Erdogan's Tour of Destabilized Mideast : Focus on Cairo

-DR. ABDUL RUFF
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 I

 
Of late, Turkey, the former Ottoman Empire with considerable influence across the globe, has been trying to play a much greater pro-active role in Mideast.  All these years Istanbul played the role prescribed by Washington in world affairs as a reliable ally, even promoting the illegal Zionist regime. Since it could not become a part of UNSC veto regime but was made a NATO member by USA to help the Americans pursue US goals, Turkey has always stood by USA, fearing any attack by Moscow. Today, Turkey is seen resetting its foreign policy with pro-Islamic agenda towards Mideast against Zionist  brutality but, however, without straining in any way the "traditional ties" with USA and major European nations, even though some of them oppose Turkey's entry into EU as a legitimate European state.


On 12 Sept Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has garnered popularity among Arabs for his denunciations of Israel, arrived in Cairo as part of  3 nation tour of Mideast, destabilized by the NATO terror syndicate of which Turkey is a part. Erdogan's Egypt visit was a part of his tour of three Arab states that recently ousted their leaders in favor of"democracy", but are now controlled by CIA and NATO. His tour continued with a visit to Tunisia, where the popular overthrow of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January sparked similar movements across the region, eventually affecting sovereign Libya where Col. Qaddafi ruled against the wishes of western terrocracies eying on Libyan oil.

In Libya Erdogan was in fact giving his stamp of approval to an illegal, corrupt regime of rebel terrorists, installed not by “revolution” but by the Western powers through military force—with the intention of allowing the unfettered exploitation of oil resources by the major corporations.

The visit of Egypt on Sept. 12-13 comes following Turkey downgrading the level of its diplomatic relations with Israel to the level of second secretary, the lowest since the early 1980s, as a result of Tel Aviv rejecting to issue an apology to Turkey for the killing of nine Turkish citizens onboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara vessel in international waters in the East Mediterranean.

The assertive Turkish leader was met by an enthusiastic crowd in Cairo. He is expected to set out details of that assistance in an address to Arab League foreign ministers and exact agenda of his itinerary is not yet revealed.  The size of the prime minister's delegation,  just like that of USA, UK or Indian leaders, - is big - more than 200 people including ministers, officials and representatives - matches his big ambitions in a possibly changing the Middle East under the CIA maneuverings.

Erdogan undertook the tour, ostensibly to support for Egypt's transition to “democracy”. However, media reports suggest that Erdogan is expected to offer both practical help, in the form of trade, investment and financial aid for Egypt's economy, badly hit by the political turbulence, and the inspiration of Turkey's own democratic transformation.

Turkey and Egypt have resolved to upgrade relations almost in all fields during Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s visit to Cairo and the two countries signed a strategic declaration to establish a High Strategic Council, an umbrella body covering cooperation in fields such as economic, technical, military, agriculture, education and others. This agreement will uplift the cooperation and turn it into a real strategic relationship.

As a major step towards strengthening the ties, Turkey and Egypt have intensified maritime cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea by launching new Ro-Ro lines. The move comes after Turkey warned Israel of a more visible Turkish military presence in the waters to protect free maritime navigation.  They have reiterated that their maritime cooperation is for peaceful purposes and  respect and ask everyone to respect free passage in international waters. This is not at all directed at any third party but rather is a model for the region to show how countries should cooperate with each other. Salaheldin, ambassador of Egypt to Ankara said this should not be disputed under any pretext . Israel recently broke its fragile relationship with Egypt after it arrogantly killed five Egyptian policemen on the border.

Erdogan wanted to visit Gaza in the coming days to increase “international attention” on Israel’s siege of the strip.  He said he doesn’t think Hamas is a terrorist group.  Erdogan's visit is sure to impress upon Palestinian Fatah President Mahmoud Abbas, although the AKP would not necessarily like see ruling the Palestinian state the UN is about to recognize. It seems Turkey does not want to annoy USA by Erdogan's visit to Hamas ruled Gaza, when Americans and Israelis refuse to treat the Palestinians in Gaza strip as humans.  Turkey does not want to jeopardize its strategic relationship with Washington or the regional powers. Hence,  it is presumed that Erdogan did not go to Gaza saying that preferred to go with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.

Normally the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and its natural constituents, who are Islamic in outlook, pursuing Islamic practices with commitment, do not pronounce the term “secularism” and promote this as a precondition for democracy. It was therefore normal that Erdoðan’s remarks should reverberate in Turkey, as well as the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. Erdoðan  said in Cairo: “I recommend a secular constitution for Egypt. Do not fear secularism because it does not mean being an enemy of religion. I hope the new regime in Egypt will be secular. I hope that after these remarks of mine the way the Egyptian people look at secularism will change.” These remarks contrast sharply with the negative image of Erdoðan as a radical Islamist that some in the West, and many in Israel, are trying to make him out to be. His remarks were also a surprise in Turkey, where the pro-Islamic media was visibly reluctant to carry his words. His words were so unexpected that the Egyptian Islamic Brotherhood - assumed generally to be close to the AKP and supposedly trying to model itself on the party - was far from happy.   “You cannot transfer the experience of other countries to Egypt. The conditions that resulted in a secular state in Turkey are different from the conditions in Egypt.

Erdogan declaration that “the era of repressive regimes has ended is faulty since USA now controls these regimes. In order not overly alarm the major capitalist powers,  Turkey’s “moderate” Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP)—a keen supporter of the exploitative capitalist market—as a model for the opposition movements in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.

Though Turkey is considered a NATO ally, his trip set off alarm bells. British terror PM David Cameron and  the Jewish Frenche President Nicholas Sarkozy responded by making their own “surprise” trip to Libya just one day before the Turkish leader was due to arrive in Tripoli. They were determined to pre-empt Turkey in the fierce competition for political influence, strategic position and profits.

In relation to Syria, Erdogan, in following the US foot steps as well as Jew Sarkozy’s warning that after Libya, France’s next “humanitarian mission” would be Syria has also become increasingly hostile towards the Bashar Assad regime. US-French  attempt to  woo Saudi Arabia for cheap oil by saying the they now target Syria, ostensibly to  remove the Shiite regime of a Sunni state while  their silence over any such humanitarian measure  with regard to Bahrain where a Sunni rules  a Shiite nation might make Riyadh satisfied with US help. But poor but well-fed Abdullahs and Sheikhs fail to think USA has hidden agenda against Saudi Arabia as well.


 II


Western terrocracies try indirectly to claim that Christianity is democracy and Islam is terrorism. By harping on democracy, the western strategists only try to improve the fake image of Christianity. This explains why Americans keep harboring on bogus democracy without any content and want to export it to oil rich Mideast.  These American Neocon nuts think that by using the  word "Mullah" which in fact means a religious believer, they could  insult Muslims and  defame Islam.


But corruption and bogus elections with  money-muscle power alone would not define the democracy course anywhere , not excluding oil rich Mideast. Judging by media reports there are Egyptians who are happy about Erdoðan’s remarks about "democracy", and western nuts say it was good that these should have forced the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt to reveal its position on an issue of crucial importance, not just for Egypt but also the new Middle East.  Given the increasing threat of foolish sectarian and religious confrontation in the region, led by Saudi Arabia, it appears AKP would help them as the only way out of this dangerous situation through "secularism"  which is not practised in Europe.


Israel is deadly upset about Turkey's  involvement in Palestine  freedom  issue and warned that a proposed visit by Erdoðan to Gaza would be a diplomatic mistake. Turkey's prime minister has said Israel's raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year was "cause for war" but that his country showed "patience" and refrained from taking any action.


Erdogan visit came when Israel  behaved in an arrogant fashion as it always does with Palestinians and Lebanese. Turkey Turkey suspended all trade and defense ties with Israel, following the expulsion of Israel's ambassador over its refusal to apologize for the 2010 raid on the Turkish-flagged ship, Mavi Marmara of peace activists heading for Gaza, in which nine Turks were killed. The nine pro-Palestinian activists who died were on board, when it was intercepted and attacked by the Israeli military in international waters as it sailed towards Gaza's coast on 31 May 2010.

 
 
Ankara was irked by a UN report, possibly guided by CIA, on Israeli attack on Turkish aidship bound for Gaza strip that concluded that Israeli naval blockade as well as sea terrorism is fully justified though it used "excessive force" in its raid. This justification of  the  terror attack amounts to UN admiring Zionist crimes as well as the Zionist blockades of Gaza. The Israeli terror attack that killed nine activists occurred in international waters was therefore "unlawful"  but it was considered by the UN as the  lawful attack.  Although the UN report accused Israel of using "excessive and unreasonable" force on the peace activists, Turkey rightly contests the  validity of the report. .

Turkey has vowed to take the case to the International Court of Justice.  After downgrading diplomatic relations with Israel, Turkey expelled the Israeli ambassador on 2 September and also suspended military co-operation with Israel last week. Erdogan said Turkey was "totally suspending" defense ties with Israel" Trade ties, military ties, regarding defense industry ties, we are completely suspending them," he told reporters in Ankara, "this process will be followed by different measures."

 
 
Further, the Turkish Air Force will identify Israeli objectives as hostile. This will be made possible by the new “friendly – hostile” identification system with which Turkish F-16 jet fighters are being equipped. The source said that fire will be opened at Israeli objectives. Relations plummeted still further when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip threatened to send warships to escort any Turkish vessels trying to reach Hamas-ruled Gaza.

 
Based in The Hague, the pro-US ICJ is a permanent UN court set up to rule on state-to-state disputes. In reality, these ICJ-ICC courts take directions from the White House strategists and decide the cases accordingly. Experts say it is unlikely Turkey will be able to take Israel to the ICJ since, under court rules, Israel would need to give its consent for the action to be heard. Israel hides behind the USA and unleash terror attacks on Palestinians. ICJ-ICC courts never take cognizance of Zionist crimes against humanity for decades of its illegal existence in Mideast.



  III


Having more than tripled in size since 2002, when Erdogan’s Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, Turkey has become the 17th largest economy in the world and the sixth largest in Europe. In 2010, $30 billion, or 27 percent of Turkey’s exports, went to the Middle East and North Africa.

Erdogan began his North African trip in Egypt, the first visit by a Turkish prime minister in 15 years. Turks oppose Egypt’s decades’ long support for Israel’s brutal suppression of the Palestinians. While people of Egypt are eager to free Palestinians from Israeli yoke and blockades, the new military regime partly controlled by the CIA and pentagon, insists that the 1979 Camp David Accords remain the basis for its relations with Israel, despite popular opposition to the treaty and Israel’s flagrant breach of the agreement. However, Essam Sharaf, Egypt’s prime minister said that the deal was “not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion.”


Under US mediation, Turkey and Egypt have had substantial military co-operation during the past two decades, but that has decreased in recent years. USA has expressed concern over the row between the two countries, urging them to "de-escalate" their dispute. Now Washington is trying its diplomatic sources to rebuild the Israeli terror ties with Turkey.

 

A major arms merchant and sea robber nation protected by USA and EU, Israel sells weapons to third word, like India and Turkey to kill Muslims. It is shocking  that Tel-Aviv sells arms to China on concessional rates. But an arrogant Israel refuses any nation that offers arms to defenseless Palestinians. Any ship with aid for Palestinians is attacked and robbed of the contents on international sea.


Turkey used to buy advanced Israeli terror goods and has already got the last of 10 advanced drones, or unmanned aircraft, and Turkey does not plan to buy any more. But it may still need Israeli technical assistance to operate those drones, which play an important role in the war against Kurdish insurgents. In the past, the Turkish armed forces might have been able to stop such a break in relations with their Israeli counterparts. Most of the deals with Israeli companies, like the upgrading of Turkey's US-made jets and tanks, have already been completed. And both USA and Israel are putting pressure on Turkish military to do more for Israel. But this year, bad luck for Zionist regime, the generals are for the first time firmly under the thumb of a civilian government, which is determined to show its displeasure with Israel, says our correspondent.


Ankara faced  difficulties in making arrangements for Erdoðan’s visit to Egypt to include a possible additional leg to Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade for years. Erdoðan’s entry to Gaza through the Rafah border crossing would put Egypt in a delicate position, since that would mean violating existing agreements between Israel and Egypt. The move was seen by anti-Palestine  specialists to weaken Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, presumably because a trip to Hamas-controlled Gaza would challenge him as the legitimate representative of the Palestinians. Meanwhile, Nabil Shaath, special envoy of Palestinian President Abbas, held talks with Ahmet Davutoðlu in Ankara . The two discussed The UN recognition of Palestine as a full member  and Turkey’s intention to seek an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on Israel’s blockade of Gaza.


Some Observations

 

The populations of Turkey and Egypt make up half of the entire Middle East, but they represent moderation, in terms of political and religious moderation and try to establish Islamic democracies by bypassing  Western brands, albeit slowly, and pressured by the Western anti-Islamic terrocracies.

 

Egypt considers Erdoðan’s visit to Cairo a historic one, as it comes at a moment when the Arab world is going through a major change.  Slamming Israel for its reluctance to end its military occupation of Palestinian territories, the Egyptian ambassador said it would be more rational for all countries to question the legality of the occupation before asking about the legality of Israel’s actions, in an indirect reference to Turkey’s efforts to question the naval blockade on Gaza Strip.

 
The Turkish anger could be gauged by the public mood. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Expressing  public anger said the former Ottoman Empire does not need United States' mediation to solve a long-lasting crisis with Israel over a deadly 2010 flotilla raid. He added that the Americans are probably the people who best understand Turkey's position on this issue.  It is expected that Israeli-Turkish relations might be on the agenda among other issues of a meeting between Turkish Prime Minister and US President B.Obama next week on the sidelines of the UN general assembly.


Many Egyptians think they need to preserve the traditional relations with Turkey and all the countries that want to help the Arab world and take advantage of them to create a stronger political front to enhance the Arab states' position against Israel.

Erdogan is also keen the Turkey’s oil and gas company TPAO to resume oil exploration and production in Libya as soon as security was re-established and the construction projects employing 20,000 Turkish workers and worth more than $15 billion is secured.

An impression has been created in the media that as a strong contender for a veto position on the notorious UNSC, which has destabilized many sovereign Muslim nations, Turkey seems to be playing a big role according to US plan for Mideast.  Erdogan has said he will not attempt to carry out his plan to travel to Gaza from Egypt during this trip, but hopes that he can travel there in the near future. Erdogan's visit to Egypt comes amid worsening Turkish relations with Israel since Israeli forces boarded an aid ship in May last year as it was heading for Gaza. USA and UK, leaders of NATO of which Turkey is a leading member, suggest that Islamic strong man  should temper his anti-Israeli rhetoric to avoid upsetting his hosts as the Egyptian government is trying to calm public anger towards Israel, following an attack on its embassy in Cairo.

 

A NATO member Turkey is pursuing its legitimate EU membership for which USA overtly supports Istanbul. Turkey's elevation to fight for the cause of Palestinians has earned a big name and niche from entire Islamic world, upsetting all calculations of Zionist regime. Known close links of USA  with Turkey, Tel-Aviv now feels outframed and isolated. Israeli  attack on Egyptians has further damaged its standing in Mideast and brought Turkey and Egypt  together and stronger.

 

In Cairo, Erdogan reiterated that Islam and democracy are quite compatible and not contradictory. A Muslim can run a state very successfully. Erdogan’s popularity in the Arab world has stemmed mainly from his strong confrontations with Israel, at a time when regional leaders were seen by their people as impotent when it comes to the Jewish state and the West.  Many Egyptians drew comparisons with the late Gamal Abdel-Nasser, whose pan-Arabism and defiance of foreign powers made him a regional hero.




In trying to keep is terror hold over the region with US support, Israel plays Iran against Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt.In fact,  both USA and Israel have projected Iran as a threat to Islamic world more than Israel and obstructed to Tehran’s sincere efforts to secure its territories and people. However Turkey and Egypt have ignored their joint gimmicks and are forging  better ties with Iran. Under threat from Israel and USA, Tehran is now buying from Russia S-300 antiaircraft missiles in order to deter an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.Greece, which diplomatically facilitated the second flotilla’s deep-sixing, is fast replacing Turkey as Israel’s favorite regional military partner.


Obviously, Western interest in Mideast is oil and not true democracy because corporate  sector and their fascist media cannot be the base of democracy!