MESOPOTAMIA – KURDISTAN INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWSSAMPLER
Mezopotamian Development Society (Registered) GERMANY – FRANKFURT
THE MOST REQUESTED DAILY & ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE ON KURDISTAN FOR THE HIGHLY INVOLVED PEOPLE – email : mesop@online.de – Watch our website : www.mesop.de
MESOP : THE SITUATION NOW !
Europe’s Powerlessness in the Middle East
October 1, 2015 3:43 | Judy Dempsey – Carnegie Endowment
Europe has ceded all influence in its Southern neighborhood, as Russia intervenes in Syria to protect its interests. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65532
MESOP LATEST FLASH : PUTIN & IRANIAN MULLAHS PREPARING FOR GROUND OFFENSIVE
Report: Hundreds of Iranian troops arrive in Syria
Reuters, Beirut – Thursday, 1 October 2015 – Al Arabiya – Hundreds of Iranian troops arrived in Syria 10 days ago with weapons to take part in ground operations in rebel-held areas of northern Syria, and Lebanon’s ally Hezbollah is preparing to join the operation, Lebanese sources told Reuters on Thursday. “The (Russian) air strikes will in the near future be accompanied by ground advances by the Syrian army and its allies,” said one of the sources familiar with political and military developments in the conflict. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65548
MESOP TODAYS RELEVANT TWEETS & SHORT CUTS
MESOP : Good morning, it’s sunny in Moscow. To recap, the world’s most powerful militaries are flying uncoordinated combat missions over Syria.
#Syria: Russian warplanes have targeted Ghantu (#Homs), another village which isn’t under #IS https://youtu.be/4A23YIbyGgY
Russian strikes targeted Syrian opposition fighters on Wednesday, including at least one group trained by the C.I.A. http://nyti.ms/1M3h4ds
MESOP TODAYS RELEVANT TWEETS & SHORT CUTS (II)
MESOP : Lavrov always good for a joke !
Lavrov tells reporter not to “talk to gentlemen while on her knees,” Kerry grins h/t @RachelStoltz cc @MichaelBKelley http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/oct/01/sergei-lavrov-john-kerry-pentagon-un-russian-strikes-video …
MESOP : RUSSIA FACES A NEW SUNNI PROBLEM
In sign of tension re #Iraq cooperation w/ Russia, Iran & Syria, the main Sunni bloc in parliament objects strongly http://www.alsumaria.tv/news/147714/%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D9%89-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%81%D8%B8%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7/ar …
MESOP : THE IDIOT IN CHARGE
GermanForeignOffice @GermanyDiplo 23h23 hours ago – FM #Steinmeier: The recent news about Russian air strikes don’t reduce my concerns regarding the situation in #Syria
David Rothkopf @djrothkopf 12m12 minutes ago – Iraq now welcomes Russia (further) into fight w/IS there. But see Russian moves in Syria/Iraq benefitting not only them but Iranian allies.
John McCain @SenJohnMcCain 19m19 minutes ago – Incredible Obama Admin starting “deconfliction” talks w/ #Russia despite reports of airstrikes on US-trained rebels: http://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=78541ff7-8301-45ba-b0cf-35e9104b46ef …
MESOP : PUTIN HUMILIATES ERDOGAN
Turkish FM on Russian airstrikes in Syria: “this is the last thing we need” – The regional power really screwed over by Russian intervention is Turkey, not the US
Today’s Zaman @todayszamancom 2h2 hours ago – FM says Turkey not contacted by Russia over Syria plan http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_fm-says-turkey-not-contacted-by-russia-over-syria-plan_400365.html …
MESOP : RUSSIANS CONTACTING TEL AVIV
Yossi Melman @yossi_melman 31m31 minutes ago – Russia’s deputy chief of staff Gen. Nikolai Bogdanov will lead next week a military delegation to Tel Aviv to discuss de confliction
MESOP INTEL : WATCH THE DOCUMENT
Means Russian warships will travel through Turkey to get to Syria to refuel planes bombing Ankara’s allies in Syria – Watch the Document of Interfax Russia – http://www.mesop.de/?p=65538
MESOP : SYRIA FACING COORDINATED RUSSIAN GROUND ATTACK
Aron Lund @aron_ld 54m54 minutes ago – Assad allies, including #Iran, prepare a ground attack in #Syria: sources http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/01/us-mideast-crisis-syria-iranians-exclusi-idUSKCN0RV4DN20151001 … by Laila Bassam
MESOP : AN INTERESTING REVELATION
François Picard @FrancoisF24 1h1 hour ago – In #Putin‘s #Syria gambit #F24Debate @michaeldweiss ex-German diplo Joachim Bitterlich @benjaminhaddad French MP Jacques Myard.
MESOP SOUTH KURDISTAN / IRAQ
The Future of Kurdistan’s Oil Sector http://carnegieendowment.org/sada/?fa=61436 http://fb.me/3GwPKpqyh
MESOP FALAH MUSTAFA IN WASHINGTON & THE GERMANS
Asked for German support in KRG’s call for ICC to investigate Yezidi genocide at meeting with Head of Germany’s anti-ISIS division in NY.
MESOP : VERY INTERESTING ! LAVROV’S SPECIAL CHANNELS
LAVROV: Russia is arming the Kurds through the Iraqi gov’t, also represented in Russia/Syria/Iran/Iraq intelligence sharing – @samueloakford
MESOP : INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S POSITION ON SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD: SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Sep 30, 2015 – Institute for The understanding of war – These charts contrast international leaders’ positions on Assad before and after mainstream media coverage of Russia’s deployment of aircraft to Syria, marked here as September 4, 2015. Several leaders softened their stance on the Syrian leader following Russian intervention, undermining the United States’ stated goal of achieving a negotiated political solution in which Assad is not in power. – See more at: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65510
MESOP TODAYS COMMENTARY : Why is Iraq Ignoring US Concerns About Russia?
By David L. Phillips – cnbc Canada – 2015-10-01 02:28 GMT – Iraq has been turning a blind eye to all the Russian transport planes flying over its airspace, delivering weapons to Syria, despite U.S. objections.Russia is using the Syrian conflict to demonstrate its importance on the world stage, and to erode U.S. attempts at isolating Russia after its land grab last year in Crimea.Russia, which has repeatedly expressed its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, admits to transferring T-90 tanks, howitzers, and armored personnel carriers. “There were military supplies, they are ongoing, and they will continue,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian journalists. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65504
WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)
MESOP UPDATE : RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES & RESULTS
Russia’s First Reported Air Strikes in Syria Assist Regime with Targeting Broader Opposition – by ISW Research Team
First Russian strikes in Syria: Russian warplanes conducted 20 airstrikes on the rebel-held towns of Rastan and Talbisah north of Homs City, as well as on the towns of Al Latamneh and Kafr Zeita in Hama Province. In addition, Russia “aided” regime airstrikes in the northwestern countryside of Latakia Province, according to an anonymous regime security source. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the airstrikes targeted eight Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) positions in total. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65516
US Congress hesitant to share IS intelligence with Putin, Assad – Members of Congress want more eyes on the Islamic State (IS). They would just rather the eyes not be Vladimir Putin’s.
1 Oct 2015 – AL MONITOR – A bipartisan House Homeland Committee task force on Sept. 29 released a report on terrorist travel to Middle East conflict zones that bemoaned a lack of international cooperation in tracking would-be terrorists. The report laments the absence of a comprehensive strategy in the United States and calls on European nations to do more to keep tabs on its citizens as they travel to Syria, Iraq and Libya. But the comprehensive report that is six months in the making was partly overtaken by the fast-evolving situation on the ground before it was even released. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65514
MESOP : INTERESTING WELATI ARTICLE – THE PKK/PYD POSITION FACING THE RUSSIAN ATTACKS
المطلوب كورديا في ظل التغيرات الدولية الجارية؟
رئيس تيار المستقبل الكردي لولاتي: التدخل الروسي لصالح النظام السوري وحزب الاتحاد الديمقراطي فقط
2015-10-01 هوشين عمر – شبكة ولاتي
قال رئيس تيّار المستقبل الكُردي في سوريا سيامند حاجو ان التّدخل الرّوسي يخدم مصلحة النظام السوري فقط ولفترةٍ قصيرةٍ سيكون أيضاً لصالح حزب الاتحاد الديمقراطي (PYD) ولكن علينا أن نعلم أنّه إذا بقي النّظام متشبّثاً بالسلطة فسيكون سلوكه السياسي على المدى البعيد ضد حزب PYD أيضاً، لأنّ تسليمه المناطق الكرُدية لحزب PYD جاء نتيجة لضعفه، ولا نستبعد استعادته لتلك المناطق مثل ما قام بتسليمها في البداية, وشدد على ضرورة ان يصر المجلس الوطني الكُردي على دخول قوات البيشمركة التّابعة له، لأنها قادرةٌ على حماية كُردستان سوريا تماماً كما تقوم حاليا بحماية كُردستان العراق في عدّة محاور ولأنها قوّةٌ عسكرية تحترم حقوق وحريات الإنسان. Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65523
MESOP : Systematic humiliations and provocations against Obama/ Kerry / Russian Strikes Target CIA-Supported Rebels
Though Russia claimed yesterday its airstrikes targeted the Islamic State, Syrian rebel groups told reporters that the strikes hit other groups, including some rebels believed to have participated in a CIA-supported training program. U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter noted that the strikes, which occurred in western Syria, were in locations “where there probably were not ISIL forces.” The U.S. representative of the Syrian National Coalition denounced the strikes, saying, “The Russian claim that they are there to fight ISIS is a baseless claim, and that was proven today. They are there to uphold a regime that lost its legitimacy and only controls 14 percent of the land in Syria.”
So far, Russia has conducted approximately 20 airstrikes, according to the Russian military. Russian officials have made contradictory claims about who has been targeted: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in New York that “the rumors that the targets of these strikes were not positions of ISIS are groundless,” but when a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin defended the strikes, he told reporters there are multiple targeted groups. “These organizations (on the target list) are well-known and the targets are chosen in coordination with the armed forces of Syria,” he said. Iran has announced its full support for the Russian air campaign. The U.S. and Russia have agreed to urgent military talks to discuss potential coordination and deconfliction. www.mesop.de
MESOP TODAYS TOP OF THE AGENDA SYRIA / ANALYSIS BY RELEVANT RESSOURCES : Andrei Kolesnikov (Syndicate) / ECONOMIST / FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Russian Air Strikes in Syria Arouse Concern
Russian security forces continued carrying out air strikes in Syria for a second day on Thursday, amid concerns (WaPo) that its forces are not only targeting the self-proclaimed Islamic State. Russian air strikes appear to have also hit (WSJ) areas controlled by rebels, including U.S.-backed moderate rebels, according to a U.S. official. Read ressource persons : http://www.mesop.de/?p=65529
MESOP : PYD/PKK “NO AMNESTY FOR PROSTITUTES” – The construction of the Stalinist oppression of women in Kurdistan
ʿAmudah: PYD excludes prostitutes from amnesty
KURDWATCH, September 30, 2015—On September 23, 2015, the co‑chairs of the transitional administration for the canton of Jazirah, which was appointed by the Democratic Union Party (PYD), signed the legislative council’s amnesty decree. The decree pardons people who were convicted by PYD courts and given sentences of less than five years. People who were convicted of narcotics offences; stealing, smuggling, or dealing in ancient artifacts; counterfeiting; smuggling; robbery; or collecting donations will have their total sentences reduced by thirty percent. All other offenders will receive a forty percent reduction of their sentences. Fugitive offenders can be pardoned if they report to the authorities within one month. People convicted of committing terrorist acts and prostitutes are excluded from the amnesty.
MESOP : HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA) BY KURDWATCH – ONGOING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS BY PYD/YPG (PKK) –
Al-Maʿbada: Asayiş kidnaps Kurdish National Council member ʿUmar Salih ʿUmar
KURDWATCH, September 28, 2015—On September 10, 2015, employees of the Asayiş, the security service of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), kidnapped ʿUmar Salih ʿUmar at a checkpoint in al‑Maʿbada (Girkê Legê). ʿUmar is a member of the local committee of the Kurdish National Council in al‑Maʿbada. The background to the kidnapping is not yet known. Watch full report : http://www.mesop.de/?p=65536
NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY)
MESOP : OP-EDS & ARTICLES FROM THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY
KURDS CAN GO THEIR OWN WAY
By Soner Cagaptay – Foreign Affairs – September 22, 2015 – Turkey’s approach to resolving the Kurdish issue should be rooted in European models and liberal politics, not the Syria war or failed Ottoman-era policies. – In the early twentieth century, as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing, what took the Young Turk leaders by surprise was not that the Armenians pursued independence but that the Albanians did. The Young Turks could understand, even if they did not accept, that Christian Armenians would want to break away from the Muslim-ruled empire. But why should Albanians, most of whom were Muslims like the Turks, want to part ways? Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=65508
THE GERMAN KURDISH CHAPTER
MESOP : PUTIN MASSAKRIERT ZIVILBEVÖLKERUNG / DEUTSCHE FRIEDENSFREUNDE & LINKE SCHWEIGEN UNÜBERHÖRBAR
Russische Luftangriffe in Syrien – “Sie haben ein Massaker angerichtet” (zdf / heute TV)
Aus der syrischen Großstadt Homs berichten Augenzeugen heute.de von schweren Luftschlägen, Dutzenden Toten und Verletzten. Die Angriffe gehen weiter: “Nach den russischen Kampfjets werfen jetzt Assads Helikopter ihre Fassbomben auf uns ab.” Volltext : http://www.mesop.de/?p=65506