Report: Al-Qaeda suspects flee after Turkish gov't blocks raid

Source : TODAY'S ZAMAN

İSTANBULAl-Qaeda-linked Yusuf Al Qadi and Osama Khoutub, who are among the suspects in a major graft probe, have reportedly fled Turkey after the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) blocked a police raid on Wednesday as İstanbul police refused to comply with orders of prosecutors to detain several suspects in the second leg of the investigationThe İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the detention of 30 suspects, including a number of deputies and businessmen. The İstanbul Police Department, which saw an extensive purge of its top officers over the last week, has not complied with the order, however.News reports suggest that when the list of 30 suspects leaked to media on Wednesday, some of the suspects took precautionary measures to avoid incriminating themselves in the case of a police raid on their homes or offices.And some suspects fled Turkey, including al-Qaeda Turkey operatives Al Qadi and Khoutub, after government blocked the investigation through newly appointed police chiefs who refused to comply with court decision.Prosecutor Muammer Akkaş, who was leading the second round of the probe, was removed from the case. “All my colleagues and the public should know that as a public prosecutor I was prevented from carrying out the investigation,” the prosecutor said in a statement on Thursday, adding that pressure had clearly been placed on the judiciary both from the Public Prosecutor's Office and the police, allowing an opportunity for suspects to destroy the evidence.Akkaş said although he issued detention and search warrants for the suspects and relayed these to the İstanbul Police Department on Wednesday morning, the police department had not complied with his orders."By not implementing the court decisions, police chiefs committed a crime. An opportunity was given to suspects to take measures, escape or mitigate the evidence," he said.Saudi businessman Al Qadi's assests were frozen in Turkey after he was named a financer of terrorism in the international community. News reports point out that the al-Qaeda suspect is allowed to enter Turkey freely and has access to high-level diplomats and security officials, including Undersecretary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Hakan Fidan.According to claims, former Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin, who left his post on Wednesday in a major Cabinet reshuffle, asked the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor to close the case. 

Keywords: turkey , national news , al qaeda

NATO allies back keeping Patriot missiles in Turkey

Source : http://en.trend.az/regions/met/turkey/2210975.html

NATO allies backed keeping Patriot missiles in Turkey on Wednesday, agreeing that threats to the NATO member remained serious, a NATO official said, Reuters reported.Turkey earlier asked NATO to extend the deployment of Patriot missile batteries sent early this year to defend the country from a possible attack from neighboring Syria. The missile batteries had been expected to stay there for a year.NATO ambassadors concluded at a meeting on Wednesday that instability on Turkey's border "requires ... the extension of the deployment of the Patriot missiles," the NATO official said.

Turkey seizes 1,200 rocket warheads near Syrian border

Source : http://news.xinhuanet.com

English.news.cn   2013-11-07 19:36:22             ISTANBUL/ANKARA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkey seized a total of 1, 200 rocket warheads near the Syrian border, private Dogan news agency reported on Thursday.Dogan quoted Gov. Huseyin Avni Cos as saying that a cargo truck filled with rocket heads, bazookas, missiles, bombs and guns was seized in Turkey's southern province of Adana near the Syrian border.The report said that Adana police teams discovered the weapons after pursuing the truck initially on the suspicion that it was carrying drugs.Police used detection dogs to search for narcotics in the truck, said the report, adding that when the police opened the doors of the vehicle, they found the truck filled with weapons and explosives.Escorted by bomb disposal specialists, anti-terror teams brought the truck to a police station in the city. The truck was confiscated.The driver of the truck has been detained, and an investigation has been launched.

Turkey intercepts chemical shipment from Syria

Source : All akhbar.com

Turkish authorities have seized a large quantity of chemicals from a convoy trying to illegally enter the country from Syria, which "could be transformed into weapons," the army said Sunday.The convoy of three vehicles refused to stop as it attempted to illegally cross the border on Saturday near the southeastern town Turkish town of Reyhanli, the army said in a statement.Para-military police were forced to shoot out the tires of the vehicles to stop them, and three drivers jumped out and fled in the direction of Syria.One of them was arrested, the army said without specifying his nationality.The haul of sulfur and another unidentified substance will be examined by a team of army specialists, the statement said.The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported on Thursday that Syria's entire declared stock of chemical weapons has been placed under seal.This included 1,000 tons of chemical agents, which can be used to make weapons, and 290 tons of chemical weapons.A UN Security Council resolution stating that the arsenal must be destroyed by mid-2014, was agreed by the United States and Russia to avert military strikes on Syria after deadly chemical weapons attacks near Damascus in August.The West blamed those attacks, which killed hundreds of people, on the Syrian government, which denied all responsibility, instead blaming the attack on rebels.(AFP)

Report: Syrian al-Qaeda planning car bombings in Turkey

Source : Trend.Az

Turkey's Gendarmerie General Command, the military police responsible for security in rural areas, has reportedly notified the country's Interior Ministry about preparation by al-Qaeda- affiliate fighters in Syria to stage car bomb attacks in Turkey Today`s Zaman reported.

Turkish daily Milliyet reported on Friday that the gendarmerie sent a letter to the intelligence department of the Interior Ministry before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha notifying them about 10 car bombs that are being prepared to be detonated across Turkey.

A secret cable the gendarmerie sent to the police said the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is planning terrorist attacks in Turkey and has prepared 10 cars with fake Turkish plates and loaded with bombs to be detonated in Turkey.

The terrorists were planning to cut the wired border fence with Turkey to bring in the cars. The cable said the final decision as to whether or not to carry out the terrorist attacks would have been given based on Turkey's position during the Friends of Syria meeting in London last week.

The letter explained that the ISIS plan would have been called off if Turkey had considered the terrorist group among the legitimate moderate opposition. Milliyet said Turkish authorities issued warnings to all police and gendarmerie forces in all cities across the country.

Turkey, which has been a staunch supporter of the Syrian opposition fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, is accused of providing logistical support to two al-Qaeda-linked groups -- the al-Nusra Front and ISIS.

Ankara has said several times that its stance towards the developments in Syria is clear and that it will not take part in the ongoing fighting, denying claims that it supports radical Islamist groups operating in Syria.

Turkish opposition wants to know if war crimes were committed with aid sent to Al Qaida fighters in Syria

Source : World Tribune

ANKARA — Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has been questioned over Turkey’s links to Al Qaida in Syria.

The parliamentary opposition has formally submitted a request for the Erdogan government to detail alleged links with Al Qaida-aligned militias in Syria.

The opposition has sought to determine whether the purported Turkish aid facilitated war crimes by Islamist rebels, particularly the Nusra Front for the Defense of the Levant.

“Do you think that the foreign policy you are pursuing in Syria is responsible for the crimes committed by Al Qaida-linked groups such as Al Nusra?” Veli Agbaba, a parliamentarian from the main opposition Republican People’s Party, asked.

The parliamentary demand came amid reports in both Ankara and Washington that Turkish intelligence was either tolerating or supporting Al Qaida recruitment and financing for operations in Syria. The reports asserted that authorities were turning a blind eye to recruitment of young Turks for Al Qaida militias.

“It is known that the Turkey-Syria border has no security,” Agbaba said. “At this point, do you think that Turkey will be accused of committing crimes against humanity and war crimes for providing weapons and other supplies to opposition groups — which is claimed in HRW’s report?”

Erdogan aides have several times denied any Turkish support for Nusra or the new Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. But human rights groups asserted that Turkish authorities were allowing Al Qaida rebels to transport weapons and fighters into Syria and then return for medical treatment.

Agbaba also cited the U.S. Human Rights Watch, which asserted in an Oct. 11 report that Turkey was a leading facilitator of Islamist rebel militias that routinely abduct and torture civilians. HRW urged the Erdogan government to increase patrols along the 900-kilometer Turkish border with Syria.

“According to Syrian security officials, media reports, Western diplomats, and observations by journalists and humanitarian workers, foreign fighters in these groups enter Syria from Turkey, from which they also smuggle their weapons and obtain money and other supplies, and to which they retreat for medical treatment,” HRW said in a report titled “You Can Still See Their Blood.”

Agbaba addressed his questions to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, deemed an ally of Erdogan. The opposition deputy, in remarks supported by Kurdish and Western sources, suggested that the Foreign Ministry was ignoring Al Qaida’s use of Turkey as a haven.

“Is there any work being done by the Foreign Ministry over the claims that Turkish citizens have entered Syria from Turkey’s eastern and southeastern provinces and have participated in crimes carried out by Al Qaida-linked groups in Syria?” Agbaba asked. “Is the silence of the Foreign Ministry over the crimes carried out by Al Qaida-linked groups in Syria the result of the ‘precious isolation’ policy of Turkey?”

For its part, the government has denied any Turkish link to Al Qaida. Officials dismissed allegations that Turkey was cooperating with Nusra or ISIL in arms and other smuggling.

“The Turkish republic would never open a border gate on the demand of a terrorist organization,” Interior Minister Muammer Guler said.

The Kurdish community has echoed allegations of a Turkish-Al Qaida link. The High Kurdish Council in Syria, which met the Turkish Foreign Ministry, asserted that more than 50 percent of the rebel militias supported by Turkey were attacking civilians.

“More than half of the groups which Turkey supports have come under the control of gangs,” council spokesman Ilham Ahmed said. “The situation is very dire, and if precautions are not taken these groups will create serious problems mainly for Turkey.

Turkey to take legal action against British daily The Times

Source : Xinhua | English.news.cn

ISTANBUL, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Friday that legal action would be taken against British daily The Times and those who wrote an open letter ad criticizing him for Turkish police violence during the Gezi park unrest in Turkey.

Erdogan said in Istanbul: "These are people who have rented out their minds. If they were sincere about democracy they would not act so immorally as to call a prime minister who was elected by receiving 50 percent of the vote a dictator."

"There are such media groups in Turkey that do every kind of defamation. How can they defame us when they are jailed? They are doing it because they do not know Turkey. The Times rents its page, this is their lack of morality," he added.

A group of internationally renowned artists and scholars condemned the Turkish authorities' heavy-handed crackdown on the Gezi park protests in the full-page letter published on July 24 in British broadsheet The Times, addressed to Erdogan.

The signatories, including figures known for their activism such as Sean Penn, Susan Sarandon, Ben Kingsley and movie director David Lynch, described the Turkish government as "a dictatorial rule" and slammed Erdogan's uncompromising stance regarding the protesters' demands.

The prime minister's orders "led to the deaths of five innocent youths," the letter said, adding that he might be called to render account to the European Court of Human Rights for the police's violence.

They also compared the counter-rallies organized by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the annual Nuremberg rallies organized by the Nazis.

Turkish hacker group takes over Religious Affairs website

Source : http://www hurriyetdailynews.com

Hacker group RedHack hacked the website of Turkey’s Religious Affairs Directorate, on the 20th anniversary of the Sivas massacre. The group announced the hack on its Twitter account.

“This is an answer to those who dine for Ramadan at five-star hotels but burn people at three- star ones,” the group tweeted at midnight last night, in reference to the arson attack in which 33 mostly Alevi intellectuals and two hotel workers were killed on July 2, 1993.

“The Justice and Development Party [AKP] triggerman the Religious Affairs Directorate cannot represent Muslims,” the tweet added.

The group also released a database, including usernames and passwords, to enter the website. This allowed users to add new headlines to the website. One of the added sections read, “Forgive me, Religious Affairs, I entered wearing shoes,” in reference to the Dolmabahçe Mosque incident, in which Gezi Park protesters took shelter in a historical mosque to avoid tear gas and police interventions. Since the incident, the sheltering protesters were targeted by the prime minister for wearing shoes in the mosque, as well as for consuming alcohol - a claim that has been repeatedly denied by the mosque’s muezzin.

RedHack is known for its anti-government stance, and has hacked into multiple government websites in the past, including the Ankara Police Directorate and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Turkish police break up demonstration in Ankara

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

Police in Turkey have used water cannon and smoke grenades to disperse hundreds of anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Ankara.

On Tuesday night, several people were injured in the clashes between the protesters and the police in Turkish capital.

Also in Istanbul, thousands of people, who were chanting slogans against the government, marched toward now-iconic Taksim Square to denounce a court decision that freed a police officer accused of killing an anti-government demonstrator in Ankara.

The police surrounded the square and blocked the protesters’ from reaching it.

At least 20 people were detained during the rally.

Meeting in Luxembourg earlier in the day, European Union foreign ministers supported a German proposal to delay the new round of Turkey’s membership negotiations, which had been scheduled to resume on Wednesday.

Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, among other EU member states, blocked the talks in criticism of the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for its handling of the anti- government protests.

The unrest in Turkey began on May 31 after police broke up a sit-in held at Taksim Square to protest against a proposal to redevelop Gezi Park, which is a traditional gathering point for rallies and demonstrations as well as a popular tourist destination.

The demonstrators say the park is also one of Istanbul's last green public spaces.

Four people, including a police officer, have died in the recent clashes between the Turkish protesters and security forces, and more than 5,000 protesters and 600 police officers have been injured

Contradicting Himself, Showing Hypocrisy, Erdogan Accuses Protestors with Destabilizing Turkey

Source : Strategic-Culture.org

Describing the demonstrators against his autocracy as 'saboteurs', Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan contradicted himself and showed hypocrisy and double standard as he considered the demonstrations as an internal and external conspiracy.

In a joint press conference with his Moroccan counterpart Abdullah bin Kiran, Erdogan said that he continues supporting what he has called " the popular movement in Syria" when the reality on the ground proves that there are armed terrorist takfiri groups in Syria backed and financed by his government, the Western and Gulf countries.

Erdogan repeated his allegations on the suppression and killing in Syria to evade his direct responsibilities of supporting terrorism in it which makes him a forthright partner in the crime of killing the Syrians.

Erdogan keeps on claiming that he urges all sides to be moderate, find a solution to the crisis and to utilize the international conference scheduled to be held on Syria.

Ten thousands of Turkish flocked into streets in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities for the 4th successive day demanding Erdogan to resign, while the security forces used the tear gas to disperse them.

Erdogan alleged that security was restored in Turkey, noting that "it will return to normal within a few days. "

Erdogan claimed that the situation in Syria continues to be worst, considering that the armed terrorist groups which are supported by his government retreated on the ground due to the continued strikes of the Syrian army.

Mass popular demonstrations broke out peacefully in protest against Erdogan's authoritarian and exclusionary government , as the Turkish security forces suppressed them violently and fired tear gas against the demonstrators, killing a number of them, injuring hundreds and arresting thousands others.

SANA

Anonymous Declares #OpTurkey, Attacks Gov't Websites in Support of Protests

Source : Fars News

TEHRAN (FNA)- The hacktivist group Anonymous took down the Turkish President's website, along with that of the country's ruling party, as operation #OpTurkey kicks off in support of the anti- government protests that have entered their fourth day.

As of 22:40 GMT, the website of President Abdullah Gul has been offline, together with the website of the country's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the websites for the Istanbul Directorate of Security and the Istanbul Governor's Office.

The hacktivists earlier targeted municipal governments in Mersin and Izmir.

The operation was kicked off in response to the police crackdown of protests which have taken the country by storm. The Gebze Institute of Technology has also come under digital fire.

Following the rumors that the government limited access to the Internet Anonymous has started tweeting passwords to free access to a VPN - virtual private network that connects computers and devices in one network, allowing information to be shared.

The hacktivist group also claimed that pro-government hackers are attacking Turkish news websites.

Decrying the reaction of Turkish authorities to the ongoing protests as those of a "petty dictator," Anonymous vows to kick off a worldwide action which will "bring the Turkish government to its knees".

With #opTurkey, the hacktivist collective plans to "attack every Internet and communications asset of the Turkish government."

"You have censored social media and other communications of your people in order to suppress the knowledge of your crimes against them," the collective alleges. "Now Anonymous will shut you down and your own people will warn you from power."

Although rumors that the Turkish authorities have been blocking Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets throughout the country since Saturday remain unconfirmed, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no effort to hide his disaffection for the communication medium.

Turkey's PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lashed out at the role of social media in helping organize and co-ordinate rallies, after the wave of large-scale protests that gripped the country.

"There is now a menace which is called Twitter," Erdogan said in an interview for Haberturk Sunday evening. "The best examples of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to society. "

Turkey has been gripped with mass demonstrations for the past three days. The ongoing rallies started with protests on Friday against the refurbishment of Istanbul's Taksim Square, where the authorities plan to build a shopping center in place of a park. However, the protests unfolded into anti-government demonstrations with thousands gathering all over the country. Riot police used 'excessive force,' officials admitted, to disperse the crowds with tear gas and water cannon. There have been about 1700 people reportedly arrested. Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday stressed he "will not seek permission from marauders" to implement his building plans. He is also reported to have called the social network Twitter 'a trouble maker', according to local media, blaming it for misinforming people.

Turkey to build wall on border with Syria

Source : Xinhua

ANKARA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will build a 2.5 km-long wall along its border with Syria to prevent illegal crossings, Turkish Trade and Customs Minister Hayati Yazici said Thursday.

The wall is to be built along Hatay province's Cilvegozu gate with Syria, he said, adding that a protocol with the Turkish Armed Forces had already been signed for the construction of the wall.

"According to the protocol, we have defined a project that aims to increase the security of the military zone by building a part barbed wire, part concrete wall with security camera system," the minister said.

The Cilvegozu gate lies less than 10 km from Reyhanli town center, where a twin-bomb attack killed 51 and wounded more than 100 on May 11.

Turkish leaders have associated the attacks with pro-Syria groups and intelligence organizations in Syria. However, Damascus denied the accusation.

Assad government "usual suspects" in blasts-Turkish deputy PM

Source : LBCI News

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government are the "usual suspects" behind car bombs in Turkey on Saturday that killed 40 people and wounded 100 more, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said. Arinc also told reporters in comments broadcast live that Turkey must wait for the results of an investigation before deciding on any response.

The blasts occurred in the town of Reyhanli close to the border and home to many of the more than 300,000 refugees who have sought shelter from the uprising against Assad that erupted in Syria in March 2011.

Earlier, a Syrian activist said rebels have been able to cut a newly built desert road linking th northern city of Aleppo

Rami-Abdul-Rahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said rebels took over two army posts on the road near Aleppo after days of fighting.

The regime built the desert road as a backup route after rebels captured the town of Maaret al-Numan in October cutting the main highway between the country's two largest cities.

The Observatory also reported clashes in the town of Qusair, near the border with Lebanon.

The fighting in the town came a day after U.N. commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay expressed alarm over Qusair, which has been besieged by Syrian troops for several weeks.

Positions:

Car bomb attacks which killed 20 people in a southern Turkish border town on Saturday may have been related to the conflict in Syria or to Turkey's own peace process with Kurdish militants, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said.

"We are going through sensitive times, we started a new era, the Kurdish issue solution process. Those who cannot digest this new era ... could take such actions," Erdogan said in comments broadcast on Turkish television.

"Another sensitive issue is that Hatay province (where the explosions occurred) is on the border with Syria, these actions may have been taken to provoke those sensitivities," he said.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned against testing Turkey's power, saying Ankara would take necessary measures to protect itself.

On another note, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had announced on Tuesday that they would seek to organize a conference on Syria and expressed hope it could be held this month.

Turkey to stage military exercise near Syria border

Source : Xinhua

ANKARA, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish Armed Forces is set to stage a 10- day "planned exercise" in the southern province of Adana bordering on Syria, Turkish Daily News reported Monday.

The exercise, named the Yildirim-2013 Mobilization, is slated for May 6-15, according to a statement by the Turkish General Staff.

The exercise, to be conducted at the Air Forces 10th Tanker Base Command, aims to test the army's mobilization system and the coordination between public institutions and the armed forces in case of any mobilization, the statement said.

The Turkish General Staff said 12 vehicles and 60 stand-by personnel, as well as private transportation companies will take part in the exercise.

Turkey is facing an influx of Syrian refugees with the worsening situation in Syria.

Last week, one Turkish border guard was killed and six others were wounded in a clash at the Syrian border.

Iranian president says West wants separate Iraq, Pakistan and Syria

Source : Trend.Az

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused western countries on attempting to separate Iraq, Pakistan and Syria, IRNA reported on April 28.

During the speech to people in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan Province, Ahmadinejad said that West has been conducting artificial wars among people in these countries to dominate them by separating the nations.

Ahmadinejad went on saying the West had made conflict among races before, but now is using religious differences as a tool to bring war in some countries.

Mentioning conflicts in Pakistan, Syria and Iraq, Ahmadienad said that these conflicts would occur in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Asian countries in future and the nations should be awaked and neutralize West's plots.

Iranian president said that Iran knows very well about the West's schemes aimed to divesting nations from sovereignty

Ankara denies report Israel seeking Turkish airbase for attack on Iran

Source : Tehran Times

TEHRAN – Ankara has dismissed a news report suggesting that an Israeli delegation set to arrive in Ankara on April 22 would hold talks to use a Turkish airbase to train for a possible attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.

“The report seems to have explained a hypothesis,” a Turkish official told the Hurriyet Daily News on April 21 concerning the Sunday Times report published on the same day.

“We have already said that the normalization of our relations will be step by step. Talking about the prospects of a military cooperation at this stage would be irrelevant. We are not there yet. We haven’t even yet appointed a new ambassador to Israel,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed in May 2010 when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara vessel while stopping an international flotilla trying to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. Turkey expelled Israel’s ambassador and froze military cooperation after a UN report into the incident released in September 2011 largely exonerated Israel.

The Sunday Times alleged that Yaakov Amidror, the head of the National Security Council, who will head the Israeli delegation at April 22 “compensation talks” as part of the steps toward normalization, was additionally assigned to try to resuscitate the 1996 agreement between Jerusalem and Ankara which allowed the Israeli Air Forces to train in Turkish airspace and use the Akinci airbase. “In return, Israel will offer to sell Turkey advanced missile and surveillance technology,” the newspaper said.

EP/PA

Former Foreign Minister: Turkey should not have severed ties with Syria

Source  :  Trend.Az

Turkey should not have severed ties with Syria. "Syria is our neighbor, and if Turkey had not severed ties with Syria, it could have played a very active role in the events. The rupture of relations caused certain problems," former Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Çetin told Trend on Thursday.

According to him, Turkey could have played a more active role in the Syrian issue; however that is not possible due to the rupture of relations.

"Turkey should have shown restraint and continue the dialogue. Syria is our neighbor. Turkey has close ties with Syria, we share a common border. Therefore, Turkey could have played a more active role in the peace process, but the situation deteriorated following the rupture of ties," Çetin said.

According to the former Foreign Minister, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can not remain in power after the death of so many people. However, no one knows what awaits Syria after him.

"No one has any plans for the post-Assad period. Nobody knows who will come to power after him, including the U.S. and the EU. Assad must leave, however the Syrian opposition is too heterogeneous. It includes terrorist organizations, radicals and other forces. Syria is a peculiar country with Muslim, Christian, Kurdish, Turkish and Armenian populations. Various forms of religion are practiced in the country, including Sunnism and Shism. Assad must leave, but first he must establish stability in the country in order to prevent the creation of a dangerous situation. The latter may have negative repercussions for the entire region, including in Turkey. That is, until today, nothing can be said about the immediate future of Syria," the former Minister said.

The conflict between the government and the opposition in Syria has continued since March 2011. According to various sources, 70,000 people have been killed; nearly half a million were forced to leave their homes during this period. Syrian authorities claim that they oppose well-armed trained fighters arriving from abroad. According to official Damascus, a number of armed groups are directly linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Russia raps Arab League over Syria seat

Source  :  http://old.mehrnews.com/

TEHRAN, March 28 (MNA) – Russia has condemned a move by the Arab League to hand Syria’s seat to opposition forces, and called it "illegal and indefensible."

The Russian Foreign Ministry made the announcement in a statement published on Wednesday.

"In terms of international law, the league's decision on Syria is illegal and indefensible because the government of the Syrian Arab Republic was and is the legitimate representative member state at the United Nations," the statement read.

Russia also slammed the Arab League member states’ attempts to provide Syria’s foreign-backed militants with all means of support, including arms.

On Tuesday, Syrian opposition chief Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib took Syria's seat as Arab leaders gathered in Doha for their annual summit.

On March 6, the Arab League called on Syria's opposition National Coalition "to form an executive body to take up Syria's seat" at the summit.

In November 2011, the Arab League suspended Syria, which is a founding member of the organization.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.

NT/EA MNA END

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Turkish Foreign Ministry denies deportation of Syrian refugees

Source  :  Vesti Kavkaza

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has denied deportation of Syrian refugees from the camp of Akcakale. Over 35,000 Syrians live in the camp, 1news reports.

A group of about 200 people threw stones at the law enforcers on March 27 for unknown reasons.

The Turkish ministry emphasized that the group was also troubling for other Syrians in the camp. They were recorder on cameras. A group of 130 people involved in the incident left the place and returned to Syria to avoid punishment.

According to information, about 2,000 people were involved in disorders in Akcakale. About 600 of them were deported from Turkey.

Turkish Police Fire Teargas at Syrian Protesters in Refugee Camp

Source  :  Fars News Agency

(FNA)- The Turkish police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse a large group of Syrian refugees protesting the death of a child in their camp.

Anatolia news agency reported that one protester was injured on Wednesday as anti-riot police cracked down on the demonstrators who were protesting after the child died in a fire in their camp.

The fire broke out in the camp in Akcakale in Southeastern Turkey which is housing some 25,000 Syrians who fled the conflict in their country.

One child was killed and three others injured sparking the protest by dozens of angry residents against their living conditions.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against the Syrian police, border guards, statesmen, army and the civilians being reported across the country.

Thousands of people have been killed since terrorist and armed groups turned protest rallies into armed clashes.

The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.