On Sunday, Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a 3 1/2-hour meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, which an Israeli official said was conducted in a very friendly atmosphere. During Barak’s meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, the former again acknowedged reiterated the “mistake” of Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s snub of the Turkish ambassador to Israel:
I believe it was a mistake, and the right step was taken according to the norms of diplomacy. It is appropriate that all the ups and downs in our relationship over the years should be solved and put behind us.
We are living in the same area and although we don’t have a common border with Israel, we have the same interests. As long as we share interests, we will work together. We are strategic allies. We would like to cooperate with Israel in every area.
Barak responded, “We see Turkey as a very important regional player. I have the confidence that we can continue to follow good friendly cooperation despite ups and downs.”
So what were the components of this “strategic” relationship? In the press briefing, three main topics were put forth: Iran’s nuclear programme, Turkey’s role in the currently blocked peace talks between Syria and Israel, and cooperation in the defense sector.
When asked by an Israeli reporter whether Ankara was able to satisfy Tel Aviv’s concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme, Gonul said that every country has the right to develop nuclear energy, yet Turkey would not like to see a nuclear-armed Iran. When Barak was reminded about Turkey’s mediation offer, he said that there has been an offer so there is no need to bring it forward since there is no detail on the peace talks yet.
Both leaders then talked about the details of the Heron deal, in which Israel will send six jet fighters to Turkey in March and four in June.
The Associated Press reports that Iran is close to clinching a deal to clandestinely import 1,350 tons of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan.
The report was prepared by a member nation of the International Atomic Energy Agency and given to AP on the condition that the country not be identified because of the confidential nature of the information.
The reports claims Teheran is willing to pay $450 million for the shipment and added that “the price is high because of the secret nature of the deal and due to Iran’s commitment to keep secret the elements supplying the material”.
Clandestine imports are banned by the UN Security Council, and Iran is currently under sanctions that ban the importat of all items, materials, equipment, goods, and technology that could contribute to its enrichment activities. Read the rest of this entry »
On Monday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Oval Office meeting President Barack Obama. The leaders talked about bilateral economic relations, Turkey’s Kurdish opening, Turkish-Armenian relationship, the “energy corridor”, Turkey’s PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) problem, Iran’s nuclear energy programme and Washington’s war in Afghanistan.
Having underlined the concept of “Model Partnership”, in which it was agreed to develop bilateral economic and trade relations, Washington expressed satisfaction with Ankara’s role in the Nabucco energy pipeline project and encouraged Turkey to step forward both in democratization and in advancing relations with Armenia.
As for the PKK problem, after a “terrorist” attack killing 7 Turkish soldiers, Obama reiterated Washington’s “common ground” in the “war on terror” and called PKK aa “terrorist organization”. This, along with Washington’s encouragement for further democratic improvements, is considered by the Turkish pubic as a commitment to disband PKK in northern Iraq.
On the Iranian nuclear energy programme and further sanctions, Washington was again satisfied with placing Ankara’s current role in maintaining relations with Tehran ahead of any discussions on tougher sanctions. Although it is still unclear how Ankara will react to any UN Security Council vote on sanctions, Turkey’s “dialogue first” approach with Tehran is not only indispensable to Ankara’s “zero-problem with neighbours” agenda but is also a very effective bridge between Washington and Tehran.
The second half of this “Model Partnership”, applying it to the “war on terror”, was on military-intelligence cooperation. Ankara is allegedly going to receive three Hebron unmanned aerial vehicles from Washington after Israel held up delivery of the aircraft.
So does this have political implication, with the US siding with Ankara’s harsh statements on Tel Aviv to put more pressure on Israel? After the meeting in Washington, Ankara’s criticism continued in an Erdogan speech at the John Hopkins University. He stated that Israel had killed children with phosphorous bombs and even hit hospitals, and he called Gaza as an open-air prison.
Beyond the Middle East, Ankara has already increased its force in Afghanistan from 900 to 1,700, but it is wary of where they will be posted. Turkish soldiers are not to be used in the fight against Taliban forces but to be used in reconstructing the government and helping Afghan people develop their institutions. Despite the claim that Obama is demanding fighting forces from Turkey, the increase outside the mission area is likely to be acceptable given the symbolism of Turkey as a “Muslim” ally of the US.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: I want to extend the warmest of welcomes to Prime Minister Erdogan. I’m glad that I, personally, and the American people have a chance to reciprocate the wonderful hospitality that was extended to me when I visited Turkey in April.
The Jerusalem Post carries the statement of a senior Israeli diplomatic official that “the international community is starting to come to the understanding that Iran has been lying to everybody about its nuclear intentions.”
The confidence of this argument lies in the completion of a United Nations’ nuclear test detection station in Turkmenistan, just a few kilometers from the Iranian border. The 337th facility of the International Monitoring System is expected to be active by 2010.
The Israeli official asserted, “The Iranian issue is finally gaining ground in the international community.” He added, “Luckily, Iran itself is decimating the efforts of even its most vociferous defenders to help it avoid international criticism.”
On Tuesday, President Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, spoke at the Jewish Federation of North America’s annual general assembly .He shared his Jewish roots with the audience and reiterated the rhetoric of the Obama Administration on the “significance of Israel’s security to United States”, “Palestinian responsibilities for stabilization”, and “the rights of Palestinians on settlements and final borders [on] pre-1967 lines” Then he called on both parties to the negotiation table.
The one who’s bluffing is Iran, which is trying to play with cards they don’t have. All the bravado that we see and the testing and the very dangerous and harsh rhetoric is hiding a lot of weaknesses.
If Iranian behavior and conduct continues as they have exhibited so far, it is obvious that their intentions are only to buy time and procrastinate.
Just one question: if Teheran is bluffing over its nuclear programme, then what exactly is Tel Aviv attacking?
Saturday’s press briefing by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
MODERATOR: Good evening, and we welcome Secretary of State Clinton. We shall start with a few words, and then we’ll take two questions from each side. Prime Minister, please.
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: It’s my pleasure to welcome Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Clinton to Jerusalem. Welcome, Hillary. You are a great friend and a great champion of peace. I think that we owe a vote of thanks to you, to George Mitchell, to your staffs, and of course, to President Obama and the entire Obama Administration for the tireless efforts to re-launch the peace process – the peace process between us and the Palestinians, and between us and the Arab world – following the President’s vision of a regional peace. Read the rest of this entry »
During their meeting, Abbas told Clinton that there would be no new negotiations unless Israel froze the building of settlements. Read the rest of this entry »
On Sunday, Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak held a 3 1/2-hour meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, which an Israeli official said was conducted in a very friendly atmosphere. During Barak’s meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, the former again acknowedged reiterated the “mistake” of Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon’s snub of the Turkish ambassador to Israel:
On Monday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Oval Office meeting President Barack Obama. The leaders talked about bilateral economic relations, Turkey’s Kurdish opening, Turkish-Armenian relationship, the “energy corridor”, Turkey’s PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) problem, Iran’s nuclear energy programme and Washington’s war in Afghanistan.
The Jerusalem Post carries 
On Friday, Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon told Sky News that 
On Saturday, 
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