Report: U.S. to offer Turkey major role in Mideast talks if it stops Gaza flotilla

[Jefferson23]

According to the Turkish daily Hurriyet, U.S. may offer Ankara to host major Israeli-Palestinian peace talks if it mends its ties with Israel and prevents upcoming Gaza-bound flotilla.


The U.S. government is considering to offer Turkey a deal in which Ankara would stop a second Gaza flotilla that is due to depart later this month in exchange for the opportunity to host an Israeli-Palestinian peace summit in Ankara, the Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman reported Friday.

Israel has been preparing to block the second aid flotilla sailing from Turkey to Gaza, one year after the Israel Defense Forces' deadly raid on the first Gaza flotilla in which nine Turkish activists died. Turkey has demanded Israel apologize for the raid in order to restore Turkish-Israeli ties.

Today's Zaman quoted the Turkish Hurriyet daily as reporting that the U.S. was due to officially ask Turkey to host a major peace conference in return for mending its ties with Israel and preventing the second Gaza-bound flotilla. The proposed peace summit would be similar to past major talks such as the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference and the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords.

According to Hurriyet, U.S. officials have been trying to get a sense of how Turkey would react to such a proposal, and one U.S. official said that Ankara seems unlikely to accept the offer without Israel apologizing for the IDF raid.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-u-s-to-offer-turkey-major-role-in-mideast-talks-if-it-stops-gaza-flotilla-1.365819

[provis99]

1. why on earth would the Turks agree to this?

It would just give the Israeli government an opportunity to go to Turkey to shit all over the Turks.

[Jefferson23]

2. I don't know why they would but I think the attempt by the U.S. is to

keep Israel from shooting itself in the foot again.

[Harmony Blue]

3. Well, I admire that the U.S. is trying to ease tensions

but this collision course has too many political implications for both countries, so it appears unavoidable.

[bemildred]

4. The US would like to get Turkey and Israel to be better friends.

There has been a process of alienation between Turkey and Israel, esp. since Bibi took the reins. In fact the US and turkey have been getting alienated too, ever since Shrub told them to screw off when he invaded Iraq. So I would guess this has multiple purposes, but all in the nature of trying to suck up to Turkey while still getting everything what we (the US) want.

I think it is questionable, as you say, whether Turkey will be enthusiastic about this offer, whether they will see it the way the US wants them to.

[Jefferson23]

5. That is likely true, a clean up of damage on several fronts.. My gut reaction was and still

remains, the U.S. would fair better, perception wise, if Israel does not have any type of repeat performance
via the flotilla mess. If you're always there to back your crazy friend, after awhile, even for the United States,
you look just as nuts. Who knows, perhaps the US will keep sweetening the offer, depending on how much they wish to
repair relations.

[bemildred]

6. Well, that's the nut of it.

It seems fairly clear at this point that the prospect of a some thousands unarmed Palestinians rushing the border and being shot down in droves is spooking the political classes. And rightly so.

[shira]

8. It'll be very difficult to bring Turkey back into former relations with western democracies...

Iran is going the way of Lebanon and becoming more cozy with Iran and Syria rather than the opposite.

Can't be chummy with both sides....

[bemildred]

10. "Iran is going the way of Lebanon and becoming more cozy with Iran and Syria"

Even if one makes the necessary inference that you mean "Turkey" and not "Iran" in the first occurrence of "Iran" there, it's still a ridiculous statement. Turkey is nothing like Iran, never has been, never will be, and neither is Syria, nor are Syria and Turkey much alike, although they at least have a long common history.

You are probably quite right, however, about the likelihood of the restoration of the status quo ante.

[shira]

14. Yeah, I meant Turkey...

And Turkey is absolutely becoming more radicalized, getting closer in relations to Iran and Syria while having colder relations with the USA, EU, and Israel.......for various reasons.

[Jefferson23]

15. Yes it is radical for Turkey to not be intimidated by the US and Israel, true.

It's a good thing they're not.

[shira]

16. It's bad - while being a democracy it's a closed society

And becoming more radical means even fewer basic human rights for all Turk citizens, etc...

They're not making progress; they're going backwards.

Lebanon's going backwards too - it's sad.

[bemildred]

17. "radicalized"? Turkey "radical"? Our NATO buddy?

I shudder at what you must think of Yemen or Somalia.

What Turkey has become and is becoming of late "more independent", and "autonomous".

[sabbat hunter]

18. turkey

Has had some recent issues with things like freedom of the press. It has been jailing people who have been critical of the current government in the newspapers.

They are currently governed by the mildly Islamic AK party lead by, Abdullah Gül. He has made some statements that are troubling. I do not have the links to them here at work, I will try to find them tonight.

[Jefferson23]

7. Turkish organization may cancel Gaza flotilla as IDF prepares at sea

The IHH cited tension along the Turkish-Syrian border as the reason it may not set sail to the Gaza Strip later this month; IDF conducts large naval drill in preparation.

By Barak Ravid and News Agencies


The Turkish organization IHH (Humanitarian Relief Foundation) is considering the cancelation of the Gaza flotilla due to the tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper reported Wednesday.

“We are reconsidering our plans. We cannot close our eyes to the developments on our doorstep,” Hüseyin Oruç, a board member of the IHH, told the newspaper.

The Israeli Defense Force will conduct a naval training exercise on Wednesday, focusing on intercepting and boarding a large ship. The Israeli government has made it clear it will not let the ships break the naval siege on Gaza, and will take them over by force if necessary. Following the deadly boarding of the Mavi Marmara last May, the IDF is preparing a larger force which will be dispatched more quickly.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last month Israel prefers a diplomatic move to thwart the flotilla, but if necessary would exercise force against anyone who tries to disobey the navy's orders and head to Gaza's shore.

snip* The organization insists that the Turkish government is not involved in the flotilla, yet it is likely that Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's call to reconsider the operation has had an effect. Davutoglu said earlier this month that the organizers should wait and see if the situation in Gaza changes.

in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/turkish-organization-may-cancel-gaza-flotilla-as-idf-prepares-at-sea-1.367858

[bemildred]

9. Probably right.

One ought to factor in the opening of Rafah and UN vote in September too. The nature and number of bloodbaths between now and September could influence the UN vote for example, and the opening of Rafah could make the blockade less of an issue. But the mess in Syria has potentially greater impact than any of those things.

Perhaps Syria can become part of Turkey again. :sarcasm:

[Jefferson23]

11. I think you're correct about the emphasis weighing more heavily

coming from Syria's non stop violence.

Syrian envoy expected in Turkey for crisis talks

snip* State-run Anatolian news agency said Assad's envoy, Hassan Turkmani, was due to arrive in Ankara, where he will face Turkish impatience over Syria's repressive tactics and slowness to reform, as well as anger over a burgeoning humanitarian crisis.

As of Tuesday some 8,500 Syrian refugees were lodged in tented camps on Turkey's side of the border. More have been arriving by the day.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/syrian-envoy-expected-in-turkey-for-crisis-talks-1.367869



*Long Live Turkasyrians again? hee-hee.

[bemildred]

12. It would be a good thing if Turkey were able to intervene in a constructive way.

In the Syrian mess I mean. Did you note the envoy's name was Turkmani? I'm sure that is no coincidence.

[Jefferson23]

13. That would have to be one heck of a coincidence if true. I will add I do hope for all the innocent

taking the brunt of the violence as Assad continues, Turkey can impart some measure of sanity.

Syrians flee northern town as tanks deploy in east
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis Khaled Yacoub Oweis

5 mins ago

.AMMAN (Reuters) – Thousands of Syrians fled the historic town of Maarat al-Numaan on Wednesday to escape troops and tanks pushing into the north in a widening military campaign to crush protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

In the tribal east, where Syria's 380,000 barrels per day of oil is produced, tanks and armored vehicles deployed in the city of Deir al-Zor and around Albu Kamal on the border with Iraq, a week after tens of thousands of people took to the streets there demanding an end to Assad's autocratic rule.

"Cars are continuing to stream out of Maarat al-Numaan in all directions," one witness told Reuters by phone. "People are loading them with everything: blankets, mattresses on roofs."

Syrian forces pushed toward the town of 100,000, which straddles the main north-south highway linking Damascus with Syria's second city Aleppo, after arresting hundreds of people in villages close to Jisr al-Shughour, near the border with Turkey, residents said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110615/wl_nm/us_syria_73

[Jefferson23]

19. Gaza flotilla will still sail, say organizers, with or without Turkish group

Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation expected to make final decision on whether or not to participate over next day or two.
By Jack Khoury and Barak Ravid

Organizers of the Gaza flotilla said Wednesday that they are determined to set sail even if the heads of the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH ) do not participate. The flotilla is currently scheduled to depart in one week to mark the anniversary of last year's raid by Israel on the Gaza-bound flotilla, in which nine Turkish activists died.

"The Israeli attempt to link the flotilla to the desires of only the Turks is an intentional deception intended to influence public opinion," said sources from the coalition behind the flotilla.

While Turkish participation is crucial, that does not mean the flotilla will be canceled if the Turks do not participate, the sources said. The IHH is considering whether to back out of the Gaza flotilla because of tensions along the Syrian-Turkish border, Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper reported yesterday. "We are reconsidering our plans," IHH board member Huseyin Oruc told the newspaper. "We cannot close our eyes to the developments on our doorstep," he said, referring to events in Syria.

It is growing more and more likely that the IHH will cancel or postpone the flotilla, according to a source in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem. Oruc's statements are the most recent in a series of indications that the IHH is interested in canceling or rescheduling the flotilla.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/gaza-flotilla-will-still-sail-say-organizers-with-or-without-turkish-group-1.367951