Can Obama Keep Eastward-Looking Turkey On Side?

One of Barack Obama's first overseas trips as President was to Turkey. When he visited in April he focused on the significant role the country — mainly Muslim, officially secular, and a member of NATO — has to play in the Middle East. Heralding "a model partnership," Obama said Ankara had an important part to play in global peace. "Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United States must stand together," he told Turkish MPs in parliament.

The eight months since have been a mixed bag. Yes, Turkey has agreed to diplomatic normalization with neighbor and historic foe Armenia, and announced plans to end a two-decade war against Kurdish rebels that threatens to spill over into Iraq. But both developments have yet to be formalized. And Ankara has stirred hostility against Israel, a traditional ally, and its pursuit of closer commercial and political ties with the Muslim world, including Iran, has raised fears of a drift eastwards.
(See the top 10 players in Iran's power struggle.)


That trend is sure to be the undertone during discussions between Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, when the two leaders meet in Washington to discuss a high-stakes list of concerns topped by Afghanistan and Iran. "The U.S. side needs to impress diplomatically on Prime Minister Erdogan how much his anti-Western populist rhetoric damages Turkey's position with its key partners and pro-Turkey constituencies in Washington and Brussels," analyst Hugh Pope wrote in a recent paper for the Transatlantic Academy.

Before leaving for the U.S, Erdogan said Turkey was already "doing what it can" in Afghanistan, suggesting the Turks will resist Obama's call to commit more troops. Turkey has 1,750 soldiers in the Hindu Kush on a strictly humanitarian, noncombat mission that includes building roads and schools and patrolling Kabul. Ankara is wary of fighting fellow Muslims in a region with which it also has historic ties. "A midway solution could be for Turkey to increase its troops but not engage in warfare in southern provinces like Kandahar and Helmand," says Cengiz Candar, a commentator for the Radikal newspaper.
(See pictures of Obama in Turkey.)

There are also differences over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Although Turkish diplomats insist that Ankara is opposed to any development of nuclear weapons in neighboring Iran, Erdogan has in recent months strengthened diplomatic and trade ties with Tehran, which is a key gas supplier to Turkey. The Turks abstained last month in a U.N. vote condemning Iran's nuclear activities, despite China and Russia's support for it. Erdogan has also criticized Western leaders for turning a blind eye to Israel, widely seen as the Middle East's only nuclear power — albeit an undeclared one. Turkey's relations with Israel soured during Israel's invasion of Gaza last year. At a Davos forum in January, an irate Erdogan accused Israeli President Shimon Peres of "murdering children" and stormed out. The two countries, historically strong strategic allies, have since lurched from one crisis to another.

Despite the potential for disagreements, the Obama Administration considers Turkey a crucial ally in a region riddled with conflict. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played a key role in ensuring a last-minute deal in August between Turkey and Armenia aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations and eventually opening their long-closed border. That agreement is one of the U.S. Administration's chief foreign policy successes to date. Obama, who shied away from a campaign pledge to recognize the 1915 mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman soldiers as genocide in favor of supporting a bilateral peace process, will press Erdogan to ratify the deal in parliament as soon as possible.
(Read "Friends No More? Why Turkey and Israel Have Fallen Out.")

The two are also likely to discuss Turkey's decades-old bid to become part of the European Union, an ambition that Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government appears to have placed on the back burner. The Prime Minister and his ministers have racked up dozens of visits to the Middle East and gulf this year, shoring up trade deals and political ties. They have visited Brussels many fewer times. In part, this is Europe's fault. Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicholas Sarkozy have made little secret of their distaste for Turkey's eventual membership. "The U.S. must ... convince Erdogan that explicitly resurrecting the E.U. goal is vital, and that recent E.U. coldness towards Turkey is not forever," says Pope. That sentiment would mean more if it came from Europe.

Source:time.com/

Gunmen kill seven soldiers in northern Turkey

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen killed at least seven soldiers in an attack in northern Turkey, state-run news agency Anatolian reported on Monday, citing provincial officials.
The gunmen targeted a vehicle carrying the soldiers in Tokat province's Resadiye district, television channels reported. Other soldiers were reported to have been wounded.
It was the worst attack since Kurdish militants killed 10 soldiers with a remote-controlled bomb in southeast Turkey in April. It came as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan prepared to meet President Barack Obama in Washington for talks that were likely to include government moves to improve Kurdish rights.
A court is expected to hear a case in the coming days on whether the largest pro-Kurdish political party, the Democratic Society Party, should be shut down.
In the past, the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has carried out attacks on military targets. The PKK mostly operates in the primarily Kurdish southeast, where one man was killed during clashes between police and protesters on Sunday.
Attacks in the north are not unheard of, but are rare. (Reporting by Thomas Grove; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Mark Trevelyan)

Source:swissinfo.ch/

Turkey urges OSCE to back Azerbaijan in Karabakh dispute

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe should take note of the UN stance on the Azerbaijani-Armenian territorial dispute and support Baku, Turkey's prime minister has said.

"The OSCE Minsk Group should be more decisive on this issue," Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Azerbaijan's ANS TV channel.

"Steps must be taken. The UN declared that Nagorny Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan... Who should take the necessary step in this case? Armenia should," the prime minister said.

"When we talk about settling the conflict, we mean an agreement on the seven districts" belonging to Azerbaijan and occupied by Armenia, he said.

If an agreement is not reached, "Turkey will take no positive steps towards Armenia."

Four resolutions condemning the Armenian invasion and occupation of Azerbaijan's territories were passed by the UN Security Council in 1993, at the height of the Azerbaijani-Armenian war in Nagorny Karabakh.

Later that year, Turkey closed its border with Armenia in a show of support for Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim, Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara.

In October 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed historic accords on diplomatic relations and on development of bilateral ties. The documents have yet to be ratified by the country's parliaments, and face opposition from nationalist parties in both countries.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said at a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Athens that Turkish-Armenian deals can only be ratified after the Nagorny Karabakh issue is resolved.

Ankara has also demanded that Yerevan drop its campaign to have the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 internationally recognized as genocide.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia.

Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded in 1994, leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

The OSCE Minsk Group, comprising the United States, Russia and France, is a mediator in the conflict.

BAKU, December 7 (RIA Novosti)

Source:rian.ru/

Turkey wants to maintain current status even in post-Kyoto period

As the UN Climate Change Conference begins today (Monday) in Copenhagen, Turkish officials are gearing up for tough negotiations to present the country’s climate strategy after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.





Officials from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry said Turkey will express in Copenhagen its intention to maintain its current status of exclusion from Annex B, freeing it from emission reduction commitments.

Turkey, as an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country, was included in Annex I of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992, and even in Annex II, which is the list of relatively advanced industrialized countries that have committed themselves to financial and technical transfers to developing countries. After Turkey’s objections, it was eventually removed from Annex II but as a non-signatory to the original 1997 protocol, it was also not included in Annex B.

So Turkey has been free from emission reduction commitments, even though it ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Aug. 26 of this year, and Turkish officials want to keep it that way unless financial support and technology transfer are offered.

Turkish officials noted that per capita annual emissions in Turkey are 4.5 tons compared to 23.5 tons in the United States and 11 tons in Denmark, where the climate summit will be held on Dec. 7-18, drawing up strategies for the post-Kyoto policies and commitments.

But Turkey’s emissions have risen quickly, from 170 million tons in 1990 to 372 million tons in 2007 as its annual per capita income rose from $3,000 in 1990 to $10,000 in 2007. And Turkish officials say the country will continue to grow.

On the other hand, Turkey is in a region that is quite vulnerable to climate change, and the country is indeed committed to the implementation of policies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming.

Giving examples from all sectors regarding quantitative reduction efforts, Environment and Forestry Minister Veysel Eroğlu said recently that as a result of the Energy Efficiency Law, 75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be cut by 2020.

Turkish officials, who will go to Copenhagen to negotiate on behalf of Turkey, said that they will tell the conference about Turkey’s unique situation, shared only by two other countries, to keep it free from reduction commitments. Turkey, South Korea and Mexico are members of the OECD, widely considered to be a group of industrialized nations, but do not have emission reduction commitments under the current Kyoto regime until 2012.

Meanwhile, the latest round of international talks on climate change ended on Nov. 6 without resolving major disputes over a new global climate pact and how to pay for it. UN scientists say rich countries must cut carbon emissions by 25 to 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 to prevent the Earth’s temperatures from rising by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above its average temperature before the industrial era began 150 years ago.

Developing countries should also limit their emissions and must adapt to the effects of climate change, including floods and drought. But they need money. However, industrialized countries have yet to unveil specific amounts to help poor countries fight global warming. About 29 percent of the greenhouse emissions in world come out of the United States. The share of EU countries is 26.5 percent, while Russia emits about 8 percent and China about 7.6 percent.


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Turkey uses more renewable sources of energy
* Law No. 5346, dealing with electricity production from renewable sources and enacted in 2005, is still in effect. This law guarantees electricity producers who produce from renewable sources that the government will buy the electricity generated at 5.5 euro cents per kilowatt-hour.

* Established wind farms reached 743 MW production capacity in 2009 compared to 17.2 MW in 2005.

* Turkey uses hydropower for its 35.8 billion kWh energy use out of 200 billion kWh of its total use.

* Turkey increased its use of renewable energy resources more than twofold in 1990-2009, bringing it up to 15,280 MW from 6,782 MW.

* As a result of the Energy Efficiency Law, 75 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be avoided by 2020.

* Turkey increased energy efficiency in cement, iron and steel plants by using and promoting the best available techniques, supporting the transition to clean production.

* Turkey prepared a National Solid Waste Management Action Plan (2008-2012). According to the plan, 114 landfill sites will be constructed and will serve 76 percent of the population by 2012.

* Turkey started an ambitious forestation campaign with a target of 2.3 million hectares of land in a five-year period from 2008 to 2013. As a result of the campaign 181.4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions will be sequestered.

* There are initiatives in the transportation sector including the enhancement of the quality of fuels consumed in vehicles, utilization of bio-fuels, use of vehicles with new engines and technologies, removal of old vehicles from the road, expansion of metro and light rail networks in big cities. The Marmaray sub-sea tunnel project in İstanbul -- which will connect the Asian and European sides of the city -- will reduce 130.335 tons of greenhouse gas emissions yearly.

* Turkey is promoting the use of biomass instead of fossil fuels, and best available agricultural and irrigation techniques to reduce emissions and conserve natural resources. The Law on Soil Conservation and the Law on Grassland and Pasture Conservation contribute to the sequestration of emissions. Turkey also adopted an action plan in 2008 to combat drought.

Source:todayszaman.com/

Kurds clash with police in Turkey; 1 demonstrator killed

ANKARA, Turkey - Police clashed with pro-Kurdish demonstrators denouncing new prison conditions for rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan on Sunday. A 23-year-old university student died in hospital following the clashes, news reports said.

Protesters in the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir hurled stones and fireworks at police and at the local headquarters of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.

The state-run Anatolia news agency said police responded with pepper gas to disperse the crowds.

The university student, identified as 23-year-old Aydin Erdem, died of gunshot wounds in hospital, CNN-Turk and other reports said, but there were no immediate details on how he got shot.

Police also broke up other pro-Kurdish protests in Istanbul and in at least three other cities in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, NTV television said.

At least one police officer was injured in the clashes, Anatolia said.

Turkey built a new maximum security prison on Ocalan's prison island and transferred inmates there to end his isolation.

Ocalan has complained about conditions at his new cell, triggering protests by his supporters. The rebel leader said in a statement released by his lawyers last month that his cell was smaller and that he had difficulties breathing.

Turkey denies prison conditions are worse and has invited European anti-torture inspectors to visit his new prison cell.

Turkey built the new prison after the Strasbourg, France based human rights body, the Council of Europe, demanded that Turkey end Ocalan's solitude, saying his mental state was deteriorating after spending years as the sole inmate of Imrali island, off Istanbul.

Ocalan, 60, is serving a life sentence for leading the PKK's campaign for autonomy that has led to tens of thousands of deaths since 1984.

The rebel leader was initially sentenced to death after his capture in Kenya in 1999, but his sentence was commuted to life in prison after Turkey abolished capital punishment in 2002.

Although reviled by most Turks, there is a cult of personality surrounding the rebel leader among some Kurdish sympathizers.

Source:winnipegfreepress.com/

EU warns Turkey over Cyprus blockade

Brussels - Turkey should open its ports to Cypriot vessels in a bid to make talks over re-unifying the island easier, European Union foreign ministers said Monday.

EU member states have frozen Turkey's bid to join the bloc because of its refusal to allow Greek Cypriot ships and aircraft into its ports. But the EU is keen to improve relations with Ankara so that Turkey will help push for a peace settlement on Cyprus.

'On Turkey, the train must move on: we should avoid a crash. We of course hope that Turkey would move a little bit on the Ankara Protocol as well,' Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said as he arrived in Brussels for talks with EU counterparts.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn backed that stance, saying, 'It's important to continue the (political) reforms and implement the Ankara Protocol.'

The Ankara Protocol, signed by Turkey and EU members in June 2005, extended Turkey's 46-year-old customs union with the EU to the bloc's newcomers in Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

But Turkey refused to open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels, arguing that the Greek side of the island had not lifted its embargo on vessels from the Turkish north.

EU foreign ministers in December 2006 therefore froze accession talks with Turkey on all trade-related issues.

However, the bloc is now eager to enlist Ankara's help in pushing for a rapid solution to the Cyprus conflict, fearing that otherwise spring elections in the north of the island could lead to an anti-European backlash.

In October the EU's executive, the European Commission, released a report on Turkey's accession progress which was more positive than expected, praising the country for its reform process.

However, it also said that it was 'urgent' for Turkey to allow Cypriot vessels onto its territory.

Source:monstersandcritics.com

One dead as violence flares in Turkey protests

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — A student was shot dead Sunday during clashes between Turkish police and demonstrators protesting at the prison treatment of the founder of outlawed PKK party, sources said.

An estimated 15,000 protesters marched in the city of Diyarbakir in the majority Kurdish southeast in support of jailed rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the Kurdistan People's Party.

Clashes erupted when some demonstrators threw stones and fireworks at riot police who tried to block the march, an AFP correspondent on the scene reported.

Riot police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowd.

A 23-year-old student protester died from a bullet wound and two other people including a police officer were injured, according to local sources.

Security sources said in total one person was killed, three injured and 113 arrested across the region on Sunday.

The demonstration was called by the Kurdish Democratic Society Party to support Ocalan's claims of poor treatment at the Imrali island prison, where he has been serving a life sentence since 1999.

Turkey's justice ministry published photos on Friday to show that Ocalan's jail conditions were the same as those of other inmates in high-security prisons and said they met international standards.

Ocalan, 61, was the sole inmate at the prison on Imrali island until new prisoners arrived last month, after the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) criticised Ankara for violating Ocalan's human rights by keeping him in solitary confinement.

More demonstrations took place on Saturday in the southeastern town of Yuksekova where a 19-year-old suffered a serious head injury from a teargas grenade during clashes with police, and one officer was also injured, according to local security sources.

The PKK, considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara and much of the international community, has a waged a bloody insurgency for Kurdish independence since 1984 which has claimed some 45,000 lives.

Source:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ilNAbNQwv18SbixdpCH0AWgrEejA

How to... cook the perfect turkey

It's the highlight of Christmas day - a succulent roast turkey. But the British Turkey Sector Group admits that many first-time roasters don't even know the basics, including which end of the bird to stuff and how long a turkey should be left in the oven for. Don't get in a flap - read this indispensable guide before you start cooking.
CHOOSING YOUR BIRD
There's nothing worse than a mean Christmas spread, so make sure the bird you buy is big enough to feed all your guests AND fit in your oven. Measure the space inside your oven from the bottom shelf to the top, and the width, and take these details with you when you go to the butcher or supermarket.

Holiday roasted turkey
Allow approximately 500g (1lb 2oz) of raw meat per serving per person. When buying your turkey, ask the butcher if they can give you some information about the bird. Knowing how and where it was reared will give you some idea of how it was treated during its life, which makes a big difference when it comes to quality and, most importantly, flavour.

The most common turkeys on sale in supermarkets are intensely farmed, battery-reared ones. Although cheaper, the conditions these birds have endured - little or no exposure to sunlight and hardly any exercise - mean that the meat you serve on Christmas day will be noticeably
inferior in taste.

If you can afford it, get a free-range turkey. They are far cheaper than organic ones and usually just as good. Although free-range birds can look less plump (because they've led more active lives) than indoor-reared turkeys, the meat is much more succulent and tasty because they have been allowed to mature at a slower rate and roam freely and happily.

The bird you eventually choose should have been reared outdoors and been hung 'long-legged' - butcher-speak meaning with its guts in - for at least a week. Black or bronze turkeys are known for a more gamey flavour and smaller breasts than white varieties. Top British breeds to look out for this Christmas are Norfolk Black, Cambridge Bronze and Kelly Bronze.

CHRISTMAS EVE PREPARATION

If you're buying a frozen turkey, make sure you allow plenty of time for your bird to defrost. This is a classic mistake and one that's responsible for many a delayed Christmas lunch. Your turkey has to be fully defrosted before you start cooking it and the time it takes to do so will depend on its size.

The best way to defrost your turkey safely is to remove all packaging, cover loosely with foil and place it on a tray in the bottom of the fridge. This is best done the night before.
When the turkey is defrosted, remove any giblets (put them to one side and keep them covered in the fridge to make gravy) and make sure there is no sign of the bird still being frozen in the cavity. Pat dry, inside and out, with kitchen paper.

STUFFING

It's a shame these days that most people buy ready-made stuffing, but you shouldn't be afraid to make your own. It's easy and will be much better. For a classic sage-and-onion stuffing, get some good-quality Cumberland sausages and remove the skins.

Meanwhile, fry a couple of onions with some chopped Bramley apple in about 25g of butter until soft. When it is cool, mix with the sausage meat, a handful of breadcrumbs and some chopped sage.

More...Jamie Oliver's Christmas recipes for a stress-free feast
Alternative Christmas pudding recipes
Food special: Delia's snappy Christmas recipes


When it comes to stuffing the avity at the leg end, I like to place an onion (or two, depending on the size of the bird), a few crushed cloves of garlic, a lemon cut in half and loads of 'hard' herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, sage) wrapped in a bundle. Don't be shy - pack it all in.
COOKING
Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4. When your bird is stuffed and ready to be roasted, weigh it and calculate the cooking time. You should be looking at about 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz.

What you're trying to achieve is maximum flavour while keeping the bird moist. I like to make a herb butter (with finely chopped rosemary, thyme and flat-leaf parsley) and carefully smear it under the skin using my fingers, making sure not to tear it.

Traditionalists may prefer to put stuffing between the skin and the breast meat. Alternatively, stuffing some pancetta rashers under the skin will give you a great flavour and stop the meat from drying out. If you're pushed for time, at least try to lay some strips of pancetta or streaky bacon over the top of the bird.

Next, place your turkey in a large roasting tin or on a roasting tray, rub it with olive oil and season. Very roughly chop some carrots, celery, leeks and onion and scatter around the bird - this will add flavour to your gravy later.

Cover with foil and place in your preheated oven and cook for the calculated time.
Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes or so to get a nice golden-brown colour.
To check your turkey is cooked properly, pierce the thigh with a skewer and make sure the juices run clear - you don't want to see any pink.

SERVING
As with any meat, allow the turkey to rest after removing it from the oven - at least 15 minutes before carving. Always use a really sharp carving knife, and make sure the turkey doesn't slide about by holding it in place with a meat fork and carve it on a stable cutting surface.

Insert the fork in the top of the breast and with your carving knife make a deep horizontal cut just above the wing. Then, starting halfway up the breast, carve down to meet the horizontal cut, trying to keep the slices thin and uniform. Serve with a spoonful of stuffing, cranberry sauce and all the trimmings.

GAVIN BILLENNESS is a food writer and chef at eco restaurant Acorn House

Source:dailymail.co.uk/

Turkey's highest legal body to begin debating closure case against DTP

Turkey's highest legal body will begin debating a closure case against the Democratic Society Party (DTP) on December 8.


The Court of Appeals Chief Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court on November 16, 2007, and demanded closure of the political party since it allegedly became a center of actions against Turkey's inseparable unity.

In the indictment, prosecutors also demanded the Constitutional Court to ban 219 members of the political party including Ahmet Türk, Aysel Tuğluk, Sebahat Tuncel, Osman Özçelik, İbrahim Binici, Sevahir Bayındır and Fatma Kurtulan from politics for five years.

Under the Turkish Constitution, majority of votes is required to outlaw a political party. In this case at least 7 out of 11 members of the top court should vote "yes" to ban the DTP.

Founded in 2005, the DTP has currently 21 seats at the parliament. The party won 2009 local elections in nine provinces (Diyarbakır, Batman, Hakkari, Iğdır, Siirt, Şırnak, Tunceli, Bingöl and Van.

Source:todayszaman.com/