Turkey official warns on Iraq federalism

[lovuian]

http://24hour.startribune.com/24hour/world/story/3376029p-12420371c.html

Turkish lawmaker Salih Kapusuz of the Justice and Development Party, with the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, center rear, and his deputies Mehmet Ali Sahin , left, and Abdullah Gul, right, in the background, makes a speech at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, in this Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006 file photo. Turkey's ruling Islamic-rooted party joined a wave of criticism of Pope Benedict XVI on Friday, Sept. 15, 2006, accusing him of trying to revive the spirit of the Crusades and saying he would go down in history in the same league as leaders like Hitler and Mussolini for remarks he made on Islam. The comments by Salih Kapusuz, a deputy leader of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party, came a day after Turkey's top cleric asked Benedict to take back recent remarks, escalating tensions before the pontiff's November visit, his first to a Muslim country. AP Photo/MURAD SEZER
NEW YORK (AP) - Turkey's foreign minister warned Monday that a federal system in Iraq that could lead to autonomous Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions could break up the country and threaten the stability of the region.
"The core of the problem is that if Iraq is divided, definitely there will be civil war and definitely neighboring countries will be involved in this," Abdullah Gul said. "The Middle East can't shoulder this. It's too much."

Iraqi Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni Arab leaders met Monday to discuss a federalism bill submitted to parliament earlier this month by the largest Shiite bloc, the United Iraqi Alliance.

Sunni Arabs, who comprise a minority in Iraq but were dominant until Saddam Hussein's regime was ousted, fear this will split Iraq apart and deprive them of a share of Iraq's oil riches, which are concentrated in the Shiite-dominated south and the largely Kurdish north
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From the articles I'm reading that Iran and turkey will not allow a Iraq kurdistan... Turkey will be allied to Iran for this reason Some serious posturing here

[lovuian]

1. Kurdish rebels suspected in Turkey blast

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060924/ap_on_re_mi_ea/turkey_kurds_2;_ylt=AuZXUqDSxPYfz6KMm9uD8obtfLkA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

By SELCAN HACAOGLU, Associated Press Writer
Sat Sep 23, 9:17 PM ET



ANKARA, Turkey - Suspected Kurdish guerrillas set off an explosive-laden minibus across from a police guest house in eastern Turkey Saturday, injuring 17 people, the governor's office said.


The Ford minibus parked across from the police guest house, went off in eastern city of Igdir on the Armenian border. The blast shattered the windows of the police guest house and other buildings in the area.

Two of the injured were in serious condition, the governor's office said. The injured included five police officers and officials of a small soccer club who traveled from Ankara to Igdir for a match, private Dogan news agency said.

The explosion coincided with complaints by imprisoned rebel chief Abdullah Ocalan about his prison conditions, which were relayed by his lawyers, the pro-Kurdish news agency Firat reported on its Web site on Saturday.

The attack also comes after recent declaration of cooperation between Turkey, the United States and Iraq in fighting the guerrillas, who are based in northern Iraq.

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Very Big Hot Spot and tons of Oil wells in the middle

[lovuian]

2. The spiritual path to money, politics and worldly power

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=54916

Once the ecclesiastic venue of spiritual quests for endless inner peace and finding God under the guidance of wise sheiks, religious orders -- or tarikats -- and their cloisters in Turkey have turned into expanding centers of power and money

GÖKSEL Bozkurt - BARIŞ Altıntaş

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


The political influence of religious orders in Turkey has come into the spotlight following the murder of an imam at İsmailağa Mosque. A district where residents acted, dressed and looked like they were in a Taliban controlled town was revealed after the killing and the lynching of the assailant at the hands of the worshippers. Not a single store sold alcohol in the neighborhood; it was impossible to spot a woman who did not cover her head; all the men and even boys were dressed in long green Islamic robes. No agency advertised homes in this area, where newcomers were selectively found by the residents.

The initial police investigation and media reports showed that the mysterious community was made up of the members of an influential leader of the İsmailağa Community, a powerful branch of an extensive religious order. The murder seemed to be the result of conflicting interests within the community, which had grown to be one of the most powerful and wealthiest religious societies in Istanbul.

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Our troops are stuck in between Iran Turkey and Syria...there is a reason for more troop deployment to Iraq