MESOPOTAMIA – KURDISTAN DAILY NEWSSAMPLER
Mezopotamian Development Society (Registered) GERMANY – FRANKFURT
THE MOST REQUESTED DAILY & ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE ON KURDISTAN FOR THE HIGHLY INVOLVED PEOPLE – Watch our website : www.mesop.de / mesop@mesop.de
MESOP TODAYS QUOTATION : If you really want to save Syrian children, save Syria
The only way to save children like Aylan Kurdi is to go to war against the psychopaths they’re fleeing. Everything else is just empty noise!
MESOP : WHY NOT GOING TO MUSLIM BRETHREN ? INSTEAD OF EUROPE ?
Professor Paul Collier recently suggested setting up EU-sponsored work-havens in Jordan to ensure Syrian refugees (who comprise 40% of recent EU arrivals) have an incentive to stay in the region.
It would make far more sense for EU countries to keep migrants out of Europe while sorting out who they are (most arrivals come without papers) and then assessing the legitimacy of their claim. The EU might consider paying North African countries to provide such holding centres. Tunisia is an obvious possibility, as is Morocco. www.mesop.de
MESOP TODAYS RELEVANT SHORT CUTS / KURDISTAN – IRAQ
Ninewa Operations Center will be moved from Baghdad to Erbil (Kurdistan region of Iraq) – New anti-IS coalition coordination centre in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq – This is separate from the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center (KTCC) that trains Peshmerga forces – Includes officials from Erbil, Baghdad, and the West (US) – Anti-IS coalition establishes a new joint coalition coordination centre for future Mosul operations against Islamic state www.mesop.de
MESOP : PUTIN GI VES ASSAD A KICK
Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is prepared to hold snap elections and share power with opposition parties, telling reporters, “In general, the understanding is that this uniting of efforts in fighting terrorism should go in parallel to some political process in Syria itself.” www.mesop.de
MESOP CEFTUS : BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN TURKEY & UK / MEET CENGIZ CANDAR & EZGI BASARAN IN LONDON
Dear MESOP,
The Centre for Turkey Studies is delighted to invite you to a CEFTUS Westminster Debate with keynote speaker veteran journalist and author Mr Cengiz Candar and journalist and columnist Mrs Ezgi Basaran of daily Turkish paper, Radikal. This event will take place on 27 October 2015, between 7-9pm, in Committee Room 10 of the House of Commons. Please see speaker biographies below. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64227
MESOP TODAYS COMMENTARY BY JULIAN PECQUET
Could US state sanctions on Iran unravel nuke deal?
3 Sept 2015 – US critics of the nuclear agreement with Iran are turning to the 50 states as it becomes increasingly obvious that Congress won’t be able to kill the deal. With hawkish Democrats Bob Casey and Chris Coons all but ensuring opponents won’t have a veto-proof majority in the US Senate, the states are coming under pressure to pass their own sanctions. The Republican attorneys general of Oklahoma and Michigan, Scott Pruitt and Bill Schuette, wrote a letter to their counterparts Sept. 1 urging them to do just that.“The states certainly have numerous moral and reputational reasons to prohibit investment of public assets into companies doing business with Iran and other countries that sponsor terrorism,” they wrote. “Even if it is true that Iran has relinquished its ambitions for a nuclear weapon and that its deal with President [Barack] Obama will prevent such an acquisition — both of which are highly questionable — Iran engages in a range of other reprehensible activities.” Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64229
WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)
MESOP : WHY NOT GOING TO MUSLIM BRETHREN ? INSTEAD EUROPE ?
Migrant crisis: Why Syrians do not flee to Gulf states / By Amira Fathalla – BBC Monitoring – 2 September 2015
As the crisis brews over Syrian refugees trying to enter European countries, questions have been raised over why they are not heading to wealthy Gulf states closer to home. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64233
MESOP : ISLAM/ARAB SOLIDARITY – The Arab World’s Wealthiest Nations Are Doing Next to Nothing for Syria’s Refugees
By Ishaan Tharoor – Washington Post – 2015-09-04 – The world has been transfixed in recent weeks by the unfolding refugee crisis in Europe, an influx of migrants unprecedented since World War II. Their plight was chillingly highlighted on Wednesday in the image of a drowned Syrian toddler, his lifeless body lying alone on a Turkish beach. A fair amount of attention has fallen on the failure of many Western governments to adequately address the burden on Syria’s neighboring countries, which are struggling to host the brunt of the roughly 4 million Syrians forced out of the country by its civil war. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64243
White House ‘monitoring’ reports Russian military is in Syria
WASHINGTON – Middle East Eye – 4 Sept 2015 – The White House on Thursday said it was closely monitoring reports that Russia is carrying out military operations in Syria, warning such actions, if confirmed, would be “destabilising and counter-productive”. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64247
MESOP OPINION : The horrific results of Obama’s failure in Syria
By Michael Gerson Opinion writer September 3 – Washington Post – One little boy in a red T-shirt, lying face down, drowned, on a Turkish beach, is a tragedy. More than 200,000 dead in Syria, 4 million fleeing refugees and 7.6 million displaced from their homes are statistics. But they represent a collective failure of massive proportions. For four years, the Obama administration has engaged in what Frederic Hof, former special adviser for transition in Syria, calls a “pantomime of outrage.” Four years of strongly worded protests, and urgent meetings and calls for negotiation — the whole drama a sickening substitute for useful action. People talking and talking to drown out the voice of their own conscience. And blaming. In 2013, President Obama lectured the U.N. Security Council for having “demonstrated no inclination to act at all.” Psychological projection on a global stage. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64249
Interview with Mr. Salih Muslim, Chairman of Democratic Union Party (PYD)
2 September 2015 / Washington Kurdish Institute
The Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) is honored to conduct an interview with you to discuss currents events in Syria, Rojava, your fight against ISIS, and political issues in the region. What is ISIS in your opinion? And who is behind it?
SM: The global powers are rearranging the Middle East, and this reconstruction must remove the old and build up the new. Some regional powers took advantage of this situation and created destructive tools such as ISIS and its similar terrorist organizations to implement their regional plans.
http://dckurd.org/2015/09/02/interview-with-mr-salih-muslim-chairman-of-democratic-union-party-pyd/
EAST KURDISTAN (IRAN)
Iran’s Proxy Militia Leaders Pose Threat to Iraq Prime Minister’s Reforms / by Kimberly Kagan
3 Sept 2015 – ISW – Institute for study of War – The power brokers leading the most lethal Iranian-backed Shi’a militias are taking actions to undermine PM Abadi’s reforms. Leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi Muhandis and leader of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Ameri, visited the head of Iraq’s Judiciary, Medhat al-Mahmud. They likely aimed to ensure that Medhat cooperates with their political agenda, and their personal visit in itself – a first for Muhandis – is in itself a threat. While in office, Mahmud can be one of the strongest obstacles to PM Abadi’s reforms. The Iranian-backed militias, including Kata’ib Hezbollah, the Badr Organization, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, all have a vested interest in thwarting PM Abadi’s reforms, especially the attempt to eliminate the vice presidential positions and thereby expel VP Nouri al-Maliki, who has been aligning himself with the militias for months. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64237
SOUTH KURDISTAN (IRAQ)
MESOP : Iraq Situation Report – September 1 – 3, 2015 – by: Jessica Lewis McFate, Kimberly Kagan, Sinan Adnan, and ISW Iraq Team
Key Takeaway: The powerbrokers leading the most lethal Iranian-backed Shi’a militias are taking actions to undermine PM Abadi’s reforms. Leader of Kata’ib Hezbollah, Abu Mahdi Muhandis and leader of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Ameri, visited to the head of Iraq’s Judiciary, Medhat al-Mahmud. They likely aimed to ensure that Medhat cooperates with their political agenda, and their personal visit in itself – a first for Muhandis – is in itself a threat. While in office, Mahmud can be one of the strongest obstacles to PM Abadi’s reforms. The Iranian-backed militias, including Kata’ib Hezbollah, the Badr Organization, and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, all have a vested interest in thwarting PM Abadi’s reforms, especially the attempt to eliminate the vice presidential positions and thereby expel VP Nouri al-Maliki, who has been aligning himself with the militias for months. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64239
Providing Effective Training for the Peshmerga by Lawen Hawezy
Lawen Hawezy is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He previously served at the Council of Ministers of Iraq and as a diplomat to the United Nations.
3 Sept 2015 – FIKRA Forum – There is currently a debate among experts on how the international coalition against ISIS can provide more effective training to the Peshmerga. While some in the US government see building three US-trained brigades from the ground up—with support from the Iraq Train and Equip Fund—as the best option, others want equipment and training to go directly to units already on the front line. Since the United States is currently considering the dispatch of its first full brigade equipment set to the Peshmerga, it is important to come to an agreement on the optimal method of equipping the Peshmerga for its battle with ISIS. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64253
NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY)
Syndicated News
Turkish Parliament Renews Mandate for Military Operations in Syria, Iraq
ANKARA (AP) -4 Sept 2015 – – Turkey’s parliament has voted to renew by another year a mandate allowing the military to conduct operations in Syria and Iraq. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=64241
THE GERMAN KURDISH CHAPTER
Deutschlands muslimisch-demografische Revolution – von Soeren Kern (Gatestone Institut)
Das Anwachsen von Deutschlands muslimischer Bevölkerung – angetrieben von einer Einwanderungswelle, die in der Nachkriegsgeschichte ohne Beispiel ist – bedeutet einen demografischen Wandel epischen Ausmaßes, von dem Kritiker der Einwanderungspolitik der offenen Tür sagen, dass er Deutschlands Gesicht für immer verändern werde.
- “20 Millionen Flüchtlinge gibt es in der Nachbarschaft [der EU]”, sagt Johannes Hahn, EU-Kommissar für Nachbarschaftshilfe und Erweiterung.
- Aiman Mazyek, dem Vorsitzenden des Zentralrats der Muslime in Deutschland, zufolge hat sich die Größe vieler Moscheegemeinden in Deutschland allein im letzten Monat verdoppelt.
- Laut Bundesinnenminister Thomas De Maizière stammt eine große Zahl (40 Prozent) der Migranten aus den Balkanländern, darunter Albanien und der Kosovo. Demnach wären fast die Hälfte derer, die in Deutschland ankommen, keine Flüchtlinge aus Kriegsgebieten, sondern Wirtschaftsflüchtlinge.
- Laut einer Dokumentation von RTL nutzen viele in Deutschland lebende muslimische Männer die Sozialsysteme aus, indem sie zwei, drei oder vier Frauen aus der muslimischen Welt nach Deutschland bringen und sie dann in Anwesenheit eines Imams heiraten. Sobald sie in Deutschland sind, beantragen die Frauen Sozialleistungen, darunter die Übernahme der Kosten einer eigenen Wohnung für sich und ihre Kinder, wobei sie behaupten, “Alleinerziehende mit Kindern” zu sein.
- “Was für uns heute in Europa auf dem Spiel steht, ist die Lebensart der europäischen Bürger, europäische Werte, das Überleben oder Verschwinden europäischer Nationen und, genauer formuliert, deren Transformation zur Unkenntlichkeit. Heute geht es nicht nur um die Frage, in welchem Europa wir leben wollen, sondern darum, ob das, was wir als Europa begreifen, in Zukunft überhaupt noch existieren wird”.
KOMMENTAR : Alles bekommen, nichts geben – VON THOMAS VON DER OSTEN-SACKEN
Auch dem Iran unterlaufen Fehler. Da wurde ein Dokument kurz online publiziert, das eigentlich nur zur internen Verwendung bestimmt war:
Details of the nuclear talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the Security Council plus Germany have been made public thanks to Abbas Araghchi, an Iranian deputy nuclear negotiator – much to Araghchi’s dismay. The website of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, accidentally published the minutes of an off-the-record briefing with Araghchi on Aug. 5. The transcript was removed within hours after Araghchi voiced his anger, but the damage had been done.
Und was Herr Araghchi da so erzaehlt, hat es in sich:
Confirming this is Araghchi’s statement that U.S. Secretary of State Kerry agreed not only to give Iran the right to enrich and move its nuclear program forward, but also to grant official recognition of even the commercial and industrial aspects of the program. Araghchi said this means that the Iranian nuclear program has been certified in its entirety.
Araghchi expanded on this point by quoting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov, who headed the Russian negotiating team. Reportedly, Rybakov said:
“I was telling my associates last night that these Iranians are truly geniuses. They came to get a green light for their enrichment program from the Security Council in exchange for what? In exchange for their sanctions to be lifted. Not only do they not give anything in exchange, but they receive something in exchange for what they receive! Their sanctions will be lifted and their enrichment will continue.”
Der Deal wurde nun auch in Washington von den Demokraten durchgewunken, einmal mehr erklaerte die iranische Seite, dass die Vernichtung Israels und die Unterstuetzung der Achse des Widerstandes natuerlich auch kuenftig oberste Prioritaet habe. Es bleibt also nur noch eine Hoffnung. Dass der oberste Revolutionsfuehrer ganz prinzipienfest ablehnt:
By approving the nuclear deal, Khamenei would be seen by his fellow revolutionaries as embracing the Islamic Republic’s implacable foe, while a majority of Obama’s own legislature repudiates the JCPOA. One would think that such a decision would shake the very ideological foundation of the 1979 Islamic Revolution to which Khamenei and his radical followers are devoted. Hence, there may still be hope for the majority in the U.S. Congress who oppose the fatally flawed nuclear deal: Perhaps the Supreme Leader will decide that he cannot turn his back on the Islamic Revolution by implementing the JCPOA.