Turkey shot down Russian bomber over Syria

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Turkey Arrests Man Suspected of Buying Smuggled Gaddafi Dagger (Photo)
http://sputniknews.com/africa/20160613/1041270569/gaddafi-dagger.html

According to Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency, authorities caught a businessman trying to sell an ornately jeweled dagger that allegedly belonged to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Identified only as A.A., the businessman allegedly bought the dagger in Libya three months ago for $4.6 million. He was attempting to sell it for $10 million to a Saudi national.

Carved from ivory, the dagger featured rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. Police also found a studded sheath with the weapon, as well as a decorative base adorned with lions.

As part of an anti-smuggling raid conducted an Istanbul suburb, two suspected accomplices were apprehended along with the businessman.

All three suspects have been released pending trial and face possible charges of smuggling and illegal handling of ivory.

Nine people, including one police officer, were injured by a car bomb explosion that occurred in eastern Turkey on Monday, local media reported.

Nine Wounded in Car Bomb Attack in Eastern Turkey
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160613/1041251223/turkey-car-bomb.html

According to Turkey's Anadolu news agency, the blast hit the Ovacik district of the Tunceli province. The car bomb exploded close to the courthouse lodgings, the agency reported.

Three of those injured in the attack are reportedly in a critical state. An investigation is ongoing, according to the news outlet.

Tensions in Turkey escalated in July 2015, after 33 Kurdish activists were killed in a suicide blast in Suruc and two Turkish policemen were later murdered by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, which led to Ankara's military campaign against the PKK which it considers a terrorist organization.

Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters that he is disappointed over failed attempts to build a “model partnership” with Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

No Love Lost: Erdogan Reveals Why He is Upset With Obama and Putin
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160613/1041264336/erdogan-upset-obama-putin.html

According to the Turkish president, he had placed high hopes on Obama, but, unfortunately, they did not materialize.

“Unfortunately our expectations did not come true. For example, in the economic fields, the ties declined instead of improving. Our expectations in foreign politics were also not fulfilled,” Hurriyet Daily News reported Erdogan as saying.

“We could not show a strong presence together on Syria and Iraq,” he added.

A major factor in worsening relations between the US and Turkey was the matter of the US extending support to the Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG), the armed wing of the Syria’s Democratic Union
Party (PYD), in its fight against Daesh.

Turkey links the YPG to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and has demanded from the US to avoid any cooperation with it.

According to Erdogan the Turkish people are also annoyed by the photos of US soldiers with YPG militants on the ground. “These things upset us,” the president said.

Talking about Turkey’s relations with Russia, Erdogan said that, “Our friendship with Mr. Putin carried the mutual relations to a very advanced level,” adding that this totally changed after the downing of a Russian plane by a Turkish jet.

Commenting on the recent announcement of the Turkish foreign minister that Poland, Romania and Turkey have agreed that the European missile defense needs expanding, Turkish retired Brigadier General Haldun Solmaztürk told Sputnik that Turkey won’t be able to duly ensure its own security if it fully and completely links it with NATO.

Turkey Won’t Be Able to Ensure Own Security if It Fully Links It With NATO
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160610/1041152015/turkey-nato-missile-defense.html

The heads of the foreign ministries of Poland, Romania and Turkey have agreed that the European missile defense needs expanding, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the news conference as the political and military consultations between the foreign ministers of the three countries wrapped up in Warsaw.

The Turkish top diplomat cited “Russia’s aggressive attitude” as a “serious threat to regional security and stability.”

The Turkish Foreign Minister also pointed out that NATO’s missile defense (Patriot system) is already deployed in all three countries “for defense purposes.”

However Turkish retired Brigadier General Haldun Solmaztürk pointed out to Sputnik Turkey that Turkey does not have a missile defense system on its territory.

Turkey only hosts a land-based early warning radar as part of the joint missile defense system which is currently being deployed in Turkey, Romania and Poland.

Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, who is also the country’s defense minister, is heading to Washington DC on Monday, amid a scandal over the release of information providing the possible links of members of the Saudi royal family to 9/11, along with tensions over oil and the Iran deal.

Amid Tensions Over Iran Deal, 9/11-Links, Powerful Saudi Prince Visits DC
http://sputniknews.com/us/20160613/1041270950/saudi-prince-visits-dc.html

Prince Mohammed, 30, who is King Salman's son and third in line for the throne, is said to be visiting Washington to engage in talks with US officials regarding "strengthening bilateral relations and discussing regional matters of mutual interest,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement. Mohammed is the main voice behind the “Vision 2030,” a plan to move the Saudi economy away from reliance on oil.

The Saudi government recently threatened to sell off US investments if the Senate passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, promoted to simplify the process for families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia and other foreign sponsors of terror. President Barack Obama promised to veto the bill should it pass, likely due to the fact that a Treasury Department report in May revealed that Saudi Arabia holds some $116.8 billion in US debt.

The bill was passed but an amendment was added at the final moment by Senator Charles Schumer, granting the attorney general and secretary of state the power to stop any litigation against the Saudi government.

The US/Saudi relationship has also been strained due to America’s growing energy independence and the recent historic nuclear agreement with rival nation Iran. The relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia has long fallen under the model of exchanging American military security for oil.

It is unclear how long the Prince will remain in the United States. He is accompanied by a ministerial delegation including Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and Commerce and Investment Minister Majid al-Qasabi.

 

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Erdogan sends first official letter to Putin after Su-24 jet incident

http://tass.ru/en/world/881871

The Turkish president expressed the hope for the restoration of relations between the two countries

ANKARA, June 14. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed the hope for the restoration of relations between the two countries, Erdogan’s press service told TASS on Tuesday.

The press service confirmed that President Tayyip Erdogan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day. It is the first official letter since last year, the press service said. However, the Turkish leader's office said that it had no permission so far to publish the contents of the letter.

Meanwhile, the NTV channel reported that Erdogan said in this letter that he hoped that the relationship between Russia and Turkey would come to a level "it deserves."

The TV channel also reported that Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sent a letter to Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the occasion of Russia Day that is marked on June 12. Yildirim wrote in his letter that he hoped that the relationship between Turkey and Russia would come to the necessary level for the realization of their mutual interests.

Relations between Russia and Turkey deteriorated sharply after a Turkish Air Force F-16 fighter jet downed a Russian Su-24M bomber in the sky over Syria on November 24, 2015.

 

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Wounded ISIS fighters brought to Turkey hospitals in ‘pick-up trucks’ – doctors, eyewitnesses to RT

https://www.rt.com/news/346882-isis-turkey-hospitals-doctors/

Islamic State militants are frequently transported across the Syrian border to Turkish hospitals for treatment, according to eyewitness accounts collected by RT on the ground. Their crossing was allegedly ensured by Turkish officials.

Both Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) and Free Syrian Army fighters were able to cross the border from Syria into Turkey en masse and receive medical help – only to then be allowed to go back to resume fighting in Syria, the head of a local doctors’ association told RT’s Lizzie Phelan.

Phelan visited Gaziantep, a city in south-central Turkey some 60 kilometers from the Syrian border. Eyewitnesses and doctors told the RT correspondent that most of the IS fighters were treated in the border city of Kilis south of Gaziantep.

“Many wounded ISIS militants or FSA [Free Syrian Army] fighters were brought to the border in pick-up trucks, not ambulances,” Medical Association Chair in Gaziantep and Kilis Hamza Agca said. “Many were unconscious and bleeding when they were brought to us.”

The injured men were apparently driven right from a “war zone” and doctors often had to deal with things like “grenades falling out of their pockets,” Agca added.

One doctor from Kilis also confirmed to RT that they were receiving fighters from across the Turkish-Syrian border, including IS militants. The doctor said on condition of anonymity that he was just one of the doctors who treated terrorists in Kilis.

The medic described discovering suicide vests on some of the IS patients and feeling terrified as he was forced to take them off.

The doctor added that the flow of IS militants being admitted to Turkish hospitals has decreased, but they still see militants admitted every couple of weeks.

When asked how the doctors felt about treating terrorists, Agca said that as medical professionals they were under an oath to help the injured, no matter who they were. “Any doctor throughout the world would do the same,” he said.

However, after the treatment was over, the fighters were allowed to rejoin the battlefield back in Syria. “We treated these fighters and they went back to fight once they recovered, some were brought for a second or third time to our hospital,” Agca said.

He also said that Turkish government officials ensured that IS fighters were able to cross into Turkey with no obstacles. “In terms of their medical treatment, the government didn’t give us any order but their policy was to provide the opportunity to fighters to use the border crossing.”

The first reports of IS militants receiving costly and complicated medical treatment was reported in May. The information was leaked via tapped phone calls and was handed to the media by opposition MP Erem Erdem.

RT’s Phelan filmed the footage in Gaziantep’s Ersin Arslan hospital, one of the medical centers that has treated Islamic State extremists. The trip to the hospital was risky in light of a crackdown on opposition-minded journalists in Turkey.

“If we get stopped by police they might not be impressed by the story we’re working on and maybe will give us a bit of a hard time,” Phelan said.

The Turkish government has been fiercely trampling on any allegations of links to Islamic State, pushing for the prosecution of reporters and opposition MPs alike for reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refers to as “treason.”

“After broadcasting this report, it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to enter the country safely again,” Phelan said.

Russian state news agency Sputnik was recently shut down by Turkey without prior notification under “administrative measures” imposed by the country’s authorities in April based on Turkey’s internet controls law.

In March, a correspondent for the influential German magazine Der Spiegel, Hasnain Kazim, was forced to leave Turkey after his press credentials were not renewed.

Turkey has been much tougher on local journalists. In May, it sentenced a Turkish reporter to 20 months in jail and took away her parental rights for allegedly breaching the confidentiality of a court case.

Arzu Yildiz published footage over a year ago from a court hearing that witnessed four prosecutors being sued for ordering a search of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization’s trucks that were traveling to Syria back in 2014. The government, which insists the contents were “humanitarian” cargo to Turkmen tribes, intervened to prevent the trucks from being searched and a number of people have been persecuted for the attempt, which fueled allegations that the vehicles were carrying weapons to terrorists in Syria.

 

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Turkish Boomerang: Ankara Almost Lost in Syria, Faces Rebellion at Home

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041553140/turkey-syria-loss.html

Ankara’s expansionist policy in Syria has triggered a boomerang effect: for more than six months the Turkish Army has been engaged in heavy fighting with the Kurdistan Workers Party in southeast Turkey and now needs to secure its own borders; the recent success of the Syrian Army with Russia’s support underscores that Ankara has also lost in Syria.

“Turkey has almost lost in Syria,” states German news website Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten.

The outlet further explains that the Russian Air Force has recently destroyed a large weapons depot of the al-Nusra Front in northern Syria, which also served as a major hide-out for the jihadists.

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA), in turn, has recaptured several key positions not far from the border with Turkey, which have previously been under the control of the terrorist groups. All the positions are in the Turkmen Mountains (Jabal Turkman).

According to the Syrian media, SAA has completely freed the mountainous area.

Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten notes that the Turkmen Mountain range plays a very important strategic role as it is located on the road to Idlib Governorate, which in turn leads directly to the city of Aleppo and further to Turkey.

The mountainous area is mostly inhabited by Syrian Turkmen people and ethnic Turks who support President Assad in the fight against Islamists. And many officers in the Syrian army are Turkmen.

All the above, the news website says, signifies that Turkey has almost lost in Syria. The SAA is pushing back the pro-Turkish mercenaries in the north of the country, and Turkish influence in the west of the country has been largely undermined.

The main task for Ankara now is to secure its own borders and to prevent the set-up of a Kurdish state in the north of Syria, Hence Turkey should focus on its own territorial integrity.

“Turkey’s expansionary policy in Syria has triggered a boomerang effect: for more than six months it has been engaged in heavy fighting with the Kurdistan Workers Party (Turkish acronym PKK) in the southeast of its territory,” the outlet says.

The aim of the PKK, the website says, is to conquer the southeast of Turkey and to establish a Greater Kurdistan with the Kurds in northern Syria.

Thus the website also notes the recent attempt of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to normalize the relationship with Russia. however Moscow, for now, has rejected his suggestion, demanding an apology and financial compensation for the aircraft downed by Turkey in the Syrian airspace.

 

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan envisioned himself the Sultan of a new Ottoman Empire, but now faces the bleak reality that he is the annoying little brother of the US and Europe who will never get his way.

NATO’s Collapse: Turkey May Exit Over Refugee Blockade, Arming of Kurds
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160618/1041544377/washington-europe-nato-erdogan-exit.html

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced this week that NATO will expand its presence in the Mediterranean in order to stem the tide of Syrian refugees flowing from Turkey into Europe. Ankara has objected, feeling the alliance’s resources could be put to better use elsewhere.

Turkish officials argue that NATO’s limited resources should instead be directed towards combatting ‘Russian aggression’ in a bid to hamstring the alliance’s efforts to prevent human smuggling in the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece.

There are currently over six million refugees of the Syrian Civil War, with 2.75 million seeking shelter in neighboring Turkey. The country has become the single largest host nation of migrants fleeing the horrors of war and the threat of enslavement at the hands of Daesh extremists.

In addition to the large initial intake of refugees, Ankara also offered to shelter an additional one million refugees currently residing in Europe in exchange for approximately $7.3 billion. The deal also included concessions that would provide Turkish citizens with visa-free travel within Europe’s Schengen Zone and expedite the country’s European Union membership.

That deal has wavered in recent weeks following the Turkish government’s crackdown on both the media and dissent, including advancing a constitutional amendment that will allow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to prosecute all opposition lawmakers from the Kurdish HDP Party under the country’s anti-terrorism laws.

This move toward totalitarianism follows Turkey’s aggressive decision to shoot down a Russian warplane. The Erdogan government has also faced accusations of being engaged in illegal arms and oil trade with Daesh militants, stoking the flames of war.

British Prime Minister David Cameron suggested that Turkey may not be ready for inclusion in the European Union, and the EU has soured on the idea of offering visa-free travel to Turkish citizens. Erdogan responded by threatening to unleash a new wave of migrants onto Europe’s mainland.

Now the military alliance of 28 nations is looking to strip Ankara of their greatest bargaining chip by blockading migrant sea smuggling from Turkey.

Additionally, Erdogan’s regime has been forced to endure the US arming of Kurdish YPG forces in the struggle against Daesh extremists in Syria. Ankara has repeatedly denounced Washington’s policy of cooperation with the YPG, labelling the group a terrorist organization and calling the organization an offshoot of the PKK.

The move by US and European officials to push Turkey aside may soon result in fracturing the alliance and, at minimum, looks to undermine the effectiveness of the organization’s efforts in Syria and abroad.

Medical humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders has announced it will no longer accept aid from the European Union and its member countries in light of the EU’s controversial migrant deal with the Turkish government.

Doctors Without Borders Rejects EU Funding in Light of Turkey Migrant Deal
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160618/1041545970/msf-rejects-funds-over-migrants.html

The controversial deal will require the deportation of people who arrive in Greece illegally back to Turkey. It also allows a one-to-one swap that will grant asylum to a Syrian refugee for every migrant who returns to Turkey. Turkey stands to gain six billion euros for Syrian refugees, along with revised talks about membership in the EU.

"The large-scale returns of Syrian refugees we have documented highlight the fatal flaws in the EU-Turkey deal. It is a deal that can only be implemented with the hardest of hearts and a blithe disregard for international law," Amnesty International said in an April report criticizing the deal.

John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s Director for Europe and Central Asia also denounced the plan, saying "In their desperation to seal their borders, EU leaders have willfully ignored the simplest of facts: Turkey is not a safe country for Syrian refugees and is getting less safe by the day."

A senior Turkish legislator revealed that 5 terrorist cells are active in Istanbul working under the eyes of Turkey's spy agency.

Turkish MP Reveals Activity of 5 ISIL Cells in Istanbul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000537

"The ISIL members and supporters receive trainings in 5 houses in Istanbul to become familiar with the group's beliefs and then they will be militarily trained after being transferred to Syria," Aran Erdem wrote on his twitter page on Saturday.

He also said that Turkish spy agency was aware of the suicide attacks conducted in Turkey in the past few months and is fully informed of all events and activities inside the five houses but takes no action.

"Everyone knows that the ISIL has hideouts and grouplets in at least 70 regions in Turkey and thousands of young people have joined the ISIL, al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups," Erdem said.

His remarks came after 422 pages of classified documents, revealed in May, showed blood-chilling information regarding terrorist activities in Turkey.

These documents classified as secret material, contain huge amounts of information regarding the activities of ISIL militants in Kilis and Gaziantep.

They also showed that all the crossings of thousands of terrorists at the Turkish-Syrian border were known to the Turkish authorities, and despite that, they did not take any action.

Syrian tribal leaders underlined the importance of winning back the town of Manbij in the Northeastern parts of Aleppo province, and said it will cut the ISIL supply route to Turkey.

Syrian Tribal Leaders: Liberation of Manbij Cuts ISIL Supply Route to Turkey
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329001035

"Manbij's adjacency to Turkey is a big danger to the region since the ISIL receives aid from there and Turkey is considered as the ISIL's main ally and sponsor and the most dangerous threat against the Syrian people," said Morshid Ahmad from al-Shadadi region on Saturday.

Also, Ziyad Marwan al-Omri, a tribal leader in al-Hazeem region, said that Manbij is the gate to the Eastern parts of al-Jazira region and its liberation will establish security in Syria and extensively cuts ISIL's main supply route to the Turkish borders.

The comments came after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued to storm the ISIL strongholds in the Western, Eastern and Southern sides of the terrorist-held town of Manbij, inflicting a heavy death toll on the militants.

The SDF fighters ended their mop up operations near al-Etehad university, and the villages of Madani Kabir, Madani Saghir and Sheikh Yahya and launched fresh offensives on the ISIL positions from the town's Western flank.

"Heavy fighting is now underway between the SDF and ISIL along Manbij-Aleppo road," battlefield sources said, adding, "At least 28 ISIL members have thus far been killed in the clashes in the Western part of Manbij."

"The SDF fighters also carried out mop up operations in Hamdoun farms, silos areas and the village of Rasm al-Akhzar in the Southern side of Manbij and deployed forces at positions only one kilometer away from the town," the sources added.

"At least 20 ISIL terrorists were killed in the SDF's cleansing operation of the village of Tal Rafi'a in the Eastern side of Manbij and the SDF fighter reached to 4 kilometers distance from the town," the sources went on to say.

The Syrian Army troops, backed up by the Russian fighter jets, beat back the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham from strategic mountains Northeast of Lattakia and restored full security to the mountainous region.

Syria: Al-Nusra Withdraws from more Key Heights near Border with Turkey
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950329000629

The Takfiri terrorists left behind at least 43 fighters dead and many more wounded and pulled the remaining pockets of their forces back from Turkmen mountain under the heavy attacks of the Syrian soldiers and the Russian warplanes.

Reports said earlier today that hundreds of Jeish al-Fatah terrorists have crossed Turkey's border into Northern Syria to join their comrades in the mountainous battlefields of the coastal province of Lattakia that has been the scene of government forces' advances in the recent days.

"After significant advances of the Syrian army and its popular allies against the terrorist groups near the border with Turkey, Ankara paved the way for scores of the terrorists to enter Lattakia to join their comrades from Chechnya and Caucasus deployed in Turkmen mountain," the sources said.

 

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Turkish border guards kill 9 Syrian refugees

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/06/19/471123/Turkey-Syria-Kherbet-Eljoz-Jarabulus

Turkish border guards have killed nine members of a Syrian family, who were trying to cross the frontier and take refuge in the neighboring country.

The deadly incident took place near the village of Kherbet Eljoz in Syria’s Idlib Province on Saturday night as the Turkish forces opened fire on the refugees, leaving eight more Syrians injured.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source told The New Arab news website that the victims were among several families displaced from the city of Jarabulus in Syria’s Aleppo Province.

“Turkish border guards opened fire on them indiscriminately, killing nine people and wounding eight others,” the source said, adding that the dead were “all from one family - three children, four women and a man,” who fled Jarabulus due to fighting.

It was not the first time that the Turkish border guards employed force against Syrians uprooted from their homes, with activists saying that at least 50 asylum seekers have been killed on the Turkish border in the past few months.

Back in May, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report that in March and April 2016, five people, including a child, were killed and 14 others were seriously injured as a result of Turkish soldiers’ shootings and beatings.

Gerry Simpson, senior refugee researcher at the New York-based rights organization, said the Turkish soldiers are “killing and beating” refugees.

“Firing at traumatized men, women, and children fleeing fighting and indiscriminate warfare is truly appalling,” he added.

Turkey, however, rejected the accusation, claiming that it is welcoming Syrian refugees.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Damascus regards a number of countries as the main supporters of the militants fighting the government forces in the Arab country.

Turkey, which is hosting 2.7 million Syrian refugees, closed its borders to the asylum seekers around a year ago, but permitted entry to critical medical cases and humanitarian organizations.

Ankara and the European Union also sealed a contentious agreement in March in a bid to tackle Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.

Under the deal, the 28-nation bloc will take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from the country and in return will reward Ankara with money, visa exemption and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

Ankara is known as a staunch supporter of the terrorists groups operating to topple the Syrian government.

 

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Certain banks in Turkey with customers from the Persian Gulf Arab countries are involved in supplying the ISIL terrorist group with financial resources, a prominent journalist revealed.

Prominent Journalist: Turkish Banks Financing ISIL Activities in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000263

"The information existing in the US judiciary proves that 6 banks in Turkey, some of them governmental and some of them Saudi and Kuwaiti, provide the ISIL and other terrorist groups with money," Tolga Tanis, a Washington correspondent for the mass circulation daily Hurriyet, wrote on his webpage.

He said that the information also shows that certain businesspersons from Kuwait and other Persian Gulf Arab states collect money and deposit it in certain accounts in the aforementioned banks which are active in Istanbul and then the ISIL, al-Nusra Front and other terrorist groups will withdraw the money.

Tanish also said that the manager of the Kuwaiti-Turkish bank who transfers the money to the terrorists' accounts is a person with close ties with the Turkish president.

Relevant reports by French media also revealed on Sunday that the European intelligence agencies are searching the Mediterranean sea for six cargo ships carrying weapons that started voyage from the Turkish ports in mid May.

It is assumed that container ships which are capable of carrying more than 10 thousand tons of cargo have loaded weapons in Libya for the ISIL militants, the French Le Figaro wrote.

Among them, two container ships are sailing under the flags of Turkey and Liberia, three truck ships under the flags of Panama, Bolivia and Tanzania and a vessel for cattle registered in the Comoros.

Le Figaro reported that the situation is complicated by the fact that after the release of all ships from the Turkish ports, most likely, they have turned off the GPS and no longer send radar signals.

According to security officials, they could escape neither through the Suez Canal nor Gibraltar and they are just circling in the Mediterranean Sea.

The security services don’t know who is behind these ships, the Turkish secret services or government.

In relevant remarks in April, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Turkey and other countries continue to supply terrorists in Syria with advanced weapons.

The Syrian army and resistance forces' successful operations in the Northern parts of Lattakia will cleanse the last remaining villages from the terrorists and they are now forced to escape the region towards Turkey, a potential clock bomb for Ankara.

Turkey Should Now Hug Terrorists Fleeing from Lattakia
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000671

Field developments in Lattakia province have entered a new stage in recent weeks and the Syrian army and popular forces are trying to open their way towards Idlib province in addition to their liberation operations in Lattakia's bordering areas with Turkey.

With the Syrian forces' advance in the Northern and Northwestern parts of Lattakia, specially the two villages of Shahroura and al-Hayat, the supply routes of terrorists at the Turkish borders will be cut off and the two bordering villages of Shamsa and Falah will be surrounded completely and the terrorists will have no way but fleeing to the Turkish borders or withdrawing towards Northwestern Idlib province.

Supporters of terrorists are well aware that the Syrian forces' control over the bordering heights and towns in Lattakia means collapse of the Western and Northwestern areas of Idlib and therefore, they are seeking hard to prevent more defeats and losses.

Reports on Friday said that the Syrian army troops and popular forces continued to hit the strongholds of the terrorist groups in Northern Lattakia and pushed the militants back from more heights in the mountainous regions near the border with Turkey.

The Syrian government forces' operation in Northern Lattakia ended in the seizure of Nawwara region and meantime claimed the lives of several militants.

Also, the Syrian army men engaged in heavy fighting with al-Nusra Front in al-Nimer region and forced the militants to retreat from the battlefield after leaving behind scores of the dead and wounded members.

The coalition of Syria's opposition and terrorist groups reacted to the killing of nearly a dozen Syrian refugees by Turkish border guards with full support.

Opposition, Terrorists Support Turkey's Killing of 11 Refugees in Syria
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000994

The Syrian opposition group known as Syria's National Coalition supported the Turkish shoot-out and claimed that no civilian has been killed in the Turkish forces' shooting.

Meantime, the Ahrar al-Sham terrorist group supported Turkey, and said that the smuggling groups are responsible for the death of the Syrian civilians.

On Sunday, eleven Syrian civilians, including nine members of one family, most of them women and children were killed predawn by Turkish border guards, and eight others were injured.

The Syrian refugees were attempting to cross the border into Turkey near the town of Kherbet Eljoz, Northwest of the city of Idlib in Northern Syria.

"Several families from the city of Jarablus, Northeast of the city of Aleppo and Idlib tried to cross the border towards Turkey," a source from the town who wished to remain anonymous told The New Arab.

"Turkish border guards opened fire on them indiscriminately, killing nine people and wounding eight others", he said.

"The dead are all from one family, three children, four women and a man displaced from the city of Jarablus. They fled the city when they heard the fighting near them," according to the source.

This is not the first time that displaced Syrians have been killed by Turkish border guards. Activists have documented the killing of at least fifty people in the past few months.

The UN and other humanitarian organizations have condemned actions taken by Turkey against Syrian refugees with Doctors Beyond Borders calling on the Turkish government to open its borders to thousands fleeing the conflict in Syria.

Istanbul is commonly described as a city on two continents. Well, Istanbul’s main airport is now a city of two worlds: its transit halls as full as ever; the arrival areas eerily quiet.

Tourism in Turkey Takes a Hit
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950330000302

This is the visible side of the collapse of tourism in Turkey, the consequence of bombings in cities and a return to war between the Turkish state and outlawed Kurdish separatists, John M. Roberts wrote in the Atlantic Council's website.

Hotels all seem to have rooms available at heavily discounted prices, once-crowded restaurants have empty tables while the entreaties from their staff to come and taste their particular takes on Turkish and international cuisine are more raucous than ever.

It’s not yet a complete disaster, but it might turn out to be. Tourism revenues are expected to decline by around 20 to 25 percent this year, effectively costing the country around $8 billion.

The immediate question is whether European, Central Asian and Arab tourists will flock this summer to their traditional holiday resorts on Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. And will Istanbul itself, one of the world’s greatest tourist magnets, still hold the same level of attraction for the well-heeled traveler, the once-in-a-lifetime tourist, or the backpacker if it gains a reputation as a place where bombs go off?

A report in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet cited shopkeepers in one southern bazaar saying that sales were down 90 percent since Russian President Vladimir Putin banned Russian charter flights to Turkey, forbade Russian travel agencies from selling package holidays to Turkey, and imposed tough restrictions on imports from Turkey in response to the jet incident.

Tourism plays a prominent role in the Turkish economy. It directly accounts for no less than 4.7 percent of GDP and indirectly for as much as 12 percent, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. But the current violence stands to weaken the industry. For example, the loss of Russian charter airline tourism has meant the collapse of the “suitcase” trade between the two countries, estimated to have contributed $4.2 billion to Turkish exports in 2014.

Newly-leaked documents have uncovered close ties between the Israeli and Saudi regimes in the latter's war against Yemen.

Israeli Firm Helping S. Arabia in Yemen War
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331000982

Based on the documents, the Saudi defense minister has recently written a letter to the commander of border guards in the southern parts of the kingdom decreeing that security in the region should be handled by an Israeli company. The Israeli company has been mandated to deal with cross border retaliatory attacks carried out by Yemen's Ansarullah, al-Waght news website reported.

A report by Yemeni Najm al-Thaqeb website revealed that, following the failure of Saudi-backed forces in their attack on Yemen and after it became apparent that some Saudi frontier regions might fall into Yemeni forces and Ansarullah fighters' hands, the Saudi regime contracted an Israeli company known as Al Majal Group to oversee security in the Southern region. The Israeli company has already obtained 45 million US dollars to plant landmines and put barriers in the border region.

This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia is using services of the Israeli top security company.

Since 2010, the Israeli Al Majal Group has taken charge of security during the mandatory Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj. It was under the watch of the Israeli security company that over 4,000 Muslim pilgrims were killed during last year's Hajj following a deadly stampede in Mina, the worst in history.

Al Majal G4S is a private Israeli security contractor that has also been implicated in enabling the torture of administrative detainees in Palestine, including children, according to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) activist Zaid Shuaibi.

The BDS campaign has not been sitting idly by. In October 2014, the campaign sent a clear message to the Saudi government, urging it to terminate the contract with the company that happens to provide equipment and security services to protect Israeli settlements, occupation checkpoints and police facilities. As expected, the Saudi government not only ignored the calls but also handed the Israeli company more power in handling security in the kingdom.

Earlier, local sources in the Asir region located in the South of Saudi Arabia had also confirmed that an Israeli Air Force plane transported weapons, missiles and other equipment to Khamis Mushait air base in Asir to support the Saudi Alliance in aggression against Yemen.

 

[angelburst29]

A powerful blast occurred near a camp with Syrian refugees on Jordanian border killing local soldiers, the Jordanian army reported Tuesday.

Car Bomb Explodes Near Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160621/1041655288/car-bomb-jordan.html

The "cowardly" car bombing killed and injured a number of Jordanian border guards, according to the national army's statement. The attack took place in front of the refugee camp in Rukban, a town located some eight kilometers away from the point where the borders of Jordan, Iraq and Syria meet.

The army managed to destroy several other vehicles of the enemy, the Petra news agency reported.

A statement by the Jordanian officials is yet to follow.

Jordanian Ambassador to Russia Ziad al-Majali said in May that Jordan did not rule out deploying troops to ward off Daesh militants, outlawed in many countries including Russia and active in Syria among other countries, from its border with Syria.

Turkish police defused explosive devices discovered in a minibus in the Kurdish-populated southeastern province of Diyarbakir, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Tuesday.

Turkish Police Defuse Car Bomb in Southeastern Diyarbakir Province
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160621/1041673043/car-bomb-diyarbakir-province.html

According to the newspaper, after detecting the car bomb Monday night in the town of Ergani, police cordoned the area and defused the device.

The explosives are said to have weighed about 1 metric ton.

Diyarbakir has seen an operation by the Turkish authorities against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara considers to be a terrorist group.

The Turkish authorities are misusing the law to silence media and critics by arresting two journalists and a human rights activist, European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) President Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard said on Tuesday.

European Journalists Union Condemns Ankara's Crackdown on Freedoms
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160621/1041676138/bjerregaard-turkey-freedom.html

On Monday, a Turkish court ordered the arrest and pre-trial detention of Erol Onderoglu and his two colleagues, Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who have been charged with spreading terror propaganda while participating in a campaign of solidarity with the Kurdish Ozgur Gundem daily which has recently been pressured by Ankara.

"Showing solidarity by working as journalist or editor-in-chief cannot be considered as doing terror propaganda. Turkish authorities are clearly misusing the legislation to silence critics and human rights defenders," Blicher Bjerregard said in a statement.

Turkey's crackdown on journalists and restrictions on freedom of speech have been condemned by the international community, including the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia.

"Those people arrested must immediately be released; Turkey is working against itself by jailing press freedom activists," Blicher Bjerregaard added.

Earlier, the Journalists Union of Turkey also condemned the arrests, stating that "journalism is not a crime".

The arrest of human rights activists and journalists in Turkey contradicts Ankara's obligations to respect media freedom in order to seek EU membership.

Turkey Fails as EU Member Candidate by Arresting Human Rights Activist
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160621/1041667203/arrest-turkey-eu.html

The arrest of the head of a human rights organization and several journalists in Turkey goes against Ankara's obligations to respect media freedom in order to seek EU membership, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said in a joint statement.

On Monday, a Turkish court ordered the arrest and pre-trial detention of Erol Onderoglu and his two colleagues, Ahmet Nesin and Sebnem Korur Fincanci, who have been charged with spreading terror propaganda while participating in a campaign of solidarity with the Kurdish Ozgur Gundem daily which has recently experienced pressure from Ankara.

The arrest of the President of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), Prof. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, and of two journalists, Erol Onderoglu (from Reporters Without Borders [RSF]) and Ahmet Nesin, today goes against Turkey's commitment to respect the fundamental rights, including freedom of media. Any alleged wrongdoing or crime should be subject to due process, and respect to the principle of presumption of innocence should be guaranteed," the statement published Monday read.

According to the statement, the European Union has repeatedly stated that Turkey must "aspire to the highest possible democratic standards and practices" as a country seeking EU membership.

Over two dozen members of the Saudi-led coalition forces and their commanders were killed in a missile strike on a military base in Northeastern Yemen on Monday.

30 Saudi-Led Forces, Commanders Killed in Yemen Ballistic Missile Attack in Al-Jawf Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950331001112

The Yemeni ballistic missile strike on a military base in al-Jawf province killed at least 30 Saudi forces.

The missile attack destroyed the Saudi-led coalition base in al-Jawf province in Northeastern Yemen.

The Yemeni security sources disclosed that the number of those killed in Yemen's missile strike is likely to increase and several senior commanders have been among the casualties.

Another Yemeni missile strike on Sunday destroyed another Saudi-led coalition base in al-Jawf province.

"Saudi Arabia's Al-Hazm military base in al-Jawf region was razed down by Yemen's ballistic missile," Senior Ansarullah Commander Hossein al-Houthi told FNA in Sana'a.

The destroyed military base was where Saudi army's Division 115 was stationed.

Early reports indicate large casualties on the Saudi forces in the missile attack. The Saudi army and its coalition members have lost, at least, over a hundred troops each time they have come under a ballistic missile attack by Yemen.

The Yemeni missile attacks usually come in retaliation to the Saudi-led forces' attacks on the civilians in different parts of Yemen.

 

[angelburst29]

Turkey 'pays back' Germany by preventing their MPs from visiting their own troops, who are stationed at an airbase used by the Daesh coalition.

Erdogan's Revenge! German MPs Banned From Visiting Own Troops in Turkey
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160623/1041816418/turkey-germany-daesh-troops.html

Ankara canceled a visit that was made by Germany's State Secretary for Defense, Ralf Braukiepe, and other government officials.

The visit, which was planned in July, was said to be to the Incirlik Air Base. However, German officials have been forbidden from visiting the area.

Last year, Germany sent surveillance jets to the base to assist the coalition in the battle against the terror group Daesh. Germany has 250 soldiers and six Tornado reconnaissance jets as well as a refueling plane stationed at the base in Ankara.

"The Turkish authorities at the moment are not approving the travel plans, there is no written statement on the reason," said a German defense ministry spokesman.

For Germany this new development seems like it will only create further divisions between the two countries, especially as talks continue around Turkey and when they will be given visa-free travel in the EU.

​For the Turkish authorities the issue is with politicians visiting the base as they appear to be completely fine with military and technical delegates. As the base is on Turkish territory they are completely within their legal right to prevent Germany from visit.

Relations between the two countries were strained after the Bundestag passed a resolution recognizing the 1915 mass killings of Armenians, committed by Turkey as "genocide."

Following the Armenia genocide vote, Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused German MPs of being hypocrites and said they had no right to state their opinion on this issue and needed to atone for the Holocaust first.

​He also said German politicians of Turkish origin who voted in favor of the resolution had "tainted blood" and should undergo blood tests to prove their "Turkishness."

This coupled with the argument on free speech has only led to increased tensions between the two countries. As Berlin seeks to clamp down on Ankara's harsh free-speech laws, as well as the number of journalists, academics and media outlets that are imprisoned for speaking out or writing articles that do not show the government in a positive light, it appears relations between Germany and Turkey will remain stale for some time to come.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey may hold a referendum to continue efforts to join the European Union, similar to the Brexit referendum.

Erdogan Plans to Hold Referendum in Turkey on EU Membership
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160623/1041834074/erdogan-referendum-eu-membership.html

“We will ask the people. We would ask if we should continue talks with the EU, or finish them.” “If the people say — to continue, we will continue,” Turkish Anadolu news agency reported Erdogan as saying.

Meanwhile, Carnegie Europe fund researcher, Marc Pierini, told AFP that, “If the referendum is held in the present context, the answer will be no, thus it will calm down the current populist trends.”

According to recent polls, less than half of Turkey's population support the country's accession to the EU, reports AFP.

Amid deepening tensions between NATO and Russia, Moscow has warned that it would neutralize any actions in the Black Sea which could be regarded as a security threat.

Turkey Fueling Tensions Between Russia, NATO in Black Sea
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160623/1041806262/turkey-russia-nato-tensions.html

Turkey is the biggest NATO member country in the region. Now, Moscow sees Ankara’s actions in the Black Sea as a threat to its national interest.

Turkey’s goal is to provoke a conflict between Russia and NATO, French geopolitical analyst and author Alexandre del Valle said.

According to del Valle, the fact that Turkey is a NATO member is a problem. Ankara uses its status in NATO to block a number of cooperation projects with Greece and Cyprus.

Del Valle described Turkey as a "mafia state" and a country that is "bombing its own people [Kurds]" and using the migrant crisis to blackmail the European Union. He added that Turkey also supports terrorism.

In response to the growing challenges, Russia has been upgrading the capabilities of the Black Sea Fleet, including deploying advanced military hardware and weapons to the region.

 

[angelburst29]

Public interest litigation filed against Erdogan on charges of theft and trespassing on public and private money
http://sana.sy/en/?p=80787

A public interest litigation has been filed against the defendant Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the First Financial Examining Magistrate in Damascus, the Justice Ministry announced on Thursday.

Erdogan is charged with trespassing on public and private money, damaging public facilities, theft as well as damage and destruction of public money, according to a statement by the Ministry.

The statement said the legal action was filed according to the report of the legal committee formed by the Justice Ministry’s decision no. 4053/L, dated August 10, 2015 and the documents, evidence and witnesses provided by the committee.

The litigation against Erdogan is based on the Public Prosecution Department’s claim no. 2742 dated June 21, 2016, the statement added, noting that the lawsuit was registered under the number 710 for 2016.

According to the Justice Ministry’s statement, the Department of the State’s Issues has filed a personal claim depending on the criminal litigation against Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his personal capacity and in his official capacity as the President of Turkey as well as against the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Turkey in their official capacity.

The claim came against the backdrop of stealing 37 industrial facilities and factories in Aleppo with a total damage value of USD 5.295 billion.

In its first report issued in mid May 2016, the legal committee in charge of preparing the judicial files to prosecute the terrorist organizations that robbed industrial facilities inside the Syrian territory and transported the contents into Turkey held the Turkish government under Erdogan responsible for paying compensation for the damages caused to the facilities’ owners that have been until now estimated at over USD 5.295 billion.

The committee includes representatives of the ministries of Justice and Industry, the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Industry, Aleppo Chamber of Industry and Aleppo Chamber of Commerce.

 

[angelburst29]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is busily strengthening his grip on power as was amply proved by his recent meeting with Israel’s Energy Minister for talks he didn’t even bother to inform his Prime Minister about. Radio Sputnik asked Republican People’s Party MP Aytun Çıray to comment on Erdogan’s increasingly dictatorial behavior.

'Utopian Policy': Turkish MP Slams Erdogan's Autocratic Rule
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160624/1041873524/erdogan-talks-secrecy.html

On June 26 Turkey and Israel are expected to announce a deal on normalizing their long-strained relations after Israel agreed to a partial lifting of its blockade on the Gaza Strip.

During a recent parliamentary session Aytun Çıray criticized the government for its desire to mend fences with the Jewish State. According to him in late March President Erdogan met with Israel’s Energy Minister to discuss ways to normalize bilateral ties without even bothering to inform his Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry.

In an interview with Radio Sputnik Aytun Çıray described it as a “serious breach of protocol” and demanded a parliamentary probe.

“Our media write about the serious progress achieved in normalizing Turkish-Israeli relations, that this is why Israel is allegedly ready to ease the closure of the Gaza Strip for Turkey and allow us to implement a series of infrastructure development projects there. But in exchange for what?” Aytun Çıray wondered.

He condemned the agreement as a complete fiasco for the author of Turkey’s “Utopian foreign policy, which has dragged the country into a bloody quagmire.”

“It is our people who died during the attack on the Mavi Marmara ship and are now being killed by Daesh and the PKK, who are paying a high price for this defeat, while some people are trying to benefit from all this pain and suffering,” Aytun Çıray emphasized.

He said that he had sent a formal request for Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to explain whether the meeting actually had happened, whether the Premier and the Foreign Ministry had been informed about it and if so, then why had this information been kept under wraps.

When asked whether a final Turkish-Israeli accord would be signed on June 25, Aytun Çıray said he thought so.

“Instead of fulfilling his promise to visit Gaza, our President chose to clinch an agreement with Israel whose provisions are kept secret even from some of our top officials. Even worse, our Energy Minister has direct financial interest in the oil trade. This interest will eventually clash with our state interests.”

“They say that the agreement will allow us to supply medicine and humanitarian assistance to Gaza and that the blockade of the sector will be eased. This is not serious. You either have a blockade or you don’t.”

“What the Turkish leadership initially said was that there would be no normalization with Israel as long as the blockade of Gaza continues.
The Turkish conditions were never met, no apologies offered, only hints. And we are still going to sign these accords,” Aytun Çıray complained.

At least three people were killed in a shooting in an Ankara university hospital local media reported Friday.

Ankara University Hospital Shooting Kills 3 - Reports
http://sputniknews.com/asia/20160624/1041871869/ankara-universtity-attack.html

According to the Dogan news agency, a member of the pharmacy staff was engaged in a heated discussion with a group of men after which he opened fire.

Three people were killed on the spot and one was wounded.

Violence in Turkey escalated in mid-2015, when the Turkish government launched a military campaign against the PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, in the country's southeast.

 

[Ca.]

Times of Israel
6-26-2016, 8:23 pm
Israel, Turkey reach rapprochement deal, ending years of bitter ties

Official says Turkish president commits to help free Israelis held in Gaza as sides reach historic compromise, to be detailed Monday; Israel to pay out $20 million in compensation once Ankara passes law dropping legal claims over deadly 2010 raid.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the inauguration of the Bayzid I Mosque at the Esenboga International Airport in Ankara, on June 23, 2016. (AFP)

Israel and Turkey reached a deal to restore ties Sunday, ending protracted talks amid years of acrimony following a deadly 2010 raid on an aid flotilla, an Israeli official said.

The senior Israeli official said a press conference would be held Monday to announce the details of the historic compromise, with the sides signing on the agreement a day later.

The deal includes $20 million in Israeli compensation for Turkish victims of the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, as well as a Turkish commitment to help free Israeli prisoners and the bodies of soldiers held in Gaza.

The official spoke from Rome, where negotiators met Sunday to finalize the agreement and where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also landed on Sunday for talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Palestinian peace efforts..

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had written a letter committing Turkey to work toward the release of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip as well as two Israeli civilians reportedly being held in the Palestinian enclave.

“We asked for, and received, a document in which the Turkish president instructs the relevant Turkish agencies to work toward resolution of the issue of those kidnapped and missing,” the official said. “The document is in our hands, that’s what Turkey can do for now.”

The families of Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Oron Shaul, both killed in the 2014 war in Gaza, as well as Avraham Abera Mengistu, who disappeared into the Strip later in 2014, had called for the government to make sure the return of their sons was included in the agreement. A fourth Israeli man is also being held in Gaza, according to officials.

The Israeli official said the deal would be signed Tuesday by Foreign Ministry Director Dore Gold and his Turkish counterpart.

Word of the highly anticipated deal came six years after an Israeli raid on a flotilla that sought to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip, leading to a melee in which nine Turkish activists were killed. A 10th person died of his wounds years later.

Both sides have been pushing to complete the deal in recent months, with Israel in search of a potential customer for its offshore gas exports and NATO member Turkey wanting to restore its regional clout, analysts say.

The United States has also pushed for the two countries, once close regional allies and economic partners, to resolve the dispute as it seeks cooperation in the fight against extremists from the Islamic State group.

If an agreement is reached, it would go before Israel’s top-level security cabinet for approval on Wednesday, according to media reports and an Israeli official who requested anonymity.

Two of Turkey’s key conditions for normalization — an apology and compensation — were largely met earlier, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle, according to the Israeli official.

Reports in recent days described a compromise on the issue.

Under the reported terms of the deal, Israel will allow the completion of a much-needed hospital in Gaza, as well as the construction of a new power station and a desalination plant for drinking water.

Turkey’s aid to Gaza would also be channeled through the Israeli port of Ashdod rather than sending it directly to the Palestinian enclave, the reports said.

Turkey has also committed to keeping Islamist movement Hamas from carrying out activities against Israel from its country, Hebrew-language media reported Sunday.

Hamas would continue to be able to operate from Turkey for diplomatic purposes, the paper said.

Israel has committed to depositing some $20 million in a fund for compensation for the Turkish victims’ families, the Israeli official said, adding that the money had been agreed to three years earlier.

However, he said the money would only be released once the Turkish parliament passed a law to close legal claims against Israeli military figures over the deadly raid.

Previously tight relations between Israel and Turkey were significantly downgraded after Israeli commandos staged a pre-dawn raid on the six-ship flotilla in May 2010 as it tried to run the blockade on Gaza. A number of Israeli soldiers were also injured in the fighting that ensued upon the flagship Mavi Marmara.

The talks to restore ties, ongoing for months, have been accompanied by a change in tone from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan, a stout defender of the Palestinian cause, in July 2014 accused Israel of “keeping Hitler’s spirit alive” over its offensive in the Gaza Strip that summer.

He has more recently said that “we, Israel and the Palestinians and the region have a lot to win from a normalization process.”

The about-turn came amid a drastic worsening of ties between Turkey and Russia following Ankara’s downing of a Russian warplane over Syria on November 24 of last year, which wrecked several joint cooperation projects, including on energy.

Israel is also motivated to find new allies in the region, in part due to a need for export partners for its natural gas. There has been talk of building a pipeline to Turkey.

It has also found itself under increasing pressure over the lack of any progress on peace efforts with the Palestinians and has sought to build relationships with regional countries partly to counter such criticism.

In addition, normalized ties could open opportunities for further cooperation between NATO and Israel since Turkey’s objections would be lifted, analysts say.

“There’s the question of isolation,” said Dror Zeevi, professor of Middle Eastern studies at Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

“Turkey’s lost almost all of its good relations with its neighbors… Israel doesn’t have many friends in the region either.”

Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in June 2006 after Palestinian fighters there kidnapped an Israeli soldier. The restrictions were tightened a year later when Hamas took control of the enclave.

There have been three wars between Israel and Hamas-led fighters in Gaza since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in the summer of 2014.

PressTV
Published on Jun 26, 2016
Syrian forces advance against terrorists in Hama province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24mIZXLVJu8

 

[angelburst29]

Times of Israel
6-26-2016, 8:23 pm
Israel, Turkey reach rapprochement deal, ending years of bitter ties

Official says Turkish president commits to help free Israelis held in Gaza as sides reach historic compromise, to be detailed Monday; Israel to pay out $20 million in compensation once Ankara passes law dropping legal claims over deadly 2010 raid.

Israel and Turkey reached a deal to restore ties Sunday, ending protracted talks amid years of acrimony following a deadly 2010 raid on an aid flotilla, an Israeli official said.

The deal includes $20 million in Israeli compensation for Turkish victims of the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid, as well as a Turkish commitment to help free Israeli prisoners and the bodies of soldiers held in Gaza.

[...]

Two of Turkey’s key conditions for normalization — an apology and compensation — were largely met earlier, leaving its third demand, that Israel lift its blockade on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, as the main obstacle, according to the Israeli official.

[...]

Turkey has also committed to keeping Islamist movement Hamas from carrying out activities against Israel from its country, Hebrew-language media reported Sunday.

Hamas would continue to be able to operate from Turkey for diplomatic purposes, the paper said.

[...]

In addition, normalized ties could open opportunities for further cooperation between NATO and Israel since Turkey’s objections would be lifted, analysts say.

PressTV
Published on Jun 26, 2016
Syrian forces advance against terrorists in Hama province
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24mIZXLVJu8

Great find, CA! Wonder what Erdogan is up to ... with this deal? Or is it a cover - so Turkey, Israel and NATO can fortify Hamas positions - to fight Syria's Military advancement?

 

[Ca.]

Yeah it's easy to read between the lines given the scope, and scoop of there mad dog relationships. It all reads so honkie dorie, with Kerry playing the (not so) good guy in the wings.

It stinks to high heaven with the devil in the details. Watch the next couple days and weeks to see how this plays out. It looks like the mercenaries, and munitions makers, may not be getting the funds from the Saudis, given there financial issues at the moment.

And Thanks. I get a lot of pointers from your endeavors.

Bloomberg News
Saudi Arabia Said to Hire JPMorgan, Citi, HSBC for Dollar Bond
6- 26-2016 — 10:00 PM CEST

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-26/jpmorgan-citi-hsbc-said-to-be-hired-on-first-saudi-dollar-bond

Saudi Arabia appointed JPMorgan Chase & Co., HSBC Holdings Plc and Citigroup Inc. to arrange its first international bond sale, people with knowledge of the matter said.

The banks are acting as global coordinators on the issue, according to the people, who asked not to be identified as the decision isn’t public. More banks could be added later as joint lead arrangers and bookrunners on the deal, they said. Global coordinators have a key role in overseeing the deal while lead arrangers buy debt and sell it to other banks.

The decision on the mandates was made on Saturday night and the kingdom will probably wait until after the summer before selling the bonds, two of the people said. The nation is preparing for a sale of at least $10 billion, separate people familiar said earlier this month.

HSBC, JPMorgan, Citi and Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry declined to comment.

Saudi Arabia is poised to join other countries from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council tapping foreign markets to plug budget deficits. The kingdom is shoring up its finances as an era of oil-fueled abundance falters after crude prices slumped. It plans to tap international debt markets as early as September, Minister of State Mohammad bin Abdulmalik Al-Sheikh said during a meeting between Bloomberg News and the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in April.
Well Received

"I expect the Saudi Arabia bond deal to be well received, albeit at a price," Anita Yadav, head of fixed-income research at Emirates NBD said by phone on Sunday. "The hunt-for-yield in a world infected with negative rates will probably see good demand for a name like Saudi Arabia that has a strong credit rating and will likely offer attractive returns."

In April, it sealed a $10 billion loan -- its first in at least 15 years -- from a group of U.S., European, Japanese and Chinese banks, people familiar with the matter said at the time. The bond sale being considered now would probably come in five-, 10- and 30-year bonds once Ramadan ends next month, separate people with knowledge of the matter said earlier in June.

To cover a budget shortfall estimated at about $100 billion this year, Saudi Arabia has been selling local debt and drawing down foreign reserves as well as raising money on international capital markets. It has also outlined an economic transformation plan that includes increasing government debt to 30 percent of economic output by 2020 from 7.7 percent.

 

[Ca.]

J.P. Morgan and Controversies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPMorgan_Chase
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JPMorgan_Chase#Controversies
6-22-16

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HSBC and Controversies
Published on May 24, 2016
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSBC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSBC#Controversies

http://<iframe width="560" height="...wk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

T.J. Coles had it right.
Behind the Headlines: Britain's Secret Wars: Interview with T.J. Coles
https://www.sott.net/article/320930-Behind-the-Headlines-Britains-Secret-Wars-Interview-with-T-J-Coles