Bahçeli calls on president Erdoğan to heat palace with dung instead of gas

Bahçeli calls on president Erdoğan to heat palace with dung instead of gas

    Friday, December 04, 2015   No comments

Leader of the minority opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli has criticized President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's stance on speculation that Russia may impose natural gas cuts on Turkey, declaring that the presidential palace should be heated by burning dried cow dung so that the government can share the Turkish people's suffering.

Speaking on the presidential plane on his way to Qatar on Dec. 1 after attending a climate conference in Paris, Erdoğan claimed Turks “are accustomed to suffering,” in response to a question on the effects of a possible gas cut by Russia, the result of a crisis over a Russian fighter jet Turkey recently shot down.

“As you know, we [Turkey] have not lived with natural gas our whole lives. We all know how long it has been since we began using natural gas. … Moreover we will not be doomed if we cannot acquire Russian gas,” Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey buys natural gas from various countries.

Commenting on the issue on his Twitter account late on Thursday, Bahçeli said: “The people of this country have suffered enough. From now on, the presidential palace must be heated by burning dried cow dung in stoves. It's easy to talk, go ahead and share the people's suffering.”

Bahçeli added that Erdoğan's statements about Turks made him sad.

While being interviewed by a local TV station this week, Erzurum residents said they would start burning dried cow dung as they did in the past rather than bow to Russian pressure.

The speculation of a Russian natural gas cut arose after Turkish troops shot down a Russian Su-24 jet on Nov. 24 after it violated Turkish airspace for 17 seconds. The incident was the first downing of a Russian jet by a NATO member country in over half a century. source

German intelligence warns: Saudi Arabia "destabilizing Arab world", funding jihadist groups fighting in Syria, including Daesh

German intelligence warns: Saudi Arabia "destabilizing Arab world", funding jihadist groups fighting in Syria, including Daesh

    Wednesday, December 02, 2015   No comments

It is unusual for the BND spy agency to publicly release such a blunt assessment on a country that is considered an ally of the West. Germany has long-standing political and economic ties with Saudi Arabia

 Saudi Arabia is at risk of becoming a major destabilizing influence in the Arab world, German intelligence has warned.

Internal power struggles and the desire to emerge as the leading Arab power threaten to make the key Western ally a source of instability, according to the BND intelligence service.

“The current cautious diplomatic stance of senior members of the Saudi royal family will be replaced by an impulsive intervention policy,” a BND memo widely distributed to the German press reads.


The memo focuses particularly on the role of Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 30-year-old son of King Salman who was recently appointed deputy crown prince and defence minister.

The concentration of so much power in Prince Mohammed’s hands “harbours a latent risk that in seeking to establish himself in the line of succession in his father’s lifetime, he may overreach,” the memo notes.

“Relations with friendly and above all allied countries in the region could be overstretched.”

Prince Mohammed is believed to have played a key role in Saudi Arabia’s decision to intervene in the civil war in Yemen earlier this year.

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 The overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad remains a priority for the kingdom, the BND says.

Saudi Arabia has previously been accused of supplying arms and funding to jihadist groups fighting in Syria, including Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil)

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Worried that Russia may cut export of natural gas, 55% of Turkey's need, Erdoğan says Turks can do without gas, but rushes to ask Qatari Emir for help, just in case

Worried that Russia may cut export of natural gas, 55% of Turkey's need, Erdoğan says Turks can do without gas, but rushes to ask Qatari Emir for help, just in case

    Wednesday, December 02, 2015   No comments

Erdoğan told reporters on his plane: “As you know, we [Turkey] have not lived with natural gas our whole lives. We all know how long it has been since we began using natural gas.”

“Moreover we will not be doomed if we cannot acquire Russian gas,” he said, adding Turkey buys natural gas from various countries.
Turkey imports 95 percent of its energy from abroad and meets 55 percent -- or 27 billion cubic meters (bcm) -- of its natural gas consumption and 30 percent of its oil needs from Russia. Additionally, the contractors of Turkey's first nuclear energy plant in Mersin's Akkuyu district -- whose reactor is due to be built in 2016 -- are two subsidiaries of Russia's state-owned Rosatom.

Turkey was hit with a wide range of sanctions by Russia after it shot down a Russian Su-24 jet on Nov. 24 after it violated Turkish airspace for 17 seconds. The incident was recorded as the first downing of a Russian jet by a NATO member country in over half a century.

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The state-owned Turkish Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ) has announced a memorandum of understanding with the Qatari national petrol company regarding the long-term supply of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) to Turkey amid speculation that Russia may cut its supply of gas to Turkey.

Turkey already imports LNG from Qatar on the basis of temporary deals. A planned agreement between the two countries will set the framework for long-term and regular LNG exports from Qatar, media reports said.

Erdoğan also announced on Wednesday that the two countries have abolished visa requirements.

Thanking Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for his hospitality, Erdoğan announced the developments surrounding the abolishment of visa requirements between the two countries. “The visa restrictions between Turkey and Qatar have been lifted. Now Turkish citizens and Qatari citizens will be able to travel to these countries without a visa,” he said.

The two countries signed a total of 15 agreements to boost cooperation in a number of fields, Erdoğan said.

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Russian military provides evidence for Putin's claim that Syrian and Iraqi oil under ISIL's control is sold in Turkey

Russian military provides evidence for Putin's claim that Syrian and Iraqi oil under ISIL's control is sold in Turkey

    Wednesday, December 02, 2015   No comments

Russia accuses Erdogan of trading oil with IS

Moscow has grounds to suspect that Turkey shot down a Russian Su-24 on November 24 to secure illegal oil deliveries from Syria to Turkey, Putin said on the sidelines of the climate change summit in Paris on Monday.

“At the moment we have received additional information confirming that that oil from the deposits controlled by Islamic State militants enters Turkish territory on industrial scale,” he said.

“We have every reason to believe that the decision to down our plane was guided by a desire to ensure security of this oil’s delivery routes to ports where they are shipped in tankers,” Putin said.

Speaking in Paris on Monday, President Recep Erdogan said that he will leave office if there is proof of Turkey’s cooperation with IS.

 “We are not that dishonest as to buy oil from terrorists. If it is proven that we have, in fact, done so, I will leave office. If there is any evidence, let them present it, we’ll consider [it],” he said, as quoted by TASS.




The countries from which Turkey buys oil are “well known,” said Erdogan.

He called on Russia to comment on the US’ recent black-listing of Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the World Chess Federation President, accusing him of “materially assisting and acting for or on behalf of the Government of Syria.” Erdogan alleged Ilyumzhinov had been dealing with Islamic State oil. source


US administration reacted to the evidence produced by the Russians saying,

The State Department's Toner said U.S. information was that Islamic State was selling oil at the wellheads to middlemen who were involved in smuggling it across the frontier into Turkey. Source

ISR comment: Whether these middlemen are ISIL fighters or ISIL enablers, the problem remains, Iraqi and Syrian oil that is under the control of Daesh (ISIL) illegally enters Turkey and is illegally sold in Turkey.

Obama confirms Russia's claim that ISIL moves fighters and oil through Turkey

Obama confirms Russia's claim that ISIL moves fighters and oil through Turkey

    Tuesday, December 01, 2015   No comments

President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that there is some progress in sealing the border between Turkey and Syria but there are still some "gaps" exploited by Islamic State militants to bring in foreign fighters and sell oil.

The 60-mile-long border stretch Obama wants Turkey to close

Obama said he has had repeated conversations with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan about the issue, including on Tuesday. Source

The US move follows increasing international criticism of Turkey for what is seen as its long-term tolerance of, and possible complicity with, Isis and other extreme jihadi groups such as al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra Front, and Ahrar al-Sham. Not only have thousands of foreign fighters passed through Turkey on their way to join Isis, but crude oil from oilfields seized by Isis in north-east Syria has been transported to Turkey for sale, providing much of revenue of the self-declared Islamic State.

Last week a Turkish court jailed two prominent journalists for publishing pictures of a Turkish truck delivering ammunition to opposition fighters in Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that the weapons were destined for Turkmen paramilitaries allied to Turkey fighting in Syria, but this was denied by Turkish political leaders close to the Turkmen.Source

Erdogan's Mistake: Russia May Now Initiate Own 'No-Fly Zone' Over Syria

Erdogan's Mistake: Russia May Now Initiate Own 'No-Fly Zone' Over Syria

    Sunday, November 29, 2015   No comments

President Erdogan's mistake in shooting down the Russian Su-24 bomber 'has waived the green light' for Russia to initiate a 'no-fly zone' by deploying additional fighter power and air defense systems in Syria, US columnist Jim W. Dean notes.

The US-led coalition's recent provocation against the Russo-Syrian counter terrorism campaign has "put nothing but torpedoes into its own sinking international credibility," according to US columnist and managing editor for Veterans Today Jim W. Dean.

Dean stresses that the destruction of the ISIL oil tanker fleet, which NATO had been "somehow" unable to detect for over a year, has predictably prompted outrage from those who have long been benefiting from the illicit oil trade.


"We suspected the tanker-crushing move would make the people who had been marketing ISIL's oil, the Kurds and Turkey, unhappy enough to be provoked into a blunder themselves. We did not have to wait long, with the militarily-senseless shooting down of the Russian SU-24 bomber by the Turkish F-16s," Dean narrates in his recent article for New Eastern Outlook.


The US columnist emphasizes that it is obvious that Turkey would never dare to carry out such a provocation "without clearing it with the US and NATO, as they would be dragged into anyway."

Turkish reports that they knew nothing about the origin of the Su-24 bomber jet sound completely unconvincing.

"Did they expect us to believe that their radar was not working, nor the US-coalition drones or spy satellites that monitor the Syria-Iraqi battlefield 24/7?" Dean asks with a trace of irony.

However, NATO with Secretary General Stoltenberg has supported Turkey. Still, there were a number of NATO envoys who expressed their concerns regarding the matter. They pointed to the fact that Turkey did not make attempts to escort the Russian bomber out of its airspace.


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Turkey's changing explanation for shooting down Russian jet harming its standing, exposing its double standard, and strengthening Syrian government

Turkey's changing explanation for shooting down Russian jet harming its standing, exposing its double standard, and strengthening Syrian government

    Sunday, November 29, 2015   No comments

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Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki on Thursday accused Erdoğan of pushing the world to the brink of a global conflict after it downed the Russian warplane, according to a report by French news agency the AFP. "Erdoğan claims the Russian aircraft entered Turkey's airspace for a few seconds, forgetting that its own planes violate Iraqi and Syrian airspace every day," he said in a statement. Turkish fighter jets have, in recent months, carried out a series of deadly strikes against rebels of the Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) in their bases in the north of Iraq. "Erdoğan's double standards and aggressive policies are threatening a new world war," said the vice president.

Putin on Thursday dismissed as "rubbish" Turkey's claim that it did not know the jets were Russian. "They [our planes] have insignias and these are well visible," Putin said. "Instead of [...] ensuring this never happens again, we are hearing unintelligible explanations and statements that there is nothing to apologize about."
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UK could be prosecuted for war crimes over missiles sold to Saudi Arabia that were used to kill civilians in Yemen

UK could be prosecuted for war crimes over missiles sold to Saudi Arabia that were used to kill civilians in Yemen

    Saturday, November 28, 2015   No comments

Advisers to the Foreign Secretary step up legal warnings that the missile sales may breach international humanitarian law

Britain is at risk of being prosecuted for war crimes because of growing evidence that missiles sold to Saudi Arabia have been used against civilian targets in Yemen’s brutal civil war, Foreign Office lawyers and diplomats have warned.

Advisers to Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, have stepped up legal warnings that the sale of specialist missiles to the Saudis, deployed throughout nine months of almost daily bombing raids in west Yemen against Houthi rebels, may breach international humanitarian law.

Since March this year, bombing raids and a blockade of ports imposed by the Saudi-led coalition of Sunni Gulf states have crippled much of Yemen. Although the political aim is to dislodge Houthi Shia rebels and restore the exiled President, Abed-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, thousands of Yemeni civilians have been killed, with schools, hospitals and non-military infrastructure hit. Fuel and food shortages, according to the United Nations, have brought near famine to many parts of the country.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other NGOs, claim there is no doubt that weapons supplied by the UK and the United States have hit Yemeni civilian targets. One senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) legal adviser told The Independent: “The Foreign Secretary has acknowledged that some weapons supplied by the UK have been used by the Saudis in Yemen. Are our reassurances correct – that such sales are within international arms treaty rules? The answer is, sadly, not at all clear.”

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The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen to fight in that country’s raging conflict

The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen to fight in that country’s raging conflict

    Thursday, November 26, 2015   No comments

The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen to fight in that country’s raging conflict, adding a volatile new element in a complex proxy war that has drawn in the United States and Iran.

It is the first combat deployment for a foreign army that the Emirates has quietly built in the desert over the past five years, according to several people currently or formerly involved with the project. The program was once managed by a private company connected to Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater Worldwide, but the people involved in the effort said that his role ended several years ago and that it has since been run by the Emirati military.

The arrival in Yemen of 450 Latin American troops — among them are also Panamanian, Salvadoran and Chilean soldiers — adds to the chaotic stew of government armies, armed tribes, terrorist networks and Yemeni militias currently at war in the country. Earlier this year, a coalition of countries led by Saudi Arabia, including the United States, began a military campaign in Yemen against Houthi rebels who have pushed the Yemeni government out of the capital, Sana. source

"Turkey gave no warning" before shooting down the Russia plane

"Turkey gave no warning" before shooting down the Russia plane

    Wednesday, November 25, 2015   No comments

Capt Konstantin Murakhtin told Russian television there was "no way" the jet could have violated Turkish airspace, as Turkey said it did.

Russia said Capt Murakhtin was rescued in a 12-hour operation involving special forces.

Turkey insists the pilots were warned 10 times before the plane was shot down.

It is not clear what happened to the body of his co-pilot, who was killed by gunfire as he parachuted from the burning plane.

Capt Murakhtin was speaking from the Hmeymim airbase, where Russia's aircraft have been based in its Syrian campaign, and where he was taken after being rescued.

He said he knew the region he had been flying in "very well" and that the jet had not been in Turkish airspace "even for a second".


He added he wanted to go back to duty and stay at the airbase, saying "someone has to pay" for the death of the other pilot, Lt Col Oleg Peshkov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Lt Col Peshkov would be posthumously awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia.

There are also to be state awards too for Capt Murakhtin and the marine who died during his rescue, Alexander Pozynich.




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