Syria .......
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-060613.html
THE ROVING EYE
Hezbollah don't take no mess
By Pepe Escobar
The "Friends of Syria" are appalled. Their much vaunted "rebel held" stronghold of Qusayr is gone. This BBC headline sums it all up: "Syria conflict: US condemns siege of Qusayr."
For White House spokesman Jay Carney, "pro-government forces", to win, needed help from by their "partners in tyranny" - Hezbollah and Iran. Right: so the "rebels" weaponized by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the CIA, not to mention jihadis of the Jabhat al-Nusra kind, are partners in what, "freedom and democracy"?
Spin out, facts in. This is a monster strategic defeat for the NATO-Gulf Cooperation Council-Israel axis. [1] The supply lines fromLebanon to Homs of the Not Exactly Free Syrian Army (FSA) gangs and the odd jihadi are gone. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) will next move to Homs and the whole Homs governorate. The final stop will be two or three Aleppo suburbs still controlled by the FSA.
There's absolutely no way Qusayr can be spun in the West as yet another "tactical withdrawal" by the FSA. The rebels insist they "withdrew". Nonsense. It was a rout.
This, in a nutshell, is how it happened. Qusayr had been under control of the Homs-based al-Farouk brigade, part of the FSA, for no less than 18 months. Six months ago, the SAA had already cleared the Syrian north-south highway, not far from the city - essential for all Damascus-Aleppo business.
Qusayr was strategically crucial as a key weaponizing depot for the FSA; Sunnis in Lebanon were relentlessly shipping them weapons through the Bekaa valley. So the first thing the SAA did was to encircle Qusayr. Then Hezbollah stepped in - as most of Qusayr's population of 30,000 had already left for either Lebanon or Jordan.
The final, wily SAA tactic was to allow the Aleppo-based al-Tawhid brigade to sneak into Qusayr to help the al-Farouk. So when these twin top FSA brigades were properly encircled, the SAA pounced. Virtually no civilians were in town, apart from a few farmers nearby. There was no "genocide".
And then Paris went chemical
When will the NATO-GCC axis ever learn? Hezbollah's Sheikh Nasrallah staked his reputation by going on air and promising a victory. Once again, he delivered. Contrary to Western spin, Hezbollah did not do it by itself; it was a combination of SAA, Hezbollah and Iranian specialists applying superior tactics and displaying crack urban warfare knowledge.
It's also easy to forget that a prime wet dream among US Think Tanklanders these past few months was the possibility of pitting Hezbollah against al-Qaeda-linked jihadis inside Syria. They got their wish.
Hezbollah fighters though don't need to overextend themselves and venture inside Syria further than Qusayr - which is roughly 10 km from the Lebanese border. Their "mission" is in practice to secure the Syrian side of the Lebanese border.
And talk about precious timing; the "fall" of Qusayr totally blew away a monster chemical weapons propaganda orchestrated by Paris. French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius is breathlessly spinning that "Bashar's army" used sarin gas against the "rebels". French media is gung-ho for a military intervention. [2]
There is a slight problem though. Buried in sensationalist reports in Le Monde or Liberation is the fact that the French scientific analyses - based on two samples, one of them collected by Le Monde reporters - do not specify who used sarin, the government or the "rebels". Even UN experts, in their official report, have admitted as much.
So once again - don't mess with Hezbollah. One can imagine the ear-splitting wrath levels in Washington, London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Doha. Their "response" - or revenge - may include setting Lebanon on fire. The usual imperial courtiers, Brookings Institution-style, are already mourning a Middle East prey to an "aggressive Russian-Iranian axis". [3] What about the aggressive NATO-GCC-Israel axis bent on totally destroying Syria to install an Islamist, pro-Western puppet state?
The Susan and Samantha show
And now, to compound the drama, we have Susan Rice as the new US National Security Adviser and Samantha Power as the new US ambassador at the UN Security Council. It's always helpful to remember that along with Hillary Clinton, these were the Three Graces of "humanitarian intervention" that forcefully pushed for the bombing and destruction of Libya.
Whatever replay strategy Susan and Samantha may come up with, Russia and China will veto. Moreover, even the Washington establishment admits all options are noxious. [4] To top it off, Turkey has been plunged into the Taksim/Occupy Gezi/Down with the Dictator maelstrom - and the last thing an embattled Erdogan will be thinking about is to further empower a bunch of "rebel" losers.
As for the Geneva II talks - co-sponsored by Washington and Moscow - their next preparation meeting will only happen in three weeks or so. This means that even if Geneva is on - and that's a major "if", considering the "rebels" in disarray are bound to boycott - it will be in early July or even later. Plenty of time for the SAA to keep advancing. But also plenty of time for the NATO-GCC axis to keep denying the "Syrian people" the fateful decision over who should lead them out of this ghastly proxy war.
Notes: 1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Gulf Cooperation Council.
2. See here (in French).
3. Iran Outmaneuvers U.S. in the Syrian Proxy War, Bloomberg News, June 5, 2013.
4. The No-Plan Zone, Foreign Policy, June 5, 2013.
http://www.debka.com/article/23021/Qusayr-was-a-debacle-for-the-West-and-Israel-Aftershocks-in-Lebanon-Golan-and-Gaza-Strip
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/05/not-june-diplomats-cant-agree-of-date-participants-for-syria-talks/
UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said June was absolutely impossible at this point, because diplomats were unable to come to an agreement on when the talks would take place, or who would be allowed to take part.
On Monday, when the deployments were initially announced, officials said the Patriot missiles and F-16 warplanes were simply being sent for a short “military exercise,” though they did concede that there was a chance some might remain if Jordan asked.
Both sides have thrown a lot of forces into the battle for the town, owing to its location along an important highway connecting Damascus with the northern portion of the country.
Instead the protesters, with thebacking of union leaders, are demanding that the police chiefs of several of the cities were the bloodiest crackdowns took place be immediately ousted. There is no indication that this is even being considered.
Göksel Bozkurtgoksel.bozkurt@hurriyet.com.tr
As Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returns from a series of official visits abroad, all are waiting to see whether he will assume a milder tone concerning the ongoing unrest all over the country. In the meantime, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç has been in charge in a bid to reduce the tension.
As had been announced on June 4, when he held a meeting with President Abdullah Gül, Arınç hosted June 5 members of the Taksim Platform, who had objected to the Taksim Square Pedestrianization Project from the beginning.
The group conveyed their demands to Arınç: Gezi Park should remain a park with no construction within, this decision should be officially announced and the Atatürk Culture Center should not be demolished; law enforcement officers and bureaucrats who led to rising violence that resulted in the killings of three citizens and wounding of thousands should be investigated and removed from office – in particular the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay – use of tear gas and similar materials should be banned; all protesters in custody should be immediately and unconditionally released; it should be announced that none of those protesters will be prosecuted; and all de facto obstacles and bans against use of the freedom of assembly in all squares and public zones of Turkey – particularly Taksim Square and Kızılay Square, which are the venue for May 1 gatherings – as well as barriers to freedom of expression should be removed.
During the meeting, which took place upon the deputy prime minister’s invitation, Arınç maintained the stance he displayed during a press conference on June 4, thus he once more affirmed that the initial protests were righteous. Yet, he once again avoided offering a clear apology, sources present at the meeting told the Hürriyet Daily News.
When Arınç suggested that it was now time to end the protests, the platform members responded by saying that they were not authorized to make such a call, the same sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Even if we say so, these protests will not end. We came here as their spokesperson. We did not start the process, neither can we end it,” they stated.
The platform has further voiced the need for “binding promises” from the government for the protests to close. As an answer to that, Arınç guaranteed that the government would discuss the matter.
“At the moment, the operation in Gezi Park has stopped. We will handle the subject extensively at the Cabinet meeting upon Mr. Prime Minister’s return. We will discuss [it] as the government. We will re-evaluate there at the Cabinet meeting. Like I said, at the moment, the operation has stopped and we will discuss and debate the matter with our prime minister, the mayor, all sides, and by running the process like this, we will come to a conclusion,” Arınç replied.
Not only about Gezi
A statement read out by the Taksim Platform following the meeting with Arınç made clear that the content of the rising reaction against the government should not be limited to objections to plans to build a replica of Ottoman-era barracks where Gezi Park is located.
Particularly through the third bridge over the Bosphorus plan, the third Istanbul airport plan, the Canal Istanbul project, plans for the Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) and hydroelectric power plants (HESs), the government has been “attacking the people’s ecological values,” the platform said.
While assessing the unrest in the country, the government should be well aware of “the stance against the war policy for our country and the demands for peace, the sensitivity of our Alevi citizens, the rightful demands of victims of urban transformation, the voices rising against conservative male politicians controlling women’s bodies, the resistance against the requirements on universities, judiciary and artists, the demands vis-à-vis seizure of rights of all the working class including Turkish Airlines (THY) workers, the struggle against all sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and requests for removal of obstacles to citizens’ access to education and health services,” it said.
Dunford reported that Afghanistan lost 104 troops in a single week of intense fighting, and that more “high-profile” Taliban attacks are to be expected going forward.
“This daily business of drones has to stop immediate,” Sharif warned, saying it was time for the US to start respecting Pakistani sovereignty. The US has launched only one strike since the election, killing seven people last week.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-060613.html
THE ROVING EYE
Hezbollah don't take no mess
By Pepe Escobar
The "Friends of Syria" are appalled. Their much vaunted "rebel held" stronghold of Qusayr is gone. This BBC headline sums it all up: "Syria conflict: US condemns siege of Qusayr."
For White House spokesman Jay Carney, "pro-government forces", to win, needed help from by their "partners in tyranny" - Hezbollah and Iran. Right: so the "rebels" weaponized by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the CIA, not to mention jihadis of the Jabhat al-Nusra kind, are partners in what, "freedom and democracy"?
Spin out, facts in. This is a monster strategic defeat for the NATO-Gulf Cooperation Council-Israel axis. [1] The supply lines fromLebanon to Homs of the Not Exactly Free Syrian Army (FSA) gangs and the odd jihadi are gone. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) will next move to Homs and the whole Homs governorate. The final stop will be two or three Aleppo suburbs still controlled by the FSA.
There's absolutely no way Qusayr can be spun in the West as yet another "tactical withdrawal" by the FSA. The rebels insist they "withdrew". Nonsense. It was a rout.
This, in a nutshell, is how it happened. Qusayr had been under control of the Homs-based al-Farouk brigade, part of the FSA, for no less than 18 months. Six months ago, the SAA had already cleared the Syrian north-south highway, not far from the city - essential for all Damascus-Aleppo business.
Qusayr was strategically crucial as a key weaponizing depot for the FSA; Sunnis in Lebanon were relentlessly shipping them weapons through the Bekaa valley. So the first thing the SAA did was to encircle Qusayr. Then Hezbollah stepped in - as most of Qusayr's population of 30,000 had already left for either Lebanon or Jordan.
The final, wily SAA tactic was to allow the Aleppo-based al-Tawhid brigade to sneak into Qusayr to help the al-Farouk. So when these twin top FSA brigades were properly encircled, the SAA pounced. Virtually no civilians were in town, apart from a few farmers nearby. There was no "genocide".
And then Paris went chemical
When will the NATO-GCC axis ever learn? Hezbollah's Sheikh Nasrallah staked his reputation by going on air and promising a victory. Once again, he delivered. Contrary to Western spin, Hezbollah did not do it by itself; it was a combination of SAA, Hezbollah and Iranian specialists applying superior tactics and displaying crack urban warfare knowledge.
It's also easy to forget that a prime wet dream among US Think Tanklanders these past few months was the possibility of pitting Hezbollah against al-Qaeda-linked jihadis inside Syria. They got their wish.
Hezbollah fighters though don't need to overextend themselves and venture inside Syria further than Qusayr - which is roughly 10 km from the Lebanese border. Their "mission" is in practice to secure the Syrian side of the Lebanese border.
And talk about precious timing; the "fall" of Qusayr totally blew away a monster chemical weapons propaganda orchestrated by Paris. French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius is breathlessly spinning that "Bashar's army" used sarin gas against the "rebels". French media is gung-ho for a military intervention. [2]
There is a slight problem though. Buried in sensationalist reports in Le Monde or Liberation is the fact that the French scientific analyses - based on two samples, one of them collected by Le Monde reporters - do not specify who used sarin, the government or the "rebels". Even UN experts, in their official report, have admitted as much.
So once again - don't mess with Hezbollah. One can imagine the ear-splitting wrath levels in Washington, London, Paris, Tel Aviv, Riyadh and Doha. Their "response" - or revenge - may include setting Lebanon on fire. The usual imperial courtiers, Brookings Institution-style, are already mourning a Middle East prey to an "aggressive Russian-Iranian axis". [3] What about the aggressive NATO-GCC-Israel axis bent on totally destroying Syria to install an Islamist, pro-Western puppet state?
The Susan and Samantha show
And now, to compound the drama, we have Susan Rice as the new US National Security Adviser and Samantha Power as the new US ambassador at the UN Security Council. It's always helpful to remember that along with Hillary Clinton, these were the Three Graces of "humanitarian intervention" that forcefully pushed for the bombing and destruction of Libya.
Whatever replay strategy Susan and Samantha may come up with, Russia and China will veto. Moreover, even the Washington establishment admits all options are noxious. [4] To top it off, Turkey has been plunged into the Taksim/Occupy Gezi/Down with the Dictator maelstrom - and the last thing an embattled Erdogan will be thinking about is to further empower a bunch of "rebel" losers.
As for the Geneva II talks - co-sponsored by Washington and Moscow - their next preparation meeting will only happen in three weeks or so. This means that even if Geneva is on - and that's a major "if", considering the "rebels" in disarray are bound to boycott - it will be in early July or even later. Plenty of time for the SAA to keep advancing. But also plenty of time for the NATO-GCC axis to keep denying the "Syrian people" the fateful decision over who should lead them out of this ghastly proxy war.
Notes: 1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization-Gulf Cooperation Council.
2. See here (in French).
3. Iran Outmaneuvers U.S. in the Syrian Proxy War, Bloomberg News, June 5, 2013.
4. The No-Plan Zone, Foreign Policy, June 5, 2013.
http://www.debka.com/article/23021/Qusayr-was-a-debacle-for-the-West-and-Israel-Aftershocks-in-Lebanon-Golan-and-Gaza-Strip
The Syrian rebels’ defeat in the key town of al Qusayr, Wednesday, June 6, was also a major strategic debacle for the US, Israel and Western Europe, the price they paid for leaving allied Syrian-Hizballah troops orchestrated by Iranian officers a clear field to win the day. The Syrian-Hizballah machine is now ready to capitalize on its victory and roll into Aleppo and southern Syria to extinguish rebel resistance there too. Israel is next in its sights.
Five months ago, on February 26, an exclusive DEBKAfile video report, entitled “Bashar Assad, Ali Khamenei, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Nasrallah Have Won the War," revealed how step by step Bashar Assad was turning the tide of war and recovering the initiative, backed by a broad alliance of Russia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Hizballah.
This alliance is already at work building on its success - not just in the Syria conflict, but beyond its borders too.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has posted 20,000 troops on the Syrian border to seal it off against the passage of Sunni and al Qaeda reinforcements for the Syria rebels. Iraqi commandoes are preparing to launch raids against al Qaeda-linked forces in eastern Syria. The Nusra Front, for instance, appears to have vanished from the battlefield and keeping a low profile.
This alliance is already at work building on its success - not just in the Syria conflict, but beyond its borders too.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has posted 20,000 troops on the Syrian border to seal it off against the passage of Sunni and al Qaeda reinforcements for the Syria rebels. Iraqi commandoes are preparing to launch raids against al Qaeda-linked forces in eastern Syria. The Nusra Front, for instance, appears to have vanished from the battlefield and keeping a low profile.
Syria’s half million Druzes, sheltering away from the conflict in their mountain villages on Jebel Druze in the south, were given an ultimatum by Hizballah to proclaim their loyalty to Bashar Assad or face attack.
Hizballah aggression against the Syrian Druzes would have major connotations for the community in Lebanon and its leader, Walid Jumblatt. On the other hand, if Syrian Druzes threw in their lot with the Assad regime, the Druzes of Lebanon would be forced to line up with Iran’s proxy. This realignment would counteract the Syrian rebels’ threat to strike Hizballah strongholds inside Lebanon. And these shifts would leave the Druze villagers on the Israeli Golan few options but to line up with the rest.
Unnoticed by Israel, the long arm of the Syrian war has reached deep into the Gaza Strip. Its Palestinian Hamas rulers lost no time in jumping on the winning bandwagon. A delegation is already in Tehran waiting to plead for a new military cooperation pact.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal faced heavy pressure to turn away from their ties with Turkey and Qatar and renew the military pact Hamas signed with Iran and Hizballah in September 2012
The pressure came from Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Ezz a-din al-Qassam Brigades - who fled the Gaza Strip after Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation against Hamas rockets, and stayed in Tehran ever since - and Mahmoud a-Zahar, who lost the politburo slot to Meshaal.
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal faced heavy pressure to turn away from their ties with Turkey and Qatar and renew the military pact Hamas signed with Iran and Hizballah in September 2012
The pressure came from Marwan Issa, deputy commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Ezz a-din al-Qassam Brigades - who fled the Gaza Strip after Israel’s Pillar of Defense operation against Hamas rockets, and stayed in Tehran ever since - and Mahmoud a-Zahar, who lost the politburo slot to Meshaal.
Thursday June 6, the Hamas military wing suddenly issued a declaration of allegiance to Iran and Hizballah.
Hamas is in desperate need of a new patron and even more of cash. Turkey and Qatar have cut off funds to the radical Palestinian movement and so its rulers, with the al Qusayr victory resounding strongly in their ears, turned back to Tehran and Hizballah to beg for funding to buy rockets.
Hamas is in desperate need of a new patron and even more of cash. Turkey and Qatar have cut off funds to the radical Palestinian movement and so its rulers, with the al Qusayr victory resounding strongly in their ears, turned back to Tehran and Hizballah to beg for funding to buy rockets.
This side-effect of the Syrian war and Hizballah’s successful role there is bad news for Israel. Back under the thumb of Iran and its proxy, Hamas is more than likely to scrap its ceasefire deal with Israel after nine months of rocket-free border calm, in its eagerness to rejoin the winning side of the Syrian war.
This would be a strategic slap in the face for Israel and the Obama administration, which helped broker the ceasefire last year, and a major hurdle in the path of US Secretary of State John Kerry and his hard work for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace track.
This would be a strategic slap in the face for Israel and the Obama administration, which helped broker the ceasefire last year, and a major hurdle in the path of US Secretary of State John Kerry and his hard work for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace track.
With two anti-Israel warfronts looming on the Golan and the Gaza Strip, no Palestinian Authority figure, including Mahmoud Abbas, would venture to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
The Syrian-Hizballah victory in Qusayr exposed the hollowness of the US-European-Israeli posture of non-intervention in the Syrian conflict. While all three backed away from confirming the outbreak of chemical warfare in Syria, aside from empty threats, Moscow, Tehran and Baghdad managed to repair the inroads made on Assad’s military power by two and-a-quarter years of hard fighting, and fashion a combined Syrian-Hizballah fighting machine capable of crushing the Syrian uprising.
Having proved its mettle in an epic victory, the Syrian-Hizballah partnership confronts Israel, Jordan and the US forces posted there with plans to follow up in its success in two stages: First, to conquer Aleppo and southern Syria and clear them of rebels; second, to use the Golan as a jumping-off base to face Israel on the battlefield.
Already, their campaign to seize the town of Quneitra on the Syrian side of Golan has begun. The roar of gunfire and shells heard distinctly in Israel Thursday, June 6, told Israel’s war leaders in no uncertain terms that the war front against Hizballah had shifted from southern Lebanon to the Golan.
Having proved its mettle in an epic victory, the Syrian-Hizballah partnership confronts Israel, Jordan and the US forces posted there with plans to follow up in its success in two stages: First, to conquer Aleppo and southern Syria and clear them of rebels; second, to use the Golan as a jumping-off base to face Israel on the battlefield.
Already, their campaign to seize the town of Quneitra on the Syrian side of Golan has begun. The roar of gunfire and shells heard distinctly in Israel Thursday, June 6, told Israel’s war leaders in no uncertain terms that the war front against Hizballah had shifted from southern Lebanon to the Golan.
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/05/not-june-diplomats-cant-agree-of-date-participants-for-syria-talks/
Not June: Diplomats Can’t Agree on Date, Participants for Syria Talks
Rebels Still Not on Board for Talks
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
The high profile Geneva Conference, a US and Russian-backed peace initiative for Syria, was supposed to be the big game-changer for the month of June. A date still hasn’t been agreed on, officials say, but it definitely won’t be in June.
UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said June was absolutely impossible at this point, because diplomats were unable to come to an agreement on when the talks would take place, or who would be allowed to take part.
The US is pushing for Saudi Arabia’s inclusion, while Russia says Iran should also take part. The US has ruled out allowing Iran to take part under any circumstances.
The biggest obstacle though, is the Syrian rebels, who haverepeatedly ruled out taking part in the talks at all, and while the US is trying to spin this as the rebels just “needing more time,” many of them are rejecting talks on general principle, insisting no talks should take place under Syria’s government unilaterally resigns.
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/05/us-patriot-missiles-warplanes-sent-at-jordans-request/
US: Patriot Missiles, Warplanes Sent at Jordan’s Request
Pentagon: US to Support Jordan's Security Requirements
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
Three days of reports surrounding US military deployments to Jordan have produced three conflicting stories about what is being sent and why, with Pentagon officials today claiming the whole deployment is the result of specific Jordanian government requests for additional forces.
On Monday, when the deployments were initially announced, officials said the Patriot missiles and F-16 warplanes were simply being sent for a short “military exercise,” though they did concede that there was a chance some might remain if Jordan asked.
Tuesday officials said the intention was to keep the Patriot missiles there all along, and that Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel had signed off on the plan over the weekend. Jordanian officials said the deployment would be purely defensive in nature.
Wednesday, we have a whole new story, with Jordan requesting all of the deployment (for a drill called “Eager Lion”) remain and more to be sent beyond that, with two Patriot batteries being requested on top of 12-24 warplanes. The missiles were to be deployed immediately along the Syrian border.
In the interest of making the story even more difficult to get a handle on, Pentagon officials also say now that Hagel hasn’t even seen the request, but that he would certainly approve of it when he did because the US is committed to Jordan’s “security requirements.”
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/05/syrian-troops-seize-qusayr-from-rebels-after-weeks-of-fighting/
Syrian Troops Seize Qusayr From Rebels After Weeks of Fighting
State TV Claims a Number of Rebel Fighters Captured
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
Syrian government forces, backed by Hezbollah fighters, have finally taken controlover the strategically important border town of Qusayr, effectively ending weeks of fighting over the area.
Both sides have thrown a lot of forces into the battle for the town, owing to its location along an important highway connecting Damascus with the northern portion of the country.
Rebels confirmed the town had been lost but were light on details. Syrian state media claimed a number of rebel fighters had been forced to surrender and captured when the town finally fell.
While this certainly gives the government some sense of momentum, analysts are quick to note that there is still a lot of war to fight. Hezbollah is sending its forces to Aleppo, a much bigger city and a much bigger challenge, where a stalemate has lingered for almost a year.
Turkey.......
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/06/05/as-protests-grow-turkeys-demonstrators-demand-police-chiefs-ouster/
As Protests Grow, Turkey’s Demonstrators Demand Police Chiefs’ Ouster
Police Arrest Twitter Users for 'Misinformation'
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
Protests continue to grow across Turkey today, with officials expressing surprise that a half-hearted apology by the deputy prime minister hadn’t magically caused the large number of grievances to go away.
Instead the protesters, with thebacking of union leaders, are demanding that the police chiefs of several of the cities were the bloodiest crackdowns took place be immediately ousted. There is no indication that this is even being considered.
The crackdowns have left at least two protesters dead and over 2,300 wounded, with large numbers of demonstrators detained on a myriad of pretexts, mostly centering on their protesting being personally insulting to Prime Minister Erdogan.
Police in Izmir, a port city, arrested 25 people today for postings on Twitters which mostly centered on the location of police blockades. They are being charged with “disinformation” despite the posts apparently being accurate. Officials also said the Twitter users are being held on “suspicion of stirring insurrection.”
http://rt.com/news/turkey-demands-erdogan-returns-300/
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is returning to a nation besieged by protests, where he faces a list of demands from demonstrators. Erdogan’s personality – described as authoritarian, assertive and self-centered – has also come under scrutiny.
As the protests enter their seventh day, casualties have risen, with three people dead and more than 4,000 injured. What began as an environmental protest against the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul to build a mall has turned into Turkey’s biggest wave of anti-government protest in years.
"There is a problem called Twitter right now and you can find every kind of lie there. The thing that is called social media is the biggest trouble for society right now," Erdogan said before leaving for North Africa. The Turkish prime minister also slammed the protests as undemocratic, and dismissed them as being organized by extremists.
"There is a problem called Twitter right now and you can find every kind of lie there. The thing that is called social media is the biggest trouble for society right now," Erdogan said before leaving for North Africa. The Turkish prime minister also slammed the protests as undemocratic, and dismissed them as being organized by extremists.
In their list of demands issued to Erdogan, activists are calling for the firing of the chiefs responsible for the violent police crackdown, the release of protesters detained by police, and for a ban on the use of teargas. If these demands are fulfilled, protesters said they would end the riots.
Demonstrators wave Turkish flags and shout slogans during a protest at Gazi park next to Taksim square in Istanbul on June 5, 2013.(AFP Photo / Aris Messnis)
The period of time after Erdogan returns Thursday from his three-day tour of North Africa is vital for Turkey, as public pressure may force the prime minister to reverse several of his own policies.
So far, Erdogan has only singled out scapegoats in the unrest, RT’s Irina Galushko reported from Istanbul.
He assailed the social networks used by demonstrators to organize protests and post updates; many demonstrators turned to Twitter and Facebook as a mobilization tool, as local media were largely silent during the initial stages of the protests.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, who is formally in charge while Erdogan is abroad, apologized on Tuesday for the police brutality against demonstrators. Turkish police have been roundly criticized for their widespread use of teargas and water cannons to disperse crowds of protesters.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.(AFP Photo / Farouk Batiche)
Prime minister of a protesting nation
Erdogan has been described as a man who rarely bows to opposition, and cannot handle criticism.
“He completely dislikes opposition to his ideas. He takes it as a personal offense. He's used to having agreement from the country after having gained 50 percent of the votes. This time he didn't assume the protest would be so big”, columnist and TV host Mutlu Tonbekci told RT.
Journalists Cengiz Candar told Reuters that "Erdogan takes things very personally and has developed a very authoritarian style."
“Everybody here was being gassed, and people here were trying to resist and trying to keep this park, and he was telling that we are looters and there's no project going on, and then he changed his mind, saying there's of course a project and I will do what I want to do,” activist Nazan Ustundag said to RT.
“Our intelligence work is ongoing [to determine the foreign actors behind the protests],” Erdogan said on Monday. “It’s not possible to reveal their names. But we will have meetings with their bosses.”
Conservative Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported that foreign mercenaries were among the protesters, according to authorities: “750 to 1,000 people, agents, many of whom are foreign nationals, infiltrated the ranks of the demonstrators, and who are being paid by foreign intelligence."
Anti-government protesters gather in Istanbul's Taksim square June 5, 2013. (Reuters / Yannis Behrakis)
As clashes continue, some believe that Erdogan will go to great lengths to avoid embarrassment, as any sign of weakness could break up his party. "Erdogan cannot backtrack now. It would mean defeat," car dealer Ali Aydin told Reuters. "Weakness would destroy the party."
The prime minister may also be ill-equipped to dealing with the recent developments. "This is an unprecedented situation for Erdogan. Some people in [the ruling AKP party] think that his policies have to soften, but they remain loyal to party discipline and to Erdogan himself," Reuters quoted a source close to the AKP as saying.
Many protesters believe that the prime minister has lost touched with reality, and is inflexible and unwilling to compromise.
Erdogan has alleged that hundreds of foreign agents are working to create unrest in the country. He maintains that these agents instigated the protests and are continuing to lurk among the crowds, encouraging dissent and turmoil.
Authorities have arrested some 15 foreign nationals across the country in connection with the protests, Today's Zamaan newspaper quoted an unnamed governmental source as saying. Many were reportedly Iranian nationals, a country on Erdogan's blacklist.
Despite the widespread protests, Erdogan remains a popular politician. He is known for his assertive leadership style, and his AK Party holds around two-thirds of the seats in parliament. But a key question remains: How will he handle the protests that are continuing to rock Turkey?
Erdogan is famous for his concrete human rights reforms, including granting rights to the country’s Kurdish minority, the opening of European Union entry talks, and a separation of the government and military. He has lately faced criticism for pressuring the media and for restrictions on alcohol sales.
Turkish protesters confront police forces during riots in a restaurant district of Ankara June 5, 2013.(AFP Photo / Marco Longari)
Occupy Taksim talks start before Turkish PM Erdoğan returns
Talks for a solution on the future of Taksim Gezi Park begin in Ankara between representatives of NGOs and Deputy Premier Bülent Arınç, with all eyes fixed on the return of PM Erdoğan from a North African tour
Deputy PM Bülent Arınç (C) welcomes representatives of NGOs for talks on the future of Taksim Gezi Park, with the absence of those protesting in Istanbul. AA photo
Göksel Bozkurtgoksel.bozkurt@hurriyet.com.trAs had been announced on June 4, when he held a meeting with President Abdullah Gül, Arınç hosted June 5 members of the Taksim Platform, who had objected to the Taksim Square Pedestrianization Project from the beginning.
The group conveyed their demands to Arınç: Gezi Park should remain a park with no construction within, this decision should be officially announced and the Atatürk Culture Center should not be demolished; law enforcement officers and bureaucrats who led to rising violence that resulted in the killings of three citizens and wounding of thousands should be investigated and removed from office – in particular the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay – use of tear gas and similar materials should be banned; all protesters in custody should be immediately and unconditionally released; it should be announced that none of those protesters will be prosecuted; and all de facto obstacles and bans against use of the freedom of assembly in all squares and public zones of Turkey – particularly Taksim Square and Kızılay Square, which are the venue for May 1 gatherings – as well as barriers to freedom of expression should be removed.
During the meeting, which took place upon the deputy prime minister’s invitation, Arınç maintained the stance he displayed during a press conference on June 4, thus he once more affirmed that the initial protests were righteous. Yet, he once again avoided offering a clear apology, sources present at the meeting told the Hürriyet Daily News.
When Arınç suggested that it was now time to end the protests, the platform members responded by saying that they were not authorized to make such a call, the same sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Even if we say so, these protests will not end. We came here as their spokesperson. We did not start the process, neither can we end it,” they stated.
The platform has further voiced the need for “binding promises” from the government for the protests to close. As an answer to that, Arınç guaranteed that the government would discuss the matter.
“At the moment, the operation in Gezi Park has stopped. We will handle the subject extensively at the Cabinet meeting upon Mr. Prime Minister’s return. We will discuss [it] as the government. We will re-evaluate there at the Cabinet meeting. Like I said, at the moment, the operation has stopped and we will discuss and debate the matter with our prime minister, the mayor, all sides, and by running the process like this, we will come to a conclusion,” Arınç replied.
Not only about Gezi
A statement read out by the Taksim Platform following the meeting with Arınç made clear that the content of the rising reaction against the government should not be limited to objections to plans to build a replica of Ottoman-era barracks where Gezi Park is located.
Particularly through the third bridge over the Bosphorus plan, the third Istanbul airport plan, the Canal Istanbul project, plans for the Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) and hydroelectric power plants (HESs), the government has been “attacking the people’s ecological values,” the platform said.
While assessing the unrest in the country, the government should be well aware of “the stance against the war policy for our country and the demands for peace, the sensitivity of our Alevi citizens, the rightful demands of victims of urban transformation, the voices rising against conservative male politicians controlling women’s bodies, the resistance against the requirements on universities, judiciary and artists, the demands vis-à-vis seizure of rights of all the working class including Turkish Airlines (THY) workers, the struggle against all sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and requests for removal of obstacles to citizens’ access to education and health services,” it said.
June/06/2013
PROTESTERS PRESENT DEMANDS FROM THE GOVERNMENT
- NewArticle
- Published:06 Haziran 2013, Perşembe
- Updated:06 Haziran 2013, Perşembe
* Let the Gezi Park remain as is and do not forbid demonstrations in Taksim. * The governors and police chiefs of three provinces should be removed from duty. * Prohibit the use of tear gas. * Release those detained in protests.
The first meeting with representatives of the protests on the demolition of Gezi Park took place yesterday in the capital. Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, formally in charge while Erdoğan is away, has struck a more conciliatory tone, apologizing for the initial police crackdown on peaceful campaigners in Taksim's Gezi Park and met with a delegation of protesters from the Taksim Platform in his office in Ankara.
The demands presented in a written document to Arınç by the Taksim Platform are as follows:
* The Gezi Park should remain untouched and as a park. An official statement should be released by the state announcing that the project to rebuild the historic Ottoman Artillery (Topçu) Barracks has been cancelled and to ensure that no other development will take its place. Efforts to demolish the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) must also be abandoned.
*We demand the removal from duty of those who gave the order to inflict force which led to the wounding of thousands and the deaths of two citizens, starting with the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara and Hatay.
* The use of tear gas and similar materials should be prohibited.
* Our fellow citizens who have been arrested for participating in the resistance should be released immediately and an announcement made that none of them will be subjected to an investigation.
* The prohibitions of meetings, demonstrations and protests in all squares in Turkey, including the Taksim and Kızılay squares which are traditionally used for May 1st gatherings, should be lifted and all police interventions put to an end.
* That the protests for which Gezi Park now symbolizes is actually a response to the perception of the government's mentality of attempting to alter our lifestyles and beliefs which they hold in contempt.
Speaking to the press following the meeting, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) Chamber of City Planners Istanbul Branch Director Tayfun Kahraman stated, "We would like to relay the following to those in power: The rising reaction is also in response to the plans to build a third bridge over the Bosphorus, a third airport in Istanbul, the Canal Istanbul project, plans for the Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) and hydroelectric power plants (HESs) and attacks on the people's ecological values and objections to the Nature and Biological Diversity Conservation Legislative Draft." Kahraman went on to add that the government should be aware of "the stance against conflict in the country and in the region, the sensitivity of our Alevi citizens, the justified demands of the victims of urban transformation, the voices rising against conservative male politicians exerting control over women's bodies, the resistance against the requirements by universities and the pressure exerted on the judiciary and artists, the demands in response to all workers, including Turkish Airlines (THY) staff being robbed of their rights, the struggle against all sexual orientation and discrimination of gender identity as well as demanding all obstacles be lifted to citizens' access to education and medical rights."
Af - Pak ......
US Commander: Afghan Troops Suffer Heavy Losses
104 Afghan Troops Killed in One Week
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the US commander for occupied Afghanistan, is warning that Afghan troops are suffering “heavy losses” as the Taliban’s offensive picks up steam, adding that the Taliban “are doing exactly what they said they would do.”
Dunford reported that Afghanistan lost 104 troops in a single week of intense fighting, and that more “high-profile” Taliban attacks are to be expected going forward.
Which all sounds like a really bad thing, but Gen. Dunford, ever the optimist, presented it as proof that the Afghan troops are able to “confront” the Taliban, adding that they’ve exceeded his expectations.
Which if taken on face value would mean Dunford was setting up the Afghan military to get absolutely thrashed, and now that they’re only getting sort of thrashed he sees that as progress. The reality, of course, is that the war continues to go poorly, the Afghan military is struggling mightily with recruitment issues due to poor pay and severe danger, and it is only that every Pentagon official has to be nominally optimistic that is leading Dunford to praise objectively serious losses as “progress.”
and.....
Pakistan PM Takes Office, Demands US End Drone Strikes
Sharif: 'Respect Our Sovereignty'
by Jason Ditz, June 05, 2013
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was formally elected and took office today after a decisive victory in last month’s elections. In his first speech to parliament, he called on the US to end its drone campaign.
“This daily business of drones has to stop immediate,” Sharif warned, saying it was time for the US to start respecting Pakistani sovereignty. The US has launched only one strike since the election, killing seven people last week.
While that’s a lot fewer drone strikes than launched in the past the attack was particularly ill-timed, and foiled Sharif’s plans to hold negotiations with the Pakistani Tehreek-e Taliban (TTP). The TTP have ruled out talks since the strike.
The US is continuing to insist that the strikes are justified by 9/11, though the TTP didn’t even exist back then, and the drone strikes have dramatically destabilized Pakistan, to the chagrin of officials there. Sharif warned during the campaign that continued drone strikes would force Pakistan to rethink its long-standing alliance with the US.
Iraq.......
15 Shot at Fake Checkpoint in Iraq; 24 Killed Overall
Wednesday: 23 Killed, 14 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, June 05, 2013
Updated at 10:37 p.m. EDT, June 5, 2013
Fifteen people were killed at a fake checkpoint at Nukhaib. Due to conflicting reports, it is unclear exactly what percentage of the victims were security personnel or civilians. They were likely from Karbala province. A similar attack occurred in the area in September of 2011.
An I.E.D. in Madaen killed three Sahwa members and wounded a fourth.
In Tikrit, a bomb killed a soldier and wounded two others.
Gunmen wounded a tribal sheikh in Muqdadiya.
In Qayara, a former army major was gunned down. Gunmen also wounded an intelligence officer, his brother, and a bodyguard. A bomb killed two policemen and wounded a third one.
In Kirkuk, gunmen wounded three people, including two soldiers dressed in civilian garb.
A bomb killed a police officer and wounded another in Falluja.
A woman’s dumped body was found in Diwaniya.
In Mosul, a car bomb wounded two people.
A bomb damaged a car belong to the police chief in Jurf al-Sakhar, but no casualties were reported.
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