Turkey is at war with Syria, Erdoğan says in post-election speech

April 1, 2014 By administrator

31 March 2014, Monday /TODAY’S ZAMAN, ANKARA

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has surprised many after his party’s victory in the local elections by declaring that Turkey is at war with Syria. Experts, however, say the declaration is problematic in a legal sense.

Onur Öymen, the former deputy chairman of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), told Today’s Zaman that Erdoğan’s remarks about declaring war on Syria do not comply with either national law or the principles of international law. “Turkey cannot declare war on a country unless an attack happens first. This [declaring war] is not possible without a reason,” said Öymen.

During his “balcony speech,” Erdoğan, surrounded by a former Cabinet minister and family members who have been implicated in alleged corruption, stressed that Syria is in a state of war with Turkey. He also criticized the leaking of a recorded conversation concerning whether Turkey should conduct a military operation in Syria ahead of Sunday’s elections, allegedly between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and certain government officials.

“How can you threaten our national security? Syria is in a state of war with us. They are harassing our planes. They have martyred 74 of our brothers, and the Tomb of Süleyman Şah is our land. An attack on there is an attack on 780,000 square kilometers. Can we remain silent about such a thing? But these traitors wiretapped this meeting and leaked it to the world,” the prime minister said in his speech.

The audio recording, which was uploaded to YouTube on March 26, reveals a top-secret conversation allegedly between Davutoğlu, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) head Hakan Fidan and Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler. Today’s Zaman could not independently verify the authenticity of the audio nor could it determine when or how it was recorded.

In his remarks, Öymen recalled that in October of last year Parliament approved a government motion to renew a mandate to send troops to Syria in case of a possible attack. “Unfortunately, Erdoğan is using the war argument for his domestic political agenda,” Öymen added.

During the vote on the motion, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voted in favor of the motion, while the main opposition CHP and pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) voted against.

The one-year motion was first endorsed by Parliament last year by a vote of 320-129 after mortar shells from Syria killed five civilians in the border town of Akçakale. The government then said it had no intention of going to war with Syria, although it did blame Syria for the incident.

The proposal read: “To enable our country’s security against all possible threats, to protect Turkey’s surplus profits efficiently, in order not to be faced with a situation from which it will be difficult to recover in the future, to help the Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] employ a fast and dynamic policy, I submit Motion No. 2025, dated Oct. 4, 2012, for the approval of Parliament for the right to allow the TSK to be sent to foreign countries and the necessary regulations that will enable this, the limit, scope, extent and time of which will be decided by the government, to be prolonged for one more year as of Oct. 4, 2013, according to Article 92 of the Constitution.”

Associate Professor Cenap Çakmak, a lecturer in International Law and Politics at Eskişehir Osmangazi University, pointed out two important aspects of declaring war. Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Çakmak said that firstly, according to the norms of international law, the declaration of war is a banned act, referring to United Nations Charter Article 2, which states, “All members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations.”

In the second place, Çakmak maintained that according to Turkish constitutional law, the sole authority that can declare war on another state is Parliament, adding that most of the motions approved by Parliament are to send Turkish troops abroad on missions that are in line with the norms of international law. “In this regard, Erdoğan’s remarks do not have any legal validity,” Çakmak added.

Prior to the local elections, Erdoğan confirmed the occurrence of the security meeting at a public rally in the city of Diyarbakır, saying that the wiretapping of his foreign minister’s office was “immoral,” “cowardice,” “dishonest” and “mean.”

The conversation in the audio recording focuses on whether the Turkish military should enter Syria to protect the tomb of Süleyman Şah, the grandfather of Sultan Osman I, founder of the Ottoman dynasty.

The tomb used to be located at Jaber Castle, a historic castle within Syria’s borders, which is a highly sensitive location protected by a contingent of the Turkish army. It was later moved to another location after the castle was flooded due to dam construction.

According to the Treaty of Ankara, which was signed on Oct. 20, 1921 between the colonial power France and the Turkish Parliament, the compound housing the tomb of Süleyman Şah is considered Turkish territory.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the audio recording, saying that the recording of this highly sensitive meeting attended by people responsible for the security of Turkey had been tampered with.

It said the senior officials had met to make a contingency plan in the case of an attack on the tomb of Süleyman Şah, and it reaffirmed Turkey’s determination to defend the tomb.

The statement also said that eavesdropping on conversations in the foreign minister’s office is an attack on Turkey’s national security, an act of espionage and a serious crime.

Syrian forces retake strategic position in Latakia #savekessab

March 31, 2014 By administrator

Presstv Syrian government forces have taken full control of a strategic position in Latakia Province, the latest of the army’s recent achievements against the foreign-backed militants.

Syrian soldiers on Monday recaptured Observatory 45, a key hilltop in northern Latakia near the Turkish border which fell into the hands of Takfiri militants a week ago.

In a live report from the area, the Syrian TV showed the bodies of dead militants, among them were members of the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Nusra Front. Many of those killed are said to be non-Syrians.

The military has now launched a clearing operation in the region and is tracking down the holed up militants there.

After a series of losses in several provinces, militants have been struggling to shift their focus on to Latakia, which can give them access to the Mediterranean Sea.

On Saturday, the official SANA news agency said the Syrian army had regained control of the towns of Ras al-Maara and Fleita, near the border with Lebanon.

The towns were the last bastions for the foreign-backed terrorist groups operating in the strategic Qalamoun region.

Also on Saturday, Syrian soldiers killed many terrorists after attacking their hideouts and destroying their weapons in a northern countryside of Latakia.

Government forces also carried out similar military operations in Homs, Aleppo and Daraa, inflicting heavy losses on the foreign-sponsored militants.

Syria has been gripped by deadly militancy since March 2011. Damascus blames the West and its regional allies for fuelling violence in the country by providing militants with money and weapons.

Over 140,000 people have been killed and millions displaced by relentless violence in Syria.

Syrian rocket hits Turkish mosque

March 31, 2014 By administrator

YAYLADAĞI

A rocket hit a mosque near Turkey’s border with Syria on March 31, injuring a Syrian woman, Doğan News Agency has reported.
The incident took place at around 2 p.m. in the Yayladağı district of Hatay, a Turkish province on the border with Syria, when clashes between Syrian regime forces and the Free Syrian Army had intensified.
According to the Hatay Governorate, three artillery shells fell in the countryside near the Güzelyurt village, while a rocket hit the Hacı Bilal mosque in central Yayladağı, which lies across from a Syrian refugee camp.
A wall of the mosque partly collapsed, injuring Muna Hacısüleyman, a Syrian woman who is believed to be around 60 years old. Hacısüleyman was transferred to Antakya State Hospital in an ambulance.
“In accordance with our new military engagement rules, our artillery units on the border fired into Syria in response,” the Hatay Governorate said in its statement.

March/31/2014

Source: hurriyetdailynews

Twitter: Kim Kardashian and Cher moved by the plight of Armenians Kessab

March 31, 2014 By administrator

After the rapper The Game, Kim Kardashian and singer Cher were moved, on Twitter, the fate of the Armenians Kessab (Syria), where 2,000 Armenians were driven from their historic village by jihadists with the complicity of the Turkish state .

KK wrote about him: “If you do not know what happens to Kessab please Google, it breaks the heart! Armenian as I grew up hearing so many painful stories! Prayer for everyone! ”

Cher and write “Please see what happens Kessab, Syria. Innocent Christians and Armenians were killed by Turks #SaveKessab ”

More than 4,000 people have retweeted the posts in question.

The US and Russia concerned by the fate of the Armenians Kessab

March 31, 2014 By administrator

Outdoor Ukrainian crisis, the United States and Russia have made statements expressing concern about the fate of Armenian-populated city in Syria that has been the subject of attacks by Islamist militants in recent days.

At a daily briefing in Washington on Friday, the deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said the United States was “deeply troubled by the recent fighting and violence that endangers the Armenian community Kessab, Syria, and forced many to flee. ”

Over 600 Armenian families fled their homes in the city in northwestern Syria after the arrival of armed groups affiliated to Al-Qaeda. Armenians fled Latakia, about 60 miles south.

“There are too many innocent civilians who are suffering because of the war. All civilians, and their places of worship, must be protected. As we have said throughout this conflict, we deplore the constant threats against Christians and other minorities in Syria, “she said. “And as you can see from reading the conversation of President Obama with Pope Francis Thursday, they discussed among others the fate of minorities, especially Christians, in Syria today . ”

Marie Harf also cited statements made by advocacy groups to Kessab saying they do not target civilians and respect minorities and holy places. “We expect that these commitments are met. The United States will continue to lead a strong support to those affected by the violence in Syria and throughout the region, including the Syrian Armenians. We have long been concerns about the threat posed by violent extremists, and this latest threat to the Armenian community in Syria only underscores this new, “said Harf.

This statement was followed by an exchange with a journalist who attended the meeting.

He said: “According to reports in Turkey, Foreign Minister Davutoglu planned provocation inside Syria, giving an excuse for Turkey to invade the country. ‘Did you comments “Having said that it was an alleged telephone conversation, the deputy spokesman said:” As I said on Thursday, I have nothing for you on calls or alleged conversations that are among Turkish officials. ”

“But Mr Davutoglu said … that the tape is authentic. “At that statement, Harf said,” Again, I will not comment on these allegations. ”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has also issued a statement on Friday expressing concern over the attacks against the Armenian-populated city Kessab conducted with the support of artillery and heavy equipment. He strongly condemned the acts of terrorism and other crimes against civilians, clearly indicating that the tank guns were applied from the territory of Turkey.

“The seizure by extremists City Kessab has attracted wide coverage in the Armenian communities worldwide. A demonstration was held in front of the UN office in Yerevan. At the same time, the leaders of the Republic of Armenia expressed their gratitude to the Syrian government for the defense of the Armenian population, “said the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The impression is that the more vigorous activities by extremists seek to prevent the resumption of intra-Syrian negotiations, leaving the Syrians the possibility of a political and diplomatic settlement. They aim to thwart the process of chemical demilitarization Syria. Such a scenario is inadmissible, “said he added.

Monday, March 31, 2014, Claire © armenews.com

#SaveKessab Campaign spreads in social networks

March 31, 2014 By administrator

March 31, 2014 | 01:48

The #SaveKessab Campaign, whose objective is to save Syria’s predominantly Armenian-populated town of Kessab, gathered pace throughout the social networks, specifically in Twitter and Instagram.

Well-known personalities, such as famous American music band Blink 182’s drummer Travis Barker, have joined this campaign.

“#StopGenocide #SaveKessab I have a lot of Armenian friends I love & support that are like #FAMILY to me,” Barker wrote in his Instagram account.

Campaign supporters have been targeting celebrities and politicians alike on Twitter in an attempt to get the word out about a story most of the mainstream media is ignoring, Social News Daily reported.

Famous American-Armenian personalities Khloé and Kim Kardashian as well as retired Russian professional boxer Nikolai Valuev likewise have lent support to the#SaveKessab Campaign.

In the early morning on March 21, armed militants from the Jabhat al-Nusra Islamic terrorist group infiltrated into northern Syria’s Latakia Governorate, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians and Alawites, from four directions. Two large groups of terrorists had launched the attack from Turkey. About 600 Kessab-Armenian families are currently sheltered in Latakia city. On March 23, Turkish fighter planes downed a Syrian military aircraft that was conducting a mission against the Islamic terrorists in Kessab. A group of Armenia parliament members recently visited Syria to assess the situation in the region.

Kessab Mayor: Video showing alleged killing of Armenians by terrorists is fake

March 31, 2014 By administrator

March 31, 2014 | 18:43

A video of alleged killing of Kessab Armenians by terrorists that is spread by media is untrue, Kessab Mayor Vazgen Chaparyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He said around 30 old people stayed in Kessab for several days because they were unable to move y themselves, but they have already been transported to Latakia.

At the moment, the Syrian army is fighting for Kessab, but they are moving slowly so that not to harm the city, Chaparyan emphasized.

As regards Armenians, they left their houses in a hurry without taking neither clothes, nor documents.

“The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the government have providing assistance to Kessab Armenians so far,” he added.

#savekessab 22 Armenians Kessab missing so far … their families fear the worst .

March 30, 2014 By administrator

In the absence of news about 22 Armenians who remained in Armenian village Kessab in northern Syria, near the Turkish border, families are worried. “We do not know if these people were killed, or taken in Turkey were subjected to another lot. We have no precise information on the 22 Armenians who refused to leave Kessab “said Hasmig Mandjian-Berberian Kessab a resident who found refuge in Latakia. Many rumors related to their fate run with these Armenian refugees Kessab. “Children, sisters or brothers search for their parents,” she said while Kessab is intense fighting between the forces of prey Syrian army and Islamist rebels infiltrated Turkey. Recall that the U.S. State Department said he was “deeply concerned” about the fate of the Armenians Kessab.

Sunday, March 30, 2014, Krikor Amirzayan © armenews.com

BFP Exclusive: Turkish Power Struggle Impedes NATO’s Campaign in Syria

March 29, 2014 By administrator

By Christoph Germann | March 29, 2014
Gülen Movement Determined to Topple Erdoğan at All Costs

Since the end of last year, Turkey has been engulfed in a spectacular power struggle between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the shadowy network of self-described “imam, preacher, and civil society activist” Fethullah Gülen. Due to the help of his friends in Langley, like for example Graham Fuller and Morton Abramowitz [1], Gülen managed to build a multi-billion dollar movement with millions of followers and a presence in 150 countries.[2]

The Gülen movement, also known as Hizmet, used its considerable influence in Turkey to launch an all-out attack on former ally Erdoğan at the end of last year, after the Turkish Prime Minister had fallen out of favor with Gülen and Washington.[3] When last December’s corruption scandal failed to bring down the government, Hizmet tried to discredit Erdoğan by exposing his role in supporting terrorism. At the end of last year, Gülen’s mouthpiece Today’s Zaman started to highlight the connection between Saudi terrorist financier Yasin al-Qadi and the AKP government as well as the Erdoğan family.[4] Although al-Qadi’s activities in Turkey had been known for years, Hizmet spared no efforts to highlight the al-Qadi-Erdoğan connection in the media but, as discussed previously, the coverage ignored a few important points:

“Gülen-controlled media have publicized much of this in last few days but they will not dare to mention that al-Qadi is a Gladio B operative who had previously the backing of Fethullah Gülen and that he took part in the now infamous pre-9/11 meetings at the U.S. embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, where illustrious characters like Bandar bin Sultan and Ayman al-Zawahiri showed up. After all, the Gülen movement itself plays a central role in the Pentagon’s Operation Gladio B.”[5]

This also explains why Yasin al-Qadi could continue to conduct business with impunity in Turkey, Azerbaijan and other countries despite funding Ptech Inc. and ending up on several terrorist lists. The “terrorist” label, which had been removed in the meantime, is now being applied again and al-Qadi’s friend Erdoğan faces the same problem. Other terrorist supporters like the former U.S. Ambassadors to Turkey, Morton Abramowitz and Eric Edelman, who are featured in Sibel Edmonds’ State Secrets Privilege Gallery along with Graham Fuller, emphasized that Erdoğan’s days are over.[6] So Hizmet has resorted to drastic measures in order to topple the disgraced Turkish Prime Minister.

2014 started with a bombshell. Utilizing their enormous influence in the Turkish police, Gülen’s followers stopped a truck carrying weapons and ammunition on its way to Syria. The truck was escorted by members of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and allegedly hired by the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH).[7] İHH has a long history of supporting terrorists in accordance with U.S. foreign policy from Afghanistan to Bosnia and Chechnya.[8] Given Turkey’s key role in the NATO-GCC-Israel campaign to remove the Syrian government, this arms shipment is hardly surprising. What makes this incident so remarkable is that this campaign and Turkey’s involvement were exposed by the Gülen movement, which is otherwise supporting NATO’s war in Syria. The Erdoğan-led government responded immediately by removing the police officers who had followed and stopped the truck in Turkey’s Hatay Province.[9] Other purges followed and by now thousands of police officers and several prosecutors have been removed or transferred in the ongoing power struggle.[10]

Hizmet subsequently focused on leaking recordings of wiretapped conversations, which highlight the corrupt and criminal activities of Erdoğan and his associates. Faced with one embarrassing leak after another, the Turkish Prime Minister turned to his former friends in Washington and asked for support. Pro-Erdoğan media alleged that he got a positive response and that Fethullah Gülen could possibly be extradited to Turkey.[11] But the White House lost no time in denying these reports and demonstrated its support of the U.S.-based Imam and his vast movement.[12] Meanwhile, the leaks continued exposing more and more explosive information:

Turkish Airlines allegedly shipped weapons to unknown groups in Nigeria, which has been ravaged by violence between the army and Boko Haram militants, a new incriminating phone call revealed on Tuesday.

The leaked conversation is the latest blow to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been hit by a corruption probe ensnaring his key allies and a widening phone-tapping scandal.[13]

Erdoğan tried to prevent the leaks from spreading via social media by banning Twitter, to no avail. Instead he drew heavy criticism from all over the world further damaging his approval ratings, which have been declining rapidly over the past months.[14] With Turkey’s local elections just a few days away, Hizmet decided to deliver a final blow. On March 27, another audio recording incriminating Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and other high-level officials was leaked:

The voices of the illegal recording believed to belong to Davutoğlu, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Hakan Fidan, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu, and Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Gürel.[15]

According to Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, the disclosed meeting had taken place at FM Davutoğlu’s office, where the officials were discussing the security situation in Syria. But the content of the audio recording has to be taken with a grain of salt. PM Erdoğan has regularly defended himself by saying that the leaked tapes were manipulated to give a false impression [16] and, as FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds cautioned, there is some truth to this claim when it comes to the latest leak:

“The tape/audio has been heavily tampered with; if authentic, then they have taken statements/conversations from several different contexts and time frames, and then they’ve patched them together after sanitizing, censoring. For example: you don’t hear any mention of US/NATO or the Pentagon, yet they left the part with the UN in there …”

If taken at face value, the audio recording is absolutely damning, especially considering the fact that the al-Qaeda mercenaries of the NATO-GCC-Israel axis are losing ground in Syria and Turkey’s willingness to get militarily involved.[17] In order to justify an intervention in Syria, Davutoğlu & Co. allegedly discussed selling the idea that Turkey has to protect the tomb of Süleyman Shah, a historic shrine that is under Turkish jurisdiction but located inside Syria’s northern Aleppo province, from Islamist insurgents. Head of Turkish intelligence Hakan Fidan proposed staging a false flag to lend credence to this ridiculous idea:

Ahmet Davutoğlu: “Prime Minister said that in current conjuncture, this attack (on Suleiman Shah Tomb) must be seen as an opportunity for us.”

Hakan Fida: “I’ll send 4 men from Syria, if that’s what it takes. I’ll make up a cause of war by ordering a missile attack on Turkey; we can also prepare an attack on Suleiman Shah Tomb if necessary.”

Feridun Sinirlioğlu: “That’s what I told back there. For one thing, the situation is different. An operation on ISIL has solid ground on international law. We’re going to portray this is Al-Qaeda, there’s no distress there if it’s a matter regarding Al-Qaeda. And if it comes to defending Suleiman Shah Tomb, that’s a matter of protecting our land.”[18]

Just one day before the fateful leak, Turkish FM Davutoğlu was busy selling the terrorist threat in an exclusive interview with Agence France-Presse.[19] Simultaneously, pro- Erdoğan newspaper Daily Sabah took the same line: “Al-Qaeda Offshoot ISIL, A New Terror Threat For Turkey”.[20] In this context, Hizmet’s manipulated audio recording appears authentic but we have to consider the source, Gülen’s CIA-sponsored movement, which is now clearly prioritizing toppling Turkish PM Erdoğan over toppling Syrian President Assad. In a clear reference to Gülen’s shadowy network, Davutoğlu blamed a “parallel structure inside [the state]” for the leak and vowed to investigate “everybody and everything”.[21] Shortly thereafter, the first suspect, a Gülen-linked columnist, was detained.[22] Erdoğan’s response was to block YouTube, where all leaked recordings had been uploaded.[23] So the Western media could not ignore the incident. But the reporting focused entirely on Erdoğan’s passion for censorship instead of addressing the real issue: Hizmet had again exposed the terror campaign of the NATO-GCC-Israel axis in Syria in order to get rid of Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan.

# # # #

Christoph Germann- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Christoph Germann is an independent analyst and researcher based in Germany, where he is currently studying political science. His work focuses on the New Great Game in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. You can visit his website here

[1] Sibel Edmonds, “Did You Know: The King of Madrasas Now Operates Over 100 Charter Schools in the US?,” Boiling Frogs Post, 20 October 2010: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2010/10/20/did-you-know-the-king-of-madrasas-now-operates-over-100-charter-schools-in-the-us/.

[2] Tim Franks, “Fethullah Gulen: Powerful but reclusive Turkish cleric,” BBC, 27 January 2014: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-25885817.

[3] Sibel Edmonds, “Turkish PM Erdogan: The Speedy Transformation of an Imperial Puppet,” Boiling Frogs Post, 18 January 2014: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/01/18/turkish-pm-erdogan-the-speedy-transformation-of-an-imperial-puppet/.

[4] “Report: Al-Qaeda suspects flee after Turkish gov’t blocks raid,” Today’s Zaman, 26 December 2013: http://www.todayszaman.com/news-335038-report-al-qaeda-suspects-flee-after-turkish-govt-blocks-raid.html.

[5] Christoph Germann, “The New Great Game Round-Up: January 5, 2014,” Boiling Frogs Post, 5 January 2014: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/01/05/the-new-great-game-round-up-january-5-2014/.

[6] Sibel Edmonds, “CIA-Gladio’s Zionist Operatives Urge Obama to Overthrow Erdogan’s Administration,” Boiling Frogs Post, 23 January 2014: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/01/23/cia-gladios-zionist-operatives-urge-obama-to-overthrow-erdogans-administration/.

[7] Fevzi Kızılkoyun, “Turkish governor blocks police search on Syria-bound truck reportedly carrying weapons,” Hürriyet, 2 January 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-governor-blocks-police-search-on-syria-bound-truck-reportedly-carrying-weapons-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=60494&NewsCatID=341.

[8] Ibid., Germann.

[9] “Police officers removed after stopping truck allegedly carrying weapons to Syria,” Hürriyet, 3 January 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/police-officers-removed-after-stopping-truck-allegedly-carrying-weapons-to-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=60522&NewsCatID=341.

[10] Constanze Letsch, “Turkish police caught in middle of war between Erdoğan and former ally Gülen,” The Guardian, 9 February 2014: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/turkish-police-fethullah-gulen-network.

[11] “Gülen Could Be Extradited To Turkey,” Daily Sabah, 14.03.2014: http://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2014/03/14/gulen-could-be-extradited-to-turkey.

[12] Tolga TANIŞ, “Turkish PM’s account of Obama’s Gülen response ‘not accurate,’ White House says,” Hürriyet, 8 March 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-pms-account-of-obamas-gulen-response-not-accurate-white-house-says-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=63341&NewsCatID=359.

[13] “Turkish Airlines allegedly ships arms to Nigeria, tape reveals,” Agence France-Presse, 18 March 2014: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-airlines-allegedly-ships-arms-nigeria-tape-reveals-202353840.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory.

[14] Terri Rupar, “Turkey’s prime minister banned Twitter, but these images show he can still muster huge crowds,” The Washington Post, 24 March 2014: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/03/24/turkeys-prime-minister-banned-twitter-but-these-images-show-he-can-still-muster-huge-crowds/.

[15] “WRAP UP: Ankara on alert after spying on security meeting leaked,” Hürriyet, 27 March 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/wrap-up-ankara-on-alert-after-spying-on-security-meeting-leaked.aspx?pageID=238&nID=64190&NewsCatID=338.

[16] Ralph Boulton, “Ahead of vote, Erdogan paints picture of Turkey besieged by enemies,” Reuters, 27 March 2014: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/27/us-turkey-election-idUSBREA2Q0XG20140327.

[17] Tony Cartalucci, “Turkey Vs. Syria: NATO’s Last Gasp?,” New Eastern Outlook, 26.03.2014: http://journal-neo.org/2014/03/26/turkey-vs-syria-nato-s-last-gasp/.

[18] Mimi al Laham, “Leaks Reveal Turkey using ALQaeda for False flag in Syria,” SyriaNews, 27 March 2014: http://www.syrianews.cc/leaks-reveal-turkey-using-alqaeda-false-flag-syria/.

[19] “Turkey vows ‘any measures’ against Syria threats,” Hürriyet, 26 March 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-vows-any-measures-against-syria-threats.aspx?pageID=238&nID=64135&NewsCatID=338.

[20] “Al-Qaeda Offshoot ISIL, A New Terror Threat For Turkey,” Daily Sabah, 26 March 2014: http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2014/03/26/alqaeda-offshoot-isil-a-new-terror-threat-for-turkey.

[21] “Turkey’s FM implies espionage from within ministry over Syria leak,” Hürriyet, 28 March 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-fm-implies-espionage-from-within-ministry-over-syria-leak.aspx?pageID=238&nID=64232&NewsCatID=338.

[22] “Gülen-linked pundit detained over leak of key Syria meeting,” Hürriyet, 29 March 2014: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/gulen-linked-pundit-detained-over-leak-of-key-syria-meeting.aspx?pageID=238&nID=64274&NewsCatID=338.

[23] Paul Vale, “Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan Moves To Block YouTube Following Similar Ban On Twitter,” The Huffington Post, 27 March 2014: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/27/turkey-erdogan-youtube-twitter_n_5044280.html.
– See more at: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/03/29/bfp-exclusive-turkish-power-struggle-impedes-natos-campaign-in-syria/#sthash.ceLnqYEU.dpuf

Syria UN envoy says militants kill civilians, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are killing Syrian people

March 29, 2014 By administrator

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja’afari says militants backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are killing Syrian people.

Ja’afari on Friday denied the use of bombs against people by government forces.

“No. What you see on TV is publicity. …We are not killing our own people.”

The Syrian envoy added that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are supporting the militants, who mainly come from Chechnya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tunisia, Libya and Saudi Arabia. They “are killing people” in Syria, he stated.

Ja’afari also denounced some members of the UN Security Council and its secretariat for refusing to hear the truth about the situation in Syria.

Those countries themselves are “deeply involved” in “spreading terrorism” across Syria, the Syrian ambassador said.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Reports say some 140,000 people have so far been killed and millions of others displaced due to the crisis.