Labels: Burqa, EU, Sharia Law

The Netherlands' public prosecutor's office has said it is unable to confirm the report, but De Telegraaf claims that Dutch justice authorities knew as early as November where B. was hiding. The prosecutors say it is impossible to force Baran's return to the Netherlands, because Turkey does not extradite its own subjects.

Saban escaped in September when he was on special leave, ostensibly to visit his girlfriend and baby. The court decision to grant the man leave caused an uproar, and the judges later admitted they had underestimated the risk that Saban would run away. Several of his victims went into hiding when it became clear that the trafficker was at large.

Labels: Criminal Law, EU, The Netherlands, Turkey

Nearly 10 minutes later, at 5.01 p.m. local time, a second earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 struck about 30 miles away from the epicenter of the first tremor. A spokeswoman for the United States Geological Survey said a second aftershock struck minutes later, at 5.12 p.m. local time, and had a preliminary magnitude of 5.5.

In Turkey the General Directorate of Security said on Wednesday that 52 Turkish policemen assigned in United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) were reported to be in good condition in the wake of the major earthquake that hit Haiti. Directorate of Security issued a statement and said they tried to establish communication with the Turkish policemen after the earthquake and could only get information about their condition on Wednesday morning.

A group of experts in disaster response, health in emergency and logistics will arrive in Haiti later today to support the Haitian Red Cross in the relief efforts and to begin to coordinate international assistance from members of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement as well as other organizations.In addition, a Red Cross team will lead a damage assessment together with the Humanitarian Aid Office of the European Union.

For more click here

Labels: Earthquake, EU, Haiti, Turkey

Labels: Denmark, EU, Islam, Somali Terrorist

Spiegel: "The Turkish government fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. The Turkish government says it fears a scheduled visit by Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, saying it could dent Turkish relations with the Netherlands and Europe. But many secular and religious Turks say they would welcome a debate with the polemic politician.

"Normally, the army belongs in the barracks. But I will make an exception for Turkey." Wilders wrote. "The Turkish army is the greatest defender of Kemal Ataturk's legacy, the man who compared Islam with a rotting corpse. Without the corrective influence of the army, Turkey would already be a second Iran." This position is incomprehensible and indefensible, said Mustafa Akyol, a columnist and deputy editor of the Turkish Daily News and a practicing Muslim. "Wilders forgets that Ataturk in his time (the 1920 and 30s) turned Turkey's face to the West, but that the West wasn't a very pleasant place at the time. Many of the European fascist and nationalist ideologies of the time, like that of authoritarian one-party states, were thus imported to Turkey and the secular Turks have held onto them until now.''

Note EU-Digest: Mr. Wilders, a one dimensional politician, who usually is completely off the track when it comes to conventional political activities and historical research, this time certainly read up well on Turkish history and Ataturk's legendary vision about Islam and the dangers of Islam or any other religion openly or covertly imposed as a State religion.

Labels: EU, Geert Wilders, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, The Netherlands, Turkey

Tensions Between Turkey and the West Increase - by Dan Bilefski from the New York Times

The New York Times Reports that with Turkey’s prospects for joining the European Union more elusive than ever and the country reaching out to predominantly Muslim countries with a vigor not seen in years, a longstanding question is vexing the United States and Europe: is this large, secular Muslim country turning East instead of West? When President Barack Obama visited Turkey in April — a symbolic gesture that underlined Turkey’s geo-strategic importance — he emphasized Turkey’s role as a bridge between East and West, acknowledged its mediation in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and threw his weight solidly behind Turkey becoming an European Union member. Now, six months later, some in Washington and Brussels are questioning Turkey’s dependability as an ally, and many Turks are asking whether they should reject the EU before the bloc rejects them.

Note EU-Digest:This New York Times report is a typical reflection of behind the scenes manipulation by political entities in Israel, the EU and the US, who are getting more and more frustrated in their efforts to develop a solid partnership with a Turkey led by a more and more unpredictable and increasingly less secular motivated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It also shows the result of EU's lack of sensitivity in its dealings with Turkey, as it relates to their membership in the EU. While the EU has allowed practically "Mafia run" Eastern European countries like Romania and Bulgaria to become members of the EU on a fast track, they have been turning the screws on Turkey at every possible occasion and slowing down their EU membership access procedures to a snails pace. Thirdly and possibly more accurate, the New York Times article, published in one of the most influential publications in the US favorable to the Obama Administration could also indicate that a regime change is in the making for Turkey? Time will tell.

Labels: EU, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey, USA

Labels: EU, EU Enlargement

He’s not the Barack Obama Europe Knew - by Abe Greenwald

Where Ronald Reagan tore down a wall, Barack Obama has hit one – and it’s made of bricks. European support for the American president is suffering. As Gregor Peter Schmitz asserts in Der Spiegel, “it has become clear that the most contentious issues [between the U.S. and Europe] have been shelved.” This means Obama is no longer asking Europe to replicate his idea of a stimulus plan and he’s not pushing for military help in Afghanistan. On both issues European leaders have declared, “No we can’t.” When it comes to instituting a global stimulus plan, the American president is further to the Left than Europe -- and Europe still objects. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy say they favor more government regulation in lieu of more government spending. Obama sought to immediately clarify. He told the Financial Times on Sunday, "The press has tended to frame this as an 'either/or' approach. I have consistently argued that what is needed is a 'both/and' approach. We need stimulus and we need regulation." In other words, Europeans are choosing their statist options from an a la carte menu, but in the U.S. we’re going family style. Nevertheless in Europe putting blame for the global financial crisis squarely on America’s shoulders is a relished pastime, and no matter how statist Obama gets, the Continent can’t be seen to follow the U.S.’s lead.

Labels: Barack Obama, EU, USA

West Favors Dane for Top NATO Post, but Turkish Hurdles Remain

The United States gave its blessing to the appointment of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as the next NATO secretary general in Brussels over the weekend, paving the way for him to take over the trans-Atlantic alliance's top civilian job in August. Washington also enjoys strong support for the choice of Rasmussen from its three biggest European allies in the alliance -- Germany, France and the UK. Although Rasmussen, 56, declined to publicly comment on the possibility of succeeding Dutch diplomat Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, he never officially ruled himself out as a candidate for a post that has traditionally gone to a European.

The main snag to Rasmussen's nomination, which needs to be approved by all members of the 26-nation alliance, is possible opposition to his candidacy from Turkey, a secular nation that is predominantly Muslim. "The cartoon crisis has a larger dimension than just Turkey," a Turkish official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters. "At a time when NATO is going to assume added responsibility in Afghanistan and Pakistan, having a secretary general with such an objectionable approach to billions of Muslims, is not the right approach to the Muslim world." Turkey has also attacked Denmark for failing to revoke the broadcasting license of a television station that Ankara has accused of being a mouthpiece for Kurdish rebels opposed to the government. Adding fuel to the fire, Rasmussen had publicly stated in 2003 that he opposed full EU membership for Turkey.

"Turkey will certainly not be so foolish as to shoot themselves in the foot with a veto about a religious matter if they claim to be a secular nation and say they believe in Freedom of Speech. Hopefully European NATO members, including the Turks will talk about more serious issues, like what purpose the NATO has now the cold war has ended and why it should become the world's policeman?"

Labels: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Denmark, EU, NATO, Turkey

PM Balkenende and Dutch Deputy Justice Minister Nebahat Albayrak - who has joint Dutch/Turkish nationality - visited the hospital were victims were being treated late Wednesday evening. Residents who rushed to the crash site to offer help before the ambulances arrived, said that among the survivors were Dutch, Turkish and US nationals. Queen Beatrix expressed her "great empathy" with the passengers and victims' families, according to the Royal Information Service, while Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende was being kept up to date with details of the crash. Balkenende said his thoughts were with the families of the passengers. He added he spoke by phone with Turkish primes minister Tayyip Erdogan and gave him his condolences. Among the 80 injured, six were in a critical condition and may not survive, the head of the emergency team told reporters. The condition of a further 25 passengers was described as "serious", 24 passengers sustained light injuries, while the condition of 31 passengers still had to be established.

The plane was built in 2002 and its last technical inspection was in December 2008. According to the European Commission, Turkish Airlines underwent 100 ramp inspections in 2008, where "the results for safety and security have always been good." The last major air crash in the Netherlands was on October 4, 1992, when an El Al cargo Boeing 747F 4X-AXG hit several high rise buildings south Amsterdam's Bijlmer area, killing 43 people.

Labels: Amsterdam, EU, Netherlands, Turkish Airways Crash

The EU-Turkey-Cyprus Triangle: "Setting the Stage" - by Hugh Pope

Turkey has been converging formally with the European Union and its predecessors since it signed an association agreement in 1963, the same year the dispute between Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Turkey and Greece over Cyprus became both a cause and symptom of ups and downs in the EU-Turkey relationship. On the Mediterranean island, armed conflict has been minimal since the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the northern third, and Turkey and Greece have smoothed over their differences since a 1999 rapprochement. But the 2004 entry of the Republic of Cyprus into the EU as a divided country imported this frozen conflict into the heart of Europe, and created an unbreakable triangle between the EU, Turkey and Cyprus.

Labels: Cyprus, EU, EU Enlargement, Turkey

During a recent trip to Brussels, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan clumsily decided to play the energy card, which did not go down well at all with his hosts. Erdogan warned that Ankara was in a position to block the EU's Nabucco project. The EU regards the construction of the gas pipeline as playing a central role in its attempts to find an alternative to gas supplies from Russia. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, reacted to Erdogan's statement with clear words – accession talks and energy security are two very different pairs of shoes. Erdogan quickly backed away from his threat."

More: For the complete report click on this link

Labels: EU, Russia, Turkey

EU and Turkey eye troops, solutions for Gaza border - by Angela Carlton

French troops, Turkish monitors, British ships, German tunnel detectors, European radar equipment — officials say all these options are being weighed as they try to cement the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The key to a solution is finding a way to choke off smuggling through tunnels under the slender border between Gaza and Egypt while opening the aboveground crossings to travel and trade. The eight-mile frontier is at the heart of secretive diplomacy across Europe and the Middle East this week. Dozens of European monitors and experts are ready to deploy immediately, but not until Egypt — and preferably someone on Hamas' side of the border — agree.Beyond the EU, a special Turkish peacekeeping unit outside Ankara is ready to deploy to the border if needed, Turkish officials have said. But Turkey is officially insisting it is only talking for now about sending monitors, not armed peacekeepers. Turkey enjoys, to some extent, the trust of both Israel and Hamas. It has also offered to mediate between Hamas and the moderate Palestinian movement Fatah led by Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas. A Turkish official said there is an "implicit agreement" that the corridors must be reopened for trade and travel for the cease-fire to hold. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of Turkey's discussions.

Labels: EU, Gaza, Hamas, Israel, Turkey

Largest ever Dutch Trade delegation visits Turkey - The Netherlands one of Turkey's most important investors

The Largest ever Dutch trade delegation is in Turkey this week - A truly Dutch economic invasion of Turkey. The delegation includes a total of 134 company representatives ranging from Personnel Management to Environmental Companies, and every other category in between. One newspaper reported that even some buses in Turkey are carrying banners with the slogan "Holland Pioneers in International Business".

The Dutch delegation is headed by his Excellency Frank Heemskerk, the Dutch State Secretary of Economic Affairs. Turkish PM his Excellency Recep Erdogan was so impressed by the size of the delegation that he changed his agenda to be able to receive the delegation later this week in Ankara.Yesterday the Dutch delegation cruised the Bosphorus.

The Netherlands is one of the most important investors in Turkey. Last year Dutch investments in Turkey amounted to approximately euro 8.45 billion (US$11b. Turkey is also the 4th most important non-EU member trading partner of the Netherlands after Russia, Switzerland and the US.

The Turkish-Dutch who are citizens of the Netherlands of Turkish ancestry numbered 357,900 people in 2006, according to the Dutch Census Bureau. They make up 2.2% of the total population. The majority of Dutch Turks live in the four major cities of the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht). The first Turks arrived in the 1960s and 1970s as workers to fill up the labor shortage during that time in the Netherlands, as well as in other Western European countries. The majority of Dutch Turks adhere to Sunni Islam, although there is also a considerable Alevi fragment. A number of Turkish-Dutch writers have come to prominence. Halil Gür was one of the earliest, writing short stories about Turkish immigrants. Sadik Yemni is well known for his Turkish-Dutch detective stories. Sevtap Baycili is a more intellectual novelist, who's writing is not limited to migrant themes. Nebahat Albayrak (born April 10, 1968 in Şarkışla) is a Turkish-Dutch politician in the Netherlands. She is the current State Secretary of Justice in the Netherlands.

Labels: EU, Investment, Netherlands, Trade, Turkey

Dutch take Islamic Ramadan festival as their own - by Paolo Gallini

According to a new poll, the Dutch have adopted the Sugar Feast, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month Ramadan, as one of their favorite cultural traditions.The choice of the festival followed a poll by the Dutch Center for Folk Culture. It came 14th in the list of 100 top traditions. The center (Nederlands Centrum voor Volkscultuur, NCV) asked several thousand people to name traditions that they considered important for themselves or for the Netherlands as a whole. No shortlist of options was drawn up in advance. Queen Beatrix in Hilversum unveiled the top 100 at the opening of the Year of the Traditions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the top choice in the poll was the feast of Sinterklaas. This Dutch precursor of Santa Claus, celebrated each year on December 5, is followed on the list by the decoration of a Christmas Tree. In third place is Queen's Day on April 30.

Labels: EU, Netherlands, Ramadan

Labels: Cyprus, EU, Turkey

Labels: EU, EU Enlargement

Labels: EU, Secularism, Turkey

Labels: EU, Turkey

Anti-Islam film fails to provoke Dutch Muslims

In the crowded shopping streets of Lombok in the fourth largest Dutch city, Muslims appeared much less motivated to take action against Wilders. Friday's shopping continued as usual. "No, we are not talking about Fitna," a man standing among a large group of Muslims standing outside a local mosque after prayers on Friday, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. "We are talking about my new car. That's really more important than some film by a Dutch legislator about the Koran."

Dutch Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists seem to have found a common denominator: EU Citizenship, Democracy, and Free Enterprise. It might not be perfect, but its better than cutting each others throat or having some fanatic blow up your family.

Labels: EU, Geert Wilders, Muslims, Netherlands

Labels: EU, Israel, Turkey

Secularism and Islam: the Turkish experience

Most Turks - including, apparently, many of those who vote for the AKP - are proud of their country’s secular tradition. Earlier this year, when Gul’s presidential candidacy was initially proposed by the AKP, large numbers of them were led to believe that this tradition was somehow under threat. Their suspicions were not entirely unfounded. For instance, a dozen years ago Gul had talked about wishing “to end secularism” - although, not long afterwards, he had also spoken of wanting to see the “Islamic headscarf and the miniskirt walking hand in hand”.

However, it wasn’t so much his utterances that his opponents picked on: they appeared to be piqued by the fact that his wife, Hayrunisa, sports such a headscarf. As do millions of other Turkish women. And, of course, there are large numbers who don’t. Anyhow, back in May there were massive anti-Gul demonstrations in Ankara and Istanbul. In Turkey the president is elected by parliament, and an opposition boycott led the Constitutional Court to annul Gul’s election, because it deemed the assembly inquorate. The decision was handed down after the military made it clear where it stood via a message posted on its website. With only a little bit of exaggeration, it has been described as the world’s first internet coup.

Labels: EU, Islam, Turkey

The environmental quiz - answer and win

Did you know that just by closing the tap in between brushing one's teeth, you could save enough water to fill 6,000 Olympic swimming pools? Take the ALDE quiz and find out many more tips on how to save the environment and your own money! YOUR action counts!

The ALDE Group is the 3rd largest political group in the European Parliament, holding the balance of power between the left and right.

Labels: EU, the Environment, Turkey

Turkey's exotic call: Eurasian flavorings influence culture mix - by Anne Chalfan

The Grand Bazaar boggles the eyes, the ears and the mind, with more than 4,000 shops spread over 61 streets under one roof. It's fascinating and confounding, with pulsating colors and beckoning vendors. Please, have a cup of tea and see our rugs. Lady, you like that purse? I make a good price for you. The Rimskys, who had experienced Grand Bazaar madness on a previous trip, did a little strategic planning prior to this trip and hired the services of the Screaming Shopper, aka Marilyn Hill Henderson. Henderson is a British ex-pat who promises to demystify shopping in Istanbul.

The Rimskys walked into the hotel, grinning and dripping with sweat. Mission accomplished: They had bought three fabulous rugs that were being shipped to their home. And Mary Lou was adorned with a few baubles -- a fabulous gold necklace and earrings. Joe sported a new Izod shirt, with three more tucked in a bag.Turkish people are very friendly and work hard to speak English. Turkey is 99 percent Muslim today, but the nation remains secular, and Turkey is desperate to remain moderate in its quest to join the European Union. Istanbul, despite its milling 16 million, is a fun city with a plummy locale occupying both Europe and Asia. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus, the inlet that divides the two continents.

Labels: EU, Grand Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey

Labels: EU, Europe, Turkey

Have Your Say - Is Gul the right choice as Turkish president? - send BBC your feedback

Abdullah Gul has been elected president of Turkey - the first politician with an Islamist background to become Turkish head of state. Mr Gul took his oath at a ceremony in parliament, pledging loyalty to democracy and to the secular Republic. The European Union welcomed Mr Gul's election, calling it a positive step in the country's campaign to join the bloc. What is your reaction to Mr Gul's election as president? Is he the right man for the job? How do you think Turkey's secular opposition and the army will react?

To give your opinion go to the BBC survey by clicking on this link

Labels: EU, Gul, Survey, Turkey

Eurasia festival to offer Turkey award-winning movie premieres

As drought-weary Turkey hopes to welcome cool and rainy days with the arrival of autumn, moviegoers and art lovers also have high hopes that the new season will help them shake off dreary summer days with festivals, major exhibitions and theater and opera performances. The Altın Portakal (Golden Orange) Film Festival, one of Turkey's major film festivals that has been running for more than four decades, will do just that in the holiday hotspot of Antalya when it gets under way in October.

In its 44th year, the Antalya Film Festival -- which covers the Golden Orange and the newly launched sister event, the Eurasia International Film Festival -- is getting ready to salute film buffs with an extensive selection of European and Asian movies and a number of gleaming guests, including movie stars and film professionals from around the globe. Organized by the Turkish Foundation of Cinema and Audiovisual Culture (TÜRSAK) in collaboration with the Antalya Foundation for Culture and Art (AKSAV), both festivals and the Eurasia Film Market will take place Oct. 19-28.

Labels: EU, Film Festival, Turkey

US Army to Examine Iraq Contracts - intended for Iraqi security forces ended up being used for murders and other violent crimes in Turkey.

Among the contracts to be reviewed by the Army are awards to former Halliburton subsidiary KBR, which has received billions of dollars since 2001 to be a major provider of food and shelter services to U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats in the US Congress have claimed that KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown and Root, benefited from ties to Vice President Dick Cheney, who once led Halliburton Co., the Houston-based oil services conglomerate, and congressional Republicans.Democrats in Congress have claimed that KBR, formerly known as Kellogg, Brown and Root, benefited from ties to Vice President Dick Cheney, who once led Halliburton Co., the Houston-based oil services conglomerate, and congressional Republicans.

Labels: EU, Iraq, Turkey, USA

Labels: EU, Sarkozy, Turkey

Labels: EU, Israel, Turkey

How the Turks made Europe Safe for Capitalism

The basic argument is not new in historical circles. The theory is that the incursions of the Ottoman Empire -- all the way to the gates of Vienna! -- forced European principalities to stop squabbling against each other and join forces against a common enemy. This is supposed to have had a huge impact on the ability of fledgling Protestantism to survive the bloody Counter-Reformation. Even mighty Catholic potentates like Charles V and the King of the Hapsburgs Ferdinand I were forced to grant concessions to German Protestants in order to gain their help in fighting off the Turk.

Harvard development economist Dani Rodrik, himself of Turkish descent, pointed out Iguyun's paper in his own consistently excellent blog, observing impishly that "you would think the [European Union] would be a bit more hospitable to Turkey's membership aspirations," given the Ottoman Empire's crucial contribution to Europe's economic development. That seems unlikely, but it does raise an entirely different question. If the military threat from the Turks at least temporarily staunched internecine war between Catholic and Protestant, maybe the world today needs a similar external menace to reduce "clash of civilization" tensions between Islam and the West.

Labels: EU, Turkey

Labels: Business, EU, Europe

Germany Greets Sarkozy Victory: A Beacon of Hope for Europe? - Carsten Volkery

Although Nicolas Sarkozy played the nationalist card during the election campaign, the future French president is still regarded as a beacon of hope for the EU -- particularly by the German government. Nevertheless, there are likely to be conflicts ahead on a number of issues, including talks on Turkish membership.

As economics minister, Sarkozy was a tough protectionist, who wanted to protect France's "national champions" from too much disagreeable competition from other European Union countries. Among other things, he fought to stop the planned acquisition of Alstom by Germany's Siemens. And it was he who in May 2004 initiated his party's decision to hold a referendum on the EU treaty. The French "non" led to the current EU crisis.

Labels: EU, France, Merkel, Sarkozy

Labels: EU