Missile deployment in Turkey...[ 3004 ]

'Missile deployment in Turkey would spark tensions'

By REUTERS

11/25/2012 12:05

Iran says deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey would "intensify problems of region," fears start of "no-fly zone" in Syria.

Photo: Reuters
- 

DUBAI - Iran said the deployment of Patriot defense missiles near Turkey's border with Syria would worsen tensions, as fears grow of the Syrian civil war spilling across the region.
Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, last week after talks about how to shore up security on its 900-km (560-mile) border.

Related:

• Ahmadinejad: Israel must 'bow' to Palestinian rights

"The installation of such systems in the region has negative effects and will intensify problems in the region," Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani said on returning from a trip to Syria, Lebanon and Turkey on Saturday evening, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Ramin Mehmanparast, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, told the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Sunday that deploying the Patriot system "will not only not help solve the situation in Syria, it will actually make the situation more difficult and complicated as well".
Syria has called Turkey's request for the Patriot missiles "provocative", and Russia said the move could increase risks in the conflict.

Iran has steadfastly supported Syrian President Bashar Assad throughout the 20-month-old uprising against his rule.
Turkey's missile request may have riled Damascus because it could be seen as a first step toward implementing a no-fly zone over Syrian airspace.
Syrian rebels have been requesting a no-fly zone to help them hold territory against a government with overwhelming firepower from the air, but most foreign governments are reluctant to get sucked into the conflict.
-
Turkey fears security on its border may crumble as the Syrian army fights harder to contain the rebels, some of whom have enjoyed sanctuary in Turkey.
Heavy fighting has often erupted along Syria's border with Turkey. Ankara has scrambled fighter jets and returned fire after stray Syrian shells and mortars landed in its territory.

Catalonia elections 2012...[ 3003 ]

Catalonia elections 2012: Madrid residents discuss independence

As Catalonia prepares to vote in an election that could determine not just its future, but the shape of Spain, people in Madrid discuss the implications of an independent Catalonia. 
 -
They talk about whether or not it should be allowed, and why so many Catalans favour independence-


  video                
                
                   


                   
               

Euro rally on Greek hopes, German data...[ 3002 ]

GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares, euro rally on Greek hopes, German data

Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:39pm EST
 

* Wall St jumps on hopes for Greece, retail in focus
* European shares post best week for 2012
* Euro hits 3-week high vs dollar on optimism about a Greek deal
* World shares headed for their best week since mid-Sept
By Angela Moon
-
NEW YORK, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Global stocks and the euro rose on Friday on signs of progress in talks about releasing aid to Greece and after an influential German survey found business sentiment had improved in Europe's largest economy.
Wall Street got a lift from bellwether technology stocks such as Intel and Microsoft - each up about 2 percent. An index of semiconductor stocks gained 1.8 percent, while the S&P information technology sector index rose 1.2 percent.
Friday marked the start of the holiday shopping season and gave investors a reason to scoop up retailers' shares on hopes that consumers will go out en masse to spend.
Regular U.S. stock trading session will end early on Friday at 1 p.m. (1800 GMT). The stock market was closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. With many investors away on holiday, volume was low. About 1.9 billion shares have traded so far on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, compared with the daily average for the year to date of 6.5 billion.
The Dow Jones industrial average was up 106.42 points, or 0.83 percent, at 12,943.31. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 11.89 points, or 0.85 percent, at 1,402.92. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 32.30 points, or 1.10 percent, at 2,958.85.
European shares posted their best weekly gain so far this year after rising for a fifth day on Friday. The FTSEurofirst-300 index of pan-European shares rose 0.6 percent to end at 1,110.45.
Germany's BASF and Bayer led a rally in chemical stocks after a German business morale index surprised with its first increase in seven months, raising the prospect that Europe's largest economy can regain some momentum.
The euro rose as high as $1.2943 on Reuters data, breaking above resistance at $1.2910, its 55-day moving average. It was last trading at $1.2941, up 0.5 percent on the day.
Against the yen, the euro also hit a seven-month high of 106.73 yen and was last at 106.65 yen, up 0.4 percent.
MSCI's world equity index was up 1 percent on Friday at 329.42 points. It was on track to record its best weekly performance since mid-September.
Earlier, MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.7 percent for a weekly gain of 2.6 percent, also its best week for two months.
Optimism about a deal to help Greece, hopes that United States lawmakers can agree on a solution to avoid a fiscal crisis, and data showing an improving global economic outlook have driven a rally in riskier asset markets this week.
Greece said the International Monetary Fund had relaxed its debt-cutting target for the country, suggesting lenders were closer to a deal for a vital aid tranche to be paid. But other sources involved in the talks cautioned that the funding gap was far bigger than Greece has suggested.
"While we wouldn't want to understate the challenges of reaching agreement on Greece, news reports have described some of the remaining obstacles as technical and legal, and thus the hurdles to a deal do not seem insurmountable," said Nick Bennenbroek, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo in New York.
Euro-zone finance ministers, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB) failed earlier this week to agree on how to get the country's debt down to a sustainable level. They will make a third attempt at resolving the issue on Monday.
"Anything positive out of Europe related to the sovereign debt ... that can act as a catalyst," said Todd Salamone, director of research at Schaeffer's Investment Research in Cincinnati.
The S&P 500 looked likely to break a two-week losing streak, having gained more than 3 percent this week so far. Stocks had tumbled earlier in the month on worries about the impact of mandatory tax and spending changes to take effect in early January, but hopes that politicians will reach a deal to avoid the "fiscal cliff" helped the market recoup some of those losses this week.
The benchmark S&P 500 also climbed back above the 1,400 level, which could provide support.
U.S. government debt prices mostly dipped on Friday in light post-Thanksgiving holiday trading. Bonds' safe-haven allure faded as investors scooped up stocks.
On the open market, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note traded 1/32 lower in price to yield 1.685 percent, up 0.5 percent from late on Wednesday. The 10-year note's yield was poised for its first weekly rise in five weeks.
GOLD AND OIL GAIN
In commodities, gold rose to its highest level in more than a month on Friday, gaining 1 percent as a combination of a decline in the dollar, options-related buying and technical support sent the metal up near $1,750 an ounce.
Oil rose above $111 a barrel on Friday as better-than-expected German business sentiment data helped ease worries about demand in the euro-zone economies, boosting the euro against the dollar, while fresh protests broke out in Egypt and led to supply concerns.
Brent crude futures were up 53 cents at $111.08 a barrel at 1607 GMT. U.S. crude was up 81 cents at $88.17. The U.S. market, which was closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, will not issue a formal settlement price until later Friday.
On Thursday, Israel began withdrawing its army, which had been poised to invade the Gaza Strip in pursuit of militants firing rockets into Israel.
Although the Gaza ceasefire is holding, violence has emerged in Egypt. In Cairo's Tahrir Square, thousands of people participated in demonstrations against President Mohamed Mursi. Police fired teargas into the crowd in an attempt to disburse it.

Turkey-Syria standoff: ...[ 3001 ]

Turkey-Syria standoff: Patriot missiles prepared, Kurdish fighters on the border

Published: 24 November, 2012, 14:05 // RT

Turkish soldier (R) patrol in the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar as Syrian oppsosition fighters pray in the strategic Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain, on November 14, 2012.(AFP Photo / Bulent Kilic)

-

Syria has lashed out at Turkey’s “provocative” request to deploy NATO surface-to-air missiles on the countries' shared border. The batteries may be installed in a matter of weeks, in a buildup that could further flare tensions in the turbulent zone.
­Ankara has asked its NATO partners to station Patriot missile batteries along its southern border, claiming they are needed to protect Turkey’s national security. The system can shoot down aircraft and some missiles at a range of up to 600 kilometers.
The region has seen a number of episodes of cross-border mortar fire in recent months, though Syrian warplanes and gunboats were never reported attacking targets on Turkish territory.
The request was acknowledged by NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday, who said that the possible deployment of the missiles was "purely defensive," and would "serve as a deterrent to possible enemies even thinking of attacks".

A picture taken on March 11, 2003 shows a Dutch soldier standing by a Patriot anti-missile battery at the Diyarbakir military airport in southeastern Turkey. NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on November 19, 2012 said the alliance would consider a request from Turkey to deploy Patriot anti-missile batteries along its border border with Syria "as a matter of urgency".(AFP Photo / Mehdi Fedouach) 

-

But the Syrian government sharply criticized the plan on Friday. A ministerial source told Syrian state TV that the deployment would be
“a provocative step,” and that Syria would hold Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
“responsible for the militarization of the situation on the Syrian-Turkish border and increased tensions."Iran voiced similar criticisms, and sent parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani to visit to Damascus this week in a gesture of support for Tehran's ally.

"The internal crisis in Syria cannot be solved through the deployment of such weapons," Larijani said at a news conference in Beirut after his trip to Syria.
"The difference between us and the others when it comes to Syria is that the others want to impose democracy through weapons," he added. "Iran cannot accept or support such a way."

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of the parliament in Ankara on November 20, 2012.(AFP Photo / Adem Altan)

-

­Russia also expressed concern that the military buildup along the Turkey-Syria border will only further complicate matters, tempting those who seek an escalation of violence in the tensions.
Turkish media speculates that the Patriot batteries will be delivered in a matter of weeks. Next week, a group of NATO military specialists will visit the sites to make assessments about potential deployments. The plan will then be reviewed by the US, Germany and Netherlands militaries, which agreed to provide the weapons.
Fears are being raised that the missiles would be used to create a de facto no-fly zone inside Syrian territory without a UN mandate. So far, Syrian air forces have been a key factor in Damascus’ fight against rebel troops. Ankara has supported the rebels for months, allowing them to regroup inside Turkish territory and turning a blind eye to weapons smuggling.
­

Kurds take up arms against rebels

­Turkey’s support for rebels is also viewed with suspicion by Syria's Kurdish population, the majority of which lives in the northern border region. On Friday, two of the main Kurdish groups in Syria agreed to join forces to fight against anti-Assad Islamist militants, which attacked Kurdish areas this month.
The Democratic Union Party, known by its Kurdish initials PYD, and the Kurdish National Council (KNC) came to an agreement after a meeting in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. The two factions vowed to jointly defend the predominantly Kurdish towns in Syria and administer them together until an election can be held to form a local government.

An officer of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) stands guard near the Syrian-Iraq border October 31, 2012.(Reuters / Thaier Al-Sudani)

-

­The agreement followed fierce clashes between PYD militias and rebels from the Al-Nusra Front and allied Ghuraba al-Sham group in the Kurdish districts of Ras al-Ayn. The violence started in early November with a rebel attack on a small group of government soldiers in the area, escalating into a battle that killed at least five Kurds and 18 rebels.
Since then, Ghuraba al-Sham has called on other rebel groups to attack Ras al-Ayn and the provincial capital, Hasakeh. The rebels said that local Kurds, especially those from PYD, were enemies of the Syrian revolution.
PYD is seen as a close ally of Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a Kurdish force that has for decades been fighting a guerrilla war in Turkey in a bid for national autonomy. Ankara is hostile to both parties. Many Syrian Kurds believe that Turkey helped the Syrian rebels prepare their offensive at Ras al-Ayn, or even directly orchestrated it.
There are some 2 million Kurds living in Syrian territory, who were widely oppressed under the regime of Bashar Assad and his predecessor. Since the rebellion began in Syria 20 months, ago Damascus has mostly left the Kurds to govern their own affairs, who have stayed out of the conflict and supported neither side.

Turkish - Syrian border..[ 3000 ]

  
Rebels seize more ground but stall at Turkish border
Date     November 24, 2012  /  smh.com.au

DAMASCUS: Syria's rebels have reportedly seized new territory in the eastern Euphrates valley from government forces but have run into resistance from Kurdish militia on the Turkish border in a potential new security concern for Turkey, a key member of NATO.

Rebel fighters captured the Euphrates town of Mayadeen in a drive up the strategic valley from the Iraqi border, bringing the largest single stretch of territory in the country under their control, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

But further north, in the battlefield town of Ras al-Ayn, on the Turkish border, mainly jihadist rebel forces were in a standoff with Kurdish militia with links to Ankara's longtime foe, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the largest such confrontation so far in the 20-month uprising.

Because of the growing turmoil on its southern border, Turkey has asked its NATO allies to deploy surface-to-air Patriot missiles to protect its frontiers, but Russia spoke out strongly on Thursday against any such move.


Syrian government troops withdrew west towards the provincial capital and oil hub of Deir al-Zor as the rebels moved into the strategic town of Mayadeen, the Syrian Observatory said.

''The area east of the city of Deir al-Zor, on the Iraqi border, is now the largest area in the entire country that is out of army control,'' the Observatory's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said.

Despite its losses on the battlefield, the government of the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, remains in control of most of the province's oil and gas fields, Mr Abdel Rahman said.

On the Turkish border, hundreds of Kurdish militiamen massed in the frontier town of Ras al-Ayn in a mounting standoff with mainly jihadist rebels who had seized much of it from government forces, the Observatory said.

It was the latest in a string of drives for control of mainly Kurdish-inhabited areas of the north-east and north-west that neighbouring Turkey fears has given succour to the rebel PKK, which it has been fighting for nearly three decades.

The Turkish-backed rebels of the Free Syrian Army accuse the Democratic Union Party (PYD) of having links to the PKK, which has been fighting for self-rule just across the border in south-eastern Turkey since 1984.

The PYD says its fighters are Syrian but Washington has backed Ankara in insisting Syria will not be allowed to become a rear base for the PKK as central government control diminishes.

The spread of Syria's civil war has made it increasingly difficult for civilians to escape the conflict, and many are afraid to seek medical care, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Maurer, said.

''Through the spreading of the fighting, people lose … escape routes out of the fights,'' he said.
Agence France-Presse