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Friday, June 16, 2017

Erdogan to return to Turkey's ruling party as its chairman

May 21, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party on Sunday kicked off a congress to re-elect President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its chairman after last month's referendum. Erdogan will return to lead the party he co-founded after Sunday's extraordinary congress in Ankara, since last month's referendum removed a constitutional requirement that presidents be neutral and cut ties with their political parties.

Erdogan welcomed the tens of thousands of people outside the arena. "My dear fellow travelers ... we were separated but today we are together once again," he said. Erdogan and the AKP won a narrow victory on the April 16 referendum that will transform Turkey's parliamentary governing system to an executive presidency.

Critics said the vote, which took place under a state of emergency imposed in the wake of last year's failed coup, was marred by allegations of election fraud. Most of the constitutional changes won't take effect until after the next presidential and parliamentary elections, slated for Nov. 3, 2019.

Three amendments, however, have automatically come into effect, including one that allows Erdogan to return to his party. Others are the repeal of military courts and a restructuring of Turkey's board of judges and prosecutors.

Erdogan was forced to cut his formal ties to the AKP when he became the country's first directly elected president in 2014 — but he still rallied for the party anyway. AKP officials and supporters from across the country were at the congress, waving flags to songs about Erdogan and the AKP. Banners read "the leader of change, the nation's leader."

The congress will last all day, with speeches by the current party chairman, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Erdogan, to be followed with the voting.

Turkey leader calls on US to reverse decision to arm Kurds

May 10, 2017

BEIRUT (AP) — Turkey slammed the Trump administration's decision to supply Syrian Kurdish fighters with weapons against the Islamic State group and demanded Wednesday that it be reversed, heightening tensions between the NATO allies days before the Turkish leader heads to Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the fight against terrorism "should not be led with another terror organization" — a reference to the Syrian Kurdish militia, known as the YPG, which Turkey considers an extension of the decades-long Kurdish insurgency raging in its southeast. "We want to know that our allies will side with us and not with terror organizations," he said.

The dispute could ignite more fighting between the two key U.S. allies in the battle against IS as Syrian Kurdish forces gear up for a major operation to drive the militants from their de facto capital, Raqqa.

Turkey, which has sent troops to northern Syrian in an effort to curtail Kurdish expansion along its borders, has for months tried to lobby Washington to cut off ties with the Kurds and work instead with Turkish-backed opposition fighters in the fight for Raqqa.

But the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, of SDF, which has driven IS from much of northern Syria over the past two years with the help of U.S.-led airstrikes, are among the most effective ground forces battling the extremists. In announcing the decision on Tuesday to arm the Kurds, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, called the militia "the only force on the ground that can successfully seize Raqqa in the near future."

On Wednesday, the SDF said it captured the country's largest dam from the Islamic State group. The fighters, which are Kurdish-led but also include some Arab fighters, said they expelled the extremists from the Tabqa Dam and a nearby town, also called Tabqa.

It was the latest IS stronghold to fall to the Kurdish-led fighters as they advance toward Raqqa — the seat of the militants' so-called caliphate along the Euphrates River. The fall of Tabqa leaves no other major urban settlements on the road to Raqqa, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away.

Ilham Ahmed, a top official in the Syrian Democratic Forces' political office, hailed the U.S. decision to provide heavier arms, saying it carries "political meaning" and would "legitimize" the Kurdish-led force.

Ankara says the Kurdish militia, which forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, is an extension of the Kurdistan Worker's Party, or PKK, which has been waging a decades-old insurgency in Turkey and is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and other Western countries.

Erdogan said he would take up the issue during a planned meeting with Trump on Tuesday. "I hope that they will turn away from this wrong," he said. Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also denounced the U.S. move, saying "every weapon that reaches the (Kurds') hands is a threat to Turkey."

The spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS, Col. John Dorrian, told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday that the weapons would be delivered to the Kurds soon. The weapons will not be reclaimed by the U.S. after specific missions are completed, he added, speaking by teleconference from Baghdad, but the U.S. will "carefully monitor" where and how they are used.

"Every single one" of the weapons will be accounted for, and the U.S. will "assure they are pointed at ISIS," Dorrian said, using an alternate acronym for IS. The Trump administration has not specified the kinds of arms to be provided, but U.S. officials have indicated that 120mm mortars, machine guns, ammunition and light armored vehicles were possibilities. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to publicly discuss the matter, said artillery or surface-to-air missiles would not be provided.

Speaking in Lithuania, where he was touring a NATO training site on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters that the U.S. has had very open discussions with Turkey over its concerns.

"We will work together. We'll work out any of the concerns. I'm not concerned at all about the NATO alliance and the relations between our nations," he said. "It's not always tidy, but we work out the issues," he added.

The SDF's rapid advance against IS last year prompted Turkey to send ground forces across the border for the first time in the more than 6-year-old Syrian civil war to help allied Syrian forces battle IS and halt the Kurds' progress.

Since then, Turkey is believed to have positioned more than 5,000 troops in northern Syria, and has escalated its airstrikes and cross-border artillery attacks against Kurdish forces. A Turkish air raid in late April killed 20 Syrian Kurdish fighters and media officials, prompting the U.S. to deploy armored vehicles along the border in a show of support for the group.

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Lolita C. Baldor in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Bob Burns in Washington contributed to this report.

Tensions rise between Turkey, US along Syrian border

April 29, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Tensions rose Saturday along the Turkish-Syrian border as both Turkey and the U.S. moved armored vehicles to the region and Turkey's leader once again demanded that the United States stop supporting the Syrian Kurdish militants there.

The relocation of Turkish troops to an area near the border with Syria comes a day after U.S. troops were seen patrolling the tense border in Syria. Those patrols followed a Turkish airstrike against bases of Syrian Kurdish militia, Washington's main ally in combating Islamic State militants in Syria.

More U.S. troops were seen Saturday in armored vehicles in Syria in Kurdish areas. Kurdish officials describe U.S. troop movement as "buffer" between them and Turkey. But Turkey views Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as YPG, as a terrorist organization and an extension of the Kurdish militants who have been waging a three-decade-long insurgency against Turkey.

"The YPG, and you know who's supporting them, is attacking us with mortars. But we will make those places their grave, there is no stopping," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Footage shot Friday night showed a long line of Turkish trucks carrying military vehicles driving to the border area. The private Ihlas news agency IHA reported the convoy was heading to southeastern Sanliurfa province from Kilis in the west. The base is 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Syria's Tal Abyad, a town controlled by the Kurdish militia.

The agency said the relocation comes after Turkish officials announced the completion of a phase of Turkey's cross-border operation of Euphrates Shield in Syria, adding that the force may be used against Syrian Kurdish militants "if needed."

Tensions in the border area rose this week when Turkey conducted airstrikes against bases for YPG group in Syria and Iraq on Tuesday. The Turkish military said it killed at least 90 militants and wounded scores. The Kurdish group in Syria said 20 of its fighters and media activists were killed in the strike, which was followed by cross-border clashes.

Erdogan hinted his country is also ready to repeat its attacks in Sinjar, Iraq, to prevent it from turning into a base for the Kurdish militia. Kurdish officials said the U.S. patrols are monitoring the Turkish-Syrian border to prevent an increase in tensions with Turkey, a NATO member and U.S. ally.

On Saturday, more U.S. troops in armored vehicles arrived in Kurdish areas, passing through Qamishli town, close to the border with Turkey. The town is mostly controlled by Kurdish forces, but Syrian government troops hold pockets of territory there, including the airport.

The convoy was followed by another of YPG militia. Some footage posted online showed Kurdish residents cheering American-flagged vehicles as they drove by. U.S. officials say the troop movement is part of its operations with the Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Ankara sent its troops into Syria last August in a military operation triggered in large part by the Kurdish group's expansion along its borders. The issue has been a source of tension between Ankara and Washington that threatens to hamper the fight against IS. Instead of working with the Syrian Kurds, Turkey is pressing the U.S. to let its army join the campaign for Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of IS.

Erdogan is due in Washington on May 16 for his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Claiming that his country is leading the most effective campaign against IS, Erdogan said: "Let us, huge America, all these coalition powers and Turkey, let us join hands and turn Raqqa to Daesh's grave," using the Arabic acronym for IS.

The YPG forms the backbone of the U.S-backed Syria Democratic Forces. Redur Khalil, the spokesman for the YPG in Syria, said Turkey is reinforcing its border posts opposite Tal Abyad as well as other border posts.

"We hope that this military mobilization is not meant to provoke our forces or for another purpose linked to entering Syrian territories. We don't want any military confrontation between us, since our priority is to fight Daesh in Raqqa and Tabqa," Khalil told The Associated Press in text messages.

Khalil said his forces were not building up in the area.

El Deeb contributed from Beirut.

Turkish court formally blocks access to Wikipedia

April 29, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — In a move that social media users called censorship, a Turkish court on Saturday blocked access to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, enforcing an earlier restriction by Turkey's telecommunications watchdog.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) said an Ankara court ordered Saturday that a "protection measure" related to suspected internet crimes be applied to Wikipedia. Such measures are used to block access to pages or entire websites to protect "national security and public order."

In response, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales tweeted his support for those who labeled the decision censorship: "Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people I will always stand with you to fight for this right."

Turkey Blocks, an internet censorship monitor, said users in Turkey have been unable to access all language editions of Wikipedia since 8 a.m. Saturday. "The loss of availability is consistent with internet filters used to censor content in the country," the monitor said.

The site had initially been blocked by BTK under a provisional administration measure. The exact reason for the ban remains unclear. But Turkey's official news agency, quoting the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications, said Saturday the site was blocked for "becoming an information source acting with groups conducting a smear campaign against Turkey in the international arena."

The state-run Anadolu Agency said officials had warned Wikipedia to remove content likening Turkey to terror groups but the site "persistently" did not. Turkey had demanded that Wikipedia open an office in the country, act in line with international law and abide by court decisions and not be part of "blackout operation against Turkey," according to the agency.

Anadolu said if these demands are met and the content removed, the site would be reopened. Opposition lawmakers also criticized the court order. Republican People's Party parliamentarians Eren Erdem tweeted the ban puts "Turkey in line with North Korea" while Baris Yarkadas called it "censorship and a violation of the right to access information."

Turkey's status is listed as "not free" on the 2016 Freedom on the Net index by independent rights watchdog Freedom House. It says over 111,000 websites were blocked as of May last year. Wikipedia, a collaborative online reference work, says it is ranked among the 10 most popular websites.

Turkey demands US stop supporting Syrian Kurdish militants

April 29, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's leader on Saturday urged the United States to stop supporting Syrian Kurdish militants as local media reported the Turkish military has moved armored vehicles and personnel carriers to a base near the Syrian border.

The relocation comes a day after U.S. troops were seen patrolling the tense border in Syria. The Syrian Kurdish militia is Washington's main ally in combating Islamic State militants in Syria. But Turkey views Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as YPG, as a terrorist organization and an extension of the Kurdish militants who have been waging a three-decade-long insurgency against Turkey.

"The YPG, and you know who's supporting them, is attacking us with mortars. But we will make those places their grave, there is no stopping," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. Footage shot Friday night showed a long line of trucks carrying military vehicles driving to the border area. The private Ihlas news agency IHA reported the convoy was heading to southeastern Sanliurfa province from Kilis in the west. The base in the area is 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Syria's Tal Abyad, a town controlled by the Kurdish militia.

The agency said the relocation comes after Turkish officials announced the completion of a phase of Turkey's cross-border operation of Euphrates Shield in Syria, adding that the force may be used against Syrian Kurdish militants "if needed."

Turkish officials announced the conclusion of the operation in March but have said they would continue combating terror to make its borders safe and rid of IS and Kurdish militants. Tensions in the border area rose this week when Turkey conducted airstrikes against bases for YPG group in Syria and Iraq on Tuesday. The Turkish military said it killed at least 90 militants and wounded scores.

The Kurdish group in Syria said 20 of its fighters and media activists were killed in the strike, which was followed by cross-border clashes between the two sides. The military said the YPG has targeted the Turkish border from Tal Abyad and further west in Afrin. Turkey's military responded with howitzers.

Erdogan hinted his country is also ready to repeat it attacks in Sinjar, Iraq, to prevent it from turning into a base for the Kurdish militia. Kurdish officials said the U.S. patrols are monitoring the Turkish-Syrian border to prevent an increase in tensions with Turkey, a NATO member and U.S. ally.

Ankara sent its troops into Syria last August in a military operation triggered in large part by the Kurdish group's expansion along its borders. The issue has been a source of tension between Ankara and Washington that threatens to hamper the fight against IS. Instead of working with the Syrian Kurds, Turkey is pressing the U.S. to let its army join the campaign for Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of IS.

Erdogan is due in Washington on May 16 for his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Stating that his country is leading the most effective campaign against IS, Erdogan said: "Let us, huge America, all these coalition powers and Turkey, let us join hands and turn Raqqa to Daesh's grave," using the Arabic acronym for IS.

The YPG forms the backbone of the U.S-backed Syria Democratic Forces. Redur Khalil, the spokesman for the YPG in Syria, said his group has information that Turkey is reinforcing its border posts opposite Tal Abyad as well as other border posts. He said the purpose of the military reinforcement was not clear.

"We hope that this military mobilization is not meant to provoke our forces or for another purpose linked to entering Syrian territories. We don't want any military confrontation between us, since our priority is to fight Daesh in Raqqa and Tabqa," Khalil told The Associated Press in text messages.

Khalil said his forces are not building up in the area and added that the international coalition is now "monitoring" the border.

Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed from Beirut.

Turkey electoral board rejects request to annul referendum

April 19, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey's electoral board on Wednesday rejected petitions by opposition parties to annul the outcome of the weekend's referendum on expanding presidential powers because of voting irregularities. The decision led protesters in Istanbul to call for the resignation of board members while the main opposition party said it would take the decision to Turkey's top court.

The High Electoral Board announced in a written statement its decision by a 10-1 vote to reject three requests by the opposition. Mehmet Hadimi Yakupoglu, the main opposition Republican People's Party's representative at the board, said they would take the decision to the constitutional court and then to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary. "We will demand the rights of the voters until the end," he said.

Opposition parties have complained of a series of irregularities, particularly an electoral board decision to accept ballots without official stamps, as required by Turkish law. The board, however, published past rulings on the validity of unstamped ballots.

The Istanbul Bar Association on Wednesday filed a criminal complaint against electoral board head Sadi Guven for "wrongful conduct" and "altering the result of the election." A prosecutor will now consider whether to press charges against Guven.

Before the electoral board's announcement, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the opposition had the right to file objections, but warned that calling for street protests was unacceptable. He said that "the path to seek rights" should be limited to the courts.

"Calling people to the street is wrong and is outside the line of legitimacy," Yildirim said, adding, "we expect the main opposition party's leader to act more responsibly." However, thousands continued to protest Sunday's referendum, which has set into motion the transformation of Turkey's system of government from a parliamentary to a presidential one that would give more power to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Some 2,000 protesters in Istanbul Wednesday evening demanded the resignation of the electoral board and chanted "Don't be silent, shout out, 'no' to the presidency." Earlier, 19 people were detained for allegedly using the results of a constitutional referendum as an "excuse" to organize "unauthorized demonstrations," official Anadolu news agency reported.

Unofficial results show a narrow win for Erdogan's "yes" campaign, which garnered 51.4 percent of the vote. International election monitors, including from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, noted a series of irregularities, and said the decision to accept as valid ballots without official stamps undermined safeguards against fraud and was contrary to Turkish law.

Germany also expressed concern. "The German government takes the report by the OSCE and the Council of Europe very seriously, and we expect Turkey to do so," government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer told reporters in Berlin. "We will follow closely how Turkey behaves on this. From the German government's point of view, Turkey must ... clear up the questions that have been raised."

Erdogan has dismissed the criticism from the observers, telling the monitors to "know your place." "That the Turkish leadership didn't like the criticism by the OSCE's election observer mission isn't a surprise to anyone," German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said.

"What matters for us is not so much the first reaction from whomever in Turkey, directed more at domestic politics, but whether the responsible Turkish authorities really deal seriously with the criticism voiced publicly by the OSCE election observer mission, which was meant seriously and researched seriously."

The U.S. response has been different, with President Donald Trump calling Erdogan shortly after the referendum to congratulate him on his win. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Erdogan and Trump would meet in person next month, before a NATO summit.

Geir Moulson in Berlin, Elena Becatoros in Istanbul and Mehmet Guzel in Ankara contributed to this report.

Turkey's president Erdogan fulfills ambition, but at a cost

April 18, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has finally fulfilled his long-held ambition to expand his powers after Sunday's referendum handed him the reins of his country's governance. But success did not come without a cost.

His victory leaves the nation deeply divided and facing increasing tension with former allies abroad, while international monitors and opposition parties have reported numerous voting irregularities. An unofficial tally carried by the country's state-run news agency gave Erdogan's "yes" vote a narrow win, with 51.4 percent approving a series of constitutional changes converting Turkey's political system from a parliamentary to a presidential one. Critics argue the reforms will hand extensive power to a man with an increasingly autocratic bent, leaving few checks and balances in place.

Opposition parties called for the vote to be annulled because of a series of irregularities, particularly an electoral board decision to accept ballots that did not bear official stamps, as required by Turkish law. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who also listed numerous irregularities, said the move undermined safeguards against fraud.

The referendum campaign was heavily weighted in favor of the "yes" campaign, with Erdogan drawing on the full powers of the state and government to dominate the airwaves and billboards. The "no" campaign complained of intimidation, detentions and beatings.

In Istanbul, hundreds of "no" supporters demonstrated in the streets on Monday, chanting "thief, murderer, Erdogan" and banging pots and pans. "We are protesting today because the results announced by the government are not the real ones. Because actually the 'no' we voted won. But the government is announcing it as 'yes' has won," Damla Atalay, a 35-year-old lawyer, said of the voting irregularities.

Erdogan was unfazed by the criticism as he spoke to flag-waving supporters in the Turkish capital, Ankara. "We have put up a fight against the powerful nations of the world," he said as he arrived at the airport from Istanbul. "The crusader mentality attacked us abroad. ... We did not succumb. As a nation, we stood strong."

In a speech before a massive crowd at his sprawling presidential palace complex, Erdogan insisted Turkey's referendum was "the most democratic election ... ever seen in any Western country" and admonished the OSCE monitors to "know your place."

The increasing polarization of Turkish society has long worried observers, who note the dangers of deepening societal divisions in a country with a history of political instability. The referendum was held with a state of emergency still in place, imposed after an attempted coup in July. About 100,000 people have been fired from their jobs in the crackdown that followed on supporters of a U.S.-based Islamic cleric and former Erdogan ally whom the president blamed for the attempted putsch. Tens of thousands have been arrested or imprisoned, including lawmakers, judges, journalists and businessmen.

The Council of Ministers decided Monday to extend the state of emergency, which grants greater powers of detention and arrest to security forces, for a further three months. It had been due to expire April 19. The decision was to be sent to parliament for approval.

"The way (Erdogan) has closed the door on the opposition, there is likely to be increased political unrest," said Howard Eissenstat, associate professor of Middle East history at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. "Forty-eight percent of the population is being told that their voices don't matter."

There is also the risk of increased international isolation, with Erdogan appealing to patriotic sentiments by casting himself as a champion of a proud Turkish nation that will not be dictated to by foreign powers in general, and the European Union in particular.

Turkey has been an EU candidate for decades, but its accession efforts have been all but moribund for several years. "They have made us wait at the gates of the European Union for 54 years," Erdogan told his supporters at the presidential palace. "We can conduct a vote of confidence on this as well. Would we? What did England do — they did Brexit, right?"

"Either they will hold their promises to Turkey or they'll have to bear the consequences," he added. Erdogan has also vowed to consider reinstating the death penalty — a move that would all but end prospects of EU membership. But, he insisted, other nations' opinions on the issue are irrelevant to him.

"Our concern is not what George or Hans or Helga says. Our concern is what Hatice, Ayse, Fatma, Ahmet, Mehmet, Hasan, Hüseyin says," he thundered as the crowd of supporters chanted for the return of capital punishment. "What Allah says. That's why our parliament will make this decision."

Both Germany and France expressed concern about possible election irregularities and called on Erdogan to engage in dialogue with the opposition. "The narrow result of the vote shows how deeply split the Turkish society is," German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said in a joint statement. "This implies a big responsibility for the Turkish government and President Erdogan personally."

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, ignored the concerns about voting irregularities and congratulated Erdogan on his referendum victory. The two leaders also discussed Turkey's support of the U.S. response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack and efforts to counter the Islamic State group, according to the White House statement on their phone call Monday.

The White House previously sidestepped questions about how the referendum was conducted, but the U.S. State Department had echoed the concerns raised by the OSCE, with spokesman Mark Toner pointing to "observed irregularities" on voting day and "an uneven playing field" during the campaign.

Such concerns are unlikely to move Erdogan. The referendum approves 18 constitutional amendments to replace Turkey's parliamentary system with a presidential one. The president will be able to appoint ministers, senior government officials and to hold sway over who sits in Turkey's highest judicial body, as well as to issue decrees and declare states of emergency. They set a limit of two five-year terms for presidents.

The new system takes effect at the next election, currently slated for 2019. Other changes are to be implemented sooner, including scrapping a requirement that the president not be a member of any political party. This would allow Erdogan to rejoin the governing AK Party he co-founded, or to lead it.

"Erdogan dominated the national media. He imposed a very restrictive environment for the 'no' camp," said Fadi Hakura, a Turkey specialist at the London-based Chatham House think tank. "He secured a thin majority of 1 percent. This suggests that Erdogan will become more robust and more challenging to deal with."

Associated Press writers Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Zeynep Bilginsoy and Bram Janssen in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Turkish opposition party files to have referendum voided

April 18, 2017

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's prime minister on Tuesday called on the opposition to respect the result of a referendum that will give sweeping new powers to the office of the president, but the main opposition party formally requested to have the vote voided.

Sunday's vote gave President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "yes" camp a narrow win for constitutional changes that will abolish the office of the prime minister and convert Turkey's system of government from a parliamentary to a presidential one.

The referendum took place under a state of emergency that was declared following a failed military coup last summer. Turkey's parliament agreed Tuesday to extend for another three months the emergency powers allowing the government to rule by decree.

Bulent Tezcan, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, said the party filed a formal request seeking the referendum's annulment due to voting irregularities. He said the party would use all legal paths to challenge the vote.

"We demand the cancellation of this referendum," Tezcan said. The opposition has cited several problems with how the vote was conducted. But it has been particularly outraged by an electoral board decision, announced as the polls closed Sunday, to accept ballots that didn't bear the official stamps used to verify they are genuine, as required by Turkish law.

Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who also listed numerous irregularities, said the board's move undermined important election safeguards. The assessment drew a harsh rebuke from Erdogan and criticism from Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.

"Efforts to cast a shadow on the result of the vote by spreading rumors of fraud are futile and in vain," Yildirim said. "The will of the people was freely reflected into the ballot boxes, and this business is over. Everyone and all sections — and the main opposition party in particular — must show respect. It is wrong to speak after the people have spoken."

Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu accused the electoral board of bias and of favoring the governing party. "It is clear that the High Electoral Board is not receiving its power from the people, the law or the constitution, but rather from a specific center, a specific political authority," Kilicdaroglu told his party's lawmakers in Ankara Tuesday.

The board's decision to accept ballots without official stamps was like "changing the rules midgame," he said. Hundreds of people lined up outside election board offices in Ankara and Istanbul to submit petitions requesting the board reverse its pronouncement.

In Ankara, Fatma Korur, 46, said she was exercising her constitutional right to object to "illegal" results. Another petitioner, Fusun Cicekoglu, 61, said, "I will not accept my 'no' vote be voided and I will not accept 'yes' ballots cast illegally."

The referendum allows Erdogan, who has ruled Turkey since he became prime minister in 2003 and then president in 2014, to fulfill his long-held ambition for a presidency with executive powers. The referendum approves 18 constitutional amendments that allow the president to appoint ministers, senior government officials and to hold sway over who sits on Turkey's highest judicial body, as well as to issue decrees and to declare states of emergency.

The new system takes full effect at the next election, currently slated for November 2019. Other changes are to be implemented sooner, including scrapping a requirement that the president not be a member of any political party. This would allow Erdogan to rejoin the governing AKP he co-founded, or to lead it.

On Tuesday, Yildirim said Erdogan would be invited to join the party as soon as the official results are declared. "We will invite our founding chairman to our party and we will feel a huge elation to see him among us," he said.

Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were seen entering the High Electoral Board headquarters in Ankara. Tana de Zulueta, head of the observer mission, told reporters that the group had paid a courtesy call and held a "cordial" meeting with electoral board members.

Asked to comment on Erdogan's rebuke, de Zulueta said: "I don't have an opinion. We are invited by the Turkish authorities to observe. We share our report and we completed our mandate." In Istanbul, thousands of "no" supporters continued their demonstrations Tuesday, carrying banners that said "Don't give in" and chanting "Thief, Murderer, Erdogan!"

Protesters were fewer in number in Ankara, where they were outnumbered by police officers. "We are here today for the sake of Turkey, to live together, to take a stand for our votes," protester Tezcan Karakus Candan said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, ignored the concerns about voting irregularities and congratulated Erdogan on his referendum victory. The two leaders also discussed Turkey's support for the U.S. response to a Syrian chemical weapons attack and efforts to counter the Islamic State group, according to a White House summary of their phone call Monday.

Bilginsoy contributed from Istanbul and Mehmet Guzel contributed from Ankara.

Win claimed for Turkey gov't referendum; critics call fraud

April 16, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in Sunday's referendum that will grant sweeping powers to the presidency, hailing the result as a "historic decision." Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Erdogan said unofficial results showed the "yes" side had won by a margin of 1.3 million votes.

The president struck a conciliatory tone, thanking all voters regardless of how they cast their ballots and describing the referendum as a "historic decision." "April 16 is the victory of all who said yes or no, of the whole 80 million, of the whole of Turkey of 780,000-square kilometers," Erdogan said.

Returns carried by the state-run Anadolu news agency showed that with nearly 99 percent of the vote counted, the "yes" vote had about 51.3 percent compared to 48.7 percent for the "no" vote. Turkey's main opposition party vowed to challenge the results reported by Anadolu agency, saying they were skewed.

Erdogan has long sought to broaden his powers, but a previous attempt failed after the governing party that he co-founded fell short of enough votes to pass the reforms without holding a referendum. Opponents argued the plan concentrate too much power in the hands of a man they allege has shown increasingly autocratic tendencies.

The outcome is expected to have a huge effect on Turkey's long-term political future and its international relations. Although the result, if officially confirmed, would fall short of the sweeping victory Erdogan had sought, but nevertheless cements his hold on the country's governance.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, whose position will be eliminated under the presidential system of government called for in the referendum, also welcomed the results and extended a hand to the opposition.

"We are all equal citizens of the Republic of Turkey," he said. "Both the ones who said 'no' and the ones who said 'yes' are one and are equally valuable." "There are no losers of this referendum. Turkey won, the beloved people won," Yildirim said, adding that "a new page has opened in our democratic history with this vote. Be sure that we will use this result for our people's welfare and peace in the best way."

Erdogan supporters gathered outside the AK Party headquarters in Istanbul to celebrate, sending fireworks into the night sky. But the main opposition People's Democratic Party, or CHP, cast doubt on the results. CHP vice chairman Erdal Aksunger said they would challenge 37 percent of the ballot boxes.

"Our data indicates a manipulation in the range of 3 to 4 percent," the party said on its Twitter account. The country's pro-Kurdish opposition party, which also opposed the constitutional changes, said it plans to object to two-thirds of the ballots.

An unprecedented decision by Turkey's Supreme Election board to accept as valid ballot papers that don't have the official stamp also drew the ire of the CHP, with the party's deputy chairman, Bulent Tezcan, saying the decision had left the referendum "with a serious legitimacy problem."

The board made the announcement after many voters complained about being given ballot papers without the official stamp, saying ballots would be considered invalid only if proven to have been fraudulently cast.

Sunday's vote approved 18 constitutional changes that will replace Turkey's parliamentary system of government with a presidential one, abolishing the office of the prime minister and granting sweeping executive powers to the president. The changes will come into effect with the next general election, scheduled for 2019.

The reforms allow the president to appoint ministers, senior government officials and half the members of Turkey's highest judicial body, as well as to issue decrees and declare states of emergency. They set a limit of two five-year terms for presidents and also allow the president to remain at the helm of a political party.

Erdogan and his supporters had argued the "Turkish-style" presidential system would bring stability and prosperity in a country rattled by a failed coup last year that left more than 200 people dead, and a series of devastating attacks by the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

But opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that the 63-year-old Erdogan, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.

The ballots themselves did not include the referendum question — it was assumed to be understood. Voters used an official stamp to select between "yes" and "no." At one Istanbul polling station, eager voters lined up outside before it opened at 8 a.m.

"I don't want to get on a bus with no brake system. A one-man system is like that," said Istanbul resident Husnu Yahsi, 61, who said he was voting "no." In another Istanbul neighborhood, a "yes" voter expressed full support for Erdogan.

"Yes, yes, yes! Our leader is the gift of God to us," said Mualla Sengul. "We will always support him. He's governing so well." Erdogan first came to power in 2003 as prime minister and served in that role until becoming Turkey's first directly elected president in 2014.

The referendum campaign was divisive and heavily one-sided, with the "yes" side dominating the airwaves and billboards across the country. Supporters of the "no" vote have complained of intimidation, including beatings, detentions and threats.

The vote comes as Turkey has been buffeted by problems. Erdogan survived a coup attempt last July, which he has blamed on his former ally and current nemesis Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric living in the United States. Gulen has denied knowledge of the coup attempt.

Still, a widespread government crackdown has targeted followers of Gulen and other government opponents, branding them terrorists and a state of emergency has been imposed. Roughly 100,000 people — including judges, teachers, academics, doctors, journalists, military officials and police — have lost their jobs in the government crackdown, and more than 40,000 have been arrested. Hundreds of media outlets and non-governmental organizations have been shut down.

Turkey has also suffered renewed violence between Kurdish militants and security forces in the country's volatile southeast, as well as a string of bombings, some attributed to the Islamic State group, which is active across the border in Syria.

The war in Syria has led to some 3 million refugees crossing the border into Turkey. Turkey has sent troops into Syria to help opposition Syrian forces clear a border area from the threat posed by Islamic State militants.

Meanwhile, Turkey's relations with Europe have been increasingly tense, particularly after Erdogan branded Germany and the Netherlands as Nazis for not allowing Turkish ministers to campaign for the "yes" vote among expatriate Turks.

Fraser reported from Ankara. Bram Janssen in Istanbul and Mucahit Ceylan in Diyarbakir also contributed to this report.

Yes or No? Divided Turks vote on expanding president's power

April 16, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — Voting has ended in Turkey's historic referendum on whether to approve constitutional changes that would greatly expand the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The result of Sunday's referendum will determine Turkey's long-term political future and will likely have lasting effects on its relations with the European Union and the world.

If the "yes" vote prevails, the 18 constitutional changes will replace Turkey's parliamentary system of government with a presidential one, abolishing the office of the prime minister and granting sweeping executive powers to the president.

Erdogan and his supporters say the "Turkish-style" presidential system would bring stability and prosperity in a country rattled by last year's coup attempt and a series of devastating attacks by the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

But opponents fear the changes will lead to autocratic one-man rule, ensuring that the 63-year-old Erdogan, who has been accused of repressing rights and freedoms, could govern until 2029 with few checks and balances.

More than 55 million people in this country of about 80 million were registered to vote. More than 1.3 million Turkish voters cast their ballots abroad. The ballots themselves did not include the referendum question — it was assumed to be understood. Voters used an official stamp to select between "yes" and "no."

Erdogan described the referendum as an opportunity for "change and transformation" as he voted Sunday in Istanbul, where black-clad bodyguards with automatic weapons stood guard outside the polling station.

"We need to make a decision that is beyond the ordinary," Erdogan said. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party and top "no" campaigner, called the referendum a vote on Turkey's future.

"We hope the results will be good and together we can have the opportunity to discuss Turkey's other fundamental problems," he said. At one Istanbul polling station, eager voters lined up outside before it opened at 8 a.m.

"We are here early to say 'no' for our country, for our children and grandchildren," said retired tax officer Murtaza Ali Turgut. His wife Zeynep agreed, saying: "I was going to come sleep here last night to vote at first light."

Istanbul resident Husnu Yahsi, 61, also said he was voting "no". "I don't want to get on a bus with no brake system. A one-man system is like that," he said. In another Istanbul neighborhood, a "yes" voter expressed full support for Erdogan.

"Yes, yes, yes! Our leader is the gift of God to us," said Mualla Sengul. "We will always support him. He's governing so well." The official Anadolu news agency reported that military helicopters flew ballots and elections officers to some districts of the southeastern predominantly Kurdish region of Diyarbakir due to security reasons.

The proposed changes would grant the president powers to appoint ministers, senior government officials and half the members of Turkey's highest judicial body, as well as issue decrees and declare states of emergency. It sets a limit of two five-year terms for presidents and also allows the president to remain at the helm of a political party. The changes would come into effect with the next general election, scheduled for 2019.

Erdogan first came to power in 2003 as prime minister and served in that role until becoming Turkey's first directly elected president in 2014. He has long sought to expand the powers of the president.

The campaign has been highly divisive and heavily one-sided, with the "yes" side dominating the airwaves and billboards across the country. Supporters of the "no" vote have complained of intimidation, recording more than 100 incidents of obstruction to its campaign efforts, including beatings, detentions and threats.

Observers from the 57-nation Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, who were monitoring the vote. Prior to Sunday, they had noted intimidation of the "no" side, leading to a sharp rebuke from Erdogan.

The vote comes at a time when Turkey has been buffeted by problems. Erdogan survived a coup attempt last July, which he has blamed on his former ally and current nemesis Fethullah Gulen, an Islamic cleric living in the United States. Gulen has denied knowledge of the coup attempt.

Still, a widespread government crackdown has targeted followers of Gulen and other government opponents, branding them terrorists and a state of emergency imposed after the coup attempt remains in effect.

Roughly 100,000 people — including judges, teachers, academics, doctors, journalists, military officials and police — have lost their jobs in the government crackdown, and more than 40,000 have been arrested. Hundreds of media outlets and non-governmental organizations have been shut down.

Turkey has also suffered renewed violence between Kurdish militants and security forces in the country's volatile southeast, as well as a string of bombings, some attributed to the Islamic State group, which is active across the border in Syria.

The war in Syria has led to some 3 million refugees crossing the border into Turkey. Turkey has sent troops into Syria to help opposition Syrian forces clear a border area from the threat posed by Islamic State militants.

Meanwhile, Turkey's relations with Europe have been increasingly tense, particularly after Erdogan branded Germany and the Netherlands as Nazis for not allowing Turkish ministers to campaign for the "yes" vote among expatriate Turks.

Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Bram Janssen in Istanbul and Mucahit Ceylan in Diyarbakir contributed to this report.

Turkey votes on referendum to increase presidential powers

By Allen Cone
April 16, 2017

April 16 (UPI) -- Turkish voters went to the polls Sunday on granting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers.

Erdogan cast his vote with his wife Emine and other family members at a school near his home in Istanbul.

"This April 16 referendum is not an ordinary voting [process]," Erdogan told reporters said after casting his ballot. "We have had many parliamentary elections in our history as a republic. In the meantime, we have also had referendums. However, this referendum is a decision on a new administrative system, a change and a transformation in the Republic of Turkey. I hope our people will make a decision to pave the way for a quick development. ... We need to grow quicker and walk faster."

Voters can vote Yes or No to an 18-article proposal to switch Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system.

Erodgan would be able to appoint cabinet ministers, issue decrees, choose senior judges and dissolve parliament. Also, the change would lower the minimum age for lawmakers to 18 from 25, increase the number of seats in parliament from 550 to 600, close down military courts, and introduce same-day parliamentary and presidential elections every five years.

The prime minister post would be abolished after the 2019 national elections if the referendum passes. Term limits for the president would be changed and Erdogan would be allowed to remain in power until 2029.

The ruling Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement Party backed the changes.

Parliament previously passed a reform bill 339-142, nine more votes than needed to put the proposal to a referendum.

Opposed to the proposals are the Republican People's Party and the Democratic People's Party. Critics fear the president's position would be too powerful without the checks and balances of other presidential systems.

"We carried out a nice campaign process," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party told CNN Turk. "I am so happy. I hope the result will be good and then we will talk about the main problems of Turkey."

More than 55 million people are eligible to vote at 167,000 polling sites between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., depending on the location in the country.

At a polling station in the southeast, two people were shot dead.

The country has been operating under a state of emergency after a failed coup last July.

The failed coup led Erdogan to crack down on his opposition, arresting 47,155 government critics, academics, journalists, military officials and civil servants.

Edogan became president in 2014 after serving as prime minister for more than a decade.

"I believe our people will walk towards the future by making their expected decisions and by casting their votes inside [Turkey] and overseas," Erdogan said. " I believe in our people's common sense of democracy and that they will walk towards the future though this common sense."

Source: United Press International.
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/04/16/Turkey-votes-on-referrendum-to-increase-presidential-powers/2491492351239/.

Turkish journalists, banned at home, set up shop in Germany

April 13, 2017

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Facing harassment, enforced shutdowns and the threat of jail at home, Turkey's journalists in exile are using Germany as a base to report on political turmoil in their country ahead of Sunday's referendum.

"We are here because there is no freedom of the press, and no freedom of expression in Turkey anymore," said Can Dundar, the former editor-in-chief of the respected Cumhuriyet newspaper. Dundar was convicted of revealing state secrets after he published a report saying that Turkey's intelligence agency was involved in sending weapons to Syrian rebels. He was jailed for three months and shot at in front of a court house as he was briefing reporters. Dundar was sentenced to prison but left for Germany after he was freed on appeal without travel restrictions.

Now he's running the bilingual news website Ozguruz in Berlin, with the help of the German nonprofit news organization Correctiv . "Ozguruz" means "We are free" in Turkish. "There are of course friends and colleagues still struggling in Turkey, but it is a really dangerous task," Dundar told The Associated Press. "I spent three months in jail and I was shot in front court house, and my only fault was writing the news. So because of that we decided to do this from outside."

On Sunday, Turks will vote "yes" or "no" to constitutional amendments that would abolish the office of the prime minister and transfer executive powers to the president, something President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's critics fear would cement his powers and further mold Turkey according to his conservative and pro-Islamic views. Opinion polls suggest he could win narrowly.

Erdogan has cracked down on the opposition in the wake of an attempted coup in July he blames on followers of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen. In addition to jailing and firing thousands of military and government officials, the government closed some 178 news organizations. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said that Turkey jailed more journalists in 2016 than any other country, with 81 held at the time of the CPJ's annual prison census.

Journalist Deniz Yucel, who has German and Turkish citizenship, was arrested last month in Turkey on charges of disseminating terrorist propaganda and inciting hatred. He was detained after his reports about a hacker attack on the email account of the country's energy minister, who is Erdogan's son-in-law.

Erdogan has accused Yucel of being a German spy and a PKK associate. Germany dismissed Erdogan's claims as absurd. Erdogan's office declined to comment for this story. Like Dundar, Celal Baslangic, editor-in-chief of Arti TV — which means "TV Plus" — wants to bring fact-based reporting to Turks in Turkey and in Germany. He is operating out of modest offices in an industrial park on the outskirts of Cologne, which has a large Turkish immigrant population.

Germany is home to some 3 million people with Turkish roots. Half of them can vote in Turkey's referendum. Arti TV recruited several of its technical staff from among Turkish-speakers in Germany, although the journalists tend to be from Turkey itself.

"Our plan with Arti TV is to give a voice for those who do not have a voice or whose voice cannot be heard — and for those who cannot be seen" in Turkey, Baslangic told the AP. "No matter what the outcome and the result of the referendum will be, Turkey is facing a long and dark period of time."

"If the result is 'yes', the time will be longer, harder and bloodier — maybe. If the result is 'no,' there will be a small flame and also a bit of hope to be free," he added. "One day there will be a brighter future anyway."

Dundar and Baslangic say their goal is to provide objective and reliable news on issues colleagues cannot report on freely at home, such as government corruption and Turkey's involvement in the civil war in Syria. "It's our duty and opportunity to publish all those bad stories and give the public what they want to know. This is their right, to know what is going on in their country," Dundar said.

Dundar says he has not applied for political asylum because he does not expect or want to remain in Germany forever. "We are citizens of our country and we want to go back to our country," he said. "We don't want political asylum, we want a base for a while, and to keep up the struggle from Germany."

"There will be tough times for all of us but in the end we know from history that no dictatorship can stay at last," he added. "So we know he must go and we are preparing for this day."

Sopke reported from Berlin.

In ancestral home, Turkish affection for Erdogan resonates

April 10, 2017

DUMANKAYA, Turkey (AP) — God comes first in this mountaintop village on Turkey's Black Sea, the saying goes. Then, according to adoring villagers, comes local boy Recep Tayyip Erdogan, today one of the most transformational, polarizing figures in modern Turkish history.

Nestled among tea plantations, the village of Dumankaya in the rugged province of Rize oozes the fervent loyalty that has propelled Erdogan, 63, to one electoral triumph after another since he took power as prime minister in 2003.

Now the Turkish president is hoping that pious Muslim bedrocks of support like Dumankaya will help deliver him another win, this time in Turkey's April 16 referendum. The vote could extend Erdogan's rule for many years and, in his opponents' view, further erode Turkey's challenged democracy.

For many Turks, Sunday's vote on whether to expand the powers of the Turkish presidency is not a dry constitutional matter. For people on both sides of the political divide, it's all about the outsized ambitions of one man, Erdogan.

Fisherman Birol Bahtiyar, wearing a cap emblazoned with a "Yes" slogan, dismissed suggestions by opponents that the referendum was a power-grab by Erdogan or that he was leading Turkey into a one-man regime.

"In the past 14 years, Turkey stepped into a new age," said the 49-year-old as he and his friends fixed their nets at Rize's harbor. "I will vote yes because I trust him. There is no such thing as a one-man rule. We still have an assembly, a parliament. We have confidence (in the proposed system)."

The constitutional amendments would shift Turkey's system from a parliamentary to a presidential system, in one of the most radical political changes since the Turkish republic was established in 1923. Opponents fear that the changes will give the president near-absolute powers with little oversight, turning the NATO country that once vied for European Union membership into an authoritarian state.

But for the socially conservative and pious residents of Rize, such arguments ring hollow. To them, the region's most famous son is a reformist leader who has brought unprecedented economic growth and prosperity to Turkey and provided improved health care, education and large infrastructure projects.

In Erdogan — whose parents and siblings were born in Dumankaya (Smoky Rock in English for the fog that frequently hangs over it) — they see a local who has given a greater voice to the pious who felt marginalized under previous governments, which enforced secular laws barring Islamic headscarves in schools and public offices.

They believe Erdogan — who has ruled Turkey for over a decade, first as prime minister and as president since 2014 — is a strong leader who has provided political stability, ending the political squabbles that plagued Turkey in the 1990s.

Voters in Rize have backed Erdogan by a wide margin in a long string of election victories and promise to do so again on April 16. They support his ambition to turn Turkey into one of the world's top powers by 2023, when the country marks its centenary.

Mehmet Celik, a Dumankaya resident, sees the president as a larger-than-life trail-blazer and fighter against Turkey's perceived enemies. "For us, God comes first. Then comes Recep Tayyip Erdogan," said Celik. "He supports the people and the people support him."

Celik believes Erdogan rescued Turkey from last summer's failed coup and feels that a strong presidency would protect Turkey from greater calamity. Turkey has blamed the coup on the followers of the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, a charge Gulen has denied.

"They (the Gulenists) would have ruined us. If we had fallen into their hands, we would have been destroyed. Why would we not vote 'Yes?'" Celik said. "If our president did not exist, we would have been in a miserable state."

But critics say Erdogan has used the coup attempt to purge his critics. More than 150,000 people have been taken into custody, fired or forced to retire from Turkey's armed forces, judiciary, education system and other public institutions since the coup attempt.

Ismail Erdogan, a cousin of Erdogan and the chief administrator of Dumankaya, points at a long list of projects either launched or completed under Erdogan's rule, including a major coastal highway, the Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, a hospital.

"He brought infrastructure, natural gas. He is bringing an airport. We had never seen such things. He brought a giant hospital," Ismail Erdogan said, describing his cousin as a serious child who liked to talk about soccer and commanded respect even at an early age.

Speaking in a recently renovated local government building in Dumankaya, Ismail Erdogan also praised his cousin for standing up to Europe, following a dispute last month over restrictions imposed by the Netherlands and Germany on Turkish ministers holding referendum campaigns there.

"Let's not (join) the European Union, we don't need it," Ismail Erdogan said. "We are self-sufficient." Erdogan campaigned in Rize recently to court the votes of his fellow townsmen, symbolically launching the start of construction for an airport that will serve Rize and the neighboring province of Artvin. In a speech laced with nationalist and anti-European rhetoric, Erdogan also promised that the construction of mountain tunnel pass would soon be finished.

Among the crowd of adoring supporters — waving flags and banners emblazoned with the word "Yes" — was 22-year-old religious studies student Leyla Erdeniz. Her affection for Erdogan runs so deep that she moved to Rize to study at the university named after him.

"A 'Yes' result will be very beneficial to our country," the university student said. "There will be no trace left of the old Turkey."

In Istanbul's 'Little Syria,' refugees want more from US

April 08, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — The fast-moving developments in Syria are never far from people's minds in an Istanbul neighborhood that is home to thousands of refugees from the country's civil war. In the Aksaray neighborhood — now known as "Little Syria" — the signs are in Arabic, the cuisine is seasoned with nostalgia and the weary residents are hoping for change after the first U.S. strike on President Bashar Assad's forces.

The U.S. fired nearly 60 Tomahawk missiles at a Syrian air base early Friday, days after a chemical attack widely blamed on government forces killed nearly 90 people in the opposition-held northern town of Khan Sheikhoun. Opponents of Assad welcomed the move, but many in Little Syria feel that more should be done to end the grinding, six-year civil war.

"We are fed up of bombings, what we already lived through is enough," said Samer Maydani, who hails from Damascus and owns a coffee shop in Little Syria. "We need political solutions through the U.N. and the Security Council."

"After seven years of destroying us, we don't trust anyone," he said. "If (U.S. President Donald) Trump and the international community want change, they should just ask Assad to leave." Turkey is home to some three million Syrian refugees, 480,000 of whom live in Istanbul. The Turkish government welcomed the U.S. strike and has called for renewed efforts to remove Assad from power.

Across the street from Maydani's coffee shop, Hussein Esfira, from the Syrian city of Aleppo, works 14-hour shifts as a butcher in a Syrian restaurant. He says he has little time left to follow politics, but feels the U.S. could do more.

"Why are they bombing?" he asked. "Everyone is seeking to take a piece of the cake." "Instead of bombing, the U.S. can intervene for the sake of a peaceful solution," he said. The owner of a nearby pastry shop agrees. Anas Jamous, who also comes from Aleppo, said that if the international community wanted to end the war, "they would have done so five years ago."

He is still angry about Trump's travel ban, which would have barred people from Syria and five other Muslim-majority countries from traveling to the United States until stricter vetting procedures are put in place. The ban also temporarily suspended the U.S. refugee program.

He said the ban, which has been blocked by the courts, "expresses a deep hatred against Muslims from the American government."

Turkey ends 'Euphrates Shield' military operation in Syria, PM says

30th of March 2017, Thursday

Turkey has ended the "Euphrates Shield" military operation it launched in Syria, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said.

However, Mr Yildirim suggested there might be more cross-border campaigns to come.

Last August, Turkey sent troops, tanks and warplanes to support Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels, push Isis fighters away from its border and stop the advance of Kurdish militia fighters.

"Operation Euphrates Shield has been successful and is finished," Mr Yildirim said in an interview with broadcaster NTV. "Any operation following this one will have a different name."

Under Euphrates Shield, Turkey took the border town of Jarablus on the Euphrates river, cleared Isis fighters from a roughly 100km (60 mile) stretch of the border, then moved south to al-Bab, an Isis stronghold where the Prime Minister said "everything is under control".

Turkish troops are still stationed in the secured regions and along the border.

The number of Turkish troops involved in Euphrates Shield has not been disclosed.

One aim was to stop the Kurdish YPG militia from crossing the Euphrates westwards and linking up three mainly Kurdish cantons it holds in northern Syria.

Turkey fears the Syrian Kurds carving out a self-governing territory analogous to Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, a move that might embolden Turkey's own large Kurdish minority to try to forge a similar territory inside its borders.

It views the YPG as the Syrian extension of the Kurdish PKK militant group, which has fought an insurgency in Turkey's southeast since 1984 and is considered a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union.

With the second largest army in NATO, Turkey is seeking a role for its military in a planned offensive on Raqqa, one of the so-called Islamic State's two de facto capitals along with Mosul in Iraq — but the US is veering towards enlisting the YPG.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey is saddened by the US and Russian readiness to work with the YPG in Syria.

Source: The Independent.
Link: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/turkey-syria-ends-euphrates-shield-military-operation-binali-yildirim-jarablus-isis-islamic-state-a7657156.html.

For Turkish president, referendum on power is a big gamble

March 28, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — In a slick online video, 22-year-old Turkish student Ali Gul sits in front a drum kit and framed artwork while making tart remarks about Turkey's political leadership. He wraps up by musing that he'll probably get arrested if the video goes viral.

The video clocked tens of thousands of hits. This month, Gul was detained. Times have been hard for Turkey, buffeted by bombings, violence between government forces and Kurdish rebels, refugee flows from the war in neighboring Syria and a failed coup attempt that unleashed a huge government crackdown under an ongoing state of emergency. Now the nation is on the cusp of what could be drastic change in its political system that would, backers say, impose badly needed stability or, according to Gul and other critics, nudge it toward autocracy.

Next month, Turks will decide whether to make the post of president more powerful in a constitutional referendum that is a big gamble for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the tough-talking president who is arguably Turkey's most transformational figure since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Ottoman-era army officer and national founder who died in 1938.

Whichever way the April 16 vote goes, Turkish society will remain deeply divided. In power since 2003, Erdogan represents a swathe of pious Muslims whose political and economic ascendancy came at the expense of a hard-line secular class that once dominated the NATO member country with the military's support.

A former prime minister, Erdogan was elected president in 2014 for a five-year term and took a far more active role in politics than his predecessors. Even if the referendum proposals fail and his aura of invincibility is punctured, he could still run for another term as president.

"He is truly a man of servitude. And he knows how to affect a person down to the capillary vessels. He gets down to one's heart, touches it," said Ahmet Kaya, a machinery workshop owner in Istanbul who views the president not as an authoritarian ruler, but as a scrappy defender against Turkey's perceived enemies.

Those enemies, at least for the purposes of a political campaign, include some European nations that blocked efforts by Turkish ministers to woo diaspora votes before the referendum. Erdogan, who once courted the European Union on behalf of Turkey's fading candidacy to be an EU member, has galvanized supporters by comparing current Dutch and German authorities to the Nazis.

The taunts aimed at Europe, Turkey's No. 1 trading partner, tap into historical grievances in Turkey, where the story of how colonial powers carved up the disintegrating Ottoman Empire still fuels a powerful nationalism. To some, they smack of desperation in a referendum campaign whose outcome is unclear.

Hopes for consensus politics in Turkey would diminish if referendum proposals to abolish the post of prime minister and concentrate power in an executive presidency are approved, said Ahmet Kasim Han, an associate professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul.

"The gates of populism, which will be fed also by the current zeitgeist around the world, could be wide open in Turkey," Han said, referring to the populist platforms of U.S. President Donald Trump and anti-immigrant politicians in Europe.

A "yes' vote in the referendum would grant the president the power to appoint government ministers and senior officials, appoint half of the members in the country's highest judicial body, declare states of emergency and issue decrees.

"The president would be given the power to dissolve parliament on any grounds whatsoever, which is fundamentally alien to democratic presidential systems," said the Venice Commission, an advisory body to the Council of Europe.

Erdogan has dismissed assertions that the referendum proposals set the stage for one-man rule, saying they will instead end the kind of political chaos that rocked past coalition governments. In 2001, the Turkish currency plummeted during an economic crisis in which public disgust with national leaders opened a path for Erdogan's rise to power.

"I want to rule my country with almost the same understanding as a company manager. Why? To be able to lead with speed, to speedily take decisions," Erdogan told the A Haber news channel. Gul, the student, could face jail time if convicted of insulting the president and the Turkish state in his online video criticizing the referendum. Drawing a questionable parallel with democratic Turkey, he said dead dictators Moammar Gadhafi of Libya and Saddam Hussein of Iraq, as well as current Syrian President Bashar Assad, imposed stability and took rapid decisions in their countries.

"But these weren't all that beneficial," Gul said. "Speed in government leadership isn't a good thing."

Associated Press journalists Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey and Bulut Emiroglu and Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul contributed to this report.

Algeria's Belhadj slams boycott of Qatar

June 15, 2017

Co-founder of Algeria’s Islamic Salvation Front, Sheikh Ali Belhadj, has criticized the siege imposed by a number of Gulf and Arab countries on Qatar.

In an interview with Quds Press, Belhadj strongly criticized the involvement of Islamic institutions and using them to achieve political purposes against the State of Qatar.

“The involvement of the Muslim World League, with the aim of gaining legitimacy for the siege against Qatar, is an insult to this institution and to the teachings of Islam which refuse such behavior in the holy month of Ramadan,” he said.

The Muslim World League should have remained neutral towards this dispute and sought to heal the rift instead of involving itself in such a way.

Belhadj pointed out that Qatar is not the target of the blockade, but the aim is to strike every Arab or Islamic country that wants to support the oppressed or the Palestinian cause.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170615-algerias-belhadj-slams-boycott-of-qatar/.

Saudi king gives Pakistan's prime minister an ultimatum over Qatar

June 15, 2017

King Salman of Saudi Arabia has given Pakistan’s prime minister an ultimatum over Qatar. In an attempt to force Nawaz Sharif to take sides, the monarch jibed, “Are you with us or with Qatar?” the Express Tribune has reported.

The king posed the question during a meeting between the two leaders in Jeddah on Monday as part of the effort to find a diplomatic solution to the Qatar crisis. “Pakistan has told Saudi Arabia it will not take sides in the brewing diplomatic crisis in the Middle East after Riyadh asked Islamabad ‘are you with us or with Qatar’,” the newspaper pointed out.

Pakistan has been treading a careful path since Saudi and other Gulf countries cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. However, the Saudi government wants Pakistan to side with the kingdom.

Citing a senior government official, who was briefed on the talks at the monarch’s palace in Jeddah, the Express Tribune said that Pakistan would not take sides in any event that would create divisions within the Muslim world. “Nevertheless, in order to placate Saudi Arabia, Pakistan offered to use its influence over Qatar to defuse the situation. For this purpose, the prime minister will undertake visits to Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey,” the newspaper added.

Sharif traveled to Jeddah accompanied by army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other senior officials to discuss the emerging situation in the Gulf. It is thought that Prime Minister Sharif’s mediation visit to Saudi did not achieve any immediate breakthrough.

According to an official statement, Sharif met King Salman in Jeddah and urged an early resolution of the impasse in Gulf in the best interest of all Muslims.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170615-saudi-king-gives-pakistans-prime-minister-an-ultimatum-over-qatar/.

Conservative Serbia to get first openly gay prime minister

June 15, 2017

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia's president on Thursday nominated the highly conservative country's first openly gay prime minister, a move likely to infuriate both the Christian Orthodox church and ultranationalists.

President Aleksandar Vucic announced that Ana Brnabic, 41, was nominated as the prime minister-designate, which could also make her the first female head of government in the country's history. Her cabinet needs formal approval by parliament next week.

It was "a difficult decision reached in the interest of Serbia and its citizens," said Vucic, a former extremist-turned-reformist who has promised to boost gay rights as part of efforts to move closer to European Union membership.

"If elected in parliament, I will run the government with dedication and responsibility and I will do my job honestly and with love," Brnabic told state Tanjug news agency. Brnabic's nomination is considered part of Vucic's apparent turn toward the West despite strong pressure from Russia to maintain its influence in the region. The British-educated Brnabic, a marketing expert, had worked for U.S. companies before she assumed her Serbian government job.

"I believe she has professional skills and personal qualities," Vucic said. "I'm convinced she will work hard." Brnabic is currently Serbia's minister of public administration and local government. She is not a member of Vucic's ruling populist Serbian Progressive Party but is considered loyal to him.

Her appointment to the government last year — she was hand-picked by Vucic who was then prime minister — was hailed by rights groups as historic for the Balkan country whose gay community regularly faces discrimination, harassment and violence.

"Hopefully this will blow over in three or four days, and then I won't be known as the gay minister," she told the Associated Press at the time. Pro-Russian nationalists blasted the choice Thursday. The conservative opposition Dveri group, close to the Serbian Orthodox Church, said Brnabic was obviously appointed under Western pressure.

"Is it possible that the ruling majority has no other candidate for the prime minister-designate but the one imposed by the West, which dictates all the moves by this government?" the party asked. Vucic's coalition partners were also infuriated.

"Ana Brnabic is not my prime minister," nationalist official Dragan Markovic-Palma told the private Beta news agency. Earlier he said he would not approve anyone for the post who does not have at least two children.

Vucic, who was prime minister before his election as president in April, was expected to appoint a loyalist to maintain control of the government as he moved into the largely ceremonial presidential position.

Associated Press writer Jovana Gec contributed.

A year after Brexit vote, more people view EU favorably

June 15, 2017

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A wide-ranging survey shows that public approval of the European Union has rebounded strongly compared with a year ago but that many people nonetheless think their own national governments — and not the EU — should have the say over trade and immigration.

The poll results from the U.S.-based Pew Research Center show that majorities in nine of 10 EU member countries surveyed now hold a favorable view of the 28-country economic and political bloc. The research center says the upswing is the latest shift in an up-and-down cycle over the past decade. The more favorable view comes as Europe enjoys a broadening economic recovery and falling unemployment.

Results show 74 percent approval in Poland, 68 percent in Germany, 67 percent in Hungary, and 65 percent in Sweden. There were sharp swings from last year, with approval of the EU up 18 percentage points in Germany, 15 points in Spain, 13 points in the Netherlands, and 10 points in the U.K.

The overall median breakdown across the countries was 63 percent favorable, 34 percent unfavorable. Last year the median figures were 51 percent favorable, 47 percent unfavorable. The only dissenter was Greece, which has been subjected to severe budget austerity measures imposed by fellow EU states, at 33 percent favorable. Yet even there, when asked if they wanted to leave the European Union, 54 percent said they would rather stay, to 35 percent who favored leaving.

Italy was the other country surveyed where leaving the EU was supported by a substantial minority of 35 percent. Italy has shown weak economic growth since joining the euro currency in 1999 and remains burdened with high government debt, excessive bureaucracy and red tape, and poor prospects of permanent jobs for young people leaving school.

In the U.K., where a year ago voters chose narrowly to leave the EU, 54 percent had a positive view of the EU compared with 40 percent who had a negative view. Asked if leaving was a good or a bad thing for the U.K., people in Britain were broadly divided. Slightly more — 48 percent — said leaving was a bad thing, while 44 percent said leaving was a good thing.

In the June 2016 referendum, 52 percent of voters supported leaving the EU to 48 percent for remaining. On Monday, the country will officially start talks to leave the bloc. The EU is an economic and political union that is now the world's largest single market, where products can move freely across borders without tariffs. People can travel from one country to another without border controls and it has become easier for people to live, work, study or retire in another member country.

The Pew Research Center compiled responses from 9,935 people in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom from March 2 to April 17, 2017. Margins of error ranged from 3.7 percent plus or minus to 5.2 percent plus or minus. The questions were asked face to face in several countries and by calling mobile and landline numbers in others.

The results pre-date last week's parliamentary election in Britain, which resulted in a setback for pro-Brexit Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives. They lost their majority and must form a coalition with the small Democratic Unionist Party based in Northern Ireland.

The numbers indicated many people wanted national governments, not the EU, to determine immigration and trade policy. Yet 66 percent wanted their own governments to decide who could come in from other EU countries, while 27 favored the EU making decisions. In 2015, 1.4 million people migrated from one EU state to another.

Suspect identified in China kindergarten explosion; 8 killed

June 16, 2017

BEIJING (AP) — Police have identified a suspect in an explosion at the front gate of a kindergarten in eastern China that killed eight and struck as relatives gathered to pick up their children at the end of the day, local authorities said Friday.

Police were investigating the explosion as a criminal act and said they had "targeted" a suspect, according to a statement issued by authorities in the city of Xuzhou and the official Xinhua News Agency. It was unclear if the suspect was apprehended and no potential motive was provided. A witness cited by state media said a gas cylinder at a roadside food stall had caused the blast.

Two people died at the scene and six died after being taken to a hospital following the explosion at 4:50 p.m. Thursday at the Chuangxin Kindergarten in Fengxian. Initial reports said 59 were injured, but Xinhua and other media reported Friday that 65 were injured including eight who remained in critical condition.

The blast occurred before school had let out for the day and no students or teachers from the kindergarten were injured, according to a statement from local authorities. However, videos purportedly from the scene showed children — possibly relatives of the kindergartners or passers-by — among the casualties.

The videos posted by the state-run People's Daily showed a chaotic scene outside the entrance to the school, with children and adults lying on the ground, some of them motionless and others struggling to get up off the ground. Clothing, shoes and other items were strewn on the ground beside pools of blood.

The videos showed ambulances arriving, medics wheeling people into an emergency room and medical personnel treating what appeared to be a child. Kindergartens in China have been attacked before by suspects authorities have said were mentally ill or bore grudges against their neighbors and society.

A witness identified only by the surname Shi told the state-run Global Times in the hours after the explosion that a gas cylinder at a roadside food stall had caused the blast. The force of the blast sent people flying several meters (yards) into the air, Shi was quoted as saying.

In 2010, nearly 20 children were killed in attacks on schools, prompting a response from top government officials and leading many schools to beef up security by posting guards and installing gates and other barriers. Last year, a knife-wielding assailant injured seven students outside a primary school in a northern city.

China maintains tight control over firearms and most attacks are carried out using knives, axes or homemade explosives.