MEZOPOTAMIA 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 RECOMMENDATION : Announcement of KRG Representative to the US Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman’s talk on “US Foreign Policy and the Kurds” to be held at Tennessee Technological University on Monday April 4 at 7pm.
Situation Kurdistan and US Foreign Policy
The Kurdish Ambassador, Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, will give a talk at 7pm on Monday, April 4th in Bell Hall Auditorium (Nursing Building) There will be a reception after the talk – This is a great opportunity to learn about Kurdistan; currently a key region in The Middle East
ALL STUDENTS INVITED!
MESOP TODAYS HEADLINE : PKK/PYD ISOLATED (IS PUTIN REALLY IN THEIR SIDE?)
SYRIA: The governments of Syria, Turkey, and the United States, as well as the Syrian opposition coalition, rejected Kurdish representatives’ vote Thursday to establish an autonomous federal region in Syria’s north (Al Jazeera). www.mesop.de
MESOP – Syria & Beyond Feature: Mapping “The Kurds” / THE PKK TRUST & THE BRANCHES
PHOTO: Representatives of some Syrian Kurdish factions declare federalism in a conference on Wednesday –
Syria’s five-year conflict has brought opportunities for Kurdish groups. They have established autonomy in much of northern Syria as Kurdish-led forces have pushed back the Islamic State and defined territorial control versus the regime and rebel factions. This week, some Kurdish factions, notably the Kurdistan Democratic Union Party (PYD), called for federalism and declared a “Federation of Northern Syria”. However, this is only part of a story of complex relationships. Some Syrian Kurdish factions are opposed to the approach of the PYD, its YPG militia, and its expanding influence. Iraqi Kurdish groups, including the Kurdistan Regional Government, are hostile to the PYD. Click for alle Graphics & pics http://www.mesop.de/?p=72290
MESOP : THE EU DOCUMENT / BRUSSELS – The U-Turkey statement, 18 March 2016 (FULL TEXT)
144/16 – 19 March 2016 – Foreign affairs & international relations / Preben Aamann – European Council President Spokesperson
Today the Members of the European Council met with their Turkish counterpart. This was the third meeting since November 2015 dedicated to deepening Turkey-EU relations as well as addressing the migration crisis.The Members of the European Council expressed their deepest condolences to the people of Turkey following the bomb attack in Ankara on Sunday. They strongly condemned this heinous act and reiterated their continued support to fight terrorism in all its forms.Turkey and the European Union reconfirmed their commitment to the implementation of their joint action plan activated on 29 November 2015. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72282
MESOP TODAYS COMMENTARY : THE WINNERS OF THE MIGRATION POLICY ARE ERDOGAN & PUTIN
“‘Lavrov seems to draw a comparison between Putin and Peter the Great, who relied on ‘tough domestic measures and resolute, successful foreign policy’ to make Russia a key European player.’”
Putin’s long game has been revealed, and the omens are bad for Europe / By Natalie Nougayrède
Through his writings, Russia’s foreign minister tells us what the president really wants – a historic realignment in his favour – Friday 18 March 2016 19.35 GMT THE GUARDIAN – While European leaders believe they are edging towards a solution to the refugee crisis after securing a deal with Turkey, another power watches closely from afar: Russia.A tweet from its foreign ministry spokeswoman said much this week. “The migration crisis has been caused by irresponsible attempts to spread western-type democracy to the Middle East,” was the message from Maria Zakharova, hours before EU leaders were set to convene in Brussels. It didn’t just reflect Moscow’s well-known resistance to anything that smacks of western-driven regime change – it was also meant as a rebuke.Russia has been accused of “weaponising” the refugee crisis as a way of destabilising Europe – a claim recently reinforced by Nato’s top commander in Europe. That assertion may well be disputed. What is beyond doubt is the continuing need to know what Russia is thinking, and what goals it might pursue as it watches the EU confront multiple crises. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72293
WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)
Pentagon chief Ashton Carter praises Kurdish fighters in Syrian Kurdistan
18 March 2016 – MESOP WASHINGTON,— US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday praised the fighting of Kurdish groups in Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria) that have declared a federal region in areas of the country under their control.
The Kurds “have proven to be excellent partners of ours on the ground in fighting ISIL,” Carter said, using a term for the Islamic State group in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “We are grateful for that, and we intend to continue to do that, recognizing the complexities of their regional role.” www.mesop.de
MESOP TODAYS OPINION BY – Kyle W. Orton (AL ARABY UK) (Quoting Tony Badran)
What Kurdish federalism means for Syria / The PKK has very deep and old connections with Russia and the Assad regime
17 Mrz 2016 – Comment: Creating a new state along the border with Turkey would only create further chaos in the brutal violence, writes Kyle Orton. Thursday morning saw two separate but related incidents. First, in Turkey, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility for the March 13 suicide bombing in Ankara that massacred 37 people. The second was a declaration in Syria by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), that they were forming a federal zone in the north of the country. – The link is simple: the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72266
MESOP ANALYSIS BY INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR / SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS
18 März 2016 ISW – International negotiations to reach a political settlement in Syria have resumed, although serious challenges remain to reaching a political settlement. The talks follow two weeks of a “cessation of hostilities” in which the Russian air campaign in Syria decreased notably, though it did not entirely cease. Putin announced that he would withdraw some airframes from Syria on March 15, incentivizing both Assad and the opposition to engage in Geneva. Major opposition demands such as the removal of Syrian President Bashar al Assad from office have not been met, however, and Syrian regime officials have not conceded that there should be an immediate release of political prisoners. Reaching a political deal in Geneva under these conditions will therefore be difficult. The conditions in which the Geneva negotiations are taking place still strongly favor the regime, indicating that a transitional government, if formed, likely will fail to reconcile most Sunni armed actors with the government. The result could actually increase the jihadist threat while miring the U.S. and regional states in political turmoil in Damascus. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72268
MESOP : PUTIN OUT OF MONEY / ROUBEL ? – MESOP Russia Analysis: Putin’s Economic Problems & the Syrian Intervention
Russia Analysis: Putin’s Economic Problems & the Syrian Intervention
by Scott Lucas – 18 March 2016 – eaworldview – Amid discussion of whether or not Russia’s military intervention in Syria will be an additional burden on the Russian economy, Dalan McEndree has outlined the problem for President Vladimir Putin because of a dependence on oil and gas revenues.McEndree’s study begins at the start of 2016, with the oil price nearing $30 per barrel, almost 75% below the level of summer 2014. The drop put the Russian Government in a revenue crisis, as it had budgeted on the basis of a $50 price.Initially, the Finance Ministry proposed to cover the gap through an increase in the mineral extraction tax. But this was blocked by objections from the oil and industry and its supporters in the Energy and Economic Ministries. Watch more http://www.mesop.de/?p=72270
MESOP Syria Feature: How Low Can the Currency Go?
by Scott Lucas – eaworldview – 19 March 2016 – Syrian Pound is now 475 to the US dollar – Syria’s currency, in decline throughout the five-year conflict, has slid further to only 10% of its pre-war value.The Syrian pound is now 475 to the US dollar on the black market, compared to 47 to the dollar in March 2011. Read more http://www.mesop.de/?p=72301
MESOP IN DEPTH : Salvaging Syria’s Economy
15 March 2016 – By David Butter – Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme / CHATHAM HOUSE
While any meaningful reconstruction programme will require considerable external financial support, the reluctance of Western powers to challenge Assad has left his regime in a strong position to dictate terms, writes David Butter.
Summary – Economic activity under the continuing conflict conditions in Syria has been reduced to the imperatives of survival. The central government remains the most important state-like actor, paying salaries and pensions to an estimated 2 million people, but most Syrians depend in some measure on aid and the war economy. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72299
MESOP : THE AUTONOMY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING IN PKK/PYD ROJAVA COUNTRY ?
New Report: Ethnic Cleansing in Tall Abyad? Characteristics of YPG and PYD rule in the areas captured from the IS / KURDWATCH REPORT MARCH 2016
KurdWatch, March 18, 2016—In June 2015, the People’s Defense Units (YPG) of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), with help from the US Air Force, was successful in capturing the city of Tall Abyad and the surrounding areas from the Islamic State (IS). In this context, the PYD and its People’s Defense Units were accused of carrying out grave human rights violations, including the charge of ethnic cleansing. This report addresses the question of how the PYD and the YPG operate in an area that differs significantly from regions such as Jazirah, ʿAfrin and ʿAyn al ʿArab (Kobanî), all under PYD administration since 2012, in that it is primarily Arab. The newly captured areas around the city is only ten percent Kurdish. A further fifteen percent is Turkmen. What methods and instruments does the PYD use to govern this region? What does the human rights record in this area look like? Were there large-scale ethnically motivated expulsions from the region Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72305
NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY)
MESOP : THE PROXY TERROR IN TURKEY IS ALWAYS TERROR “ON THE OTHER HAND!”
Today’s suicide bombing appears to have been the work of ISIS. The bomber, identified as S.Y., was one of a group of 4 ISIS activists for whom there was an arrest warrant. On the other hand, he had in the past been arrested for extreme left activism. – www.mesop.de
MESOP : CEMIL BAYIK’S PROXY TERROR CAMPAIGN CONTINUES – Turkey Developing: 3 Killed in Latest Suicide Bombing
19 März 2016 – REUTERS – Three people have been killed and at least 20 others injured in the latest suicide bombing in Turkey. Saturday’s explosion was in central Istanbul on a busy pedestrian avenue near a shopping mall. A local reporter indicated the suicide attacker was on his way to his target when the bomb went off in front of a döner kebab restaurant. Three of the injured are in critical condition. There have been a series of deadly bombings since last July. Some have been attributed to the Islamic State, but two recent attacks in Ankara — including an attack last Sunday that killed 37 people — have been claimed by the Kurdish Freedom Falcons (TAK), an offshoot of the Turkish Kurdish insurgency PKK. www.mesop.de
MESOP : THE PKK PROXIES COME TOGETHER !
CEMIL BAYIK (PKK LEADER) COLLECTS THE “LAST OF MOHICANS” AROUND HIM &DURAN KALKAN BRUSHES UP PKK WITH ROTTEN ELEMENTS LIKE : TKP/ML, PKK, THKP-C/MLSPB, MKP, TKEP-LENİNİST, TİKB, DKP, DEVRÎMCÎ KARARGAH & MLKP / CALLING THIS DEADLY REST “A glimmer of hope for peoples!”
OFFICIAL PKK / REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT STATEMENT : Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement established for a joint struggle
10 Revolutionary organisations from Kurdistan and Turkey have announced the establishment of Peoples’ United Revolutionary Movement as a unity of force and action formed in the wake of discussions ongoing since December. Representatives of 10 revolutionary organisations attended a joint press meeting in guerrilla zones to announce their alliance with the purpose of stepping up the revolution in all areas including armed struggle against the “collaborative fascist AKP and TC (Turkish Republic) system of sovereignty”. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72307
MESOP : TAK BOMBING-CAR IN DBAKIR AGAIN – WITH THE USUAL PKK DRIVERS LICENCE
18 March 2016 – Reuters – Turkey foils potential bomb attack in Diyarbakir – Turkish security forces discovered a car laden with explosives on Friday and accordingly disabled it, foiling a potential terrorist attack in the troubled city of Diyabakir less than a week after a suicide bombing killed 37 people in Ankara. Security forces informed Turkey’s Anadolu news agency that the car contained 150kg of explosives and was found parked in front of Hurriyet Primary School, a mere 50 meters from the government’s regional office in Diyarbakir. Bomb disposal experts successfully defused it without incident. www.mesop.de
MESOP MIDDLE EAST
MESOP : ISRAEL – SUDAN – SYRIA & IDI AMIN – Will Israel revive its relationship with Khartoum?
By – Akiva Eldar is a columnist for Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse. He was formerly a senior columnist and editorial writer for Haaretz and also served as the Hebrew daily’s US bureau chief and diplomatic correspondent.
With the so-called knife intifada exacting its toll of Jewish and Palestinian blood every few days, Israel is not happy with the voices currently emanating from Arab capitals. But suddenly, among the raucous condemnation of the injustice of Israel’s occupation, a melodious tone was heard from a Muslim capital. – Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir told the Saudi newspaper Al-Okaz March 14 that “even if Israel had conquered Syria, it would not have inflicted the destruction taking place there right now, would not have killed the number of people killed so far and would not have expelled people the way they are being expelled now.” Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72274
SOUTH KURDISTAN (IRAQ)
MESOP : HOW A LUNATIC STALINIST CADRE PARTY DESTROYS KURDISH UNITY / PKK
PKK Taking First Steps Towards Establishing of Garmiya Canton / PKK-affiliated groups created Garmiyan Region in the south of Kurdistan Region
Diyar Aziz – BasNews – 19 March 2016 – PKK -affiliated group establishing Garmiyan region PKK -affiliated group establishing Garmiyan region Supplied
SULAYMANIYAH — Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is attempting to establish Garmiyan Canton through various groups it has created in Kurdistan Region. Read more http://www.mesop.de/?p=72311
‘Hezbollah & Harakat al Nujaba are the twins of resistance,’ Iraqi militia spokesman says
Posted: 18 Mar 2016 11:37 AM PDT – Harakat al Nujaba has a long history with Hezbollah and Iran, in both Iraq and Syria. “The blood of Hezbollah which flowed in the land of Iraq is our responsibility for so long as we exist,” the group’s spokesman said. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72278
MESOP OVERVIEW : Distribution Of Iraqi Forces Along The Frontline
Dr. Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy recently released a new report, “The Future of Iraq’s Armed Forces,” for the Bayan Center for Planning and Studies. The paper broke down the distribution of Iraq’s forces along the frontline. A plurality, 48% of the total, is in the Baghdad belts stretching from the capital to Fallujah in the west and Taji in the north. 20,000 of those are holding the perimeter around Fallujah and in western Baghdad in places like Abu Ghraib. 14 army and Federal Police Brigades, around 28,000 are in Baghdad itself providing security for the city itself. Click for Graphics + Full text http://www.mesop.de/?p=72284
EAST KURDISTAN (IRAN)
Mustafa Hijri: we continue our struggle inside Iran (AGAINST THE WILL OF PKK)
By Rudaw 19 March 2016 – ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party-Iran (KDP-I) says the party has decided to move its Peshmarga forces into the Iranian Kurdistan after two decades of unilateral ceasefire that virtually meant no military operations inside Kurdish territories in western Iran since mid-1990s. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72288
MESOP : QABADS REFORMS ? – FIRST START FIGHTING THE CORRUPTION OF THE ROYAL FAMILIES et.al
Iraqi Kurds Implementing Harsh Reforms to Tackle Economic Crisis
ARA News – 19 March 2016 – Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Qubad Talabani, on Thursday said the Kurdish government is implementing hard-hitting reforms through transparency, reducing bureaucracy and cutting salaries. “The biggest problem for Iraq is not Daesh [ISIS], or political tensions, it’s the economic and financial crisis,” Talabani said. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=72286
THE GERMAN KURDISH CHAPTER
MESOP : PUTIN’S sputnik WEISS ES : PYD NIICHT SCHLIMM FÜR ASSAD !
Sputnik Deutschland – Autonomie-Anspruch syrischer Kurden: „Nichts Schlimmes für Damaskus“
Sputnik Deutschland 18 März 2016 – Nachdem die Kurden im Norden Syriens eine autonome Föderation ausgerufen haben, beschäftigt sich ein russischer Auslandsexperte mit der Frage, …
MESOP Syrien: PUTIN MAG KEINE AUTONOMEN EIGENMÄCHTIGKEITEN !
Russland kritisiert von Kurden ausgerufene Autonomieregion
ZEIT ONLINE – 19 März 2016 – Russland hat die Entscheidung der syrischen Kurden kritisiert, eine autonome Region im Norden des Bürgerkriegslandes auszurufen. “Solche Fragen … Volltext http://www.mesop.de/?p=72280
Russland fliegt mit reduzierten Kräften bis zu 25 Angriffe täglich in Syrien
Sputnik Deutschland
Auch nach dem Rückzugsbefehl aus dem Kreml setzt die russische Luftwaffe die Bombardierungen in Syrien fort. Täglich werden zwischen 20 und 25 … www.mesop.de
MESOP : WHO THE FUCK IS TAK ? – CEMIL BAYIKS 5th COLUMN
Sachdienliche Hinweise von: US Intelligence / Middle East Eye / METIN GURCAN & INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES & AL MONITOR
Verbindungen zur PKK – Das US-Forschungszentrum Startglaubt, dass die Freiheitsfalken frustrierte ehemalige PKK-Mitglieder sind, denen die Arbeiterpartei zu wenig radikal ist. Andere sind der Meinung, dass die TAK von der PKK gegründet wurde, um Anschläge in westtürkischen Städten zu verüben. Die Gruppe habe sich dann radikalisiert und verselbstständigt.Auch Sicherheitsexperte Metin Gurcan glaubt, dass die PKK und die Freiheitsfalken stärker miteinander verbunden sind, als diese zugeben. «Die TAK entscheidet unabhängig, welches Ziel sie angreifen will. Aber in Bezug auf Training, Rekrutierung, Waffen und Logistik ist sie völlig von der PKK abhängig», sagte der Sicherheitsexperte zu «Middle East Eye» Read all Volltext http://www.mesop.de/?p=72264
Irakischer Kurdenvertreter: Waffen aus Russland weiter benötigt
Sputnik Deutschland
Irakisch-Kurdistan braucht „Waffen aller Art“ aus Russland, wie Aso Talabani, Chef der Vertretung Kurdistans in Moskau, zu Sputnik sagte.
MESOP : DER ANKARA – BRÜSSEL – MERKEL VERTRAG / ÜBERSICHT DER ABMACHUNGEN
Gipfel in Brüssel: EU und Türkei einigen sich auf Flüchtlingsabkommen (SPIEGEL ONLINE)
Etappenziel erreicht: In Brüssel haben sich die EU und die Türkei auf ein Abkommen zur Bewältigung der Flüchtlingskrise geeinigt. Das teilte Gipfelchef Donald Tusk mit.Lange wurde verhandelt, jetzt gibt es die Einigung über den Flüchtlingspakt der Europäischen Union mit der Türkei. Das berichtete Gipfelchef Donald Tusk. Das Abkommen wurde einstimmig von allen 28 Staats- und Regierungschefs angenommen. Volltext http://www.mesop.de/?p=72276