Syria.........
Rather, it was al-Qaeda in Iraq(AQI), the splinter faction which controls territory across northern Syria and Iraq, which claimed credit for the strike. The bomb hit an Israeli military convoy, though it did not cause any injuries.
AQI never had large footholds in either province, and Latakia was the first target of rival rebels Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic Front when they began infighting earlier this year.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has reportedly seen dozens of recruits, Saudi nationals fresh from Syria and Iraq, providing expertise to the faction and training the eager recruits in bomb-making.
Which appears to have been the point. The TTP’s negotiators were harshly critical of the attacks, saying they had no connection with them and that the group involved was trying to derail the talks.
Sharif urged Obama to end drone strikes during his visit back in October, and Aziz suggested that President Obama may have finally gotten the hint, since there haven’t been many drone strikes in the past few months.
Al-Qaeda Faction Attacks Israel at Border with Lebanon
Israel Shells Hezbollah Targets 'in Retaliation'
by Jason Ditz, March 14, 2014
Israeli troops shelled several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon today, nominally in retaliation for a bombing attack against troops along the border. It was soon apparent, however, that Hezbollah was not to blame.
Rather, it was al-Qaeda in Iraq(AQI), the splinter faction which controls territory across northern Syria and Iraq, which claimed credit for the strike. The bomb hit an Israeli military convoy, though it did not cause any injuries.
Hezbollah and AQI have been fighting against one another in the Syrian Civil War, with Hezbollah backing the Assad government and AQI the largest of the rebel factions. Israel has long expressed a preference for the rebels, though the rise of al-Qaeda-style groups has had some officials hinting at a rethink.
While the border strike in and of itself was fairly inconsequential, the first AQI strike against Israel could be a further escalation by the group across the region. The group is active in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, attacking targets there regularly, and has suggested it intends to spread across much of the region.
Despite its name, AQI is no longer actually affiliated with al-Qaeda, which disavowed the group earlier this year for its overly brutal behavior in Syria. Al-Qaeda has named Jabhat al-Nusra, a rival rebel faction, its official representation in Syria.
Al-Qaeda Faction Leaves Northwest Syrian Provinces
Forces Are Shoring Up Defenses Amid Threats From Rival Rebels
by Jason Ditz, March 14, 2014
Ongoing fighting and threats from other rebel factions have al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) withdrawing from its smaller territorial possessions, and officials now say they have more or less abandoned the provinces of Idlib and Latakia.
AQI never had large footholds in either province, and Latakia was the first target of rival rebels Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic Front when they began infighting earlier this year.
AQI seems to have decided that they simply can’t afford to protect the small enclaves in those areas anymore, and has redeployed its troops back into Aleppo and Raqqa Provinces, which are their biggest strongholds.
This may also reflect the growing stabilization of northern Syria, where different factions are fighting more and more on the frontiers but are better able to secure their respective power bases. The war seems to be stalemating on several fronts now, with several distinct de facto “nations” now in existence, and no sign anyone has anywhere near the power to unify Syria by force.
Fresh From Syria, Saudi Militants Head to Yemen to Fight for al-Qaeda
AQAP Sees Influx of Seasoned Fighters
by Jason Ditz, March 14, 2014
The Saudi government’s attempt to crack down on militants may be al-Qaeda’s gain, as in the wake of laws punishing Saudis who have gone overseas to fight for Islamist militant factions there has been an influx of battle-hardened Saudi fighters to Yemen.
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has reportedly seen dozens of recruits, Saudi nationals fresh from Syria and Iraq, providing expertise to the faction and training the eager recruits in bomb-making.
Yemeni officials credited the influx of Saudi fighters with a growing number of major attacks across the nation, as AQAP seems to be spreading outside of its traditional sphere of influence in the tribal areas.
This may also explain the dramatic increase in US drone strikes against Yemen in recent weeks. With six attacks in the past week and a half, the US seems interested in huge escalation in the nation.
Pakistan.......
19 Killed in Bombings as Pakistani Taliban Splinter Group Threatens Talks
TTP Blasts Faction for 'Conspiracy' to Derail Talks
by Jason Ditz, March 14, 2014
A pair of deadly bombings pounded the cities of Peshawar and Quetta today, killing at least 19 people, including a large number of civilians. The bombings added to concerns about the future of ongoing peace talks between the government and the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Which appears to have been the point. The TTP’s negotiators were harshly critical of the attacks, saying they had no connection with them and that the group involved was trying to derail the talks.
The group that claimed credit for the attacks, Ahrarul Hind, was originally part of the TTP, but split off from them two months ago to protest the push for peace talks.
It remains to be seen how the Pakistani government will respond to this, as many are pushing for them to blame the TTP anyhow for not being more “unified,” even though they have long since broken with Ahrarul Hind.
Pakistan PM Aide: No Deal for US to Halt Drone Strikes
Sharif Pressed Obama to Halt Attacks
by Jason Ditz, March 14, 2014
Sartaj Aziz, a top aide for Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, says that despite a recent lack of US drone strikes, there has been no formal deal for the US to stop attacking Pakistani soil.
Sharif urged Obama to end drone strikes during his visit back in October, and Aziz suggested that President Obama may have finally gotten the hint, since there haven’t been many drone strikes in the past few months.
A bigger factor than Sharif’s comments may have been the massive protests in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Province, where demonstrators blocked NATO supplies to Afghanistan to protest the strikes. The blockade ended recently, citing the lack of recent strikes.
Drone strikes have been slowing in Pakistan for some time, but are spiking in neighboring Afghanistan, where the UN confirmed at least 45 civilian deaths from drone strikes in 2013.
Jordan.......
Thousands protest Israel in Jordan over shooting of judge
Protesters call for an end to peace treaty after Israeli soldiers shoot Jordanian-Palestinian judge on border crossing.
Thousands of Jordanian protesters called on the kingdom to put an end to its peace treaty with Israel in the capital Amman on Friday, following the shooting of a Jordanian-Palestinian judge by Israeli soldiers at the border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan earlier this week.
Some of the protesters, among them members of Islamist, nationalist and leftist groups, shoved against riot police lines, trying to attack the Israeli embassy. Police officers carrying shields and batons chased some protesters in the streets.
The death of Raed Zueter, a Jordanian magistrate of Palestinian descent, has caused an uproar in Jordan, triggering street protests and calls in parliament to annul the 1994 peace agreement with Israel. The Israeli military said that guards shot Zueter on Monday after he tried to grab a rifle from a soldier at the Allenby Crossing.
Jordanian officials say Israel later apologized. Israel has shared the results of its preliminary investigation with Jordan, and agreed to a Jordanian request to establish a joint investigation into Zueter's killing.
Relatives of the deceased judge have demanded a thorough investigation, and are attempting to locate further witnesses, among them a group of British tourists.
"We will not accept less than the annulment of the peace treaty and deportation the Israeli ambassador and to announce that Jews are enemies for our nation," Hammam Saeed, the general secretary of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, told The Associated Press. "We demand a strong reaction, not only useless talking."
Protestors also called for the release of Ahmed Daqamseh, a Jordanian soldier imprisoned for shooting a group of Israeli school girls on a field trip in Naharayim in 1997, killing seven of them.
About half of Jordan's population is Palestinian and public anger against Israel is common. However, Israel and Jordan, a key Middle East ally of the U.S., signed a peace deal in 1994 and maintain strong security ties.
In February, Jordan's parliament voted unanimously to expel the Israeli ambassador and recall its own envoy after Israeli lawmakers debated a proposal to take over a Jerusalem holy site administered by Jordanians. However, the vote was not binding and the Cabinet has yet to take any action on the request.
Jordan: Not in our interest to cut ties with Israel
As thousands protest outside the Israeli Embassy, PM Ensour points to issues of mutual concern like water, refugees and Jerusalem
March 14, 2014, 4:29 pm 13
Jordanian riot police confront protesters during a demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy in Amman on Friday (photo credit: AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)
AMMAN, Jordan — Some 2,000 protesters demonstrated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Jordan on Friday over the killing of a Jordanian judge earlier in the week.
The death of Raed Zeiter, a Jordanian magistrate of Palestinian descent, has caused an uproar in Jordan, triggering street protests and calls in parliament to annul the 1994 peace agreement with Israel.
The IDF said that guards shot Zeiter on Monday after he tried to grab a rifle from a soldier at the Allenby border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.
Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour addressed the parliament’s concerns on Friday, saying that it was not in the national interest to cut ties with Israel. He also said such a step could hurt Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and US aid to Jordan.
Ensour said that water issues, borders, Palestinian refugees and sovereignty over Jerusalem were all issues of mutual concerns for both countries.
Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour (photo credit: AP)
Protesters on Friday chanted anti-Israel slogans and called upon the Jordanian government to deport the Israeli ambassador, to return the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv and to annul the peace treaty. Thousands of riot police stood on hand and stopped protesters from attacking the embassy.
Opposition Islamists, youth groups, leftists and nationalists took part in the demonstration that started after Friday prayers in Kaluti mosque. Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood organized the protest.
Demonstrators waved Jordanian flags and banners reading “the people want to cancel the peace treaty,” and “shut down the Zionist entity’s embassy and kick the ambassador out for the sake of the martyr’s blood.”
“Zeiter you are a martyr and our rulers are slaves. We will not forget you,” they chanted.
The father of Raed Zeiter grieves over his son’s body during his funeral in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, on March 11, 2014 (photo credit: AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)
Several protesters were arrested for trying to break through the barrier formed by police, reported the country’s Ammon News.
On Wednesday, the lower house of Jordan’s parliament demanded in a non-binding resolution the government free Jordanian soldier Ahmad Dakamseh, who was jailed after he opened fire on a group of Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, killing seven.
Turkey........
First indictment in corruption probe at court as graft summaries leaked
0
Four ministers implicated in a recent graft probe greet people on a bus at Ankara Esenboğa Airport, where they had gone to welcome the prime minister. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
14 March 2014 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
A public prosecutor on Friday completed an indictment regarding corruption and bribery claims which became public after a major police operation on Dec. 17, 2013 and sent the document to a deputy chief prosecutor in İstanbul, who, after approving the document, forwarded the indictment to a high criminal court.
On Thursday night a Twitter account behind a string of leaks in the corruption scandal posted what it presented as police files detailing graft allegations against four former ministers. The documents revealed bribes received from businessmen by the ex-ministers.
Prosecutor Ekrem Aydıner, who is at the helm of the corruption and bribery investigation, presented the indictment to İstanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Orhan Kapıcı. The indictment concerns suspects detained in the investigation into İstanbul's Fatih Municipality, news sources said.
Kapıcı approved the indictment shortly after receiving it and sent the document to the İstanbul 20th High Criminal Court for examination. The court has 15 days to either accept the indictment or send it back to the prosecutors for revision.
Reports said the indictment includes 21 suspects who are accused of “giving and accepting bribes,” “destroying or obscuring official documents” and “violating Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets,” among other things.
No details from the indictment were immediately available.
News sources said the primary suspect in the indictment is Fatih Mayor Mustafa Demir. The mayor was detained on Dec. 17 as part of the major corruption operation along with the sons of three former ministers, businessmen and bureaucrats. The mayor was later released pending trial after being questioned by a court.
Today's Zaman learned that an investigation into the sons of three former ministers -- Interior Minister Muammer Güler, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan and Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar -- is still ongoing. A separate indictment will be prepared against them by prosecutor Aydıner.
On Dec. 17, İstanbul police raided, along with several addresses, the Fatih Municipality building and detained 37 people, including Mayor Demir and his brother Sebahattin Demir. Ten of the suspects were arrested following their questioning by a court in İstanbul. However, the suspects were recently released pending trial.
Graft summaries reveal bribes received by ex-ministers
On Thursday night a Twitter account using the pseudonym Haramzadeler (sons of thieves) posted online links to a 299-page document and a 32-page document of what it presented as summaries of proceedings on four former Cabinet ministers facing corruption allegations.
The authenticity of the documents was not immediately verified. The four former ministers -- Interior Minister Güler, Economy Minister Çağlayan, Environment and Urban Planning Minister Bayraktar and EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış -- resigned from their posts roughly one week after the major graft operation. They have denied any wrongdoing.
The graft summaries on the four ex-ministers were sent to Parliament in late February, where a summary would usually be read aloud to deputies. However, Parliament went into recess for the election campaign period shortly after and the files have been kept under lock and key ever since.
On Thursday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) submitted a petition to Parliament signed by 132 of its deputies for an extraordinary session to be held on March 18 to address the summaries of proceedings on the former ministers.
According to the leaked documents, the accusations leveled against Güler, Çağlayan and Bağış are compiled in a 299-page summary of proceedings. The summary against Bayraktar consists of 32 pages.
In the documents, Çağlayan is accused of accepting bribes 28 times amounting to $52 million. He stands accused of “establishing a criminal group for the purpose of committing crimes,” “conducting imports with fake documents” and “violating the Anti-Smuggling Law.” In one of his phone conversations with Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, which were legally wiretapped by the police and prosecutors involved in the corruption investigation, said the documents, the ex-minister was heard telling Zarrab to increase gold exports to Iran from Turkey.
Suspects in the corruption investigation have been criticized for engaging in oil-for-gold exchanges with Iran. It is suspected that some several tons of gold may have been traded with Iran for oil. According to Turkish media reports last year, Turkey traded nearly 60 tons of gold for several million tons of Iranian crude oil, despite its promises to observe Western sanctions on Iran's energy sector. By using gold instead of money, Turkey was able to skirt Western sanctions on Iran's oil trade, particularly those pertaining to SWIFT, the global money transfer service that until recently assisted the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian financial institutions.
The summary of proceedings also suggested that Zarrab, who was arrested but later released pending trial as part of the corruption investigation, had financed AK Party surveys. According to the documents, Zarrab transferred TL 352,000 to Çağlayan's advisor, Mehmet Sarı, on June 28, 2013, to be used to cover the costs of conducting surveys by the AK Party.
According to the summary of proceedings, Güler stands accused of accepting bribes 10 times amounting to $10 million. He is also accused of “establishing a criminal group with the purpose of committing crimes,” “abusing his authority” and “protecting the guilty.”
In addition, Bağış is accused of accepting three bribes amounting to $1.5 million.
According to the summary of proceedings, an investigation into Bayraktar began following a separate investigation into construction mogul Ali Ağaoğlu. In 2012, the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs launched an investigation into a project known as “Maslak 1453,” which would be built by Ağaoğlu, after claims that the ministry had allocated part of Fatih Forest for the project. After realizing that its project would encounter problems, Ağaoğlu contacted then-Minister Bayraktar through his son, Abdullah Oğuz Bayraktar, to resolve the issue.
The document said Bayraktar helped Ağaoğlu undergo ministry inspections free of any problems. The ex-minister did the same favor for other construction moguls as well, the document added. According to the document, the former minister illegally changed the zoning plans of some first-degree environmentally protected zones in İstanbul's Ataköy, Kadıköy and Tuzla districts and opened them up to construction.
Parliament's emergency session scheduled for March 19
Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek announced on Friday that an extraordinary parliamentary session will be held on March 19 at 3 p.m.
During the session, Çiçek will present a verbal summary of the contents of the summary of proceedings against the four former Cabinet ministers and deputies will not be allowed to examine the documents. Deputies will be able to examine the documents only if a parliamentary commission is established to discuss the summary of proceedings.
In what is being seen as an attempt to water down the damaging information in the case file, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has asked the Parliament speaker to send the part that details all the incriminating evidence against the former ministers back to the prosecutor's office.
AK Party Parliamentary group deputy chairman Mustafa Elitaş called on the speaker to return the detailed summary of proceedings to the relevant prosecutor's office and submit only a condensed version to Parliament.
He also confirmed that AK Party deputies will attend Parliament on March 19 as the three opposition parties have announced that all of their deputies will attend the extraordinary session in Parliament.
In the meantime, main opposition CHP Deputy Chairman Umut Oran submitted a motion in Parliament on Friday asking whether the leaked summaries of proceedings on the four former Cabinet ministers which were posted on the Internet on Thursday night matched the ones submitted to Parliament by the prosecutor's office.
The CHP also issued a notice to all its deputies asking them to cancel their travel plans and be present for Parliament's extraordinary session on March 19.
RTÜK suspends 20 SHaber TV shows, harshest penalty of all times
(Photo: Today's Zaman)
15 March 2014 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has suspended 20 TV shows of the Samanyolu Haber TV news channel, its Editor in Chief Metin Yıkar announced via his Twitter account on Saturday.
“RTÜK has given the harshest penalty that it had not given to anybody else in its history,” Yıkar said.
The RTÜK penalty came days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to finish off the Hizmet Movement and its affiliates, including the Samanyolu Haber TV.
Erdoğan has portrayed the sweeping corruption scandal that broke on Dec. 17, 2013 and implicated close associates and even his own family as a Gülen movement plot to weaken his government ahead of critical local polls scheduled for March 30.
Gülen and his followers are at the center of Erdoğan's accusations, although the prime minister has so far failed to present solid evidence to prove that the Hizmet movement is behind the Dec. 17 corruption probe.
In a related development, RTÜK members Öztunç and Süleyman Demirkan stated at a press conference that the RTÜK's biased attitude toward TV channels prevents the Supreme Election Board (YSK) from reaching fair decisions on channels that may have violated the pre-election rules.
Recalling that the deputy head of the RTÜK's Monitoring Department has ordered reports to be prepared on those TV channels that broadcast main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's speech at a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 25, during which he played recordings allegedly featuring the voices of PM Erdoğan and his son, Bilal Erdoğan, to the YSK for violations of the pre-election rules, Öztunç said the reports had caused much debate in the RTÜK supreme board meeting.
“During the two-day debate, we explained that this [preparing reports on government-critical channels] is wrong, as it is indirect censorship. Freedom of the press is an inseparable part of democracy. If press freedom is absent, then we cannot talk about democracy. We urged the other members not to do this. But the five members of the board who were elected from AK Party quota were not persuaded on the issue,” said Öztunç.
Opposition members of board: RTÜK acts as government's stick
0
Radio and Television Supreme Council members Ali Öztunç and Süleyman Demirkan (R) talk to the media. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
14 March 2014 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
As the debate on the government's use of Turkey's state-run broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), as a propaganda organ during the current election campaign continues, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Ali Öztunç said on Friday that the RTÜK serves as a stick for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to pressure government-critical channels.
In a press conference in Ankara, RTÜK members Öztunç and Süleyman Demirkan said the RTÜK's biased attitude toward TV channels prevents the Supreme Election Board (YSK) from reaching fair decisions on channels that may have violated the pre-election rules.
Recalling that the deputy head of the RTÜK's Monitoring Department has ordered reports to be prepared on those TV channels that broadcast main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's speech at a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 25, during which he played recordings allegedly featuring the voices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son, Bilal Erdoğan, to the YSK for violations of the pre-election rules, Öztunç said the reports had caused much debate in the RTÜK supreme board meeting.
“During the two-day debate, we explained that this [preparing reports on government-critical channels] is wrong, as it is indirect censorship. Freedom of the press is an inseparable part of democracy. If press freedom is absent, then we cannot talk about democracy. We urged the other members not to do this. But the five members of the board who were elected from AK Party quota were not persuaded on the issue,” said Öztunç.
In the TRT's election-time broadcasts, Demirkan said there is a huge discrepancy between the coverage of AK Party campaigns and those of the opposition parties, adding that this is not compatible with law and justice. “Unfortunately, unfair and biased broadcasting overshadows democracy and the elections,” said Demirkan.
According to a recent report prepared by the RTÜK, in 12 days the TRT allocated 13 hours of campaign coverage to the ruling AK Party but only 95 minutes to all the opposition parties combined, showing a complete disregard for the ruling of Turkey's highest election authority and the country's communications regulator.
The report showed clear violations of Turkish broadcasting law, which forbids the TRT from engaging in “one-sided and partial” coverage of election campaigns. In a 2007 decision, the YSK reaffirmed the law, stating that “there will not be one-sided and biased broadcasting” and that “providing equal opportunity is obligatory.”
The regulator's report, dated March 7, detailed the time allocated to each party from Feb. 22 to March 4. The AK Party had 812 minutes of coverage, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) 45 minutes, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) 48 minutes and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) only two minutes.
According to the Radikal daily, 89.52 percent of TRT Haber's election broadcasting was given to the ruling AK Party, 5.29 percent to the MHP, 4.96 percent to the CHP and only 0.22 percent to the BDP.
In light of this discrepancy, CHP İstanbul Deputy Mahmut Tanal filed a criminal complaint against the TRT on Friday, on the grounds that the channel has failed to provide equality of opportunity in its political party broadcasts.
CHP Ankara Deputy Gülsün Bilgehan submitted a parliamentary question to government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç on Friday asking whether the TRT's biased broadcasting would continue up until the local elections on March 30.
Noting the findings of the recent RTÜK report on the TRT, Bilgehan asked Arınç what had been done about the TRT's behavior, which is against the rulings of the Council of Europe (CoE) and YSK. Bilgehan also asked whether any warning on the neutrality of political broadcasts would be made during the presidential elections.
RTÜK member Esat Çıplak had previously underlined that all TV stations should abide by the pre-election rules that govern the use of public broadcasting and advertising in election campaigns. Highlighting that the RTÜK had been using double standards in its actions against government-critical TV channels, Çıplak added: "These rules are not properly followed. The pro-government media allocate a large amount of time to the AK Party's election rallies and do not cover the election rallies of opposition parties. But they do not face any punishment. This situation is not fair and offends people. The pro-government media produce broadcasts that attack people and institutions who oppose the government without respecting their human dignity or privacy, the material and spiritual rights of people or the values and traditions of society, being based on insults and slander. Unfortunately, the RTÜK is also negatively affected by this situation, as this state institution has been greatly damaged by bad administration."
Recording shows Erdoğan refused to ease tensions during Gezi Park protests
(ILLUSTRATION: TODAY'S ZAMAN)
14 March 2014 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Leaked audio recordings uploaded onto YouTube by an anonymous user allegedly of a phone conversation between former Interior Minister Muammer Güler and businessman Cemal Kalyoncu during the Gezi Park protests last summer reveal that the minister had asked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to allow demonstrators to enter Gezi Park to make a press statement in exchange for ending the protests, a proposal which Erdoğan refused.
The Gezi Park protests, which began as a sit-in demonstration, quickly spread to the whole country and evolved into anti-government protests. The conversation, which was apparently wiretapped on June 1 while the protests were at their peak, reveals that Güler, in an attempt to ease tensions which were extremely high during that period, had pleaded with Prime Minister Erdoğan to accept protesters' offer to make a press statement in the park, which had been closed off by the government after the protests heated.
The protesters had apparently asked Güler, through the meditation of some deputies, for permission to enter Gezi Park to make a press statement, promising to end the protests if they were allowed to do so. The alleged conversation between Güler and Kalyoncu suggests that Erdoğan feared the protesters would not leave the park once they were let in and denied permission.
The voice allegedly of Güler also cursed the protesters, saying the government would throw the protesters out of Gezi Park by force if the prime minister's fears came true.
Today's Zaman could not verify the authenticity of the recording but if the controversial recording is genuine, it reveals Prime Minister Erdoğan refused to ease tensions during the Gezi Park protests which subsequently escalated and led to violent clashes between the police and protesters.
The 2013 protests in Turkey began on May 28 initially to oppose the urban development plan for İstanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage as the protesters conducting a sit-in in the park were violently forced out by riot police. Subsequently, supporting protests and clashes took place across Turkey protesting plenty of other concerns.
Nearly a month ago, video footage released of the Gezi Park protests was found to have refuted an alleged attack on a headscarved woman in Kabataş on June 1, 2013 during the protests. The incident was frequently repeated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an attempt to portray the protests as being hooligan in nature.
In another attempt to stigmatize the Gezi protestors, Erdoğan had also accused them of drinking alcohol in a mosque. The mosque story was also later found to be untrue, damaging Erdoğan's credibility. In leaked video footage, the demonstrators who sought refuge in a mosque appeared to have sustained injuries and are wounded. The imam of the mosque apparently opened the doors of the mosque to those running away from the police seeking refuge.
From Russia Today .....
Just wondering why he would even go there ?
Erdogan links dead teenager to ‘terrorist’ groups
The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, said a 15-year old who died Tuesday, nine months after sustaining a head injury in anti-government protests was linked to a ‘terrorist organization’. His comments are likely to inflame political tensions. Berkin Elvan’s death on Tuesday has sparked the worst unrest since nationwide anti-government demonstrations in June. Erdogan has presided over a decade of increased living standards and remains Turkey’s most popular politician but critics say that he is becoming increasingly authoritarian and intolerant, citing recent moves to impose government control on the judiciary and the internet.
Jordan: Not in our interest to cut ties with Israel
As thousands protest outside the Israeli Embassy, PM Ensour points to issues of mutual concern like water, refugees and Jerusalem
March 14, 2014, 4:29 pm 13
Jordanian riot police confront protesters during a demonstration in front of the Israeli Embassy in Amman on Friday (photo credit: AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)
AMMAN, Jordan — Some 2,000 protesters demonstrated in front of the Israeli Embassy in Jordan on Friday over the killing of a Jordanian judge earlier in the week.
The death of Raed Zeiter, a Jordanian magistrate of Palestinian descent, has caused an uproar in Jordan, triggering street protests and calls in parliament to annul the 1994 peace agreement with Israel.
The IDF said that guards shot Zeiter on Monday after he tried to grab a rifle from a soldier at the Allenby border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.
Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour addressed the parliament’s concerns on Friday, saying that it was not in the national interest to cut ties with Israel. He also said such a step could hurt Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and US aid to Jordan.
Ensour said that water issues, borders, Palestinian refugees and sovereignty over Jerusalem were all issues of mutual concerns for both countries.
Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour (photo credit: AP)
Protesters on Friday chanted anti-Israel slogans and called upon the Jordanian government to deport the Israeli ambassador, to return the Jordanian ambassador from Tel Aviv and to annul the peace treaty. Thousands of riot police stood on hand and stopped protesters from attacking the embassy.
Opposition Islamists, youth groups, leftists and nationalists took part in the demonstration that started after Friday prayers in Kaluti mosque. Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood organized the protest.
Demonstrators waved Jordanian flags and banners reading “the people want to cancel the peace treaty,” and “shut down the Zionist entity’s embassy and kick the ambassador out for the sake of the martyr’s blood.”
“Zeiter you are a martyr and our rulers are slaves. We will not forget you,” they chanted.
The father of Raed Zeiter grieves over his son’s body during his funeral in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, on March 11, 2014 (photo credit: AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh)
Several protesters were arrested for trying to break through the barrier formed by police, reported the country’s Ammon News.
On Wednesday, the lower house of Jordan’s parliament demanded in a non-binding resolution the government free Jordanian soldier Ahmad Dakamseh, who was jailed after he opened fire on a group of Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, killing seven.
Turkey........
First indictment in corruption probe at court as graft summaries leaked
0
Four ministers implicated in a recent graft probe greet people on a bus at Ankara Esenboğa Airport, where they had gone to welcome the prime minister. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
14 March 2014 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
A public prosecutor on Friday completed an indictment regarding corruption and bribery claims which became public after a major police operation on Dec. 17, 2013 and sent the document to a deputy chief prosecutor in İstanbul, who, after approving the document, forwarded the indictment to a high criminal court.
Prosecutor Ekrem Aydıner, who is at the helm of the corruption and bribery investigation, presented the indictment to İstanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Orhan Kapıcı. The indictment concerns suspects detained in the investigation into İstanbul's Fatih Municipality, news sources said.
Kapıcı approved the indictment shortly after receiving it and sent the document to the İstanbul 20th High Criminal Court for examination. The court has 15 days to either accept the indictment or send it back to the prosecutors for revision.
Reports said the indictment includes 21 suspects who are accused of “giving and accepting bribes,” “destroying or obscuring official documents” and “violating Law No. 2863 on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets,” among other things.
No details from the indictment were immediately available.
News sources said the primary suspect in the indictment is Fatih Mayor Mustafa Demir. The mayor was detained on Dec. 17 as part of the major corruption operation along with the sons of three former ministers, businessmen and bureaucrats. The mayor was later released pending trial after being questioned by a court.
Today's Zaman learned that an investigation into the sons of three former ministers -- Interior Minister Muammer Güler, Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan and Environment and Urban Planning Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar -- is still ongoing. A separate indictment will be prepared against them by prosecutor Aydıner.
On Dec. 17, İstanbul police raided, along with several addresses, the Fatih Municipality building and detained 37 people, including Mayor Demir and his brother Sebahattin Demir. Ten of the suspects were arrested following their questioning by a court in İstanbul. However, the suspects were recently released pending trial.
Graft summaries reveal bribes received by ex-ministers
On Thursday night a Twitter account using the pseudonym Haramzadeler (sons of thieves) posted online links to a 299-page document and a 32-page document of what it presented as summaries of proceedings on four former Cabinet ministers facing corruption allegations.The authenticity of the documents was not immediately verified. The four former ministers -- Interior Minister Güler, Economy Minister Çağlayan, Environment and Urban Planning Minister Bayraktar and EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış -- resigned from their posts roughly one week after the major graft operation. They have denied any wrongdoing.
The graft summaries on the four ex-ministers were sent to Parliament in late February, where a summary would usually be read aloud to deputies. However, Parliament went into recess for the election campaign period shortly after and the files have been kept under lock and key ever since.
On Thursday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) submitted a petition to Parliament signed by 132 of its deputies for an extraordinary session to be held on March 18 to address the summaries of proceedings on the former ministers.
According to the leaked documents, the accusations leveled against Güler, Çağlayan and Bağış are compiled in a 299-page summary of proceedings. The summary against Bayraktar consists of 32 pages.
In the documents, Çağlayan is accused of accepting bribes 28 times amounting to $52 million. He stands accused of “establishing a criminal group for the purpose of committing crimes,” “conducting imports with fake documents” and “violating the Anti-Smuggling Law.” In one of his phone conversations with Iranian businessman Reza Zarrab, which were legally wiretapped by the police and prosecutors involved in the corruption investigation, said the documents, the ex-minister was heard telling Zarrab to increase gold exports to Iran from Turkey.
Suspects in the corruption investigation have been criticized for engaging in oil-for-gold exchanges with Iran. It is suspected that some several tons of gold may have been traded with Iran for oil. According to Turkish media reports last year, Turkey traded nearly 60 tons of gold for several million tons of Iranian crude oil, despite its promises to observe Western sanctions on Iran's energy sector. By using gold instead of money, Turkey was able to skirt Western sanctions on Iran's oil trade, particularly those pertaining to SWIFT, the global money transfer service that until recently assisted the Central Bank of Iran and other Iranian financial institutions.
The summary of proceedings also suggested that Zarrab, who was arrested but later released pending trial as part of the corruption investigation, had financed AK Party surveys. According to the documents, Zarrab transferred TL 352,000 to Çağlayan's advisor, Mehmet Sarı, on June 28, 2013, to be used to cover the costs of conducting surveys by the AK Party.
According to the summary of proceedings, Güler stands accused of accepting bribes 10 times amounting to $10 million. He is also accused of “establishing a criminal group with the purpose of committing crimes,” “abusing his authority” and “protecting the guilty.”
In addition, Bağış is accused of accepting three bribes amounting to $1.5 million.
According to the summary of proceedings, an investigation into Bayraktar began following a separate investigation into construction mogul Ali Ağaoğlu. In 2012, the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs launched an investigation into a project known as “Maslak 1453,” which would be built by Ağaoğlu, after claims that the ministry had allocated part of Fatih Forest for the project. After realizing that its project would encounter problems, Ağaoğlu contacted then-Minister Bayraktar through his son, Abdullah Oğuz Bayraktar, to resolve the issue.
The document said Bayraktar helped Ağaoğlu undergo ministry inspections free of any problems. The ex-minister did the same favor for other construction moguls as well, the document added. According to the document, the former minister illegally changed the zoning plans of some first-degree environmentally protected zones in İstanbul's Ataköy, Kadıköy and Tuzla districts and opened them up to construction.
Parliament's emergency session scheduled for March 19
Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek announced on Friday that an extraordinary parliamentary session will be held on March 19 at 3 p.m.During the session, Çiçek will present a verbal summary of the contents of the summary of proceedings against the four former Cabinet ministers and deputies will not be allowed to examine the documents. Deputies will be able to examine the documents only if a parliamentary commission is established to discuss the summary of proceedings.
In what is being seen as an attempt to water down the damaging information in the case file, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has asked the Parliament speaker to send the part that details all the incriminating evidence against the former ministers back to the prosecutor's office.
AK Party Parliamentary group deputy chairman Mustafa Elitaş called on the speaker to return the detailed summary of proceedings to the relevant prosecutor's office and submit only a condensed version to Parliament.
He also confirmed that AK Party deputies will attend Parliament on March 19 as the three opposition parties have announced that all of their deputies will attend the extraordinary session in Parliament.
In the meantime, main opposition CHP Deputy Chairman Umut Oran submitted a motion in Parliament on Friday asking whether the leaked summaries of proceedings on the four former Cabinet ministers which were posted on the Internet on Thursday night matched the ones submitted to Parliament by the prosecutor's office.
The CHP also issued a notice to all its deputies asking them to cancel their travel plans and be present for Parliament's extraordinary session on March 19.
RTÜK suspends 20 SHaber TV shows, harshest penalty of all times
(Photo: Today's Zaman)
15 March 2014 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has suspended 20 TV shows of the Samanyolu Haber TV news channel, its Editor in Chief Metin Yıkar announced via his Twitter account on Saturday.
The RTÜK penalty came days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to finish off the Hizmet Movement and its affiliates, including the Samanyolu Haber TV.
Erdoğan has portrayed the sweeping corruption scandal that broke on Dec. 17, 2013 and implicated close associates and even his own family as a Gülen movement plot to weaken his government ahead of critical local polls scheduled for March 30.
Gülen and his followers are at the center of Erdoğan's accusations, although the prime minister has so far failed to present solid evidence to prove that the Hizmet movement is behind the Dec. 17 corruption probe.
In a related development, RTÜK members Öztunç and Süleyman Demirkan stated at a press conference that the RTÜK's biased attitude toward TV channels prevents the Supreme Election Board (YSK) from reaching fair decisions on channels that may have violated the pre-election rules.
Recalling that the deputy head of the RTÜK's Monitoring Department has ordered reports to be prepared on those TV channels that broadcast main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's speech at a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 25, during which he played recordings allegedly featuring the voices of PM Erdoğan and his son, Bilal Erdoğan, to the YSK for violations of the pre-election rules, Öztunç said the reports had caused much debate in the RTÜK supreme board meeting.
“During the two-day debate, we explained that this [preparing reports on government-critical channels] is wrong, as it is indirect censorship. Freedom of the press is an inseparable part of democracy. If press freedom is absent, then we cannot talk about democracy. We urged the other members not to do this. But the five members of the board who were elected from AK Party quota were not persuaded on the issue,” said Öztunç.
Opposition members of board: RTÜK acts as government's stick
0
Radio and Television Supreme Council members Ali Öztunç and Süleyman Demirkan (R) talk to the media. (Photo: Today's Zaman)
14 March 2014 /TODAY'S ZAMAN, ANKARA
As the debate on the government's use of Turkey's state-run broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), as a propaganda organ during the current election campaign continues, Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) member Ali Öztunç said on Friday that the RTÜK serves as a stick for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) to pressure government-critical channels.
Recalling that the deputy head of the RTÜK's Monitoring Department has ordered reports to be prepared on those TV channels that broadcast main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu's speech at a parliamentary group meeting on Feb. 25, during which he played recordings allegedly featuring the voices of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his son, Bilal Erdoğan, to the YSK for violations of the pre-election rules, Öztunç said the reports had caused much debate in the RTÜK supreme board meeting.
“During the two-day debate, we explained that this [preparing reports on government-critical channels] is wrong, as it is indirect censorship. Freedom of the press is an inseparable part of democracy. If press freedom is absent, then we cannot talk about democracy. We urged the other members not to do this. But the five members of the board who were elected from AK Party quota were not persuaded on the issue,” said Öztunç.
In the TRT's election-time broadcasts, Demirkan said there is a huge discrepancy between the coverage of AK Party campaigns and those of the opposition parties, adding that this is not compatible with law and justice. “Unfortunately, unfair and biased broadcasting overshadows democracy and the elections,” said Demirkan.
According to a recent report prepared by the RTÜK, in 12 days the TRT allocated 13 hours of campaign coverage to the ruling AK Party but only 95 minutes to all the opposition parties combined, showing a complete disregard for the ruling of Turkey's highest election authority and the country's communications regulator.
The report showed clear violations of Turkish broadcasting law, which forbids the TRT from engaging in “one-sided and partial” coverage of election campaigns. In a 2007 decision, the YSK reaffirmed the law, stating that “there will not be one-sided and biased broadcasting” and that “providing equal opportunity is obligatory.”
The regulator's report, dated March 7, detailed the time allocated to each party from Feb. 22 to March 4. The AK Party had 812 minutes of coverage, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) 45 minutes, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) 48 minutes and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) only two minutes.
According to the Radikal daily, 89.52 percent of TRT Haber's election broadcasting was given to the ruling AK Party, 5.29 percent to the MHP, 4.96 percent to the CHP and only 0.22 percent to the BDP.
In light of this discrepancy, CHP İstanbul Deputy Mahmut Tanal filed a criminal complaint against the TRT on Friday, on the grounds that the channel has failed to provide equality of opportunity in its political party broadcasts.
CHP Ankara Deputy Gülsün Bilgehan submitted a parliamentary question to government spokesman and Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç on Friday asking whether the TRT's biased broadcasting would continue up until the local elections on March 30.
Noting the findings of the recent RTÜK report on the TRT, Bilgehan asked Arınç what had been done about the TRT's behavior, which is against the rulings of the Council of Europe (CoE) and YSK. Bilgehan also asked whether any warning on the neutrality of political broadcasts would be made during the presidential elections.
RTÜK member Esat Çıplak had previously underlined that all TV stations should abide by the pre-election rules that govern the use of public broadcasting and advertising in election campaigns. Highlighting that the RTÜK had been using double standards in its actions against government-critical TV channels, Çıplak added: "These rules are not properly followed. The pro-government media allocate a large amount of time to the AK Party's election rallies and do not cover the election rallies of opposition parties. But they do not face any punishment. This situation is not fair and offends people. The pro-government media produce broadcasts that attack people and institutions who oppose the government without respecting their human dignity or privacy, the material and spiritual rights of people or the values and traditions of society, being based on insults and slander. Unfortunately, the RTÜK is also negatively affected by this situation, as this state institution has been greatly damaged by bad administration."
Recording shows Erdoğan refused to ease tensions during Gezi Park protests
(ILLUSTRATION: TODAY'S ZAMAN)
14 March 2014 /TODAYSZAMAN.COM, İSTANBUL
Leaked audio recordings uploaded onto YouTube by an anonymous user allegedly of a phone conversation between former Interior Minister Muammer Güler and businessman Cemal Kalyoncu during the Gezi Park protests last summer reveal that the minister had asked Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to allow demonstrators to enter Gezi Park to make a press statement in exchange for ending the protests, a proposal which Erdoğan refused.
The protesters had apparently asked Güler, through the meditation of some deputies, for permission to enter Gezi Park to make a press statement, promising to end the protests if they were allowed to do so. The alleged conversation between Güler and Kalyoncu suggests that Erdoğan feared the protesters would not leave the park once they were let in and denied permission.
The voice allegedly of Güler also cursed the protesters, saying the government would throw the protesters out of Gezi Park by force if the prime minister's fears came true.
Today's Zaman could not verify the authenticity of the recording but if the controversial recording is genuine, it reveals Prime Minister Erdoğan refused to ease tensions during the Gezi Park protests which subsequently escalated and led to violent clashes between the police and protesters.
The 2013 protests in Turkey began on May 28 initially to oppose the urban development plan for İstanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage as the protesters conducting a sit-in in the park were violently forced out by riot police. Subsequently, supporting protests and clashes took place across Turkey protesting plenty of other concerns.
Nearly a month ago, video footage released of the Gezi Park protests was found to have refuted an alleged attack on a headscarved woman in Kabataş on June 1, 2013 during the protests. The incident was frequently repeated by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in an attempt to portray the protests as being hooligan in nature.
In another attempt to stigmatize the Gezi protestors, Erdoğan had also accused them of drinking alcohol in a mosque. The mosque story was also later found to be untrue, damaging Erdoğan's credibility. In leaked video footage, the demonstrators who sought refuge in a mosque appeared to have sustained injuries and are wounded. The imam of the mosque apparently opened the doors of the mosque to those running away from the police seeking refuge.
From Russia Today .....
Just wondering why he would even go there ?
Erdogan links dead teenager to ‘terrorist’ groups
The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, said a 15-year old who died Tuesday, nine months after sustaining a head injury in anti-government protests was linked to a ‘terrorist organization’. His comments are likely to inflame political tensions. Berkin Elvan’s death on Tuesday has sparked the worst unrest since nationwide anti-government demonstrations in June. Erdogan has presided over a decade of increased living standards and remains Turkey’s most popular politician but critics say that he is becoming increasingly authoritarian and intolerant, citing recent moves to impose government control on the judiciary and the internet.
Mornin Fred,Kev,Big Sis,
ReplyDeleteI saw this on Reuters yesterday,"FDIC Sues 16 banks for rigging libor"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/14/us-fdic-libor-idUSBREA2D1KR20140314
New angle,breach of contract.
NW
Another civil suit , when might we actually see a criminal action brought ?
Delete