This is why Armenian genocide resolution is such a big deal all of a sudden?

[seemslikeadream]

Turkey bombs suspected Kurdish rebels

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3023126#3023126
3023126, Turkey bombs suspected Kurdish rebels
Posted by shain from kane on Wed Oct-10-07 01:27 PM

Source: Associated Press


By SELCAN HACAOGLU
Associated Press Writer


SIRNAK, Turkey --Turkish warplanes bombed positions of suspected Kurdish rebels Wednesday, and the prime minister said preparations for parliamentary approval of a military mission against separatist fighters in Iraq were under way.

A cross-border operation could hurt Turkey's relationship with the United States, which opposes Turkish intervention in northern Iraq, a region that has escaped the violence afflicting much of the rest of the country.
-----------------------------
Turkey and the United States are NATO allies, but ties have also been tense over a U.S. congressional bill that would label the mass killings of Armenians by Turks around the time of World War I as genocide. President Bush strongly urged Congress to reject the bill, saying it would do "great harm" to U.S.-Turkish relations.
---------------------------------------
Turkish troops blocked rebel escape routes into Iraq while F-16 and F-14 warplanes and Cobra helicopters dropped bombs on possible hideouts, Dogan news agency reported. The military had dispatched tanks to the region to support the operation against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in response to more than a week of deadly attacks in southeastern Turkey.



Read more: http://www.bnd.com/283/story/149436.html





Sibel Edmonds and other Whistleblowers Group
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=344





Turkish PM clears way for Iraq assault
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2010021&mesg_id=2010021


Ruffling feathers - will Turkey invade northern Iraq?
Posted by seemslikeadream on Tue Oct-09-07 08:52 PM


Ruffling feathers - will Turkey invade northern Iraq?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1608046

Turkey sent 350 special ops forces south into Kurdistan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1544571

This is so pissing me off -
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1547409

Turkish Commandos Inside Iraq?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1529843

Novak: Bush considering secret military action in Turkey
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1474571
This is my fourth and last time
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1429288

It is really a little too quiet up north right now -
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1472171

Please- watch the north in Iraq - this is going to blow shortly.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1429138

Turkish PM threatens to invade northern Iraq - 250,000 men in the region
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1393490

Turkish security services in possession of videotapes of weapon deliveries by US military to PKK
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1327965






http://rigorousintuition.ca/board/viewtopic.php?t=12870

Ruffling feathers - Will Turkey invade northern Iraq?
Key Points
Turkey's government is under pressure to attack rebel Kurdish bases in Iraq after the ruling party's election victory.

The Turkish military wants to launch an invasion to disrupt the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan: PKK) before it can take advantage of growing disaffection within Turkey's Kurdish population.

The government will have to balance the military's ambitions against its relationship with the US, which will not want northern Iraq's stability harmed by a Turkish invasion.


The Turkish military is preparing for a potential offensive against Kurdish rebel bases in Iraq. Graeme Wood examines the country's options.

Turkey is once again undergoing preparations for a possible invasion of northern Iraq to disrupt the activities of the Workers' Party of Kurdistan (Partiya Karkaren Kurdistan: PKK). On 7 August, Iraqi and Turkish Prime Ministers Nouri al-Maliki and Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly work towards ending the PKK presence in Iraq. The decision followed Turkey's July general election, won by the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi: AKP), which saw the opposition parties, the Republican People's Party and the National Action Party, running on nationalist platforms.

Such a cross-border operation against the PKK would not be unprecendented. Turkish soldiers have been fighting the PKK in Iraqi Kurdish regions since the mid-1990s, usually just across the border from Turkey. Every few years the fight against the guerrilla movement reaches a minor crescendo, with the Turkish military weighing the option of swooping into the Kandil mountains to completely destroy the PKK's camps. Four significant incursions were launched in the 1990s and 2001.

So far, Turkish deployments inside Iraq have been modest. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani (nephew of KRG President Massoud Barzani) confirmed in early August that Turkish troops had already begun operating in Iraqi territory. However, their main activity has consisted of preparatory work on the Turkish side of the border, in particular the establishment of 'temporary security zones' in the border provinces of Hakkari, Siirt, and Sirnak. These zones involve tighter controls on civilian movement and could be a prelude to cross-border action.

As these zones and the election demonstrate, attacking the PKK camps is once again being considered seriously in Ankara. Perhaps the most significant reason for this is that the PKK's insurgency has shown surprising resilience by sustaining itself since ending its unilateral ceasefire in May 2004, and there are signs it has taken lethal new tactical turns. In addition, given the PKK's strategic reliance on static camps, the military is confident that it could deal a substantial blow to the organisation in a cross-border operation.

Domestic factors also provide a favourable climate for an invasion in 2007, particularly the ruling AKP's desire to demonstrate its Kemalist credentials. The party narrowly failed to win the two thirds of parliamentary seats necessary to act unilaterally in appointing a president, and so it needs to pander to nationalists such as the National Action Party. Also, a stand-off between the military and the government in May, when the armed forces all but threatened a coup if the AKP's preferred presidential candidate was appointed, demonstrated that the AKP must also take into account the military's wishes in its appointments and policies. An invasion to tackle the PKK is supported within the military and could be seen as a concession to the armed forces from the AKP.

There are, however, obstacles to an invasion. The reaction of Iraqi Kurds, the Iraqi government and the US may mitigate against a cross-border operation, although an agreement could be reached with all parties for limited military operations. Furthermore, Turkish Kurds, who gained the greatest parliamentary representation ever in the July elections by running as independents, could act as a restraint on the government if it requires Kurdish support in parliament.

Given these competing factors, the probability of a Turkish invasion of Iraq is not yet assured. Nonetheless, the Turkish military has pressed forward at the Iraqi border and sent in mine clearance and special forces teams. In August, in the run-up to the Maliki-Erdogan meeting, Iraqi Kurdish media reported intense Turkish shelling and a 1 km incursion into the KRG area in Iraq's Zakho district. These events and the discourse in Ankara suggest that the likelihood of an invasion is at its greatest since 2001. Even if it does not take place in 2007, it is likely to occur in 2008 or 2009.


lots more.........

[hatrack]

1. That, and the Littlest President doesn't want to give up Incirlik & other forward bases

Same old same old.

[roguevalley]

31. Karl Rove has a jones for this.

[mmonk]

2. You're hitting on it.

[MrCoffee]

3. So why did Clinton tell Hastert to pull the same resolution in 2000?

http://www.anca.org/596-hastert.html

[Eurobabe]

5. well, shame on Bill Clinton for that.

:shrug:

[seemslikeadream]

6. Did Speaker Hastert Accept Turkish Bribes to Deny Armenian Genocide and Approve Weapons Sales?

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/10/1346254

Former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds is accusing the FBI of covering up improper contacts and financial dealings between certain Turkish nationals and the office of House Speaker Dennis Hastert. We speak with Sibel Edmonds and Vanity Fair journalist David Rose.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Former FBI translator turned whistleblower, Sibel Edmonds is now appealing her case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In March 2002, she was fired and she has been fighting now for nearly 3 years to blow the whistle on US government failures prior to 9-11. She has faced fierce opposition from the Bush administration, the FBI and some in Congress. This week, she grabbed headlines again after Vanity Fair published a major story about her. What is making news from that piece are allegations surrounding Illinois congressman and Republican Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert.
Vanity Fair alleges that Hastert may have been the recipient of tens of thousands of dollars of secret payments from Turkish officials in exchange for political favors and information. In the article, titled "An Inconvenient Patriot," Edmonds says that she gave confidential testimony about the payments to congressional staffers, the Inspector General and members of the 9/11 Commission. Edmonds says that she heard of the payments while listening to FBI wiretaps of Turkish officials who were under surveillance by the FBI.

Sibel Edmonds speaks Farsi, Turkish and Azerbaijani. She was hired after September eleventh by the FBI to translate pre-9-11 intelligence gathered by the agency. She has publicly accused the U.S of having considerable evidence that Al Qaeda was planning to strike the United States using airplanes as weapons.

Democracy Now contacted Congressman Hastert's office and the Turkish Embassy for comment. They did not return our phone calls.

[seemslikeadream]

7. I think Hastert was the National Security Problem

The Truth Will Set You Free
by Khatchig Mouradian
June 12, 2006

Printer Friendly Version
EMail Article to a Friend
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.

George Orwell


I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. Martin Luther King, JR.


If you want proof that telling what one is convinced is the truth can cost one his/her job in the US State Department, then a public reference to events that happened 91 years ago is as good as any. The latter, it appears, has sealed the fate of John Evans, the (soon-to-be former) U.S. ambassador to Armenia. A career diplomat, Evans had taken up that post, his first ambassadorial appointment, in August 2004. A few months later, during a tour which took him to some of the most vibrant Armenian-American communities throughout the United States, he uttered the following words at a public gathering hosted by the Armenian Studies Program at University of California, Berkeley: “I will today call it the Armenian genocide.” He was describing the deportation and mass annihilation of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire. An estimated one million and a half Armenians fell victim to this state-sponsored decimation, which is now recognized as genocide by most Holocaust and genocide scholars,<1> many parliaments around the world, and even 39 of the 50 states in America.


Sanctioning Denial

People at the highest level of the U.S. government were unhappy with the term used by Evans because the Turkish government, a staunch Washington ally, denies to this day that genocide was committed against the Armenians. Ankara’s official stand maintains that the Armenians were not subjected to a state sponsored annihilation process. The Armenians were, the Turkish official viewpoint argues, only relocated to areas away from the war zone; any Armenian deaths that occurred during this ‘relocation’ fell victims to ethnic strife, war conditions or starvation, similar to the fate many Muslims living in the Ottoman Empire suffered during WWI. Moreover, according to the official historiography in Turkey, the number of the Armenians that died due to these "unfortunate events" is exaggerated. The number preferred by the Turkish government and Turkish historians following Ankara’s line is 300 thousand, but some go as far as giving a ludicrously low figure of around only 40 to 50 thousand deaths.


Successive U.S. administrations are on record of having consistently tried to appease Ankara, from the early 1970s at least, by refusing to use the g-word, despite growing pressure from an increasing number of members of the U.S. Congress and international organizations, which demand proper acknowledgement of the suffering of the Armenians during World War I. Instead, it has become a tradition since 1994 that every year, around April 24, on the eve of the commemoration of this genocide by Armenians around the world, a U.S. presidential statement is released commemorating “the forced exile and mass killings of as many as 1.5 million Armenians during the last days of the Ottoman Empire” <2> but falling short of calling it “genocide,” <3> although, as it is often pointed out, these statements sometimes constitute a textbook definition of genocide.


The issue of the US recognition of the Armenian genocide has been debated more than once in both houses of the Congress. During one such debate in late 2000, Dennis Hastert, the speaker of the House of Representatives, withdrew a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide on the very eve of the vote, after a personal request by President Bill Clinton. Hastert’s press release noted that, “because the President has raised grave national security concerns, he has requested that the House not consider H.Res.596, Affirmation of the United States Record on the Armenian Genocide Resolution. I have acceded to this request.” Acknowledging that the bipartisan resolution “would have enjoyed support among the majority of the House,” Hastert noted that, according to the President, “the passage of this resolution may adversely impact the situation in the Middle East and risk the lives of Americans.” These were the first few weeks of the second Palestinian Intifada.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

9. Thanks, SLAD. I knew you had in-depth information about this. I doubt Clinton knew Hastert,...

,...was pulling a bullshit move at that time. If anything, I'm sure Hastert was doing everything in his power to manipulate Clinton in order to cover his own ass. I have, unfortunately, had to acknowledge President Clinton's gullibility during a time he believed himself on top of the world. His own vanity made him vulnerable: not evil-hearted but definitely vulnerable.

Hastert is capable of the most malignant criminal behavior. I wish he'd be taken down along with ANYONE, I don't care what their affiliations, involved in the betrayal of this nation for personal benefit.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

14. MrCoffee,...has your question been sufficiently answered? Still here?

:shrug:

Questions?

[burythehatchet]

23. Best Republican president ever.

[MethuenProgressive]

4. Because we fly troops in and out of Turkey.

And if Turkey says Stop, Bush's War will end.

[seemslikeadream]

8. Turkey upsets US military plans

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2810133.stm

Turkey upsets US military plans


US troops are waiting on ships off Turkey's southern coast
Turkey's parliament has narrowly failed to approve the deployment of US troops on its territory for a possible war with neighbouring Iraq.
MPs voted 264-250 in favour of the deployment, but the motion fell four votes short of the required majority of deputies present in the chamber.

The vote came amid mounting pressure from Washington, which has ships laden with tanks anchored off the Turkish shore.

In its first reaction, the State Department asked for "clarification" of the Turkish vote.

Turkey will receive $15bn in aid and loans from the US if it allows the deployment.

The motion - if passed in a subsequent vote scheduled on Tuesday - would also authorise the government to send Turkish troops to Kurdish-populated northern Iraq in the event of war.

The US urgently wants to deploy 62,000 troops and more than 250 planes in Turkey as part of its military plans.

Turkey could send twice as many troops to northern Iraq.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

10. BushCO must have made some kind of back door deal that is now unfolding.

You know, one of those hush hush secret deals that the people are not allowed to know about.

The Turkish people practically threatened a revolution over allowing the U.S. to USE Turkey as a platform for the Iraq war.

Anyone suggesting that this resolution will somehow incite more anti-Americanism by the Turkish people is simply buying into a lie, another psyoptic imposition by the BushCO regime. The Turkish people are and have been AGAINST the U.S. invasion of Iraq from the very start. An acknowledgment of genocide that took place before most of their lifetimes certainly is not going to aggravate their feelings towards us. That is a ridiculous claim in defiance of all reason.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

11. I don't see ANY corporate media doing ANY of the work an ethical news agency,...

,...would do about this situation. All I see is a news media reporting government lies and distractions. It's a reciprocal arrangement, apparently, our government and the news media now exercise to the detriment of 'the people' and of 'democracy' and of 'freedom'.

Let's pretend it's not happening.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

12. I forgot to give my recommendation.

Recommended and :kick:

[TrogL]

13. It's been on the back burner for awhile

There was recently a Canadian movie about it that stirred up a fresh batch of controversy.

It's become a matter of several 'international incidents'.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

15. .

[Eurobabe]

16. Ararat by Atom Egoyan, an excellent piece

on of the most moving films that I have ever seen.

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

17. I can't let this go. I just CAN'T!!! People want to know wtf is going on and yet,...

,...information like this gets buried in so much,...crap.

If we are EVER going to stop spinning our wheels and go forward, we must be willing to focus our attention on matters that are relevant to ALL OUR LIVES.

Otherwise, we are just going to be perpetually stuck in spinning our wheels in the mud created by forces that benefit from chaos.

Even "scattered cats" recognize common destructive forces.

[Whisp]

33. yes it was. Thanks for mentioning it. nt

[Eurobabe]

18. HR106 has PASSED in committee 27-21!!

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

19. Whose britches will that crawl?

:rofl:

[HughMoran]

21. OMG! That is the best news I've heard in a LONG time!!!

In your face Turkish deniers.

I can't wait for the floor debate on this one. Turkey has already freaked about it even getting to the floor for debate - well in you face you genocide deniers. I am glad that this will hamper our ability to bring in stuff to Iraq if Turkey reacts as they said they would. This is a win-win in this liberal Armenians eyes.

[bdamomma]

24. great news and parev!!

who were the 21 who voted NO.

[Eurobabe]

26. Partial list, some wrong spellings

was working hard to record as the clerk read:
Wexler
Cantor
Hinahosa
Miller
Scott
Ross-Lethenin
Burton
Blunt
Tancredo
Blake
Pence
Boseman
Barrett
Mack
Fortuneberry
Poe
Inglis
Fortunuous
Meeks

[Eurobabe]

29. Here is the list corrected...sorry out of edit time

Voting in support of the measure were Representatives Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Howard Berman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), William Delahunt (D-MA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D-SM*), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), Gene Green (D-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Ron Klein (D-FL), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Donald Manzullo (R-IL), Michael McCaul (R-TX), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Edward Royce (R-CA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Diane Watson (D-CA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and David Wu (D-OR).

Voting against the measure Gresham Barrett (R-SC), Roy Blunt (R-MO), John Boozman (R-AR), Dan Burton (R-IN), Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Luis Fortuno (R-PR), Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Bob Inglis (R-SC), Connie Mack (R-FL), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Brad Miller (D-NC), Mike Pence (R-IN), Ted Poe (R-TX), Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), David Scott (D-GA), Adam Smith (D-WA), Thomas Tancredo (R-CO), John Tanner (D-TN), and Robert Wexler (D-FL). Representatives Ron Paul (R-TX) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) did not vote.

[Eurobabe]

27. Dude, where are you coming from on this?

perhaps you forgot to use the sarcasm icon?

[HughMoran]

37. I'm not sure where you are coming from actually.

What is wrong with wanting the Turks to be forced to recognize the massacre that forced my grandfather to have to leave Turkey and move to the US.

[KoKo]

20. Why Now would Spinless Congress supposedly go against Bushies on this Resolution?

Armenian Genocide Resolution has been rattling around for YEARS...Denny Hastert has ties to why it was stopped. So WHY would supporting this Resolution against the Bushies be more important than giving the Telecom's Immunity from Illegal Bush WireTapping?

Why Now? Is this a play between the Dems on the Hill and Repugs to make it seem Dems are going against Bush on this when in fact doing this could Extend the Iraq War?

Is there collusion between Dems and Repugs on this...or am I being too paranoid that our Dems would work with Bush to Extend the War while all the time the GAME is that Bush and Dems are in Agreement that bringing Turkey in...and stirring up the Kurds is so important that an old resolution get's QUICK ACTION by Dems on the HIll supposedly defying Bush? :tinfoilhat:

[wuushew]

25. If it means quicker defeat for the U.S. I am all for it

On NPR it was mentioned that 3,000 trucks a day cross the Iraqi-Turkish border.

Less material will get through from the south and at greater expense.

[loudsue]

22. We need a new smilie

for holding your head in your hands and crying like a baby.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

28. Kick! eom

[bdamomma]

30. watch the hearing for those who did not

http://capwiz.com/anca/issues/alert/?alertid=10415921&type=CO

[Bucky]

32. Could it be a back door way to obstruct the war?

It's certainly going to make carrying out the war more difficult. But that seems like a not too useful strategy. It may impede troop movements, but hardly troop deployments.

[Ilsa]

34. I was wondering that myself. If we have alot of fuel and war support

material coming over Turkey, it could slow everything down significantly if Turkey gets worked up over this and confrontations with American troops in N. Iraq.

[seemslikeadream]

36. Thinking the same here also

[lovuian]

35. Turkey has the second largest Nato army next to ours

My You tube video is one hot one
The hatred of the Kurds and Turkey is intense
lest not forget the Kirkuk oil fields one of the richest in the world and oil is going up up up

and Bush has put America right in the middle of it all

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AH-IjStfVBs