MEZOPOTAMIA KURDISTAN DAILY INDEPENDENT NEWSSERVICE
Mezopotamian Development Society (Registered) GERMANY
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MESOP TODAYS MOTTO BY NEW YORK TIMES
Merkel, Accused of Betraying Core Values, Faces a Balancing Act With Turkey
By ALISON SMALE
The political costs of doing business with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are becoming clearer by the week for the German chancellor.
MESOP TODAYS HEADLINE : JOINT VENTURE ?
Is Israel forming an alliance with Egypt and Saudi Arabia? (and Turkey?)
Ben Caspit for Al-Monitor – 14 April 2016 – Israel estimates that strengthening Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and maintaining a dialogue with Saudi Arabia are key elements for the region’s stability. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73147
MESOP BREAKING
US ‘very concerned’ about #Syrian regime offensive near #Aleppo http://ara.tv/433zp
MESOP: DICTATORS MEET WITH DICTATORS
Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force who is subject to a U.N. international travel ban, is reportedly in Moscow to meet with Russian officials about the delivery of S-300 air-defense systems to Iran and other matters. www.mesop.de
MESOP TODAYS COMMENTARY : The UK Needs a Smarter Approach to Human Rights in the Middle East and North Africa
09 April 2016 -Jane Kinninmont – CHATHAM HOUSE – Deputy Head and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme
Britain will only criticize the repressive regimes of its Middle Eastern allies behind closed doors. It is not enough: there must be public condemnation too. Activists in the Middle East will be unsurprised by the findings of a Foreign Affairs Select Committee report suggesting Britain’s Foreign Office has deprioritized human rights, citing its relationships with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain as examples. Human rights groups in these countries typically see the UK as less interested than the US or the EU in condemning repression within regimes. Read more http://www.mesop.de/?p=73159
SOUTH KURDISTAN IRAQ)
MESOP ANALYSIS : CRASHING ALL OVER – BAGHDAD ! – Iraq Government Collapse Likely as a Rump Parliament Calls for Resignations
By Patrick Martin with Emily Anagnostos, Rachel Bessette, and Hannah Werman (ISW)
Key Take-away: Iraq Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi faces new calls for his resignation as a rump parliament of roughly 131 members, falsely claiming a quorum, has begun to ouster its sitting leaders. The rump Council of Representatives (CoR) barricaded itself in the Parliament building after an overnight sit in on April 13 to 14. The parliamentary remnant illegally convened a session, voted amongst itself to dismiss CoR Speaker Salim al-Juburi, and elected a new provisional speaker. Party discipline and cohesion is devolving, though the Kurdistan Alliance, ISCI, and Badr Organization – each of which has received benefits in the evolving cabinet reshuffle – appear to have retained control of their members. Senior political leaders are meeting. Longtime allies Ammar al-Hakim and Jalal Talabani met in Suleimaniyah on April 13, presumably to discuss ISCI cooperation with the Kurdish Alliance, while rumors state that Muqtada Sadr is in Lebanon, as is Jawad al-Sharistani, the son-in-law and representative of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Although these leaders may be trying to stave off government collapse, they may not be able to overcome the parliamentary entropy. Street protests have reignited in advance of Friday prayers. Parliamentary means, protests, or force may topple the current government. Click for Graphics + pics: http://www.mesop.de/?p=73161
MESOP KURDISTAN : Iraqi Kurds’ new ‘.KRD’ domain name provokes neighbors / By Isabel Coles
14 4. 2016 – REUTERS – ISABEL COLES – HEWLÊR-Erbil, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’,— Denied their own state in reality, Iraq’s Kurds have declared independence in cyberspace with a new domain name that has provoked the ire of a neighbor hostile to their aspirations.The new top-level domain “.krd” gives Kurds a separate space in the virtual world at a time when they are gaining legitimacy on the ground through their alliance with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. Read more http://www.mesop.de/?p=73149
MESOP MUSINGS ON IRAQ : Abadi’s Reform Plan Leads To Chaos In Iraq’s Parliament
By Joel Wing – 15 April 2016 – In February 2016 Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar Abadi announced that he would replace his cabinet with one full of non-partisan technocrats. This caught the country’s political class by surprise as the premier had not consulted with any of them about his decision. By the end of March he presented his list of candidates, which then imploded with two of the nominees withdrawing their names, and all of the political parties with the exception of the Sadrists coming out against it. That forced Abadi to come up with another collection of individuals, but the chaos only increased with parliamentarians carrying out protests, fights, and even some calling for an entirely new government. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73167
WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA)
MESOP Syria Daily: Rebels & Nusra Foil Regime-Russian Attack North of Aleppo
15 Apr 2016 – By Scott Lucas – eaworldview – Rebels and Jabhat al-Nusra have foiled another attack by pro-Assad forces near Aleppo, holding territory north of Syria’s largest city on Thursday.
Accompanied by Russian airstrikes, pro-Assad forces tried to seize an area near Handarat, hoping to cut off a vital supply route to rebels in Aleppo. The attackers briefly moved into the al-Mallah farms, but rebels and Nusra regained the positions by evening.A pro-regime website tried to redefine the defeat: “[The pro-Assad forces] pressed the enemy defenses to analyze their forces but withdrew before nightfall.”
Jabhat al-Nusra video of the fighting:Earlier this week, an Iranian-led force failed to retake territory south of Aleppo, losing scores of men.A regime-Iranian-Hezbollah offensive last autumn, supported by intense Russian bombing, gained some areas around Aleppo last autumn. However, the surge could not fully cut off Aleppo or seize the Aleppo-to-Damascus highway before a cessation of hostilities on February 27.On April 1, rebels and Nusra hit back near the highway south of Aleppo, taking the town of al-Eis and surrounding hills. www.mesop.de
MESOP GUARDIAN REPORT BY Martin Chulov & Ian Black
Thousands of refugees flee for Turkish border after surprise Isis attack – Syrian refugees flee after camps are overrun by Isis but find themselves being shot at by Turkish border troops
14 April 2016 – THE GUARDIAN UK – A new wave of refugees has fled northern Syria for the Turkish border after Islamic State opened fire on communities that had sheltered them, killing at least three people and uprooting thousands more. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73151
NORTH KURDISTAN (TURKEY)
MESOP jinology”: PKK’S STALINIST KILLINGS – Reliable sources confirmed that PKK also killed two other members [a man and a woman] last month for allegedly having a love affair which is banned by the party
PKK Executes a Member of Its Own – He was allegedly involved in social problems
SINJAR — 14 Apr 2016 – The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has sentenced one of its own guerrillas to death for allegedly being involved in social problems. According to sources, who wished to remain anonymous, PKK sentenced one of its own members, named Abdullah Koub from Muş city in the Turkish Kurdistan, to death on April 6, charging him with social problems in their community. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73153
MESOP TURKEY ANALYSIS : THE ERDOGAN DILEMMA – Erdogan’s Greatest Challenge is from Within His Own Party
April 15 – eaworldview – Daniel Round writes for EA:
Since the resounding victory of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey’s Parliamentary elections last November, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has consolidated his position and is looking to major constitutional changes that would boost his already considerable power.However, the President’s position of strength has a significant underside of weakness. Erdoğan is facing not only divisions within the country but also within the AKP, with frustration in some quarters at his personal ambitions and autocratic tendencies. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73155
MESOP : THE EU / BRUSSELS REPORT ON ERDOGAN’S TURKEY
European Parliament Slams Turkey Over Deterioration of Rights and Democracy
Deutsche Welle – 15 Apr 2016 – The European Parliament has issued a blistering report criticizing Turkey over democracy, human rights and military operations against Kurdish militants. Turkey dismissed the accusations.The European Parliament (EP) issued sharp criticism of Turkey on Thursday, warning that the EU candidate country was “backsliding” on democracy, human rights and the rule of law, while calling for an end to heavy-handed military operations in the Kurdish populated southeast. Read all http://www.mesop.de/?p=73157
MESOP REPORT BRUSSELS : EU RAPPORTEUR KATI PIRI (NETHERLANDS) ABOUT ERDOGAN’S TURKEY (DEUTSCHE WELLE INTERVIEW)
Piri: ‘Turkey needs to meet very objective candidacy criteria’
Following the critical report, European Parliament Turkey Rapporteur Kati Piri told DW that the EP had to voice criticism because Ankara is not fulfilling the candidacy criteria. “We hope that through this dialogue we can increase the efforts to work on more reforms just as it has been done in the past,” said Piri.
DW: Your report has just been adopted by the European Parliament. What are its main messages?
Read all: http://www.mesop.de/?p=73163
MESOP EXCLUSIV FROM BRUSSELS : OFFICIAL VERSION OF EU RESOLUTION ON “2015 REPORT ON TURKEY”
As last information on this dossier, please find attached the English, French, Italian and German official version of the resolution on “2015 Report on Turkey”, as adopted yesterday by the plenary of the European Parliament and as edited / published by the plenary ‘s services of the Institution few moments ago. Ask mesop@mesop.de for translations.
European Parliament – 2014-2019
TEXTS ADOPTED – Provisional edition – P8_TA-PROV(2016)0133
2015 Report on Turkey
European Parliament resolution of 14 April 2016 on the 2015 report on Turkey (2015/2898(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the 2015 Commission report on Turkey (SWD(2015)0216),
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 15 December 2015 on the enlargement and stabilisation and association process and to previous relevant Council and European Council conclusions, – Read full Text : http://www.mesop.de/?p=73165