MESOPOTAMIA KURDISTAN DAILY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE
MESOPOTAMIA KURDISTAN DAILY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE
Mezopotamian Development Society (Registered) GERMANY
THE MOST REQUESTED DAILY & ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE ON KURDISTAN FOR THE HIGHLY INVOLVED PEOPLE – email : mesop@online.de Watch our website : www.mesop.de
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MESOP TODAYS RELEVANT TWEETS & SHORT
MESOP NEWS : HI DON ! LET’S DO IT ! (NEW YORK TIMES)
Syria Rebels Await Action From Trump on Safe Zones, Damascus Silent nyti.ms/2k8q7ad – http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2017/01/26/world/middleeast/26reuters-usa-trump-syria-safezones.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
MESOP NEWS : SYRIAN FASCISTS – SUPPORTED BY WESTERN LEFTIES
Yes, the SSNP is certainly secular and proud of its diversity and non-sectarianism, unless you’re Jewish… twitter.com/RaniaKhalek/st…
Rania Khalek Verified account @RaniaKhalek
Rania Khalek Retweeted Charles Lister
Your sectarian jihadist friends in Zinki were “moderate rebels” but the secular anti-sectarian SSNP are Nazis? That’s insane logic
Charles Lister @Charles_Lister
So, @TulsiGabbard went to #Syria w. the help of the anti-Semitic, Nazi-influenced SSNP, on a “fact-finding” mission http://thebea.st/2jCTYEe
MESOP NEWS EXCLUSIVE : NISH NALBANDIAN’S PHOTOBOOK ON FIGTHING IN SYRIA
The Haunting Images from Syria: A review of “A Whole World Blind” – January 27, 2017 | Carmen Gentile – The Newsletter – Carmen Gentile has written for some of the world’s leading publications including the New York Times, TIME, Newsweek, USA Today and many others.
The fighting in Syria – and ever-rising death toll of civilians caught in the middle – is so horrifying that many seemingly have chosen to look away.
Though hundreds of thousands are killed and millions more are forced to flee, headlines from one of the worst humanitarian atrocities on record are often buried beneath troubling matters closer to home. Many are all-too-willing to turn a blind eye to Syria, hoping the crisis will simply resolve itself.
But not everyone.
Photographer Nish Nalbandian is among those rare few willing to risk his life and sanity so that others might gain some understanding of the maelstrom of violence swirling in Syria for the last nearly six years. (Maarat al-Numaan, Idlib, April 5, 2014. (Nish Nalbandian/Daylight Books) Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82352
MESOP NEWS TODAYS BACKGROUNDER : A Congressional Visit & A Member of Clintons Party
Tulsi Gabbard’s Fascist Escorts to Syria – The Democratic congresswoman used affiliates of a violent, anti-Semitic political party to take tea with Assad.
Alex Rowell – THE DAILY BEAST – 01.27.17 1:25 AM ET
Tulsi Gabbard, the self-styled “progressive” Hawaiian congresswoman makes no secret of her recent trip to Damascus to meet Bashar al-Assad. But, as an outspoken opponent of what she presents as America’s pro-terrorist foreign policy, Gabbard certainly accepted some strange companions on what her fellow lawmakers are calling a disgraceful reputation-laundering tour of a bloody dictatorship.Gabbard, as her own office has disclosed, took her “fact-finding” trip with a delegation of two men who are affiliated with an anti-Semitic political party accused of using female suicide bombers; of beating up Western and Arab journalists; helping U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah and the U.S.-sanctioned Syrian regime wage war in the Levant.
And did we mention the party’s ideology and flag take their inspiration from Nazism?
Gabbard initially declined to say who financed her trip to Syria. However, in a press release Wednesday Gabbard revealed her delegation (which also included former Democratic Congressman Dennis Kucinich) had been “led and sponsored by” an outfit called the Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services (AACCESS—Ohio). Her statement added she and the rest of the delegation had been accompanied by two men, Elie and Bassam Khawam. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82348
WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)
MESOP NEWS INSIGHT : NO TO PUTIN ! – Syria opposition rejects Russian draft of new constitution / By Yahya Al Aridi
The draft proposes that the Syrian president be elected for seven years without the right to seek re-election – Published: 13:32 January 27, 2017 – Gulf News – Bloomberg
Moscow: Syria’s opposition rejected a proposal from Russia on a new constitution for the conflict-torn country, warning the Kremlin against repeating the mistake made by the Bush administration after the US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussain in Iraq.Russia presented the document in Arabic during a meeting with the chief rebel negotiator, Mohammad Alloush, at peace talks this week in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana.Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that the blueprint written by Russian experts was based on ideas from the Syrian government, opposition and regional powers. Read the Draft: http://www.mesop.de/?p=82350
MESOP NEWS BACKGROUNDER: WHILE PYD/PKK TRAVELS TO MOSCOW – SYRIAN KNC KURDS ARE INVITED IN WASHINGTON
Washington Invites Syrian Kurdish Officials for First Time
ARA News 2017-01-27 02:15 GMT – The US State Department has officially invited the Kurdish National Council in Syria (KNC) to Washington for talks, planned for late February, to discuss their views on a solution for the future of Syria, officials said on Thursday.This is the first time that Syrian Kurds are being invited to meet with officials of the new administration of Donald Trump, who was inaugurated as president on the 20th of January. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82354
MESOP SYRIA TALKS UPDATE : Tehran Sends Another Message to Syria’s Assad — But What is It?
January 27 – By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – Iran has sent another high-level official to meet Syria’s President Assad, following this week’s political talks and the declaration of a Russian-Turkish-Iranian ceasefire which is not being observed by the Assad regime. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, the special assistant to Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani, saw Assad on Thursday. No details were given of the discussion beyond the declaration that both men supported Tuesday’s declaration of cessation of hostilities. Neither referred to the ongoing Hezbollah-regime offensive on the Wadi Barada area northwest of Damascus. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82360
SOUTH KURDISTAN (IRAQ)
MESOP NEWS : FROM BERLIN WITH LOVE ! – Germany Extends Military Training Mission in Northern Iraq
Posted 2017-01-27 00:47 GMT – BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s Parliament has extended the country’s training mission in northern Iraq for another year. Some 150 soldiers with the Bundeswehr have been training Kurdish “Peshmerga” militias already for two years to help in the fight against Islamic State extremists. The decision to extend the mission another year passed easily Thursday with 444 of 557 lawmakers voting for it, the dpa news agency reported. More : www.mesop.de
MESOP NEWS SOUTH KURDISTAN/IRAQ: A PKK PROXY GROUP ESTABLISHED – PKK Forms Yazidi Armed Unit Against Islamic State in Iraq
By Edwin Mora – MESOP – 2017-01-26 20:19 GMT – The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has reportedly formed a new, armed group made up of members of the Yazidi minority in Iraq, drawing sharp rebuke from the mayor of the Yazidi-majority Iraqi town of Sinjar. Mayor Mahma Khalil told Rudaw that the establishment of the PKK-funded Yazidi Special Units (YSU) will “deepen the crisis and wounds of the Yezidi people” and urged the the terrorist group to dissolve the armed group.”We call on the PKK to settle its feuds and conflicts outside the war-torn city of Sinjar since such moves don’t serve the stability and recovery of this region,” added the mayor, referring to the YSU. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82358
MESOP NEWS SPECIAL “FULL DESCRIPTION” – THE RUSSIAN GUIDELINES OF IT’S FOREIGN POLICY (SYRIA / MIDDLE EAST)
Russian FM Lavrov’s News Conference On Russian Diplomatic Achievements In 2016: ‘The Clash Between Pragmatism And Messianism In Foreign Policy Is Adding A New Dimension To The Contradictions… Observed Over The Past Few Years’
In a January 17 news conference, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to media questions after summing up the achievements of Russian diplomacy in 2016. In his remarks, Lavrov stated that in 2016 the world witnessed a clash between pragmatism and “messianism” in foreign policy. Lavrov defines messianism as the “aspiration to disseminate values across the world”, to accord with an interpretation that has evolved and developed within a group of states in the West. Thes Western values, observed Lavrov bore little resemblance to the values that “the grandfathers of today’s Europeans espoused but [are] something new and modernized, a free-for-all, and he further denigrate them as “post-Christian” values. He stressed that these post-Christian values include “permissiveness and the universality of liberal approaches to the life of the individual” that are “indecent on a human level.” Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82362
MESOP FOCUS : SAFER ZONES IN SYRIA !? – LAVROV WARNS TRUMP!
Russia Warns Trump Over “Safe Zones” / DIMITRI PESKOV
January 27 – MESOP – Russia has warned US President Donald Trump not to proceed with “safe zones” inside Syria — even though Trump’s statement appeared to be rhetorical cover for his plan to ban Syrian refugees from the US.Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Thursday: Our American partners did not consult with Russia. It is their sovereign decision.It’s important to make sure that this does not further aggravate the situation with refugees. Evidently, all the possible consequences should be taken into account.In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Trump made a fleeting reference to the safe zones in a lengthy denunciation of immigration and the admission of refugees into the US: Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82368
EAST KURDISTAN (IRAN)
MESOP NEWS IRAN UPDATE :
27 Jan 2017 – MESOP – British, French, and U.S. warships led by the UK’s Royal Navy will participate in “war games” (Middle East Eye), which will include a simulated confrontation with Iranian forces, in the Gulf beginning next week. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82366
!KNOW BETTER WITH MESOP NEWS!” – Iran Positions for Reset in Iraq after Recapture of Mosul / By Emily Anagnostos (INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR)
17 Jan 2017 – The recapture of Mosul can reset the balance of power between Iran and the U.S. in Iraq and in the region. Iran has tolerated U.S. presence in Iraq because the U.S. provided sufficient airpower and training to combat ISIS. It has also backed Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi because his premiership was a condition of U.S. support and because PM Abadi is too weak to resist Iranian control. Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq will likely consider the recapture of Mosul as the end of major anti-ISIS operations in Iraq and continued U.S. presence unnecessary and unwelcomed. Recent U.S. statements suggest that the U.S. may increase, not decrease, its involvement in Iraq after Mosul, which is likely accelerating Iran’s efforts to expel the U.S. from the region. Iran has started to consolidate its proxies in Iraq, including a reconciliation between Sadrist Trend leader Muqtada al-Sadr and senior pro-Iranian officials, in order to both increase pressure on PM Abadi against further Western support and establish Iraq as a base from which it can project regional influence. Iran’s support for PM Abadi’s premiership could also waver, especially if a more pro-Iranian candidate emerges. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82370
MESOP NEWS SPECIAL : MESOP NEWS Review of “ISIS Defectors: Inside Stories of the Terrorist Caliphate” – by Anne Speckhard and Ahmet Yayla – McLean (Virginia): Advances Press, 2016, 372 pp., $24.99
Reviewed by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi – Center for the Study of Narrative & Conflict Resolution (George Mason University) – January 26, 2017
27 Jan 2017 – Unlike other books about ISIS on the market, Anne Speckhard and Ahmet Yayla have drawn exclusively for their original research on the extensive testimonies of Syrian defectors from the organization, Europeans who returned to their home countries, and the families of these people in an attempt to shed light on the inner workings of ISIS. By relaying these testimonies, the authors hope to dent ISIS recruitment through exposing the grim realities of life under the self-declared Caliphate that demands the allegiance of the world’s Muslims and ultimately strives for global dominion. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82372
MESOP NEWS INSIDER SYRIA : Russia Meets Alternative “Opposition”
January 28 – By Scott Lucas – eaworlview – Days after political talks on Syria’s crisis, Russia is promoting an alternative “opposition”, with claims of a draft Constitution to resolve the six-year conflict.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted Syrian figures whom Moscow considers acceptable. Those attending included Randa Kassis, Louay Hussein, and Qadri Jamil as well as Jihad Maqdisi, the former spokesman for the regime.None of those present were from the opposition-rebel bloc at this week’s political talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. The opposition site Eldorar said both the Syrian National Coalition and the High Negotiations Committee turned down Moscow’s invitation.Pro-opposition activists also claimed some leading figures such as former heads of the Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib and Ahmed Jarba turned down Moscow’s invitation.Nevertheless, Lavrov said the “opposition” is setting up working groups on constitutional matters and forming a united delegation for talks under UN auspices in Geneva next month. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82378
MESOP NEWS : NEVER TRUST PUTIN ! – Moscow Never Proposed Kurdish Autonomy in Syrian Constitution Draft
Al-Masdar News – 2017-01-28 – Russia did not offer to enshrine Kurdish autonomy in the new draft Syrian сonstitution, which was presented at the Astana talks, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told a press briefing on Friday.”We have identified an array of issues to be addressed by the participants in the discussion on the Syrian сonstitution one way or another,” she explained. “Tackling the issues related to the format, the way the Syrian state will be organized, the way it will exist and develop is not Russia’s objective. This task belongs to the Syrians themselves, various representatives, opposition groups, the official authorities and so on.” Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=82380
MESOP INSIGHT ROJAVA / WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA) – PYD/PKK REPRESENTANT IN MOSCOW DISAPPOINTED – Syrian Kurds Present Draft Constitution for Federalist State
www.ansamed.info – 2017-01-28 – Kurdish representatives on Friday presented a new draft Constitution for Syria in Moscow providing for the country to become a federalist State.
Speaking at a meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and some representatives of the Syrian opposition, Khaled Issa of the Kurdish Democratic Union party stated that the proposals for the Syrian Constitution advanced by Russia include “many positive things, in particular the elimination of the word ‘Arab’ from the name of the Syrian republic”, although the Russian draft “unfortunately” does not satisfy the “expectations and hopes of the Syrian people”.
The Kurdish representative stressed that the draft Constitution proposed by the Kurds “has common aspects with the Russian proposals”. More via www.mesop.de
MESOP NEWS : ……. Und Merkel reist zu Erdogan !
Dutzende türkische Soldaten beantragen Asyl in Deutschland – “Schicken sie nicht zurück”
- Januar 2017, 12:16 Uhr – Berlin/Athen (dpa) – Kurz vor der Türkei-Reise von Kanzlerin Angela Merkel gibt es Berichte, dass etwa 40 in Nato-Einrichtungen stationierte türkische Soldaten in Deutschland Asyl beantragt haben. Dabei handelt es sich nach Informationen des “Spiegel” und des ARD-Magazins “Report Mainz” größtenteils um ranghohe Militärs. Das Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF) sowie das Bundesinnenministerium betonten dem “Spiegel” zufolge, der Fall der Offiziere werde behandelt wie andere Asylfälle auch. Der Zeitpunkt der Veröffentlichung ist heikel, da Kanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) am Donnerstag – einen Tag vor dem EU-Gipfel auf Malta – zu politischen Gesprächen in die Türkei reist. Volltext http://www.mesop.de/?p=82384