Blog Post Looking at the Russian fleet sailing by (eng)

Looking at the Russian fleet sailing by....

Not so long ago, I was in a restaurant & watched a magician at work at our table, there one kid in particular that was smart enough not to look at the handkerchief waving, but on what else the magician was doing. Of course, the kid spotted the secret of the trick and the magician was obliged to quieten him down. 

Fast forward to about 10 days ago, the British tabloids were waving the equivalent of their handkerchief, “the Russians are coming and are sailing down the Channel.” Likewise, politicians and media alike had their field day, mostly on mocking the Russian’s Navy Kuznetsov’s large volume of black smoke coming out of the funnel. And then a whole load of memes were rustled up and everyone had a good laugh. Some media pundits spoke about the majority of the Fleet, having sailed down, well, no, not quite the whole, just about 10%.  There were 8 surface ships in total, with 4 being auxiliaries (tugs & tankers). The other combat ships included:

The flagship: the nuclear powered cruiser Pyotr Velikiy: and 2  ASW- Udaloy class destroyers, Kulakov and Severomorsk.

Just what are we supposed to make of all of that?

A lot of the media fuss was centered on the hot geopolitical chestnut called Syria, more precisely Aleppo.  NATO officials & EU politicians said that the fleet would participate in the Russian bombing of Aleppo and kill civilians. Consequently, at a very late stage, a public campaign was started to ban the entry of the fleet from both and Valletta. It was instigated by Avaaz and EU politicians, predominantly based on calling the Russian group a “fleet of death”(1).   Apparently, it is totally irrelevant that the US & other NATO member states actively provide support to the Saudis in Yemeni airstrikes, where countless civilians are killed weekly. The hypocrisy of the EU has no boundaries. 

NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said in an interview (Oct 26) : “The thing which is different this time is that we are concerned about the possibility that the Kuznetsov carrier group can be used as a platform for more attacks against Aleppo and Syria, and thereby exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe we already see in Aleppo and Syria,” …“And therefore we are following this more closely and we are concerned about the potential of increased Russian airstrikes against Aleppo,”  (as reported by TASS). Plainly, Stoltenberg is trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. 

The Russian Northern Fleet deployment of the Kuznetsov & escorts is not strong enough to change the situation in the Levant.  The banning of the Russian naval ships wasn’t a success story for those concerned, maybe just another feather in their caps.  If anyone had studied the small print concerning the Kuznetsov, they would have seen the stated range of over 15000 km at a speed of 18kts. So there is no need for the Kuznetsov to need to call into a port, (more so one under NATO umbrella). In fact, the politicized bans probably impacted the smaller auxiliary ships the most. In any case, the fleet had 3 support tankers at its disposal, known colloquially as oilers. So, it seems that refuelling & replenishment was undertaken off the Moroccan coast.

Russia is catering for all eventualities. 

In military terms the arrival of the carrier will significantly increase the offshore air defence capacity of the Russian forces located on the coast of Syria, particularly at a time of a heightened level of US –Russian antagonism. An existing undeclared no-fly zone has been already been established by the Russians, with the S-300 & Antey 2500 +S-400 missiles at the Khmeimim airbase. This was a response to the US-led coalition airstrike on Deir Ez Zor in September. However the offshore defence of the Syria coast is currently considered as being weaker; as such it needed some beefing up.  

Somewhere lost in the MSM ”smoke joke” haze, the addition of two cruisers and 3 destroyers will certainly improve the offshore Syrian defensive shield, with the necessary armaments & systems. Russia will establish a strong “no fly zone” over Syria, to scupper the US’ & NATO’s version of one.   In all likelihood, if the US chooses to carry out military operations & tries to take out Syrian airbases, they will resort to launching missiles. The ‘eyes’ in the ships can give suitable warning and ability to shoot-down incoming missiles, since the fleet uses the Fregat and Podberezovik radars . The former can detect aerial targets at a distance of 250 km, the latter at 500 km. Russia is still catching up with NATO on using seaborne AWACS; so for the fleet is a kind of stopgap measure.

As outlined in the UNZ article by the Saker (2), the Kuznetsov isn’ t in fact an aircraft carrier in the Western sense of the word but an aircraft-carrying missile cruiser. The article outlines the Russian Navy firepower succinctly.  A carrier carrying missiles? Yes indeed, the heavy supersonic anti-ship Granit missile to be more precise. Missile power rather than airpower is the key issue in all of this. Moreover, in the worst –case scenario, there is a lot of strike back firepower capacity in the form of Granit missiles; not just from the Kuznetsov, but  the Pyotr Velikiy & soon some nuclear submarines (3).  Another notable point is the fact that the Kuznetsov doesn’t have steam catapults to launch fully armed & loaded aircraft, such as the US carriers but uses a deck jump ramp, which limits the payload of aircraft. Thus, Russian naval MIG 29s & SU-33K are likely play a very limited role in airstrikes, unless they are deployed on-land. Essentially the aircraft could be more useful doing Combat Air Patrols.  

The existing fleet currently stationed off Syria includes the Varyag missile cruiser which has been in Syrian waters since the beginning of this year and also more than likely, a permanent submarine presence somewhere off the Levant.  A couple more warships are also on their way to Syria, including another Kalibr carrying vessel to add to the growing fleet. Recently, the Yantar, a naval oceanographic ship carried out surveying operations offshore and in all likelihood, provided support for the arrival of further submarines.

Ship-launched missiles have been used in anger by the Russians, in highly-visible actions such as the Caspian Sea Fleet back in October & November 2015 with Kalibr missiles launches. 

Setting Syria aside for one minute, one significant area of close & very intense interest, especially by NATO is the Baltic Sea. One noteworthy Russian Navy deployment was of the Zeleny Dol and Serpukhov, 2 corvettes from the Black Sea.   This is took place around the same time as the Kuznetsov deployment, yet it generated a fraction of the MSM attention and this only happened when the 2 vessels arrived in the Baltic Sea. Why is this of interest? Again back to missiles.   Just as their Caspian Sea counterparts, the2  Buyan class corvettes carry Kalibr missiles. This fact alone sent the Baltic states into fit, as these missiles have an extensive range & can be nuclear as well.  

Ultimately, the deployment of the Russian carrier fleet was done as a mixture of PR, blue water training, deterrence of any potential military attack on Syria and also in anticipation of the outcome of the US election.

(1) http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/726261/Malta-refuses-Russian-warships-refuelling-stop-en-route-war-Syria

(2) http://www.unz.com/tsaker/making-sense-of-the-russian-naval-task-force-off-the-coast-of-syria/

(3) http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/726600/Russian-Syria-Aleppo-submarines-Irish-Sea

Post - EU & rest of world - liberal vs illiberal – the mark of Cain

The ideological battleground: liberal vs illiberal – the mark of Cain

The term liberalism has different permutations that render it complex. When viewed in the European context, liberalism is viewed by many as the driving force for the EU; it is seen as the antidote to nationalism & authoritarianism, a panacea of sorts.  A British paper, the FT, recently wrote about an arc of illiberal politics gaining ground through Poland, Hungary & to a lesser extent Slovakia & Austria. So much so, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban stated in a speech in 2014 that he is an advocate of "illiberal democracy" as a response to Merkel’s comments that Hungary should pursue ‘liberal democracy”.

“The insistence by Orbán that he is Hungarian first, and Christian, deeply offended the internationalist and devoutly secular leadership of the EU. This was deviation from the founding principles, which were less about liberal democracy and more about a certain ideology within it.”

 http://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/opinion/hungary-poland-and-illiberal-democracy/

I’ve seen time after time, the peculiar use of illiberal as a word in discourse & policy papers. It is often linked to “illiberal surveillance state, policy”, “identity politics”, “regressive mindset”, or “illiberal governance”. Additionally the proponents of ‘liberalism’ are quite vocal about seeking a raft of sanctions or outright bans on challenges to their worldviews.   

Russia is regularly labelled as an “illiberal state”, because it contradicts the EU ideological stance. Illiberal democracy as a concept is seen as a serious challenge to the “European order”.  The amount time & energy that is spent by politicians & behind-the-scenes policy-makers alike, trying to police those states that dare to show an “illiberal streak” is mind-boggling & ultimately counter-productive.

There is a complete inability on the part of EU elites & the MSM to deal with opposing viewpoints with reasoned arguments.  The EU is supposed to be about having a robust policy on human rights & freedom of expression but instead it is slipping further into a near totalitarian dogma as evidenced by the fact that top-level decision makers are totally unaccountable & ignore the grassroots concerns of Europeans.  Moreover, even elected leaders act in a pushy manner, antagonizing Europeans in the process. One example where Mrs. Merkel has pertinently demonstrated this is by imposing her views to the Eastern European states on how to implement migrant policies.

Increasingly, EU policy-making decisions don't stand up very well to scrutiny and criticism, as can be seen with the raft of sanctions against Russia, which has effectively crippled large swaths of the European agricultural sector.  Another example is the chaotic & whimsical relationship between Turkey & the EU, overlooking the dramatic deteriorating of human rights in the region. The EU by its own nature is elitist, undemocratic & intolerant & has been steamrolling its ‘liberal values’ for several decades now.

Many Central & Eastern European states joined the EU with the anticipation of improved prospects & high expectations for their citizens economically & socially. An overlooked, issue is that most people in these countries are still quite poorer than their Western counterparts despite all of the EU achievements to uphold “liberal values”.  However, in recent years some countries, it could said that the people have a jaundiced view regarding these EU values that have proved to be hollow, as well as a feeling of having been deceived.  So something had to give.  The electorate voted in significant numbers for alternative political leaders, the MSM subsequently pulls out of its hat the ‘illiberal’ card. The MSM acts as a gatekeeper, by serving the interests of the elite, thus widening the gap between the European people   & EU institutions.  It also steadfastly applies the EU core ideology, based on “liberal values”, as one voice; they can easily intimidate & denounce opponents as ‘illiberal’ that try to move away from dogmatic EU policies set in stone.

 The EU 'liberals' who are:

• cheering on the uncontrolled migrant waves into Europe; (without any consideration for upholding existing border controls & laws);

• lending their support to so-called 'moderate rebels' in Syria, hell-bent on massacring their opponents;

• shutting down freedom of expression & dissenting views, (mostly due to islamphobia concerns + due toTurkey's demands). No more placards with Je Suis Charlie).

• backing of openly neo-nazi & fascists groups in Ukraine and turning a blind eye to 
  extrajudicial punishments & killings.

But keep playing the broken record of "iliberal democracies"!

Sidebar on freedom of speech in the EU: 1 Could Erdogan charge you for 'insult' in your country? http://goo.gl/t1EQmH

Flowers tears and fighting back Des fleurs et à rendre les coups FR ENG

http://sputniknews.com/cartoons/20160323/1036839193/brussels-attacks-media-frocus-cartoon.html

 POST BRUSSELS                                                                      APRÈS BRUXELLES

 1. Sans vision et sans reddition de comptes, l'UE est à la dérive.

 Lu sur EEChO:

Mais on ne comprendra ces actes qu’en considérant les facteurs déterminants du terrorisme :

•     l’existence d’une doctrine, d’un corpus idéologique, permettant de justifier le terrorisme (au nom d’un bien supérieur), que cette justification soit laïque, religieuse ou autre encore ;

•     l’existence de grands intérêts (Etats, groupes à visée de domination politique ou idéologique),  prêts à financer et/ou à armer des groupes et des actions terroristes en vue de se servir d’eux ;

•     l’existence de franges de population idéologiquement prêtes à soutenir ces groupes ou actions, voire à s’y engager.

http://www.eecho.fr/bruxelles-l-echo-du-jihad/

Without a vision or accountability, the EU is rudderless.

But we will only understand these acts only by considering the determining factors of terrorism :

• the existence of a doctrine or a corpus of ideology,  justifying terrorism (in the name of a higher being), regardless of whether this justification is secular, religious or other ;
• the existence of big interests (States, groups aiming for political or ideological domination), ready to  finance and/or arm groups and terrorist actions in order to use them ;
• the existence of parts of the population ideologically ready to support such groups or actions, or even to commit to it.

 2. Une politique étrangère cohérente - Turquie   A more coherent foreign policy  - Turkey


"La première mesure que je dis depuis X temps, c'est de demander l'exclusion de la Turquie de l'OTAN. De dire aujourd'hui: la Turquie qui est un membre de l'OTAN, ou on l'exclu de l'OTAN ou elle stoppe complètement son affaire… la Turquie a une grande armée, si elle voulait bloquer sa frontière elle pourrait le faire, hors elle ne le fait pas, elle préfère aller tirer sur les Kurdes — qui représentent 15 millions de personnes et constituent 20% de sa population — on est totalement complice de ce qui se passe aussi avec la Turquie. Regardez Angela Merkel qui va discuter avec les Turcs et on paie les Turcs, alors qu'ils sont partie prenante de cette guerre".
 Le général Jean-Bernard Pinatel
 https://fr.sputniknews.com/points_de_vue/201603241023653188-attentats-terrorisme-prevention/

“We also need tougher prosecution of teenage delinquents who are set free even if they have committed a dozen crimes before. We also need to exclude Turkey from NATO. We should tell them you have an army big enough to close the border. Instead, you are pounding the Kurds, who account for 20 percent of your population.”

“We are actually helping the Turks do what they are doing. Look at Angela Merkel, who is negotiating with Turkey. We are paying the Turks who are an active side in this war,” General Pinatel emphasized.

 http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160325/1036943834/france-terrorism-experts.html

3. On ne s'en sortira pas avec des fleurs et des bougies. Il faut se préparer à prendre et à rendre les coups.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/societe/2016/03/23/31003-20160323ARTFIG00267-thibault-de-montbrial-en-france-on-trouve-des-dizaines-de-molenbeek.php

We won’t come out of this with flowers and candles. It is necessary to be prepared to fight back.

Thibault de Montbrial : «En France, on trouve des dizaines de Molenbeek»

« In France, we can find dozens of Molenbeeks »

"The measures put in place since November in France are going in the right direction. But the priority, however, it is to change your state of mind. We are coming out of a period of seventy years of peace. This time is now over, we are being attacked on our territory and its defence must be totally reorganised in the light of this new situation. "

« Les mesures mises en place depuis novembre en France vont dans le bon sens. Mais la priorité, c'est cependant de changer d'état d'esprit. Nous sortons d'une période de soixante-dix ans de paix. Ce temps est aujourd'hui révolu, nous sommes attaqués sur notre territoire et il faut totalement réorganiser sa défense à l'aune de cette nouvelle donne. »

"That means breaking with the lofty naïve optimism, a recurring theme of many elites, including political and media ones, still reluctant to name the enemy. It is also necessary to review the organization of security at the European level. "

« Cela implique en amont de rompre avec l'angélisme récurrent de nombreuses élites, notamment politiques et médiatiques, encore réticentes à nommer l'ennemi. Il faut aussi revoir l'organisation de la sécurité à l'échelle européenne. »

The countries of Europe are attacked for what they are and what they represent. This is not the terrorism that makes us the war. The radical islamists, who use the means of terrorism to demonstrate the triumph of political islamic politics. It is a war of conquest.

Les pays d'Europe sont attaqués pour ce qu'ils sont et ce qu'ils représentent. Ce n'est pas le terrorisme qui nous fait la guerre. Ce sont les islamistes radicaux, qui utilisent le moyen du terrorisme pour faire triompher l'islamisme politique. C'est une guerre de conquête.

The situation has nothing to do with the waves of attacks that we were hit in the 1980s or 1990s. Today, the attacks are perpetrated by EU nationals, born and bred here, and who hate us. They are no longer a few dozen, but thousands. They have a significant support of a part of the population, particularly in terms of logistics. In France, there are dozens of Molenbeek, as pointed out in last Sunday by Patrice Ribeiro, General Secretary of Synergie-officers [Police Union]. It is only with a complete lucidity that this phenomenon that we will be able to carry out the security policies and regain our values as necessary.

La situation n'a plus rien à voir avec les vagues d'attentats qui nous ont frappés dans les années 1980 ou 1990. Aujourd'hui, les attaques sont perpétrées par des ressortissants européens, nés et élevés ici, et qui nous haïssent. Ils ne sont plus quelques dizaines, mais des milliers. Ils bénéficient d'un soutien significatif d'une partie de la population, notamment sur le plan logistique. En France, on trouve des dizaines de Molenbeek, comme le rappelait dimanche dernier Patrice Ribeiro, le Secrétaire Général de Synergie-officiers. Ce n'est qu'en ayant une lucidité totale sur ce phénomène que nous pourrons mener les politiques de sécurité et de reconquête de nos valeurs qui s'imposent.

Finally, in order to keep on time and avoid a collapse is perfectly possible when we examine our weaknesses, we must also work on resilience: anticipating the risks, know how to react during attacks, to bounce back afterwards. In this regard, the tears of Federica Mogherini are shocking. We won’t come out of this with flowers and candles. It is necessary to be prepared to fight back. This will only be possible by associating and involving the population, by explaining the reality without frills, and in empowering them. Every citizen must be aware that he has a role to play to get through the upcoming trials.

Enfin, pour tenir sur la durée et éviter un effondrement parfaitement possible quand on analyse nos faiblesses, il faut également travailler la résilience: anticiper les risques, savoir réagir lors des attaques, rebondir après. À cet égard, les larmes de Federica Mogherini sont consternantes. On ne s'en sortira pas avec des fleurs et des bougies. Il faut se préparer à prendre et à rendre les coups. Ce ne sera possible qu'en associant et en impliquant la population, en lui expliquant la réalité sans fard, et en la responsabilisant. Chaque citoyen doit ainsi être conscient qu'il a un rôle à jouer pour traverser les épreuves qui s'annoncent.

Some comments on the article:

“When will there be a strong European military action in Syria with the re-colonization of the conquered territories, and a substantial strengthening of our police forces ?”

"Here is the result of decades of deception from our elected officials. Impossible to speak of ethnic concentrations : you are a racist. Impossible to speak of lawless zones: you are intolerant. Impossible to speak of the damage and nocturnal urban nuisance: you don't like the youth [euphemism for certain types of people]. Impossible to talk about the impunity of the thugs and traffickers : you are an extremist. Impossible to speak of the distress of the police, and now police : they are paying for it ...

Who are the big winners : our elected officials have won elections by selling our streets, our safety and our future for a ballot. "

I invite you all to take a week of vacation in roubaix (Nord), you will find all the exoticism of a good medium-sized city in France!

But hey, as some might say in the reading of this text, "FN" and yet I've still never voted for them ...”

Des commentaires

 A quand une action militaire européenne forte en Syrie avec recolonisation des territoires conquis et un renforcement substantiel de nos forces de police ?

« Voici le résultat de décennies de tromperie de nos élus. Impossible de parler de concentrations ethniques : vous êtes raciste. Impossible de parler de zones de non droit : vous êtes intolérant. Impossible de parler des dégradations urbaines et des nuisances nocturnes : vous n'aimez pas les jeunes. Impossible de parler de l'impunité des casseurs et autres trafiquants : vous êtes un extrémiste. Impossible de parler de la détresse des policiers et maintenant des gendarmes : ils sont payés pour ça …$

Qui sont les grands gagnants : nos élus qui ont gagné des élections en vendant nos rues, notre sécurité et notre avenir pour un bulletin de vote. »

Je vous invite tous à prendre une semaine de vacances à roubaix (Nord), vous y trouverez tout l'exotisme d'une bonne ville moyenne Française !

Mais bon, comme diront certains en lisant ce texte, "encore un FN" et pourtant je n'ai encore jamais voté pour eux ...

4.Video - Les attentats-suicide arrivent en Belgique

Aldo parle des attentats dans des aeroports, celle d'Algers en 1992 et de Bruxelles cette semaine.

Memes causes, memes effets... N'hebergez pas les terroristes! #Bruxelles #brusselsattack pic.twitter.com/mq4F2gVL9c

— Aldo Sterone (@AldoSterone111) 23 March 2016

"26 août 1992 : Attentat à la bombe dans le hall de l'aéroport d'Alger."

 "1992 - ALGIERS, Aug. 26— A powerful bomb exploded in a packed Algiers airport terminal today, killing 9 people and wounding more than 100....."

 "La société occidentale n'est pas si différente, elle a les mêmes démons, elle a aussi ses dogmes (...) Le jour où les Européens aimeront plus leurs enfants que leurs dogmes, ils commenceront à trouver une solution  (...) Les dogmes sont devenus des idoles devant lesquelles on s'agenouille (...) Ils sont devenus plus importants que le sang humain.

5. Cela vaut la peine de revenir sur le sujet des fleurs.

Attentats à Bruxelles : "Les foules sentimentales ne veulent pas rentrer dans l'Histoire", dit Éric Zemmour sur RTL:

"On a nos pancartes et nos fleurs, nos slogans débiles et nos larmes"

  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ztdo2_attentats-a-bruxelles-les-foules-sentimentales-ne-veulent-pas-rentrer-dans-l-histoire-dit-eric-zemmo_news

6. 

 "Quand une bombe saute dans un métro, ils publient sur les réseaux sociaux des symboles de paix et chantent Imagine ou Give Peace a Chance. Il y a peut-être quelque chose de beau dans cette conviction sincère que l’amour nous sauvera. Il y a aussi peut-être une forme de naïveté aussi exaspérante que paralysante. Car en attendant la parousie, en attendant cette sublime délivrance, ce ne sont pas les déclarations de paix qui sauveront les peuples et les protégeront mais la résolution à faire la guerre à un ennemi intérieur et extérieur, l’islam radical, qui s’est décidé quant à lui à humilier et soumettre la civilisation européenne." 

Mathieu Bock-Côté

http://www.causeur.fr/attentats-bruxelles-terrorisme-guerre-paix-37414.html 



 7.

 

Defenders of the Fatherland Day - Russia Video repost

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defender_of_the_Fatherland_Day

The military holiday  evolved over time to become Russia’s  counterpart to Women’s Day on March 8th.

Also known as Men's Day (Russian: День Мужчин) since  women often give small gifts to their male family members, partners or co-workers. 

Ну и поздравление мужчинам от девушки из ОМОНа. (к сведению - это четыре этажа и она тренировалась по "высотке") ;)

Ну и поздравление мужчинам от девушки из ОМОНа. (к сведению - это четыре этажа и она тренировалась по "высотке") ;) pic.twitter.com/HDeqU57Pdw

— Московский ОМОН (@OMON_Moscow) February 23, 2016

Repost: FR compte rendu d'Alep - rebelles modérés

SYRIE  

Traduit de l’anglais : http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Vicar-of-Aleppo:-moderate-front-no-better-than-jihadists,-bombing-civilians-and-not-seeking-peace-36685.html  

Vicaire d'Alep: Le front "modérés" ne sont pas mieux que les djihadistes, bombardent les civils et de ne cherche pas la paix. 

 Mgr Georges Abou Khazen dit que les civils dans la ville sont "sous un bombardement continu". Dans les quartiers chrétiens, il y a au moins quatre morts et plus de 15 blessés avec des maisons et bâtiments endommagés. L'origine de la violence est les soi-disant "opposition modérée". Ankara bombarde de positions Kurdes en Syrie et réclame (avec Riyad) des troupes au sol. Alep (AsiaNews) - "Nous avons subi un bombardement continu au cours de ces derniers jours dans la ville d'Alep avec des morts, des blessés et destruction." Dans la soirée précédente " nous avons eu quatre morts et plus de 15 blessés dans nos quartiers, en plus des maisons et des bâtiments endommagés. Et ces attaques sont menées par la soi-disant "opposition modérée".

Ceci est le désespéré appel lancé par le Vicaire Apostolique d'Alep, des Latins, Mons. Georges Abou Khazen, qui, dans un message envoyé à AsiaNews pointe du doigt au front défendu et soutenu par l'Occident, avec la Turquie et l'Arabie Saoudite. "Ces bombardements, dit le prélat – proviennent du front du soi-disant "modérés", et en tant que tel défendu, protégé et renforcé. En réalité, ils ne sont pas différents des autres djihadistes [État Islamique (EI) et le Front Nusra], sauf que (les noms) sur le papier.

Pendant ce temps, les combats se sont intensifiés autour de la deuxième ville la plus importante de la Syrie, dans le nord du pays. La ville a été divisée en deux depuis 2012, ou la partie ouest est sous le contrôle de Damas et le secteur est sous le contrôle des rebelles. Le gouvernement a condamné les activités militaires menées par la Turquie ce week-end contre la guérilla Kurde; qui, disent-ils, est une violation de la souveraineté nationale.

Damas a demandé d'action contre la Turquie dans une lettre officielle envoyée au Secrétaire Général de l’ONU et le Président du Conseil de Sécurité, dans laquelle Damans accuse la Turquie de soutenir les "terroristes liés à al-Qaïda." Ankara hier a également lancé des bombardements massifs contre les positions Kurdes dans le nord de la province et aurait permis l'entrée par le biais de ses frontières des centaines de combattants considérés comme des "soldats turcs" ou des "mercenaires".

Le gouvernement turc considère que les milices Kurdes Syriennes YPG (l'Unité de Sécurité du Peuple ) les alliés du PKK, mouvement illégale (Parti des Travailleurs du Kurdistan), qui visent à créer un état indépendant, qui 'occuperait également une partie du territoire turc, dans le sud-est du pays. C'est pourquoi la Turquie a commencé à bombarder des bases en Syrie mais aussi en Irak, comme signalé récemment par un évêque Chaldéen à AsiaNews.

Le Vicaire Apostolique d'Alep, qui ces derniers jours avait déjà signalé que des "terroristes étrangers" et pas des Syriens voulaient que le conflit continue, il a déclaré que "les étrangers djihadistes ont reçu le feu vert de intensifier le bombardement de civils. Le prélat estime que cette escalade masque le désir de « faire dérailler les négociations de paix » par les « forces régionales », L'Arabie Saoudite et la Turquie ont fait pression pour l'envoi de troupes terrestres " pendant des semaines. "

Le prélat s’interroge - « derrière cette stratégie, il y a t-il le désir d'empêcher l'armée régulière d’'avancer et de libérer la région du terrorisme et les djihadistes? ».

Mgr Georges Abou Khazen fait un appel "pour un fin de ces attentats" et encourage les deux parties à "s'asseoir à la table de négociation", de sorte que les syriens "peuvent résoudre ces problèmes à travers le dialogue entre eux".

 La guerre en Syrie a éclaté en mars 2011, comme une manifestation populaire contre le Président Bachar al-Assad et fut transformé en un conflit généralisé avec des tendances extrémistes et un djihad Islamique, qui revendique plus de 260 mille vies, jusqu'à présent. Le conflit a déclenché l'une des plus graves crises humanitaires dans l'histoire, forçant à 4,6 millions de syriens à chercher refuge à l'étranger, en particulier en Jordanie, au Liban, en Turquie, en Irak et en Egypte. Des centaines de milliers de personnes ont tenté de rejoindre l'Europe, parfois au prix de leur vie en traversant la Méditerranée. Le nombre total de personnes déplacées est d'environ 13,5 millions. (DS)

EN PLUS

"Le patriarche russe orthodoxe Cyrille, interrogé par le présentateur de RT America Ed Schultz sur le Moyen-Orient, a appelé à unir les efforts russes et occidentaux pour combattre le terrorisme, ajoutant que c’est la force qu’il faut employer."

 https://francais.rt.com/international/15799-patriarche-russe-force-cyrille

Press conference Russian MOD spokesman on Syria ENG et FR

INTRODUCTION 

 Cette carte interactive illustre le mouvement des forces dans la region d'Alep :

Animated Map: North Aleppo, bigger (and better) https://t.co/j5mOFDfNxP pic.twitter.com/kijvC2PDDZ

— le_carabinier (@LCarabinier) February 15, 2016

Video in Russian with cc subtitles in English.

 The US antics & the West's joke of a media circus is wearing thin in the Russian MOD.

La tolérance des russes vis-a-vis les les médias occidentaux la Pentagone US arrive à ses limites, trop c'est trop.


Une petite sélection en français en bas: ( a partir de 4m15)

Le porte-parole du ministère russe de la Défense, Igor Konachenkov:

"Les terroristes effrayent les  civils et les poussent vers la frontière turque. Ayant laissé leurs armes, les militants font des efforts pour “fondre” dans la foule parce qu'ils savent que l'aviation russe et les forces gouvernementales Syriennes ne mènent pas de frappes contre des civils."

“Toutefois, les photos de ceux-ci avec les accusations portées contre les aéronefs russes prétendument bombardement voyous de la ville d'Alep, ont été répartis sur  les écrans de télévision de l’Ouest, depuis la semaine dernière. »

….

« Ce n’est  donc pas une tendance  de  commencer de rabâcher sur la même chanson, de portée des accusations à l'encontre de la Russie, de commettre tous les péchés mortels. »

…..

« Un exemple récent »

« Hier, le colonel Steven Warren, le porte-parole  du Pentagone, en Irak, avait déclaré que dans la journée des avions russes auraient bombardé les deux hôpitaux de la ville d'Alep. »

 «Selon ses propos, le résultat fut que quelques 50 000 Syriens auraient été privés de services vitaux»

« Le porte-parole officiel  avait omis de fournir qu’autre chose. »

« de mentionner les coordonnées de l’hôpital et le moment des raids aériens ou ses sources. »

« Simplement « rien »

« Le groupe russe ont pris une nuit (afin) d’examiner les informations »

« Les absurdités des militant des droits humains londoniens est une chose, mais  une telle déclaration d’un représentant du Pentagone qui se fait passer pour un militaire de carrière, c'est tout autre chose. »

« Le ministère russe de la Défense a analysé en détail les données relatives aux engagements de hier des cibles dans la région d’Alep. »

….

Le colonel Warren sera déçu…. 

«Aucun avion russe n'a effectué de frappes aériennes à Alep hier. »

« La cible visée la plus proche se trouvait à plus de 20 kilomètres de la ville»,

« Il y avait que des appareils de la coalition encadrée par les Etats-Unis – aéronefs et drones – se trouvaient au-dessus de la ville. »

…..

« Hier, à 13h55 [heure de Moscou], des avions américains A-10 sont entrés dans l’espace aérien de la Syrie depuis la Turquie,  par l'itinéraire le plus court, et ont bombardé des cibles»

« Le colonel Warren, pour une raison quelconque,  n'a rendu publique cette mission, au sens propre comme au figuré. » 

….

«Je serai honnête avec vous : nous n’avons pas eu assez de temps pour identifier avec exactitude les  9 cibles qui ont été bombardées en Alep. Peut-être il avait 2 hôpitaux entre eux.

« Le ministère russe de la Défense va étudier cela de près»

 « Une attention particulière est accordée à une  situation est semblable à celle de la frappe américaine sur un l’hôpital à Kunduz en Afghanistan et aussi le bombardement des positions de l’armée irakienne à Falloujah. »

« Les premières étapes sont des accusations infondées contre nous pour dévier les accusations contre eux. »

7m37 «Si cela continue comme ça, nous aurons à faire deux points de presse : un pour nous et un pour la coalition, ceux qui se considèrent comme des professionnels»

 Cerise sur le gâteau: 

Le ministère russe de la Défense entend constamment le même vieux refrain que l'aviation russe est en train d'effectuer des frappes SEULEMENT contre les terroristes ISIS.

Les experts occidentaux cultivés doivent savoir que PAS TOUS les terroristes en Syrie sont sur le terrain avec des drapeaux noirs et de l’écriture sur leur dos, d'appartenance à un groupe terroriste.

Les Forces Armées russes en coopération avec les partenaires ont déployé un système d'intelligence de multi-niveau fournissant la détection des cibles crédible.  Les frappes de l’aviation sont menées contre des cibles assignées uniquement après des vérifications supplémentaires des données reçues et l'élimination des risques pour les vies des civils.

En outre, tout le monde sait déjà que les détachements de l'opposition Syrienne partagent des données de  reconnaissance avec nous d’une manière assez efficace. Aujourd'hui, la plupart d'entre eux sont en train de coopérer avec le gouvernement Syrien.

Ainsi, le 8 février, à l'issue des négociations, le drapeau de l'état la République Arabe Syrienne a été hissé  dans le village d’Etbaa (province de Daraa). Des militants ont mis fin à la  résistance dans la ville, et volontairement déposé les armes.

Rappelons que le Ministère russe de la Défense a  abordé  de manière ouverte  les Etats-Unis et les représentants Européens et a suggéré d'échanger des informations sur les coordonnées terroristes en Syrie.

Ils ont pris les cartes russes avec  gratitude. Sans un mot de réponse.

Mais aujourd'hui, ils critiquent le groupe russe en disant que l'aviation russe vole dans les mauvais secteurs et de frapper sur les mauvais objets.

Peut-être  faut-il envoyer des cartes actualisées ?

Le Ministère russe de la Défense a mentionné il y a plusieurs mois, une tendance que mieux la Russie réussi des frappes sur des terroristes, plus  les russes sont accusé des frappes aériennes aveugles.

Malgré, après l’examen des matériaux des médias Occidentaux, il semble que les villes et les villages non contrôlée par le gouvernement Syrien sont occupées que par des représentants temporels de l'opposition et leurs défenseurs des droits de l’homme.

Quelle que soit la manière de «  former et nourrir un terroriste »  – il ne deviendra pas  un membre de l'opposition.

Une attention particulière soit apportée au fait que le Pentagone a récemment conseillé de changer la stratégie russe en Syrie afin d’“l'aider” les États-Unis pour faciliter la transition politique du pouvoir.

Les conseillers  sont priés de noter que  l'objectif de l'opération russe en Syrie est l'élimination du terrorisme, qui représente une menace bien réelle et également perceptible pour la sécurité de la Russie et du monde.

Toutes les questions politiques doivent être résolues uniquement par les Syriens eux-mêmes, avec la médiation internationale. Pas dans les tranchées, mais à la table de négociation.

il n'y a jamais eu et n'y aura jamais d'autres “stratégies”.

Au cours des cinq dernières années, le groupe russe observe les résultats des stratégies Washingtonien de “transition politique” au Moyen-Orient et à proximité des frontières russes. Au lieu du “triomphe de la démocratie” –  (il y a) la dévastation, du sang, des réfugiés.

Est-ce que ce n'est pas la raison derrière le fait que les “stratèges” transatlantique ont commencé à parler de la nécessité de “les opérations au sol” en Syrie et en Libye?

Peut-être, les conseillers devraient arrêter d’être  toujours sur le fil du rasoir ?

Update on Turkey, the EU & European Values

Update on a previois blog entry: Turkey, the EU and European values

1.
http://www.euro2day.gr/news/economy/article/1397081/hontro-paihnidi-sth-plath-ths-elladas.html

See attached documents of the EU meeting with president Erdogan re refugees.


2. Scroll on this document to view the estimated numbers arriving from Turkey by boat:

http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/country.php?id=502

Pay particular attention to the months after the EU Turkey agreement.

Blogpost: Syria Refugees blame game

Drip, drip, drip, the heavy rain outside my window seems to be never-ending.  So is the news coming in from the Syrian border with Turkey. Take for example this latest batch:

• 35,000 #Syrian refugees arrived at southern #Turkish border in last 48 hours, more to come http://xhne.ws/OH9ug
  • Photos from BBC website show thousands of refugees from Aleppo gather at the Turkey border http://bbc.in/1SPCG3O
 • EU says Turkey must keep border open to Syrian refugees http://dailym.ai/1QjuOCX
 • Governor of Turkey's Kilis province: "our doors are not closed but at the moment there is no need to take in Syrians along border" from Sky News.

Yet at the same time, the Turkish forces are still carrying deadly heavy-handed ‘policing’ operations against the Kurds in places such as Diyarbakir & Cizre . It would be unwise to allow loads of refugees into areas that are conflict zones themselves. What is happening to the people displaced by the intense fighting in the Kurdish areas of Turkey? The likes of the BBC or Sky News are being really cagey about it all and will not venture into this news ‘territory’, maybe because it is not part of the usual Western MSM narrative to point out inconsistencies in ‘allied’ countries, especially Turkey as a NATO member. “Don’t dig up the dirt on friends.”

The West’s MSM is ratcheting up the “Assad must go”, “pity the poor rebels” and “Russia is bad because it supports the Assad regime” statements. This has been visibly noticeable before and during the Geneva talks on Syria. The accusations haven’t stopped and have morphed into a strange blend along the lines of “Russia is seriously bad, it is causing a refugee crisis and it is responsible for the Syrian conflict.” Blatantly ignoring the fact that the refugee crisis started in 2011.

The US, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar & others such as the UK & France have helpfully fanned the flames of a brutal conflict since 2011, initially as part of the “Arab Spring” programme, aiding and abetting the destabilization of Syria & consequently provoking a huge refugee crisis. http://journal-neo.org/2016/02/06/syria-natos-last-desperate-options-in-lost-proxy-war/ This was long before any Russian combat aircraft landed at Hmeymim . There were even calls for Syrians to leave and go to Turkey to justify foreign intervention. Take the example of a "rebel" Sheikh Al-Arour ordering Syrians to leave back in 2011. https://twitter.com/theLemniscat/status/696318849902313472 All of this is a huge inconvenience for the MSM, who seem to be more than OK that Al Qaeda in Syria is simply a group of ‘moderate rebels’ to them. Al Nusra & other ‘rebels’ follow a rigid Sharia-based Islamist agenda, but again that doesn’t bother the MSM, being loyal slaves to their political masters. 9-11 in the US is lost to them.  More so, how times have changed since 2011 & horribly so.

The tune created by the US, the Gulf countries & Turkey hasn’t changed one iota over these last years, it is spelt out as” regime change” in Damascus. Nothing else matters but to unseat Assad, unhinge Iran & now upset Russia, hence the continued logistical & military support to proxy jihadi rabble armies to wage a viscous conflict with Syrian government troops & their allies.

Despair on Syria's border: Assad's regime gains ground, hope for peace talks fades https://t.co/oKeDDrNTu8 pic.twitter.com/IKfwMrWGtz

— CNN (@CNN) February 8, 2016

The Aleppo region was hailed as one of the birthplace of the “Syrian revolution” and at the moment the ‘rebels’ are losing people & ground, thus provoking a series of remarkable bellicose statements by the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain & the UAE.  Recently, the US secretary of State, John Kerry asked that the bombing of Aleppo be lifted & in the process managed to send out a rather confusing message on the UN resolution related to IS & Al Qaeda. The latest talks at Geneva were practically stillborn, since the Kurds weren't invited and the Islamists not wanted at all at the table.  Then we get this, the message of doom & horror because the Russians are attacking the 'rebels' is reverberating around, and now waiting to see who picks it up and repeat the information like a parrot to the masses of the clueless West:

From a warm hotel in Turkey,the @SyrianCoalition hold world responsible (subtext: for the imminent fall of #Aleppo) pic.twitter.com/7YHI10Rckv

— Syricide (@Syricide) February 7, 2016

It is getting painful for these countries to see the ‘rebels’ losing so badly and as such Russia is getting singled out by political leaders and the media alike. In a recent stopover in Dakar, the president of Turkey, Erdogan stated that: “the bombings that the Russian lead in Syria have caused the death of 400,000 civilians” and then further added "400 000 civilians have been killed because of the bombing in Russia. Russia is an occupying force. It has an air and naval base in Syria. It does not have a common border with Syria. What is Russia doing in Syria? Turkey has a very long border with Syria. This is not the case for Russia". Moreover, he also said that "In Syria, terrorism is perpetuated by the regime and its supporters.” and "Bashar Al Assad is finished. His actions have made the terrorists divide up the Syrian territory. "

 http://www.lesoleil.sn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47544:escale-du-president-erdogan-a-dakar--la-turquie-va-terminer-les-travaux-de-laibd&catid=78:a-la-une&Itemid=255

The 'rebels' in the Aleppo & Idlib region are allied with Al-Nusra (Al-Qaeda) & so under UN resolution 2249 can be attacked by the Russian & other air forces. Yet the West's keep talking about the 'rebels' without making that essential connection.   It is therefore not really surprising that all of the sudden, several thousands refugees turn up at the Turkish border.  How does the gullible & pathetic BBC know that these are all refugees and  not 'rebels' fleeing with their family PR stunt.  There are literally thousands of foreign fighters in the pay of 'rebel' forces, some with their families, having previously displaced the original inhabitants. No one is really asking the relevant questions.

The 'rebels' are losing ground and fighters, so it is also logical that they are either pressing for more media attention and thus political leverage by pushing out 'people', who are them labelled as 'refugees' to the border region to be filmed & photographed, similarly to how the KLA operated in Kosovo in 1999. On a side note, add in the fact that it isn’t just the Russian bombing Syria these days, since there is also a whole coalition led by the US, purportedly bombing IS positions. So how can the Western press be so sure of themselves and solely blame just the Russian air raids? On whose say so? It just so happens to be 'Russia' so the US & EU media has simply fallen lock-step by branding Russia as bad.

At the Dakar press conference, Erdogan spoke about a forthcoming summit of the Organization of Islamic cooperation (Oic), being held in Istanbul. He said that he was "confident that the summit will make the necessary decisions in the fight against Daesh, the PKK, and Boko Haram ". Erdogan is more than irked at the Kurds, since they are effective anti- ISIS fighters and through military action have threatened to cut off IS from the Turkish border. He doesn’t flinch away from putting the PKK after Boko Haram but before IS. A bit like Obama’s ranking of threats back in 2014 mentioning Ebola Russia & IS in the same speech. It shows the muddled Washington & Ankara mindsets at work here. Yet the PKK has steadfastdly fought against IS over the border in both Syria & Iraq. 

As I write this the MSM are trying to garner public support for the refugees on the Turkish border, even the EU elite is asking Turkey to let them in, while barriers are being built to stop migrants in Europe. But as it stands, the 'refugees' are trapped, where their plight might be an excuse for Turkey to step in and intervene militarily by establishing a buffer zone. Even the German foreign minister Steinmeier spoke about the need for humanitarian corridors again. This has been already attempted back in 2014, with safe zones & no-fly zones being yet again mooted.  The UN-declared safe zones in Bosnia-Herzegovina turned into areas where fighters rested & operated out with impunity.

This time, there is the addition of refugees as useful pawns to provide the necessary justification for a military ground force incursion  Here is a map as outlined in the Italian newspaper, 'La Repubblica':

https://twitter.com/MoonofA/status/696286696208527360 

Is it really part of the propaganda campaign, in readiness for the preparation for Turkish or  US-lead ground incursion into Syria? We'll find out soon, no doubt, given the rapid advances being made by Damascus & Moscow forces. A dangerous geopolitical "Call my bluff " is taking place with a possible military trip wire being put into place by a panicky US & agitated Turkey & Saudi Arabia, done under the guise of 'humanitarian help' to 'refugees'.  So far, Turkey has set up 8 refugee camps on the Syrian side of the border, and is giving tents, food and other supplies to the refugee camps.

NB: According to a NATO spokesperson, the NATO SG Jens Stoltenberg said that  'Increased Russian air activity in Syria is leading to unacceptable violations of NATO airspace'. Neither NATO or Turkey have given any concrete evidence to the Russian government on the alleged incident where Turkey claimed that  a Su-34 fighter jet violated its air space. https://twitter.com/NATODepSpox/status/697022801132331008

As if it wasn't fraught enough, geopolitically with the shooting down of a Russian military jet, NATO now whines about from time to time.

Blog Post: Turkish head spinning antics

Head spinning madness on the Turkish frontier

Update on Turkey’s intransigence and duplicitous understanding of sovereignty over this weekend: this time, Turkish troops have gone into Northern Iraq.


“Turkey will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced, Hürriyet reported.
The deal regarding the base was signed between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu, during the latter’s visit to northern Iraq on Nov. 4.”
 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-military-to-have-a-base-in-iraqs-mosul.aspx?pageID=238&nID=92113&NewsCatID=352

Although it appears that the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi isn’t in the loop on this deployment:“We did not ask any country to send foreign ground troops, and we will treat any sent as a hostile act.”  The Iraqi authorities called on Turkey to withdraw immediately from Iraqi territory:

https://twitter.com/IraqiPMO/status/672506598141612033
https://twitter.com/IraqiPMO/status/672911663381786624

Back to the Hurriyet Daily News article:

“For more than two years, Turkey has had a group of soldiers in Bashiqa, located 32 kilometers north of Mosul, which is under Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) control. The soldiers have been training the Peshmerga forces and other anti-ISIL groups.”

In other reports, the Turkish are said to be training a Sunni volunteer group called Hashd al-Wataniya.  A figure of 2200 Turkish troops, along with tanks have been quoted in the media. The Fars news agency also reports that Turkey is building an airfield in Northen Irak, named 'Bamerne', in Dahuk.

Judging by the flurry of diplomatic  activity,  clearly Baghdad didn’t approve the operation in the first place . It was just signed by the KRG President Massoud Barzani, who just happens to be in bed with the Turkish elites, & actively participating in the Kurdish oil trade & smuggling routes into southern Turkey.  So are the Turkish troops there covering Barzani’s back?

But what the heck is going on here? There seems to more to it than at first glance.  There is this snippet of news on the RT website:

"While Russia is a major supplier of oil and gas for Turkey, Ankara may find another seller, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised speech. Turkey seeks to secure deliveries from Qatar and Azerbaijan amid escalated tensions with Russia over its downing of a Russian warplane over Syria. Russia slapped economic sanctions against Turkey in retaliation, but continues to supply fuel according to existing contracts with Turkey.”

Notice the words: “Turkey seeks to secure deliveries from Qatar…”  Join this up with Erdogan's  shot across Russia’s bow back in October,  he said “Turkey may replace Russia as fuel supplier".  Add in the potential gas pipeline project, which reveals an extra layer in Turkey's latest activities:

“- A pipeline that will start from Qatar and reach the European Union through Iraq and Turkey will truly ensure  the diversification of sources and routes and thus contribute to the supply security.”

ORSAM Report No: 23, January 2011 IS THE QATAR-IRAQ-TURKEY-EUROPE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE PROJECT FEASIBLE?

http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/enUploads/Article/Files/2011110_orsam.katar.eng.pdf

Predictably it is linked to the ongoing spat with Russia that’s deepening by the week.  Russia is probably wondering what to do, if it is possible to help in the region.   Assistance may be potentially provided to the Marxist Kurdistan Workers' Party, (PKK), who are competing for power currently held by the KRG. This would be the equivalent of stepping into quicksand, since it could possibly trigger a serious armed struggle, which would only benefit ISIS and Turkey. It is truly complex. The PKK is loathed by the Turkish government and in the summer it attacked the vital pipeline that runs from Iraq to Ceyhan, causing some major financial losses to both the Turks & KRG.

Predictably there is another twist to this tale: oil extraction.  It is very convenient for the Turkish military group in Northern Iraq to be located right within the oil triangle.  In 2012, Turkey joined in with the KRG to sign an agreement on oil exploratory work. Even Exxon did some preliminary seismic work in the area then, including the Bashiqa area.  This is what Erdogan had to say about the partnership a year later: "Our oil company already has an agreement with Exxon Mobil in place ... This is a step with the KRG on exploration work,"

http://archive.pipelineme.com/news/regional-news/2012/10/exxon-defies-baghdad-to-start-work-with-krg/

 
So effectively, Turkey had said to Baghdad, "move over,here in the north, we'll take charge from now on".  Surprisingly, this fits in with the date of the first deployment of Turkish in Northern Irak.

To recap on the present state of madness: head chopping brutal ISIS steal oil from Damascus & Baghdad’s territory; sell it off through middlemen that include some Kurds, who then sell it to Turkey.   The Kurds & the Turks are supposedly fighting ISIS.  The Western media image of the valiant Kurdish fighter has been sorely abused by the political elites running their off-the-books oil business with the enemy.  It is very convoluted & extremely messy.

Another intriguing gem, is the fact that the Turkish elites have regularly brandished  neo-Ottoman rhetoric.  It is no secret that the Turkish government would like to get back places such as Aleppo and Mosul. Straight from the horse’s mouth:

“The border is wrong. The Mosul Province was within the Ottoman Empire's territory. Had that place been a part of Turkey, none of the problems we are confronted with at the present time would have existed.” 

President Demirel in 1995

http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151205/1031291119/iraq-turkey-kurds-mosul.html
http://journal-neo.org/2015/07/29/the-deadly-turkish-deception/

Giora Eiland in an Guardian article mentioned meeting a senior Turkish official some years ago and  the official said , “but do not make the mistake of thinking that the borders that were dictated to us at the end of the first world war by the victorious countries – mainly the UK and France – are acceptable to us. Turkey will find a way to return to its natural borders in the south – the line between Mosul in Iraq and Homs in Syria. That is our natural aspiration and it is justified because of the large Turkmen presence in that region.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/01/russia-fighting-isis-moscow-turkey

Turkmen did you say?  Wouldn't that be those not so nice chappies that shot up a parachuting Russian pilot?  Turkey 

Other linked information on Turkey:

http://lepontduhadu.blogspot.fr/2015/12/blog-turkey-eu-and-european-values.html


Is your head spinning yet?
 

Blog repost: Syria looting and Turkish connections

Prelude

This week's revelations made by Moscow concerning the illegal oil trade between Turkey and the Islamic State overshadows another shady aspect of the Syrian conflict, namely pillage of industrial machinery and parts on a massive scale in the Aleppo region.
 

More information on the Turkish connection with the military style pillaging & asset-stripping of Syria:

http://journal-neo.org/2015/08/24/erdogan-s-dirty-dangerous-isis-games/

“According to French geopolitical analyst, Thierry Meyssan, Recep Erdoğan “organised the pillage of Syria, dismantled all the factories in Aleppo, the economic capital, and stole the machine-tools.”

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/08/turkey-syria-sued-for-looting-aleppo-industry.html

“Half of the non-operational facilities were dismantled and taken to Turkey. We don’t know who plundered it, but Turkey is the responsible party. This is why the Aleppo Chamber of Industry and Commerce is taking the issue to international courts."

The article contains a video of the looted machinery: http://off-guardian.org/2015/10/17/video-free-syrian-army-liberated-over-1000-aleppo-factories-transferred-them-to-turkey/


The article briefly mentions the issue of electricity and water supplies in Aleppo.  It should be noted that the US previously bombed an Aleppo power station, and more recently bombed a water pumping station. In the ongoing war of words, where the US often criticises the Russians for not bombing IS, the fact the the US-led air coalition sees fits to bomb civilian infrastructure is telling.  Even UNICEF could not stay quiet over the latest bombing. 

UNICEF calls for end to attacks on civilian infrastructure after air strike cuts water supplies to Aleppo: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_86402.html

“In Syria, the rules of war, including those meant to protect vital civilian infrastructure, continue to be broken on a daily basis.”

"The air-strike which reportedly hit al-Khafseh water treatment plant in the northern city of Aleppo last Thursday is a particularly alarming example.”

 This in the genetic make up of the US & NATO air forces since it is not new,  Iraqi, Libya and Serbian were heavily bombed in order to create unsafe and unhygienic conditions.  

****************************************************************************************************

L’Orient le Jour Interview
Translated from the French

My factory was the IS HQ in Aleppo

Farès el-Chehabi, businessman from Aleppo & Sunni, the president of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Syria, relates the devastation caused by four years of war on his city and its surroundings. Since September 2011, he is registered on the list of individuals sanctioned by the European Union, accused of providing economic support to the regime.

What were the consequences of the war on the industrial area of Aleppo ?

Aleppo was the economic capital of Syria. We had over 80 000 factories. More than any city in the Middle East. In 2011, as early as the second month of the war, the destruction and looting began. From the first months, the rebels distributed leaflets demanding the closure of our businesses; otherwise they would be burned down. They sent these threats to all the shops and businesses. Immediately, the people became very afraid. About twenty of my friends, manufacturers, members of the Chamber of commerce, were murdered because they refused to close down their factories. In 2011, the rebels reduced to ashes more than 100 factories.

One of my factories was in Sheikh Najjar, the largest industrial area. The rebels seized in 2011. I was told that it didn’t belong to me anymore and that I didn't have the right to claim it back under threat of reprisals. My factory, which produced olive oil, I thought was in the hands of the Syrian Free Army  (FSA), was in fact the headquarters of the Islamic State (IS). Once retaken back in July 2014, I noted the damage. The walls were painted with the IS flag, there were jihadists clothing, their leaflets…  I noticed that there were almost 500 children in the area who had been deprived of education for two years. So I decided to turn this factory into a free school.

You have accused the Turkish government of being behind the looting of the factories in Aleppo...

Yes. And I have serious proof. I have filed two complaints against the Turkish government, with the courts of Strasbourg and The Hague. I have gathered solid evidence, videos, confessions and witnesses. Many manufacturers called me in a panic telling me that the rebels were in their factory and that there were Turkish experts with them. The armed men do not know the difference between the different production lines of a factory. They do not know how to disassemble the machines without damaging them. This is why the Turkish experts were present, to choose their loot and send it to Gaziantep, Adana... I've received more than 5,000 manufacturers'’ complaints, victims of theft. The loot went to Turkey with the complicity of the Turkish police. It is impossible to move the plant equipment so easily. Some of the machines are 20, 30 meters long. They used trucks, moved over the border crossings, not through olive tree fields. It is organized smuggling. They have gutted the industrial areas of Aleppo. It is a field of ruins.

Today, how is Aleppo organizing its survival?

Over the past nine months, we no longer have the Internet. Since the road Hama-Aleppo has been liberated, everyday life products arrive easily. The water is controlled by al-Nusra (a branch of the Syrian el-Qaeda). The UN declared it a terrorist organization in 2014. The National Syrian Coalition tries to make al-Nusra acceptable, encouraging them to cut theirs ties with el-Qaeda, so that they can join the moderate forces. The Front controls much of the electricity. And the large power plant is under IS control. So we have very, very little electricity in Aleppo. The government negotiates with them. "The terrorists" tell us : "We give  Aleppo 5 % of the electricity and  take the rest. "Which is the equivalent to 5 megawatts for 3 million people. This is not negotiation; it is blackmail for electricity as water (supply). We are waiting for the retaking of the largest power station near to the Kweires airport. Nobody can attack it, because there is a risk of contamination, radiation... We have another power station in Zorba, which should be freed in the next few days.

Did the people of Aleppo living in the government controlled area fear that the regime was going to let them fall?

A lot of people were frustrated in the beginning and furious too, as they felt abandoned. We were not able to defend ourselves against the rebels. We were faced with two choices:  either destroy what remains of Aleppo ourselves and fight, or lay siege to it without destroying the city. And this is the second option that is in progress.

People sell off their old Aleppo houses just to leave. And the most targeted are the Christians and Armenians. Only 10 000 Armenians remain in Aleppo, while they were more than 200 000 before the war. I've visited the patriarchs and priests of all the communities, and all say the same speech: those who attack them are Islamists who want to force them to leave the country. But the Islamists seem to forget that the Christian community in Aleppo is not a visitor. They are the original inhabitants of the city. They were there before the Muslims. And there is hope that one day, Christians will come back.

You criticize the rebels but at the same time, the Syrian government buys the oil from IS...

Already, this oil is not IS’s. It belongs to the Syrians. Therefore, if a group controls my production of wheat, cotton or oil, it is my job to free my factory or to buy the production by all means possible. It belongs to me. Therefore, it is hypocritical to point the finger at the Syrian government's efforts that buys up the oil from IS to give it to its citizens. And furthermore the regime bombs some oil fields.

What do you think of the upcoming elections, decided on in Vienna, which will take place in 18 months ?

We decide who should govern through free elections. We have no problem if these elections are organized by an international organization as long as it is not corrupt.  If you want a president to leave, organize elections. But we do not accept the rebel groups as Jaesh al-islam or others.

Let the so called "moderate" groups participate in the elections. If they win, we will be forced to accept it. It is the law of the ballot.  But no one really wants elections and demanding that the president resigns. Because they know that if Bashar al-Assad participates in them, he will win. It will not be a majority, maybe not 90 %, but 45 % would be enough for him to win. And, for the moment, no one on the opposition side can rally as many votes.

Original link:

http://www.lorientlejour.com/article/957522/-mon-usine-etait-le-quartier-general-de-letat-islamique-a-alep-.html