Iraq's new PM backed by US, Iran

Iraq's new prime minister-designate won swift endorsements from uneasy mutual allies the United States and Iran today as he called on political leaders to end crippling feuds that have let jihadists seize a third of the country.
Haider al-Abadi still faces opposition closer to home, where his Shi'ite party colleague Nuri al-Maliki has refused to step aside after eight years as premier that have alienated Iraq's once dominant Sunni minority and irked Washington and Tehran.

However, Shi'ite militia and army commanders long loyal to Maliki signalled their backing for the change, as did many people on the streets of Baghdad, eager for an end to fears of a further descent into sectarian and ethnic bloodletting.

As Western powers and international aid agencies considered further help for tens of thousands of people driven from their homes and under threat from the Sunni militants of the Islamic State near the Syrian border, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would consider requests for military and other assistance once Abadi forms a government to unite the country.

Underscoring the convergence of interest in Iraq that marks the normally hostile relationship between Washington and Iran, senior Iranian officials congratulated Abadi on his nomination, three months after a parliamentary election left Maliki's bloc as the biggest in the legislature. Like Western powers, Shi'ite Iran is alarmed by Sunni militants' hold in Syria and Iraq.

"Iran supports the legal process that has taken its course with respect to choosing Iraq's new prime minister," the representative of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the Supreme National Security Council was quoted as saying.
"Iran favours a cohesive, integrated and secure Iraq," he said, adding an apparent appeal to Maliki to concede.

Abadi himself, long exiled in Britain, is seen as a far less polarising, sectarian figure than Maliki, who is also from the Shi'ite Islamic Dawa party. Abadi appears to have the blessing of Iraq's powerful Shi'ite clergy, a major force in the land since U.S. troops toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Iraqi state television said Abadi "called on all political powers who believe in the constitution and democracy to unite efforts and close ranks to respond to Iraq's great challenges".
One politician close to Abadi told Reuters that the prime minister-designate had begun contacting leaders of major groups to sound them out on forming a new cabinet. The president said on Monday he hoped he would succeed within the next month.
Maliki angrily dismissed Abadi's nomination on Monday as illegal. But there was no further sign of opposition on Tuesday.

A statement from a major Shi'ite militia group, Asaib Ahl Haq, which has backed Maliki and reinforced the Iraqi army as it fell back from the north in June, called for an end to the legalistic arguments of the kind used by Maliki to justify his retaining power and urged "self-restraint by all sides".
It said leaders should "give priority to the public interest over the private" and respect the guidance of clerical leaders - a clear reference to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's indication that he favours the removal of Maliki to address the national crisis.
 http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/166930/iraqs-new-pm-backed-by-us-iran
12/8/14
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***Photo: Iraqi President Fuad Masum (2nd L) shakes hands with deputy parliamentary speaker Haidar al-Abadi (R) after he was tasked with forming a government during a brief ceremony broadcast on state television.

EU-Georgia: Financial support to strengthen democratic institutions. -European Commission, Press release

EU-Georgia: Financial support to strengthen democratic institutions

Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle signed two financing agreements in Tbilisi on Tuesday to support public finances reform in Georgia and to strengthen the role and capacities of the Parliament.

The financing agreement to support Georgia’s reform of public finance policy is worth €21m and will contribute to good governance and further strengthen government services' delivery and the accountability of the public sector. It will promote transparency, while increasing efficiency and effectiveness of planning and governmental spending.

"It is important for me not only to come and talk about significance of consolidating democratic institutions and strengthening the inclusivity of the reform process but also to support it with concrete help. This program creates a new mechanism to allow the Parliament to make recommendations on the state budget. Civil society will be informed and consulted. All this should ultimately lead to better management of public spending and accountability towards the Georgian citizens," Commissioner Füle said.

This third wave of EU support to the Georgian Public Finance Management builds on two successful previous programmes totalling €26 million. For the first time, this new programme will not only involve the Ministry of Finance, but also work with the Parliament and the State Audit Office, thus increasing accountability.

The financing agreement to strengthen the system of parliamentary democracy in Georgia is worth €1,5m and will help the Parliament to develop new capacities in the system of government oversight, strengthen its policy making capacity and enhance its role in the European integration process.

Parliamentary leadership, as well as parliamentary commissions will be helped to perform policy-making and oversight function more effectively. Parliamentary committees, including Human Rights, Agriculture, Environment, Health and Social Affairs will be coached to improve their budgetary and audit oversight.

Commissioner Füle said, "This is a clear expression of our interest in strengthening the democracy in Georgia. To have strong, capable parliament is very important, particularly when we are witnessing challenging times with some neighbours acting in complete disregard of international laws and norms."

 http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-211_en.htm?locale=en

4/3/14

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As Ukraine Opposition Rallies Intensify, Lenin Statue Falls. -A group of masked youths apparently belonging to the Svoboda nationalist party used a steel cable to rip it down

KIEV, December 8 (RIA Novosti) – Several hundred thousand people gathered in the Ukrainian capital Sunday for one of the largest protest rallies in the former Soviet nation’s history, throwing down the gauntlet to a government that has resisted calls for negotiation with the opposition.

In an incident that may have spark criminal investigations and cast a shadow over the generally pacific events, however, a group of nationalists ripped down a statue of Soviet revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin.
The mass assembly in Kiev was the biggest to date since the government last month pulled out of preparations to sign landmark political and trade deals with the EU, sparking widespread indignation across Ukraine.

In an indication that the standoff has provoked international concern, the European Commission announced Sunday that EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton will travel to Kiev next week to assist in seeking a way out of the political impasse.
Authorities have so far displayed little desire to compromise with the opposition, and have instead limited themselves to issuing ominous warnings that demonstrations could tip over into unrest.

Despite that, Sunday’s events had passed largely without incident until the late afternoon, as darkness began to descend.
While nationwide discontent was initially focused on the reversal of course over the EU– a move authorities justified by stating it was preferable to boost economic ties with neighboring Russia – it has with time taken on a more generalized anti-government flavor.
Ukraine’s weak economy, much of which is reliant on outdated heavy industry, has struggled to recover from the devastating impact of the recent global financial crisis. Rampant unemployment has driven large numbers of Ukrainians abroad for work and many bristle at perceived high-level corruption.

Shortly after light broke Sunday, Ukrainian Orthodox Church priests led open-air prayers from the stage as hundreds of those camped in overnight began awaking and collecting rations of tea and breakfast.
Toward mid-morning, the crowd on Independence Square had already swelled to a few thousand people, many of them waving an array of flags, from those of Ukraine to the standards of leading opposition parties and the European Union.
As the assigned time for the midday start to the assembly approached, a crowd of all ages grew fast and filled the square and streets leading off it. Groups affiliated with political parties marched in file to and from the square, reciting political chants and singing patriotic songs on the way.
Kiev police estimated the turnout at 100,000, but bird’s eye video footage of Independence Square and the sheer number of people filling side streets suggested a vastly superior figure.
One of the first to talk from the stage, which bore the slogan “For a European Ukraine” behind it, was Yevgeniya Tymoshenko, reading out a defiant and bellicose speech from her mother, jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
“Do not give up, don’t take one step back. Do not sit at the negotiating table with the authorities,” the younger Tymoshenko said, reading out her mother’s message. “Our aim is for the early, quick removal of (Viktor Yanukovych) as president of Ukraine.”
That drew an indignant response from ruling Party of Regions deputy Vitaly Grushevsky, who described Tymoshenko’s statement as an incitement to "hatred, disorder and chaos."
"Tymoshenko's appeal is nothing more or less than a call for a coup," Grushevsky said.
In what has become a verbal leitmotif of opposition meetings, speeches on Independence Square opened or closed with the slogan “Glory to Ukraine,” to which the crowd replied: “Glory to the heroes.”

It is unclear to what extent the opposition parties most actively engaged in the protest –Tymoshenko’s Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), the Udar (Punch) party of heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitschko, and Svoboda (Freedom) – have control over the wave of discontent and leaders have often acted uncertainly in conveying their political demands.
That did not appear to be the case Sunday, however, as various party leaders stated their case.
Arseny Yatsenyuk, head of the Batkivshchyna faction in parliament, demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and announced that the scope of protests would be broadened.
Klitschko told the crowd that a decisive moment had arrived for Ukraine and urged a total revision of “the structures of power” through early parliamentary and presidential elections.
The protest movement had appeared to be losing momentum until November 30, when police aggressively cleared Independence Square, sparking outrage and prompting hundreds of thousands to rally on the spot the following day. The square, which served as the focal point of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution of 2004-2005, has been occupied and closed off to authorities ever since.

Thousands are occupying the space on a round-the-clock basis, huddling around wood-fueled fires in steel barrels to keep warm as temperatures hover around freezing point. Speeches to the assembled have alternated with musical acts, creating a festive mood among the determinedly peaceful crowd.
Police presence has been virtually negligible around the square, but security is tight at the nearby presidential administration and parliament buildings, which have both been targeted by rallies.
On Independence Square, volunteers clad in protective gear stood sentry at gaps in the barricades to check for suspicious elements among the many thousands constantly pouring in and out of the area. Dozens of tents, many of them equipped with heating stoves, have been installed as sleeping quarters and feeding points.
Graffiti, banners, fliers and stickers dotted around the area decry, in frequently bawdy language, leading figures in the ruling elite.

Those that have turned out in the square have rallied around numerous, often apparently disparate, causes. These have ranged from calls for deep governmental reform – typically expressed as an aspiration to emulate Western European standards – to demands that conditions be improved for small and medium business to flourish.
Outside parliament, sited a little more than a kilometer away from Independence Square, several thousand government supporters held their own meeting Sunday, as they have done in recent days. The number of attendees of that meeting was vastly inferior to that of the opposition – the figure claimed by organizers was around 15,000.
Pro-government gatherings have typically been more subdued. On Saturday evening, young men guarding entry points were turning people away, just as a raucous musical act was getting into its stride at Independence Square.

On Sunday, speakers called on the pro-government crowd to give their backing to President Yanukovych, who has been target of much vitriolic rhetoric on Independence Square.
In a telling detail, one speech after another was in Russian, in contrast with the Ukrainian favored at the opposition rally – a fact that underlines the regional aspect of the political divide. While Yanukovych enjoys the bulk of his support in the largely ethnic Russian east, the more European-inclined, Ukrainian-speaking population prevalently hails from the west.
Addressing the crowd in Russian and a smattering of Ukrainian, ruling Party of Regions deputy Nestor Shufrych urged supporter to give their backing to Yanukovych and condemned government opponents as a divisive force in the country.
“Don’t let them tell you that half the people of this country should not be allowed to think in Russian, the language of Pushkin, the language of Lermontov,” he said, in a reference to two classic 19th century Russian poets.

As sundown approached, groups of people in the opposition marched up the hill from Independence Square and erected tents at a crossroad one block away from a spot where the pro-government Party of Regions was holding its gathering.
At one stage, only a few rows of police officers separated the two crowds. Opposition representatives used a public address system mounted on a van to address people on both sides of the police lines.

In another part of the city, a group of masked youths apparently belonging to the Svoboda nationalist party used a steel cable to rip down a Lenin statue. The head and arms of the monument broke away as it hit the ground, after which people in the crowd took turns at smashing off fragments with a sledgehammer.

Alexey Yaroshevsky, a reporter for news broadcaster RT, posted a picture on his Twitter account of a priest joining in with the process of destroying the statue.
The Lenin statue had been the target of a similar toppling attempt on December 1, but that effort was thwarted by security forces.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20131208/185361590/Opposition-Ukraine-Rally-Draws-Massive-Numbers.html
8/12/13
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Related:

• Ukraine protesters demand Kiev sign deal with EU.

• Ukraine’s unused gas in 2013 may cause fines of almost ten billion dollars.

Greece probes extremist link to the two young people murders.

AFP - Greek authorities believe an extremist group may be behind a drive-by shooting outside the offices of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in which two men were killed and another wounded, sources close to the investigation said Saturday.

Investigators are examining "all avenues, particularly those that link these events to extremist groups" behind a series of attacks on politicians, police, banks and the media, according to one source.

The revelation came as the mother of the wounded man, 29-year-old Alexandros Gerontas, called on Greek people to "overcome their differences" for the good of the country and to "stop the bloodshed".

In a television interview she described her son, who remains in hospital in a serious condition, as "peaceful" and said he visited the Golden Dawn offices occasionally but not regularly.

Her comments echoed appeals from Greek leaders and the media for calm in the wake of the shootings, which some fear could destabilise the already crisis-wracked country.

Greece's public order minister Nikos Dendias on Friday expressed his sadness at "the death of the young men", saying that "we will not allow our country to become a place to settle scores".

Centre-left newspapers Ethnos and Ta Nea described the shootings as an attack on "democracy itself", while the right-wing Eleftheros Typos said they targeted "the stability of the country".

Golden Dawn is Greece's third-most-popular party, with 18 seats in parliament.

Formerly on the fringe of Greek politics, the group boosted its popularity by tapping into widespread anger over immigration and austerity reforms in debt-wracked Greece, which is slogging through its sixth year of recession and where youth unemployment stands at 60 percent.

Friday's drive-by attack in Athens followed the killing in September of an anti-fascist musician, Pavlos Fyssas, by a self-confessed neo-Nazi.

The hip hop artist's death triggered public outrage, putting pressure on Greek authorities, who launched a crackdown on the party.

Attacks by groups describing themselves as revolutionary and anti-authoritarian are relatively common in Greece.

They are not usually fatal, although in 2009 a police officer was killed by three unknown gunmen in Athens and in 2010 a journalist was shot dead at his home. Both killings were claimed by the Sect of Revolutionaries, an extremist group.

Media reports said the weapon used in Friday's attack, by two unknown assailants on a motorbike, was the same type as the gun used in the 2009 shooting of a police officer.

The Sect of Revolutionaries has been quiet of late, but another extremist group called the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei said in July it had entered into a "collaboration" with the group.

The Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei has claimed responsibility for a series of recent attacks including a bomb attack on the car of the Athens prison director.

The two men killed on Friday were Emmanuel Kapelonis and Giorgos Fountoulis, both in their 20s. A spokesman for Golden Dawn said they were members.

Police are hoping that footage from the security cameras of the Golden Dawn offices and shops on the same street will assist them with their investigation.

france24.com
2/10/13

Türkischer Minister droht Merkel mit Konsequenzen/ Οι Τούρκοι έχουν "σαλτάρει" και απειλούν τη Γερμανία....

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Der Streit zwischen Berlin und Ankara um das harte Vorgehen der türkischen Regierung gegen Demonstranten eskaliert. Wegen deutschlandkritischer Äußerungen der Regierung in Ankara wurde am Freitag der türkische Botschafter in Berlin, Hüseyin Avni Karslioglu, ins Auswärtige Amt (AA) einbestellt. Äußerungen zu den EU-Beitrittsverhandlungen seien auf großes Unverständnis gestoßen. "Das geht so nicht", sagte AA-Sprecher Andreas Peschke.

Kurz darauf bestellte das türkische Außenministerium den deutschen Botschafter Eberhard Pohl ein, wie eine Ministeriumssprecherin auf Anfrage bestätigte. Außenminister Ahmet Davutoglu habe bei einem Besuch im ukrainischen Odessa gesagt, Grund seien Aussagen Pohls und aus Deutschland, meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu. Da Pohl sich nicht in Ankara aufhalte, werde ihn ein anderer Diplomat vertreten.

Der türkische Europaminister Egemen Bagis hatte Kanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) am Donnerstag davor gewarnt, den EU-Beitritt der Türkei aus wahltaktischen Gründen zu blockieren. "Sollte Frau Merkel innenpolitischen Stoff für ihre Wahl suchen, darf dieser Stoff nicht die Türkei werden", sagte Bagis nach türkischen Medienberichten. Bagis forderte Merkel zudem auf, "ihren Fehler bis Montag zu verbessern", andernfalls werde das Folgen haben.

Weitere Bemerkung kritisiert

Kritisiert wurde im AA eine weitere Bemerkung des Ministers, die sinngemäß lautete: Wer sich mit der Türkei anlege, werde kein glückliches Ende nehmen. Man habe dem türkischen Botschafter mitgeteilt, dass Außenminister Guido Westerwelle solche Äußerungen nicht für hilfreich halte, hieß es aus dem AA.

Merkel hatte Anfang der Woche kritisiert, die Sicherheitskräfte in Istanbul seien "viel zu hart vorgegangen". Sie sagte: "Das, was im Augenblick in der Türkei passiert, entspricht nicht unseren Vorstellungen von Freiheit der Demonstration, der Meinungsäußerung."

In Brüssel war am Donnerstag bekanntgeworden, dass die EU voraussichtlich nicht wie geplant am kommenden Mittwoch ein neues Kapitel in den Verhandlungen mit der Türkei eröffnen werde.

Dies habe vor allem technische Gründe, sagte AA-Sprecher Peschke. Zum Vorgehen der türkischen Regierung gegen die Protestbewegung gebe es "keinen direkten Zusammenhang". Die Dinge müssten aber im politischen Kontext gesehen werden. "De-Eskalation ist das Gebot der Stunde."

Auf gleiche Werte verpflichtet

Vize-Regierungssprecher Georg Streiter betonte, Merkel wolle den Beitrittsprozess nicht infrage stellen. "Es geht nicht um das Ob, sondern nur um das Wie der Fortführung." Die EU-Länder und die Türkei hätten sich auf die Einhaltung der gleichen Werte verpflichtet.

Hierzu gehöre auch das Recht auf freie Meinungsäußerung. Außenminister Guido Westerwelle und sein türkischer Amtskollege Davutoglu nehmen an diesem Samstag beide an einem Treffen der Syrien-Kontaktgruppe im Golf-Emirat Katar teil.

Die Zeitung "Hürriyet" berichtete in ihrer Online-Ausgabe, in der Hafenstadt Mersin habe die Polizei erneut Wasserwerfer gegen Demonstranten eingesetzt. Auf dem Istanbuler Taksim-Platz, in der Hauptstadt Ankara und in der Stadt Yalova sei es zu stillen Protesten gekommen.

Bei den Protesten, die vor drei Wochen begannen, kamen vier Demonstranten und ein Polizist ums Leben. Tausende wurden verletzt, zahlreiche Menschen wurden festgenommen. Die Protestwelle hatte sich an der brutalen Räumung eines Camps von Demonstranten im Istanbuler Gezi-Park entzündet.

"Kein Platz für Demonstranten"

Drei Wochen nach Beginn der Proteste beharrte Ministerpräsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan auf seiner Haltung, die geplante Bebauung des Gezi-Parks am Taksim-Platz diene den Demonstranten nur als Vorwand. "Ihr wirkliches Ziel ist es, die Wirtschaft und Demokratie der Türkei zu zerstören", sagte er laut Anadolu auf einer Kundgebung seiner islamisch-konservativen AKP im mittelanatolischen Kayseri.

"Der Taksim-Platz ist kein Platz für Demonstrationen. Der Gezi-Park gehört nicht Besetzergruppen."

Die Generalsekretärin der deutschen Sektion von Amnesty International (ai) kritisierte das Verhalten der Regierung und die Polizeigewalt als "Schande für die Türkei".

"Zur Zeit herrscht hier eine Menschenrechtskrise", sagte Selmin Caliskan. Sie appellierte an ausländische Staaten, der Türkei kein weiteres Tränengas und keine neuen Wasserwerfer zu verkaufen.

http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article117358699/Tuerkischer-Minister-droht-Merkel-mit-Konsequenzen.html

21/6/13

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• Türkei Deutschland Beziehungen...Ankara und Berlin bestellen Botschafter ein....

Krach zwischen Berlin und Ankara: Der türkische Europaminister warnt Kanzlerin Merkel davor, die Lage in der Türkei für Wahlkampfzwecke zu missbrauchen. Das Auswärtige Amt protestiert beim türkischen Botschafter. Ankara bestellt den deutschen Botschafter ein. Streitpunkt: der EU-Beitritt der Türkei......http://www.fr-online.de/tuerkei/tuerkei-deutschland-beziehungen-ankara-und-berlin-bestellen-botschafter-ein,23356680,23480700.html
21/6/13

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• Turkish fm slams blocking of fresh 'chapter' in EU policy alignment talks....

Davutoglu said it was unacceptable to hinder the opening of 22nd chapter because of 'unrelated issues'
ODESSA (AA) – Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "It is not acceptable that this chapter would not be opened because of unrelated issues," regarding the news about Germany's veto against Turkey's opening of 22nd European Union (EU) accession chapter.

Davutoglu, participating in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation's (BSEC) 28th Foreign Minister Council in Odessa, Ukraine replied to Anadolu Agency's (AA) questions.

Davutoglu expressed 22nd chapter's importance as being the first chapter to be opened after 3 years of stagnation and as a sign to revitalize accession process.

He stated that the opening of the chapter was finalized a couple weeks ago during his visit to Germany, and said, "Even German foreign Minister Westerwelle greeted me."

Stating that he talked to each of his European counterpart who are said to be against the opening of the chapter, Davutoglu said, "Every country's position is important for us. Turkey has always been open to criticisms within European values. It has always been able to answer to the criticisms maturely. However, it is not acceptable that this chapter would not be opened because of unrelated issues."

Davutoglu said Turkey would observe each country's position, and added, "There are those who approach Turkey in a constructive way, even if they criticize. But of course we would take an appropriate stance against those who try to freeze Turkey-EU relations."

Also reacting against the statements aiming at reflecting as if there was a chaos going on in the country, Davutoglu said, "Everybody should stay calm in this period. However, those who expect us to be calm, should first keep calm themselves."......http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/195726--turkish-fm-slams-blocking-of-fresh-chapter-in-eu-policy-alignment-talks
21/6/13

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• Berlin, Ankara trade protests over EU row ....

Germany and Turkey have summoned each other’s ambassadors, in the latest tit-for-tat in Ankara’s strained ties with the European Union, following Berlin’s reluctance to move forward with Turkey’s EU bid.

The German Foreign Ministry summoned Turkish ambassador Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu on June 21 in order to complain about EU Minister Egemen Bağış’s remarks, in which he said Germany’s resistance to opening a new chapter in EU accession talks was linked to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “election campaign.” Ankara swiftly retaliated Berlin’s decision and hours later summoned German ambassador Eberhard Pohl to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

“That is unacceptable,” German Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andreas Peschke, told reporters on June 21, referring to Bağış’s words. EU Minister Bağış said that if Chancellor Merkel was looking for material for her election campaign, it should not be Turkey, referring to the general election in Germany slated for September. “Those remarks met with great disbelief here. We will make our position abundantly clear,” Peschke said.

The EU was set to open talks on Chapter 22, on “regional policies,” next week, after a delay of three years. However, Germany insisted on a halt to negotiations as a response to Ankara’s recent police crackdown on Gezi protesters. Merkel said earlier this week that she was shocked by Turkey’s violent crackdown on protests in major cities, saying it had been “much too harsh.”

Peschke said there was “no direct link” between Ankara’s response to the demonstrations and the EU negotiations because the chapter in question dealt with “technical issues,” but he confirmed that Germany “and other countries” had expressed reservations on June 20. The representatives of the member states in the European Commission met June 20 to adopt a common position on whether to give a green light to Turkey, but they failed and decided to take up the issue in their next meeting on June 24.

Berlin’s decision prompted a swift response from Ankara. “We will convey our views and positions with regard to recent statements from German officials on the developments in Turkey,” a Foreign Ministry official said.

Concerns were conveyed to the German ambassador. Pohl was visiting the eastern province of Erzurum on June 21 and if he cannot make it for the summons, his deputy Thomas Kurz will meet with undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu. During the meeting, Sinirlioğlu is expected to touch on Germany’s decision to veto the opening of the chapter on regional policies.

Merkel’s deputy spokesman, Georg Streiter, has insisted that neither Merkel nor her government is “questioning the accession process.”.......http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/berlin-ankara-trade-protests-over-eu-row.aspx?pageID=238&nID=49209&NewsCatID=351
21/6/13

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•  Οι Τούρκοι έχουν "σαλτάρει" και απειλούν τη Γερμανία .....

Τουρκικές προειδοποιήσεις προς Μέρκελ για την ενταξιακή πορεία της χώρας....

Ο Τούρκος υπουργός Ευρωπαϊκών Υποθέσεων, Εγκεμέν Μπαγίς, προειδοποίησε σήμερα την καγκελάριο της Γερμανίας, Άγγελα Μέρκελ, να μην αποπειραθεί να εμποδίσει το άνοιγμα ενός νέου κεφαλαίου στις διαπραγματεύσεις για την ένταξη της Τουρκίας στην ΕΕ.
«Ελπίζω ότι θα διορθώσει το σφάλμα που έκανε την Δευτέρα (...) ή αυτό θα οδηγήσει σε αντιδράσεις», δήλωσε ο Μπαγίς σε δημοσιογράφους, αναφερόμενος στις δηλώσεις της Γερμανίδας καγκελαρίου με τις οποίες αυτή εξέφρασε την λύπη της για την «υπερβολικά σκληρή» καταστολή των αντικυβερνητικών διαδηλώσεων στην Τουρκία.
«Η Τουρκία δεν είναι μια οποιαδήποτε χώρα», συνέχισε ο Μπαγίς, σύμφωνα με τουρκικά μέσα ενημέρωσης, κι εξέφρασε την λύπη του για έναν «εύκολο προεκλογικό ελιγμό» από την πλευρά της καγκελαρίου Μέρκελ καθώς πλησιάζουν οι βουλευτικές εκλογές στην Γερμανία.
Παράλληλα, Τούρκος διπλωμάτης δήλωσε σήμερα στο Γαλλικό Πρακτορείο ότι το υπουργείο Εξωτερικών της Τουρκίας θα καλέσει τον πρεσβευτή της Γερμανίας για να ζητήσει εξηγήσεις σχετικά με το ότι εκλήθη σήμερα ο Τούρκος πρεσβευτής στο γερμανικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών. Ο πρεσβευτής της Γερμανίας μπορεί να κληθεί στο τουρκικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών ακόμη και σήμερα, διευκρίνισε η ίδια πηγή, εν μέσω της διπλωματικής κρίσης που ξέσπασε ανάμεσα στο Βερολίνο και την Άγκυρα μετά τις επικρίσεις που διατύπωσε χθες ο Μπαγίς εναντίον της Γερμανίδας καγκελαρίου Άγγελα Μέρκελ σχετικά με το θέμα των διαπραγματεύσεων για την ένταξη της Τουρκίας στην ΕΕ. «Αν ο πρεσβευτής βρίσκεται στην Άγκυρα, θα κληθεί σήμερα, αν όχι ο δεύτερος στην ιεραρχία της πρεσβείας θα τον εκπροσωπήσει ή θα αναμένουμε την επιστροφή του πρεσβευτή στην πρωτεύουσα», πρόσθεσε η πηγή αυτή, η οποία ζήτησε να μην κατονομαστεί.......http://infognomonpolitics.blogspot.gr/2013/06/blog-post_6121
21/6/13

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• Στο Βερολίνο ο τούρκος πρεσβευτής για σχόλια σχετικά με την Μέρκελ .... Είπε οτι η καγκελάριος επιτίθεται στην Τουρκία για πολιτικό όφελος 

Το γερμανικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών κάλεσε την Παρασκευή τον τούρκο πρεσβευτή, προκειμένου να διαμαρτυρηθεί για σχόλια του υπουργού, αρμόδιου για τις ενταξιακές διαπραγματεύσεις με την ΕΕ, ότι η γερμανίδα καγκελάριος επιτίθεται στην Τουρκία, για προσωπικό πολιτικό όφελος.
Τη Δευτέρα η Aνγκελα Μέρκελ δήλωσε ότι η καταστολή των διαδηλώσεων «ήταν πολύ έντονη». 
Είναι γνωστός ο σκεπτικισμός της γερμανίδας καγκελάριου για τις τουρκικές φιλοδοξίες να ενταχθεί στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση. 

Κύκλοι της γερμανικής κυβέρνησης αναφέρουν πως το άνοιγμα νέων κεφαλαίων στις διαπραγματεύσεις με την Άγκυρα «μάλλον δεν θα είναι εφικτό» στο αμέσως επόμενο διάστημα, αν και σημειώνουν πως ακόμη δεν έχει ληφθεί οριστική απόφαση.
Την Πέμπτη, ο Εγκεμέν Μπαγίς, υπουργός ευρωπαϊκών θεμάτων της Τουρκίας δήλωσε ότι εάν η Μέρκελ «ψάχνει για πολιτικό υλικό εσωτερικής κατανάλωσης» πριν από τις εκλογές του Σεπτεμβρίου στη Γερμανία, «αυτό δεν θα πρέπει να είναι η Τουρκία».

Μάλιστα, δεν δίστασε να αναφερθεί και στην εκλογική ήττα του γάλλου προέδρου Νικολά Σαρκοζί, ο οποίος, επίσης, είχε εκφράσει την αντίθεσή του στην ένταξη της Τουρκίας στην ΕΕ.
«Εάν η κ. Μέρκελ παρακολουθήσει και εξετάσει τι συνέβη στον Σαρκοζί, ο οποίος είχε και αυτός προσπαθήσει να χρησιμοποιήσει (την Τουρκία) ως πολιτικό υλικό, θα δει ότι η τύχη αυτών που τα βάζουν με την Τουρκία δεν είναι και πολύ καλή» είπε ο τούρκος υπουργός.
Ο εκπρόσωπος του υπουργείου Εξωτερικών της Γερμανίας, Αντρέας Πέσκε, είπε σε δημοσιογράφους ότι για το υπουργείο κάλεσε τον πρεσβευτή Χουσεΐν Άβνι Καρσλίογλου, προκειμένου να διαμαρτυρηθεί για σχόλια που έγιναν από τούρκο αξιωματούχο σχετικά με τη Γερμανία και το μέλλον των ενταξιακών διαπραγματεύσεων της Τουρκίας.
«Δεν κατανοούμε αυτά τα σχόλια. Δεν είναι σωστά» είπε ο εκπρόσωπος του υπουργείου.
Νωρίτερα, ο αυστριακός υπουργός Εξωτερικών είχε πει ότι η διαχείριση του κύματος διαδηλώσεων στην Τουρκία, οι οποίες έχουν απαντηθεί με ισχυρή καταστολή, θα καθορίσει την πορεία των ενταξιακών διαπραγματεύσεων με την ΕΕ.
www.tovima.gr21/6/13 ---ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• Turkish EU Ministers warns EU not to misinterpret Taksim Gezi Park protests 

• EU has no respect for democracy, says Turkish PM Erdoğan ..... I do not recognize this Parliament of the European Union

• Turkey on way of being global power....

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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ2:

• Γερμανία: Ανάρμοστο να ανοίξουν τώρα οι διαπραγματεύσεις ένταξης με την Τουρκία

• Main opposition urges Merkel not to block Turkey’s EU path....

• EU Enlargement Commissioner calls for removing obstacles in Turkey negotiations.....

• Ankara mulls cutting political ties with EU if chapter vetoed

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  TURKISH RIOTS LIVE RT..... Gezi Parkı olaylarında son durum

EU's Ashton calls for restraint following incidents at Taksim Gezi Park in Constantinople

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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Ashton called on all sides to act with restraint after incidents in Taksim Gezi Park

 

Ankara (AA) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton on Sunday called on all sides to act with restraint after the incidents in Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park.
In a statement made, Ashton's spokesperson said that they were concerned about Turkish police using "excessive force"[1] at Taksim.

We call on all sides to end violence and keep channels of dialogue open to find a peaceful solution, the statement also said.
Catherine Ashton wished speedy recovery to all those injured at the Taksim Gezi Park incidents.
 
-Protests in Taksim Square have subsided and a clean up started in Turkey's Istanbul-
 
Demonstrations in Taksim Square which started on Friday to protest the demoliton of Taksim Gezi Park and uprooting of trees have subsided and a clean up started in Turkey's Istanbul.
Municipal workers began cleaning the streets where flagstones and traffic signs were removed over the past two nights.
In the protests in central Ankara,Turkish capital 16 buses were destroyed and 6 cars which belong to the municipality were set on fire, bus stops and advertising boards were also damaged.
The protests initially started as a sit-in at the Taksim Gezi Park to protest the demolition but turned into big clashes after police crackdown and heavy use of tear gas and water cannon.
90 protests were held in 48 separate provinces and 936 people were arrested. Some of those arrested were released, while others will be put on trial.
Turkish police withdrew from Taksim Gezi Park early Sunday morning.

http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/189067--eus-ashton-calls-for-restraint-following-incidents-at-taksim-gezi-park
2/6/13
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• Protest in Istanbul/Constantinople...... TURKISH RIOTS 

• Riots, barricades, street battles as police fight protesters in Turkey (VIDEO, PHOTOS) / Χιλιάδες περνούν το Βόσπορο για την Ταξίμ

• Turkish EU Ministers warns EU not to misinterpret Taksim Gezi Park protests

•  Manifestantes na Turquia afastados com gás lacrimogéneo.....A chefe da diplomacia externa da União Europeia, Catherine Ashton, lamentou o uso "desproporcionado" da força.....

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  •  [1] EU's Ashton Condemns Disproportionate Use of Force in Turkey....

  
  BRUSSELS, June 2 (RIA Novosti)
  – The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has condemned the disproportionate use of force by police against protesters in Turkey and expressed “deep concern” over the violence.
  
  "[Ashton] hopes for a speedy recovery of all those injured, and calls for restraint on all sides and an end to the violence. Dialogue should be opened to find a peaceful solution to this issue,” a spokesperson for Catherine Ashton said in a statement.
  
  Almost a thousand of people were detained and 79 injured in Turkey when police fired tear gas on Saturday to disperse nationwide anti-government protests against the planned demolition of Gezi Park in Istanbul.
  
  The controversial project is aimed at easing congestion around Taksim Square but also involves rebuilding old Ottoman barracks and creating a shopping mall in the park, one of the few green areas left in central Istanbul.
  
  The rally in Istanbul triggered more than 90 separate protests in 48 out of the country’s 81 provinces. Unrest still continues in Ankara, Izmir and other Turkish cities.
  
  According to the Hurriyet daily, about 20,000 people took to the streets in Ankara, protesting against the government’s policies and demanding resignation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Troops were deployed to keep protestors away from the premier’s residence. Turkish police again used tear gas to disperse the crowds on Sunday, on the sixth day of riots, media reports said.
  
  Erdogan admitted on Saturday that the use of tear gas by police at the protest against the demolition of Gezi Park was a mistake, but said there will be no step back from the project.
  
  The use of tear gas in Turkey has been also condemned by Amnesty International that said it “breaches international human rights standards” and “constitutes a serious danger to health.”
  
  http://en.rian.ru/world/20130602/181472949/EUs-Ashton-Condemns-Disproportionate-Use-of-Force-in-Turkey.html
  2/6/13

Ten years since the signature of the Treaty of Athens

Ten years ago, on April 16, 2003, the Treaty of Accession to the European Union of 10 European countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia – was signed in Athens. This historical event took place during the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union and is enshrined forever as one of the most important documents of the reunited Europe.Later, on May 1, 2004, all our countries became fully fledged members of the reunified European family comprising 25 member states at that time. It was the largest single expansion since the Paris Treaty of 1951, the forerunner of the EU, in terms of population, number of states and territory.
Moreover, it was the symbolic completion of the vital strategic goal of all the acceding member states to finally put an end to the post-World War II period by returning to the common space of freedom and stability, democracy and prosperity. The signature of the Treaty of Athens opened a new era for the acceding countries, for their citizens and ultimately for the whole of Europe.

Ten years after the signature, as members of the European Union, we all can state that it was the right decision. This was the overwhelming choice by the people. It was not only based on the perspective of future benefits of the common economic area, or the single market offering free movement of capital, goods and people; it was also founded on the understanding of inevitable internal structural reforms that had been carried out along the integration path toward the European Union.The 2004 EU enlargement would not have been feasible without the strong and sincere support of all EU member states. The prospects of EU membership acted as a catalyst and the main driving force for positive changes in the social climate, economic growth, better living standards, higher incomes, more jobs and more development. However, among the most important aspects of this change was the hope to share and enjoy those European values that our societies had missed for so long. Our citizens, the real players in establishing the foundation for societies, made it possible for all 10 new EU member states to have a successful journey. Today, they continue to serve as an example and motivation for those candidates who wish to join the EU in the future.As an inseparable part of the EU, we contribute to strengthening the European project, to keeping its values alive and to spreading them in our neighborhood in the East and the South. Moreover, all 10 members actively participate in the shaping of European policies, and seek to make the EU more competitive and technologically and innovatively more advanced. They contribute to making the Union better prepared for future challenges in the current globalized world as an active player in dynamic international affairs. Above all, the main task to be addressed is to ensure that the EU continues to be a reliable and safe place to live in. If necessary, all member states have to offer solidarity based on the genuine efforts of all of us to show the necessary responsibility for the benefit of the whole EU.Looking back at those events 10 years ago, one is struck how appropriately the Greek EU Presidency chose the venue for the solemn act of signature by heads of states, prime ministers and foreign ministers from all the member states. It took place in the Stoa of Attalos at the Ancient Agora of Athens, in the cradle of democracy that the Athenian philosophers developed in ancient Greece. Democracy still prevails as the best form of government, offering guarantees for free and open societies and nations.As such, the Treaty of Accession to the European Union in Athens of these 10 European countries remains a symbol of the heritage of democracy being extended from the very place where it was born.Hana Sevcikova, Ambassador of the Czech RepublicAndres Talvik, Ambassador of EstoniaJoseph Joseph, Ambassador of CyprusIvars Pundurs, Ambassador of LatviaAlfonsas Eidintas, Ambassador of LithuaniaEszter Sandorfi, Ambassador of HungaryWalter Balzan, Ambassador of MaltaMaciej Krych, Ambassador of PolandRobert Basej, Ambassador of SloveniaPeter Michalko, Ambassador of Slovakia
 .ekathimerini.com