Hürriyet today.
"In other words, they said that they expected Turkish dignitaries' benevolent, tolerant and sincere statements without taking sides in the problems between Egyptians," he added.
Turkey has been one of the most vocal countries in condemning the military takeover in Egypt since June 3. Both Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan have asked for the release of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi, who is being held in custody in an undisclosed location, and have also harshly criticized the U.S. and Europe for not calling the takeover a "coup."
Davutoğlu, who has been conducting phone diplomacy since the army issued an ultimatum against Morsi, told his Egyptian counterpart that Turkey expected "the country to return to democracy without losing time," according to sources.
Botsalı also referred to the detention of four Turkish journalists in Egypt, saying that they were in contact with the Information Ministry in Egypt. "Our journalists started working before completing the accreditation procedures. It is problematic in such sensitive periods if journalists work without having permission. But, as the embassy, we have given assurances to the Information Ministry," he said.
All four journalists were freed by the Egyptian authorities after remaining in custody for a few hours.
July/09/2013
The al Qaeda threat in Turkey
The threat of al Qaeda in Turkey is significantly understudied, considering the nature and number of targets against which the terror group has plotted attacks, including many targets affiliated with the United States. Perhaps this is because the Turkish police are successful in thwarting such attacks; foiled plots are not as sensational as those that are carried out and cause tragedy. Or it could be because terror in Turkey has historically been synonymous with the terrorism of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which distracts from the al Qaeda threat. It is also easy to dismiss Turkey as an unlikely target for al Qaeda, given its 99 percent Muslim population and currently Islamic-rooted government.
A look at al Qaeda’s targets, which appear to be concentrated on US, Turkish, British, Jewish, and Christian facilities, demonstrates the point. Plots involving American targets include a plan to attack the İncirlik Base in Adana in 2003; a foiled attack on the NATO summit in Istanbul in May 2004 that was to be attended by then-President George W. Bush; and an attack on the US Consulate in Istanbul in July 2008, which killed three policemen. In July 2011, an attack on the US Embassy in Ankara was thwarted just before Secretary of State Clinton’s visit. In April 2013, Turkish police found evidence of a new plot linked to al Qaeda to bomb the US Embassy in Ankara. As recently as May 2013, Turkish police uncovered a plot by the al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front to conduct sarin gas attacks against Turkish and American targets, a relatively new phenomenon which appears to be a result of the spillover effects of the Syrian war into Turkey.
Other targets include suicide attacks on the British Consulate, the headquarters of British HSBC international bank, and two big synagogues in Istanbul in November 2003, which killed some 60 people and injured at least 700; a possible attack on the Pope during his visit to Turkey in November 2006; and a plot to attack the Bilderberg Summit in Istanbul in June 2007. Turkish authorities have also intercepted al Qaeda plans to conduct attacks on churches and clergy in Ankara, Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan after their takeover of the Kabul Regional Command in November 2009, the Turkish parliament building, and an Israeli cruise ship to Turkey.
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